Academics

Name :   Satheesan Kartha, DGM/FM

Qualification : 
BSc (Physics), University of Mumbai, CAIIB,  Course on Development Consultancy, Mauritius

Area of Specialization:
Farmer Producer Organisations, Developmental Finance, Project Appraisal, Infrastructure Finance, Farm & Off-Farm Sector Development, Rural Livelihoods, Monitoring & Evaluation, etc.

Professional Experience:
Shri Satheesan Kartha is a professional banker with more than 30 years of experience. Prior to his stint as Faculty Member in this institute, he has served at various positions in NABARD across multiple verticals including Corporate Planning, Information Technology, Investment Credit, Human Resources, Infrastructure Finance, etc.  He has also acted as Nodal Officer for NABARD Consultancy Services Pvt. Ltd., (Nabcons) in Uttar Pradesh and Kerala. Prior to this assignment, he was a District Development Manager, Raichur District, Karnataka. He has also involved as District Development Officer in charge of Siddharthnagar district in Uttar Pradesh as well as Ernakulam district in Kerala. During the course of his career he been instrumental in launching and monitoring a number of developmental programmes of NABARD like FPOs, Watersheds, Tribal Development Projects, Livelihood & Entrepreneurship Development Programmes, Rural Marketing, etc.

Email:  k.satheesan@nabard.org Phone : 0824-2888505

Name :   Smt. Sheela M Bhandarkar, DGM/FM

Qualification : 
B.Com., CAIIB, Master of Business Administration (Finance), Institute of Chartered Financial Analysts of India, Hyderabad.

Area of Specialization:
Corporate Planning, Banking and Finance, Institutional Development, Farmer Producer Organisations, Rural Livelihoods and Off-Farm Sector Development, Financial Inclusion, Financing of Rural Infrastructure Projects and Human Resource Development.

Professional Experience:

Smt. Sheela M Bhandarkar is a Development Banker with more than 2½ decades of professional experience in Head Office, Regional Offices and Training Establishment of NABARD, in the States of Karnataka and Maharashtra.   As a Director on the Board of Vidarbha Konkan Grameen Bank, Maharashtra (2021-2023), she guided the Bank in its turnaround towards profit-making, business expansion and adoption of improved banking technology.  She was closely associated with the formulation and implementation of the GoI’s Revival Package for Short Term Cooperative Credit Structure in 2004.  As the District Development Manager of Dharwad district (2014-2020) and Gadag district (2015-16), Karnataka, she was instrumental in the formation and nurturing of successful Farmer Producer Organisations, Off-Farm Producer Organisations and implementing programs for promotion of rural livelihoods. She has rich field level experience in Credit Planning for priority sectors at district level as also Corporate Planning at State Level.  She has also been associated with financing of rural infrastructure projects, implementation of banking technology and micro finance initiatives. 

Email: sheela.bhandarkar@nabard.org Phone: 0824-2888506

Name :   Yogesh S L

Qualification : 
BSc (Physics / Chemistry / Mathematics).

Professional Experience:

Shri Yogesh is a professional banker and joined NABARD in the year 1995. During his 03 decades of service in NABARD, he has the experience of having served in the States of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Sikkim and Mumbai, before his posting as a Faculty Member in BIRD, Mangaluru in May 2024.

He has also served as District Development Manager (DDM), NABARD in Uttara Kannada District of Karnataka, during the course of which, he was instrumental in conceptualisation and implementation of NABARD’s development projects like promotion of Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs), Livelihood Programs, Financial Literacy and Digital awareness programs, besides guiding the banks in the District for enhancing the Ground Level Credit Flow to agriculture and rural areas.

He was closely associated with the implementation of (i) Watershed Development Projects in the State of Karnataka and (ii) Centrally Sponsored PACS Computerisation Project (CSPCP) in the State of Tamil Nadu and the Union Territory of Puducherry.

His areas of interest include Bank Supervision, Cooperative Banking, Risk Management, Watershed Development, Institutional Development, Microfinance and Financial Inclusion.

Email :yogesh.sl@nabard.org  Phone: 0824 2888504

Name :   E Prathap, DGM/FM

Qualification : 
B.E (Mining) Bangalore University, PGDRM (IRMA), CAIIB

Area of Specialization:

Banking and Finance, Farm & Off Farm Sector Development, Financial Inclusion, Human Resource Development

Professional Experience:

Shri E Prathap has joined the Rural Development Banking Service (RDBS) of NABARD. He has an experience of 17 years of service handling various development functions. At NABARD, he has served at Head Office (Mumbai), Regional Office (Bangalore), District (as District Development Manager at Chikmagalur, Karnataka), Difficult Area Posting (Andaman & Nicobar Islands) prior to the current assignment at BIRD, Mangaluru as Faculty Member.

He has handled Watershed Projects and Pilot Project on System of Rice Intensification (SRI) during his stint at NABARD, Head Office, Mumbai. He has worked in Department of Refinance, erstwhile Business Initiatives Department (now Project Finance Department) and as District Development Officer for Kolar District at Regional Office, Bangalore. He played a pivotal role as District Development Manager of Chikmagalur District where in he has been instrumental in conducting Financial Literacy and Digital Awareness Programs, implementing Tribal Development Project, Watershed Development Project, Springshed Project, JIVA Project and Promotion of Farmer Producers’ Organisations (FPOs). At Andaman & Nicobar Islands, handled DPR Projects, Farm Sector Promotion Fund Projects, FPOs, GI Project, etc.

He was a member of the team from NABARD which visited Thailand in November 2018 to study the JLG & Micro Enterprises.

Email :e.prathap@nabard.org  Phone: 0824 2888510

Name :   Shakti Prasanna Mohapatra, AGM/FM

Qualification : 
MCA (Utkal University), PGDM Finance (XIMB), PG Diploma in Applied Statistics (ISI Kolkata),    CAIIB, Certificate in Risk Management (IIBF) and Certified Banking Compliance Professional (jointly by IIBF & ICSI)

Area of Specialization:
Banking and Finance, Risk Management, Supervision and Regulatory Compliance for Regional Rural Banks and Rural Cooperative Banks

Professional Experience:

Shakti Prasanna Mohapatra joined the Rural Development Banking Services (RDBS) of NABARD in 2011. He has extensive experience of being part of the Supervision function of NABARD across nine states during his tenure. He has also served as District Development Manager (DDM), NABARD in Sundargarh and Jharsuguda districts of Odisha, during the course of which, he was instrumental in formation of FPOs and monitoring of various development projects like Watershed development, Wadi, Livelihood Enterprise Development Programs, Financial Literacy and Digital awareness programs. His areas of interest include Bank Supervision, Cooperative Banking, Risk Management, Credit Appraisal, Stress Testing, Forensic Accounting and Analytics.

Email : shakti.mohapatra@nabard.org                        Phone: 0824 2888510

Name :   Malini S Suvarna

Qualification : 
B.Com, JAIIB

Area of Specialization:
Microfinance & Rural Livelihoods, Farm Sector Development, Human Resource Management, Off-farm Sector Promotion and Institutional Development

Professional Experience:

Smt. Malini S Suvarna, joined NABARD in Head Office Mumbai in 1990. Over the course of her 34- year tenure, she has served in various capacities across the states of Maharashtra, Andaman & Nicobar Islands and Karnataka, and currently holds the position of Faculty Member at BIRD, Mangaluru, since May 2025.

Prior to joining NABARD, she has worked as a lecturer in Davar’s College of Commerce (Secretarial Practice), Mumbai for 3 years. Her extensive field experience includes a distinguished stint as District Development Manager (DDM) in Chitradurga district, Karnataka for 6 years and Hassan district, Karnataka for 4 years. During this period, she played a pivotal role in the conceptualization and implementation of several key development initiatives of NABARD in the district level, such as Tribal Development Project, Watershed Development Project, KfW Soil Projects, Promotion of Farmer Producers’ Organisations (FPOs), Implementation of Livelihood and Skill Development Programmes for SHG members and unemployed youth, Conducting Financial Literacy and Digital Awareness Campaigns, conduct of Save Water Campaigns, Capacity Building Programmes for Bankers & Line departments, etc.  In collaboration with the DCCBs, she has been instrumental in strengthening the functioning of the PACS at the ground level in Chitradurga and Hassan.
She has also undertaken quick studies on schemes and topics including Interest Subvention Scheme, Self-Help Group Credit Linkage, Go Live PACS, KCC Collateral Study. She also successfully handled a NABCONS assignment focused on FPOs and was empanelled on the Interview Board for staff selection at Karnataka Vikas Grameena Bank.

Her core areas of interest are Microfinance & Rural Livelihoods, Farm Sector Development, Human Resource Management, Off-farm Sector Promotion and Institutional Development.

She was the Co-PD for the International Study Visit Programme on Innovations in Rural and Agricultural Finance and Agri Business Promotion and Export held in Manila and Southern Luzon, Phillippines conducted by BIRD Mangaluru in coordination with APRACA, Phillippines.

Email : malini.suvarna@nabard.org                        Phone: 0824 2888507