Migration Policy Researcher, Social Entrepreneur, Author, Columnist and Advisor / Mentor
Rajiv Dabhadkar is the Founder of The National Organization for Software and Technology Professionals (NOSTOPS), a body that dedicates itself to knowledge-worker advocacy, with an aim of 'Promoting the image and the imagination of Indian knowledge workers globally'.
Since 2004, he has been actively vocal about the issues of foreign guest-workers and the need to reform the policies governing India's outward migration of human capital to host nations dependent on Indian labor. Over the past 2 decades, he has commissioned over 1000 media mentions internationally. He has testified in the US Congress in 2007, leading to the first bipartisan visa bill proposal - "Visa abuse and Fraud Prevention Act"
Recipient of the coveted KaramVeer Chakra for social justice, he has authored 5 books on cross-border people movement and advises IT companies on their workforce mobility related issues. As an India - US migration policy researcher, his work has been cited by the US Department of Homeland Security as well as the UK Border Agency. He works closely with the Indian ministries and Indian missions abroad to repatriate stranded victims of employer abuse overseas. He also works with Campus Incubators under the Dept of Science and Technology to mentor their startup ecosystems and in the capacity of an advisor to the Entrepreneurship Development Cells across multiple educational institutions. Under his guidance , his organisation is an incubator for social entrepreneurs, and he is a mentor to 'Abhyudaya', a social entrepreneurship cell at IIT Bombay.
He is on the advisory board of funded IT companies, and also works with early-stage startups and mid-sized enterprises in shaping their “go to market” strategies, and their cross-cultural and cross-border communications, to bridge the knowledge gap caused by disparate issues faced by Indian startups.
He is on the Technology Governance Steering Committee at the All India Council for Robotics and Automation, New Delhi.
His Op-Ed columns can frequently be found in the Economic Times, Times of India, and Money Control.
India no longer needs to export data to import intelligence
In cognizance of the restrictive nature of the mobility issues of human capital globally, He recognises the need to influence the retention of brightest minds and to harness their potential. He believes imbibing technology and the timeless principles of ancient belief systems of yoga and meditation can enhance knowledge retention, cultural preservation,economic growth and foster global competitiveness.