About Us – Sujeet Kumar – Member of Parliament

Short Brief:
Sujeet Kumar is an Indian politician of the Biju Janata Dal party and a Member of Parliament (MP), representing the state of Odisha in the Rajya Sabha (The Council of States or The Upper House), since 2020. He is also a Lawyer and trained Arbitrator, and practicing in the Supreme Court of India, various High Courts and Tribunals. He is currently the Chairman of the Committee on Petitions of Rajya Sabha, one of the youngest ever to chair a Parliamentary Committee. He earlier served as the Advisor, in the rank of Chief Secretary, to the Special Development Council (SDC) of Government of Odisha and as the Special Secretary of Odisha State Planning Board, very senior policy planning positions with Government of Odisha.

Education:
Hailing from Bhawanipatna in Kalahandi district of Odisha, Kumar completed his primary education in his native district. Later he completed Bachelor of Engineering (BE) from Veer Surendra Sai University of Technology (formerly UCE Burla) and Bachelor of Laws (LLB) from Sambalpur University. Kumar received the prestigious inaugural Skoll Scholarship for Social Entrepreneurship which enabled him to study MBA at Saïd Business School, Oxford University. Kumar acquired his second masters Degree from the prestigious Harvard Kennedy School (HKS), Harvard University; where he received his Master in Public Administration (MPA) degree.

Career:
Kumar started his corporate career as a software engineer with Infosys Technologies Ltd. Later, he shifted to the development sector and worked with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP); managing its ‘ICT for Development’ Project in Odisha, working to bring digital technology to the remote regions of the state. Kumar later worked at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Geneva, Switzerland where he designed and managed key projects of the WEF.

Kumar is also Co-Chair of the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC). He is a founding member of the Formosa Club Indo-Pacific chapter.

Legal Practice:
Kumar is currently a legal practitioner at the Supreme Court of India, various High Courts & Tribunals. He has also founded LexMantra LLP (www.lexmantra.net), a boutique law firm providing a range of legal solutions for domestic and overseas corporations, multinational companies, multi-lateral & government agencies, investors and individuals.
Kumar is a Life Member of Orissa High Court Bar Association, International Bar Association, The International Centre for Alternative Dispute Resolution (ICADR), Indian Council of Arbitration (ICA), Construction Industry Arbitration Council (CIAC), Indian Institute of Public Administration (IIPA), member of Supreme Court of India Bar Association and a Patron Member of Bar Association of India (BAI).

Parliamentary Committees
Kumar is currently a member of several Parliamentary Committees:
Chairman, Committee on Petitions of Rajya Sabha
Member, Standing Committee on Home Affairs
Member, Committee on Official Language
Member, Consultative Committee for the Ministry of External Affairs
Member, Joint Committee on the Multi-State Cooperative Societies (Amendment) Bill, 2022
Member, Joint Committee on Jan Vishwas (Amendment Of Provisions) Bill, 2022

Private Members Bills:
Kumar has introduced several Private Members’ Bills in Parliament over some very important issues. Key Bills introduced are:
1.THE NET ZERO EMISSIONS BILL, 2022 – The Bill provides a framework for achieving net zero emissions by the year 2070 as per India’s nationally determined contributions under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and to provide relief for vulnerable persons and communities from drastic climate events in the form of maintaining a vulnerable population registry at the State and the district levels.

2.THE CODE OF CRIMINAL PROCEDURE (AMENDMENT) BILL, 2022 – The proposed Bill is presented to redefine a procedural framework with regard to the bail provisions as The Code of Criminal Procedure does not define the words ‘Bail’ and ‘Anticipatory Bail’, and only categorizes the offence into bailable or non-bailable.

3.THE CIGARETTES AND OTHER TOBACCO PRODUCTS (PROHIBITION OF ADVERTISEMENT AND REGULATION OF TRADE AND COMMERCE, PRODUCTION, SUPPLY AND DISTRIBUTION) (AMENDMENT) BILL, 2022 – The Bill intends to amend the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products (Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation of Trade and Commerce, Production, Supply and Distribution) Act, 2003 by advocating for a comprehensive ban on tobacco use in the public place and prohibiting the sale of cigarette or other tobacco products to person below the age of twenty-one years.

4.THE PREVENTION AND PROHIBITION OF WITCH-BRANDING AND WITCH-HUNTING AND OTHER HARMFUL PRACTICES BILL, 2022 – The Bill intends to provide for effective measures to prevent, prohibit and protect persons especially women from witch-branding and witch-hunting, to eliminate their torture, oppression, humiliation, killing, sexual assault, stigmatization, discrimination, ostracization by providing punishment for such offences, relief and rehabilitation of victims of such offences.

5.THE LEGISLATION AND EXPENDITURE ACCOUNTABILITY BILL, 2022 – The BILL intends to bring about accountability and Parliamentary oversight to the legislative and policy-making process in the country, and to improve the quality of expenditure made by the Union Government

Public Cause:
SDC Cup 2020
During his stint as the Advisor to Special Development Council (SDC), Government of Odisha, Kumar spearheaded the SDC Cup 2020 which brought together indigenous youths of Odisha to play competitive football at the district and state levels. Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and Indian football legend Bhaichung Bhutia attended the final match of the tournament, played at the historic Barabati Stadium, Cuttack. This unique football championship, organised with the support of Football Association of Odisha (FAO) and All India Football Federation (AIFF) involved over 10,000 tribal youths in men and women categories, in the nine tribal-dominated districts of Odisha.

Kalahandi Dialogue
Kumar’s brainchild “Kalahandi Dialogue” (http://www.kalahandidialogue.org/), was organised at Kalahandi in September 2018, as a collaborative platform for engaging all the stakeholders (global leaders, policymakers, development practitioners, entrepreneurs & social entrepreneurs, elected representatives, public intellectuals and the local citizens of Kalahandi) in the development discourse and action; which became profusely successful and inspired other such development dialogue platforms.

Legislative Engagement
Kumar has led a legislative engagement and advocacy initiative at Kalinga Kusum, a non-profit organization (www.kalingakusum.org) in partnership with UNICEF, to orient Odisha Legislative Assembly members (MLAs), in the areas of budgeting, child rights, and ease of doing business. Kumar provides mentorship support to Kalinga Kusum. Being a technocrat, he advocates for the usage of Technology in various aspects of Governance and solving critical issues being faced by the country.

Child Friendly Constituency (CFC)
Sujeet Kumar has taken leadership in conceptualizing and driving an innovative initiative-the Child-Friendly Constituency (CFC). He, in collaboration with Kalinga Kusum Foundation & UNICEF, has been proactive in promoting the idea of Child-Friendly Constituencies across the state. Assisted by the then local MLA, Mr. Anubhav Patnaik, the first-ever CFC project in India has been implemented in the Khandapada Assembly Constituency of Nayagarh district of Odisha, earning rare acclaim by UNICEF.

Awards, Recognition and Honorary positions
Odisha Youth Inspiration Award 2017, Odisha Diary Foundation [6]
Hauser Fellow, Harvard Kennedy School (2010–11), for exemplary public service & potential for future leadership potential.
Asia Pacific Leadership Fellow (APLP) at East West Centre, Hawaii, 2009-10 [7]
Chair of Young Indians (Yi), Bhubaneswar Chapter 2012-13 [8]
Global Leadership Fellow, One of twenty fellows selected by the World Economic Forum (WEF), Switzerland from about 3000 odd applicants, 2006 [9][10]

A prolific speaker, he has spoken at various conferences and events across the world.

About Shri Sujeet Kumar:

Sujeet Kumar is an Indian politician affiliated with the Biju Janata Dal party and currently serves as a Member of Parliament (MP) representing the state of Odisha in the Rajya Sabha (The Council of States or The Upper House) since 2020. Apart from his political career, he is also a lawyer and trained arbitrator who has practiced in the Supreme Court of India and various high courts and tribunals. Throughout his professional journey, he has held significant policy planning positions within the Government of Odisha, including serving as an Advisor to the Special Development Council (SDC) in the rank of Chief Secretary, as well as Special Secretary to the Odisha State Planning Board.

Notably, Sujeet Kumar is recognized as one of the youngest MPs to preside over a Parliamentary Committee and currently holds the position of Chairman of the Committee on Petitions in the Rajya Sabha. Additionally, he also serves as a member of several other committees, including the Standing Committee on Home Affairs, Committee on Official Language, Consultative Committee for the Ministry of External Affairs, Joint Committee on the Multi-State Cooperative Societies (Amendment) Bill, 2022, and Joint Committee on Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Bill, 2022.

Sujeet Kumar hails from Bhawanipatna in the Kalahandi district of Odisha. He obtained a Bachelor’s Degree in Engineering (BE) from Veer Surendra Sai University of Technology and a Bachelor’s Degree in Law (LLB) from Sambalpur University. He was awarded the prestigious Skoll Scholarship for Social Entrepreneurship, which enabled him to pursue an MBA at Saïd Business School, Oxford University. He further expanded his knowledge by acquiring a Master in Public Administration (MPA) from the esteemed Harvard Kennedy School (HKS), Harvard University.

Beyond his political endeavors, Sujeet Kumar is passionate about harmonizing law, development, and social entrepreneurship. He has provided strategic, legal, regulatory, and corporate governance advice to numerous start-ups, small businesses, social ventures, non-profit organizations, impact investors, and donor organizations both in India and internationally. He founded LexMantra, a full-service start-up and legal consulting firm that offers comprehensive legal and business advisory solutions to domestic and overseas clients, including investors, multinational corporations, and government agencies.

Sujeet Kumar has a notable background in social entrepreneurship and philanthropy. He has been serving as the Founder and Mentor at Kalinga Kusum, a social enterprise dedicated to addressing education challenges and promoting legal empowerment in rural communities in India through strategic philanthropy.
At Kalinga Kusum, Sujeet Kumar has taken on a leadership role in conceptualizing and guiding the implementation of the Child-Friendly Constituency (CFC) project. The first CFC initiative in India was implemented in the Khandapada Constituency, located in the Nayagarh district of Odisha, in collaboration with UNICEF. The CFC model aims to establish a platform where elected representatives can engage in structured dialogues with district officials and various stakeholders. Additionally, it aims to facilitate community participation in addressing issues that impact the well-being of children. This model is designed to optimize the utilization of resources allocated under existing policies of both the State and Central Governments.

By focusing on fostering collaboration and dialogue, the CFC model seeks to enhance the overall effectiveness of government initiatives related to children’s welfare. Sujeet Kumar’s involvement in this endeavor demonstrates his commitment to making a positive impact on education and legal empowerment in rural areas of India.

Sujeet Kumar has also made significant contributions to the development sector, including his work with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), where he managed the ‘ICT for Development’ Project in Odisha, introducing digital technology to remote districts of the state. Furthermore, he served as a Global Leadership Fellow (GLF) at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Geneva, where he played a pivotal role in identifying, selecting, and overseeing the Community of Young Global Leaders (YGLs) from Asia. He also managed an education task force focused on innovating educational models for rural schools in developing countries.

Sujeet Kumar is actively involved in various professional associations and societies, including being a life member of the Orissa High Court Bar Association, International Bar Association, The International Centre for Alternative Dispute Resolution (ICADR), Indian Council of Arbitration (ICA), Construction Industry Arbitration Council (CIAC), Oxbridge Society of India, Harvard Club of India (HCI), and Indian Institute of Public Administration (IIPA).Sujeet Kumar is an Indian politician affiliated with the Biju Janata Dal party and currently serves as a Member of Parliament (MP) representing the state of Odisha in the Rajya Sabha (The Council of States or The Upper House) since 2020. Apart from his political career, he is also a lawyer and trained arbitrator who has practiced in the Supreme Court of India and various high courts and tribunals. Throughout his professional journey, he has held significant policy planning positions within the Government of Odisha, including serving as an Advisor to the Special Development Council (SDC) in the rank of Chief Secretary, as well as Special Secretary to the Odisha State Planning Board.