Dr. N. Bhaskara Rao

A pioneer of social research in India and an eminent mass communication expert with 35 years of distinguished background, Dr. N. Bhaskara Rao is the Founder and Chairman of the well known independent Centre for Media Studies (CMS) and also the Founder and Chairman of a prestigious market research and forecasting outfit, Marketing & Development Research Associates (MDRA). Earlier, he had built up ORG as its CEO. Dr. Rao is the author and proponent of Social Audit concept/approach to appraise public utilities/services along with two former chief justices of India -- Justice P N Bhagavati and Justice R.S. Pathak. Dr. Rao pioneered Role Model Awards at National level.

Dr. Rao wears many hats. He is an independent analyst, strategic advisor on public policies, public opinion, elections and poll forecast, reforms process, and media trends. He is a pioneer in social research, monitoring & evaluation, and rating methodologies. To many around the country he is the Social Audit expert having been the Convenor of the first Social Audit Panel in the country (for the Ministry of Communication) and later the Ministry of Environment & Forests. For many aspiring students of professional education he is known as the prime mover of BREAD (Basic Research in Education & Development) which gives scholarships to the needy. His studies on public opinion, customer satisfaction, broadcasting agencies, advertising trends, mass communication, and rural marketing are key pieces of work in his field. He pioneered election studies in India. His recent studies on electronic media, telecom and electronic sectors have guided the respective Departments in formulating perspectives and strategies. Over the years he has been advocating synergies between computer, broadcasting and telecom technology policies. Dr. Rao has been consultant with the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare for more than two decades in different capacities and conducted family planning surveys and national level studies on IEC.