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Utpal has spent most of his 20+ years of professional life in pursuit of understanding the economy, society and livelihoods of Rural India. His education at the Institute of Rural Management Anand (IRMA) laid the foundation for this journey. He has travelled extensively through the length and breadth of the country, immersing himself deeply in the rural ecosystem to decipher the complexities that characterize this market. A large part of this experience has been in the Financial Services space, working in the Rural and Inclusive Banking team at ICICI Bank, where he served for 18 years in different positions and geographies. He has designed, launched and scaled multiple products to serve farmers, self employed, micro and small enterprises and the rural poor through various channels, viz. branches, franchisees, value chain partners, business correspondents, micro-finance institutions, self-help promoting institutions etc. The idea of SarvaGram germinated from the words of Dr. Verghese Kurien: “India’s place in the Sun would come from the partnership between wisdom of its rural people and the skill of its professionals.” It is execution of this idea that is now Utpal’s passion…