Balaji Pandey

Trustee / Popular Education and Action Centre (PEACE)

Balaji Pandey is a seasoned researcher and social change worker with over four decades dedicated to the upliftment of vulnerable and marginalized communities across various Indian states. A founder Trustee of PEACE, he began his career as a researcher at the Center for Women’s Development Studies (CWDS) in Delhi. During his eight years at CWDS, he facilitated the promotion of tribal women’s organizations to reduce their dependency on seasonal migration in search of employment in Bankura district, West Bengal. He also contributed to research on women’s roles in the Chipko Movement, social forestry, and women’s education. After leaving CWDS, he promoted an institute in Odisha to support poor and marginalized communities, especially victims of development-induced displacement. In Odisha, he conducted studies on the traumatic experiences of displaced persons, focusing on tribals and women. He also organized workshops in Uttarakhand, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, and Rajasthan with social organizations and activists protesting forced land acquisition for development projects. His research includes studies such as Women and Displacement, Depriving the Underprivileged for Development, and Role of NGOs in Rehabilitation and Resettlement. He has also organized training workshops for elected women panchayat members in Odisha and worked on strengthening the PESA Act there.