Ashwani Raja

(Held appointment of Colonel – Sustenance & Maintenance; equivalent to Director – Operations & Sustenance), at Delhi I 2021-2023)

§ Initiated, planned, and executed multiple modernisation projects, by heading 4 verticals with important charters; viz., Sustenance of critical equipment (Maintained operational efficacy of 200+ Army units); Ammunition: procurement and maintenance of stocking levels; Weapon's delivery management; and Procurement monitoring

§ Initiated several strategic and modernisation projects; spearheaded major induction processes of critical assets (worth INR 265+ crores) into Indian Army

§ Exemplified precise coordination among cross-functional teams within Army Headquarters, the Ministry of Defence, and within our own verticals. This precision-enhanced procurement efficiency and accelerated delivery timelines

§ In capacity of Commanding Officer from 2013 to 2016, strategised and directed operations of an equipment-intensive unit Army Regiment, which held assets worth ~INR 425 crores.

§ Successfully planned, executed and delivered several infrastructure projects worth over INR 440 crores. Projects included building fighting bunkers, ammunition bunkers, shelters for troops, posts along LoC (Line of Control), and other similar projects

§ Directed efforts for project scoping, technical specifications’ finalisation, scheduling, budgeting, manpower planning, execution, and final handover

§ Maintained rigorous oversight over operational costs, proactively addressing any deviations to realign budgets effectively. Reduced expenditure by ~28% through identification of key cost metrics and optimisation of infrastructure projects.

• Army Regiment; equivalent to CEO, Jammu and Kashmir & Jhansi I, Headed operations of an Army Regiment which had a strong team of 500+ troops, of multi-cultural ethnicities
• Reduced attrition rate from 6.51% to 0.34% within Regiment, in a span of 3 years by upgrading grievance mechanism (until resolution): building an environment of efficient ‘team-building & team-spirit’ within Regiment; creating an ‘inclusive growth atmosphere’ (with respective family members at its’ core); etc
• Ensured ‘zero-fatal casualties’ of troops in above 3-year duration by; implementing risk mitigation strategies in operational processes; customising training modules to enable troops to learn operational exigencies and risk mitigation strategies- thus avoiding accidents; reducing road accidents by ~89% by developing a 3-week tailor-made training capsule for drivers; briefing/debriefing sessions for drivers ensured daily; and instituting penalties

§ Headed operations of an Army Regiment which had a strong team of 500+ troops, of multi-cultural ethnicities

§ Reduced attrition rate from 6.51% to 0.34% within Regiment, in a span of 3 years by upgrading grievance mechanism (until resolution): building an environment of efficient ‘team-building & team-spirit’ within Regiment; creating an ‘inclusive growth atmosphere’ (with respective family members at its’ core); etc.

§ Ensured ‘zero-fatal casualties’ of troops in above 3-year duration by; implementing risk mitigation strategies in operational processes; customising training modules to enable troops to learn operational exigencies and risk mitigation strategies- thus avoiding accidents; reducing road accidents by ~89% by developing a 3-week tailor-made training capsule for drivers; briefing/debriefing sessions for drivers ensured daily; and instituting penalties to defaulting individuals

§ As Training Officer in UN Mission (UNIFIL), was deployed at Israel-Lebanon international borders in 2010-11, wherein, was in-charge of conducting training of all new inductees to UN Mission. Conceptualized and executed innovative training strategies for for a total of 638 multi-national/ multi-racial inductees from 18 different nationalities.

§ Handled sensitive annual confidential reports (performance evaluation and appraisal document) of ~700 officers and officers’ grievances, from 2016-17 as Colonel Military Secretary (equivalent to HR Director). Brought down confidential report processing time by ~23% by eliminating bottlenecks and various points of delay, through introduction of systems and implementation of new automation initiatives.