Shagun Mehrotra is currently pursuing doctoral studies at Columbia University, New York. He has done research on infrastructure, economic development, and urban poverty in South-East Asia, China, and India. He has worked with the World Bank, and his advice has been sought for the UnitedNations Human Development Report (2006) and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, among others. Sudhir Kumar, IAS, is Officer on Special Duty to the Minister of Railways. Kumar's most significant contribution in the recent transformation of the railways is his pioneering work in assisting theMinister in crafting a reform strategy for the railways that does not burden the poor consumers. A student of Delhi… School of Economics, he belongs to the 1982 Bihar cadre.