K. Raju entered the Indian Administrative Service in 1981. He served as the district collector of Nellore and Kurnool districts in Andhra Pradesh. His pioneering work on self-help groups of women and his role in the delivery of MGNREGA with transparency and accountability (when he headed the rural development department of Andhra Pradesh), empowered the poor immensely. He worked with the National Advisory Council and contributed to the formulation of rights-based, pro-poor legislations and policies, securing long-lasting benefits for the country's poor. Raju joined the Congress party in 2013 and is currently the national coordinator for the SC, ST, OBC and minorities departments of the All India Congress Committee.
