Mr. Rajendra Khatri

Mr. Rajendra Khatri
Mr. Rajendra Khatri

Senior Research Associate / Project Manager (Social Science / Research)

Mr. Rajendra Khatri is a Senior Research Associate and Project Manager at the Nepal Development Research Institute (NDRI), with an MA in Sociology from Tribhuvan University and over 15 years of experience in research, project management, evaluation, and field research. He has served as Team Leader, Project Manager, Evaluation Coordinator, Project Coordinator, and Researcher/Data Analyst across national and international projects.

He has extensive expertise in surveys, evaluations, impact assessments, baseline/midline/end-line studies, and research across public health, education, agriculture, food security, livelihoods, gender, enterprise development, and disaster management. Having travelled to 77 districts of Nepal, he brings strong knowledge of the country's diverse socio-cultural, geographical, and linguistic contexts.

Mr. Khatri has worked with government institutions, development partners, and international organizations including USAID, UNDP, UNICEF, UNFPA, WHO, WFP, World Bank, ICIMOD, IFRC, Plan International, KOICA, and Practical Action, as well as academic institutions including Yale University, Kansas State University, and J-PAL/MIT.

Currently, he serves as Project Manager for the IDRC Canada-funded study on innovation and inclusion in growth-potential enterprises, covering 1,200 MSMEs across all seven provinces and focused on generating evidence to promote innovation and inclusive entrepreneurship in Nepal.

Some of the major research and projects accomplished in recent year.

    1. Promoting Innovation and inclusion in Growth Potential Enterprises: Evidence from Nepal (2023 -2026), funded by IDRC Canada, (Project Manager).
    2. Quantitative and Qualitative study for the Data Must Speak Positive Deviance Research (April – October 2023), funded by UNICEF Global Innocenti, (Project Coordinator).
    3. To conduct Baseline and Endline study on Mental Health in Karnali Province (April – March 2024), funded by UNICEF, (Team leader).
    4. Agricultural Economic Survey (March – June 2023), funded by Japan Economic Research Institute (JERI), (Team Leader).
    5. Household and Village Survey of Indigenous Groups in South and Southeast Asia. (Sep. 2022 – March 2023), funded by Asian Development Bank Institute, Japan (Team Leader).
    6. Ed-Tech Readiness Index (ETRI) (June 2022 – August 2022), World Bank, (Team Leader).

    7. Ensuring Business Innovation Fundamentals: Exploring Equity, Diversity and Inclusion in Small and Medium Sized Enterprises (MSMEs) of Nepal. (2021-), funded by IDRC Canada, (Field coordinator).
    8. Impact study of Early Warning system in Karnali and Mahakali Basin (March 2022 – May 2022), funded by Practical Action, (Team Leader)
    9. Post Distribution Monitoring Survey (Feb 2022 – April 2022), funded by IFRC, (Team Leader) 
    10. A study on Mental Health of school going children in Nepal. (March 2021 to June 2021), Funded by World Bank, (Team Leader).
    11. End line assessment of the project regarding effectiveness of community participation in promoting accountability in health services delivery and increasing abortion related awareness. (Oct 2020 – Dec.2020), funded by IPAS Nepal, (Evaluation Coordinator)
    12. Nepal living Standard Survey IV 2021/22 (NLSS - IV) (2019), funded by World Bank and technical support by Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS). (Field Coordinator).

Publication:

  1.  Khatri, R., Regmi, P. P., Shrestha, N., Barasaini, D., & Mulmi, R. S. (2026). Growth Potentials of Micro and Small-Scale Enterprises in Nepal. International Journal for Multidisciplinary Research (IJFMR), 8(4). DOI: https://doi.org/10.36948/ijfmr.2026.v08i04.85469
  2. EVIDENCE FROM NEPAL: DO GOVERNMENT-INITIATED MSME SUPPORT PROGRAMS FOSTER INCLUSIVE ENTREPRENEURSHIP?
    Authors: Nirmita Shrestha, Dr Shikha Thapa Magar, Rajendra Khatri, Dr Rabita Shrestha Mulmi & Dikshya Barasaini
    https://ijssmr.org/vol-9-issue-5/evidence-from-nepal-do-government-initiated-msme-support-programs-foster-inclusive-entrepreneurship/
  3. Bhattarai, R. K. et al, (2022). Transforming Indigenous Knowledge and Skills for Achieving Sustainable Business: Evidence from MSMEs in Nepal. Proceedings of the International Research Conference of the SLTC Research University, Sri Lanka 2022. Proceedings of the International Research Conference of the SLTC Research University, Sri Lanka 2022
    http://repo.sltc.ac.lk/bitstream/handle/1/268/30%20Bhattarai%20et%20al%20IRC2022%20_%20SLTC_%20Research%20University_Proceedings.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y
  4. Toward Effective Early Warning System: Impact and Lessons from Nepal and Peru, Project Report. (Acknowledgement) 
    https://infohub.practicalaction.org/bitstream/handle/11283/622985/EWS_Impact%20and%20lessons%20from%20Nepal%20and%20Peru_07092023.pdf?sequence=9&isAllowed=y&_gl=1*13u4vpv*_gcl_au*NTE4MjgyODU5LjE2OTcwMDU0MTQ.*_ga*MTY5Njc1OTI2NS4xNjk3MDA1NDE0*_ga_KEV5KYD4JS*MTY5NzAwNTQxNC4xLjAuMTY5NzAwNTQxNC42MC4wLjA.*_ga_ZWCVDFFX4W*MTY5NzAwNTQxNC4xLjAuMTY5NzAwNTQxNC42MC4wLjA.
  5. Bhattarai R.K., Shrestha N., Bajimaya S., Khatri R., Mulmi R.S. & Shrestha S. (2023). “Ensuring business innovation fundamentals: exploring equity, diversity and inclusion in small and medium sized enterprises (MSMES) of Nepal”. Available on 
    https://idl-bnc-idrc.dspacedirect.org/bitstream/handle/10625/61869/2023-01-23_IDRC-EI-Report_Jan%2023.pdf?sequence=
  6. PDM – Flood 2022
    https://www.ifrc.org/evaluation/pdm-report-mdrnp011-nepal-monsoon-floods-and-landslides
  7. PDM – Earthquake 2023
    https://www.ifrc.org/evaluation/pdm-report-karnali-earthquake