economic reforms, elections, democracy and international affairs, Kumar has also authored a book titled Law, Ideas and Ideology in Politics; Perspectives of an Activist in 2003. In 2012, Kumar was the keynote speaker at the Harvard Club, New York City on "The Legal Architecture for consolidating the economic reform process in India" and was also a guest lecturer at MIT. In 2013, he was a speaker at the Aix Le Cercle des economists in Aix-en-Provence, France, and was a distinguished fellow at Trinity College, Dublin in 2016. Kumar's second book, Hope in a Challenged Democracy - an Indian Narrative, was published in 2017. Membership of committees and key positions held Kumar was appointed as Member of Standing Committee of Parliament on External Affairs in 2009. He also served as the Chairman of the Select Committee of Rajya Sabha for "The Prevention of Torture Bill", 2010. He was a member of the Standing Committee of Parliament on Defense and a member of the Public Accounts Committee in 2013. In 2014, Kumar was appointed a member of the Co-ordination Committee of the INC in Rajya Sabha and a member of the Parliamentary Affairs Committee of the INC. Kumar has also been a member of the Empowered Sub-Committee of the High Level Committee on Manufacturing and the Standing Committee on Commerce. He has chaired the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Science and Technology, Environment and Forests. In January 2015, Kumar was nominated as a Member of the General Purposes Committee of Rajya Sabha. He was also nominated as a Member of the Consultative Committee for the Ministry of Defence in January 2015. In 2014, Kumar was appointed as a Member of the National Literacy Mission. He was a Member of the Indian Ministerial delegation for the 3rd Indo-US Strategic Dialogue and the 1st Indo-Japan Economic Dialogue held in New Delhi. Kumar was the Founder President of the Indo-French Parliamentary Friendship Group constituted by the Speaker of Lok Sabha in 2003. In November 2017, Kumar was appointed a Distinguished Fellow with the Global Federation of Competitiveness Council. Nominations In 2013, Kumar was nominated to represent India at the United Nations General Assembly Session in New York City and made an address there. He also represented India at the Summer Davos meeting of the World Economic Forum's Annual Meeting of the New Champions (2011) in Dalian, People's Republic of China. Coalgate draft report controversy Kumar was