As secretary of the All-India Handicrafts Board, he fostered decentralised production and directed training, technical services, and loans to India's struggling self-employed spinners, weavers, carpenters, and metalsmiths.

He championed artisans against mechanisation and mass production, helping millions of independent craftsmen carry on traditional livelihoods in security and pride and assured the survival of precious arts and skills.

Jain worked with and on a number of development agencies as well as government committees and boards, such as the World Commission on Dams[3] As part of the ICU, he helped set up the Central Cottage Industries Emporium and Super Bazaar cooperative stores.

In 1989, Jain received the Ramon Magsaysay Award for Public Service, for "his informed and selfless commitment to attack India's poverty at the grass-roots level".

National Security Advisor Brajesh Mishra was reportedly of the opinion that Jain had not effectively defended India's decision to conduct the Pokhran II tests.

In December 2017, Rajiv Mantri made a charge against Jain calling him a certifiable traitor in one of his articles on the basis of his support to South Africa's opposition to nuclear tests by India at the NAM summit, later that year.