 |
D. R. Mehta (born 25 June 1937) is a former chairman of Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI). He is a founder and chief patron of Bhagwan Mahaveer Viklang Sahayata Samiti (BMVSS), the world's largest organization for the handicapped in terms of free fitment of artificial limbs/callipers (orthotics) etc. Mehta is a recipient of Padma Bhushan, one of the highest Indian civilian awards, for his contribution to social causes. [1]
Mehta was born at Jodhpur in Rajasthan. He is a graduate of arts and law from Rajasthan University. He also studied at Royal Institute of Public Administration, London, UK and the MIT Sloan School of Management.
D. R. Mehta joined the Indian Administrative Service in 1961 and held numerous positions initially in the Government of Rajasthan and later in the Government of India.
Mehta served as chairman of SEBI, the regulator of the capital markets in India, from 1995 to 2002. SEBI is the Indian equivalent of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). During Mehta's tenure, a slew of economic reforms were introduced making the Indian capital market one of the most modern and efficient ones in the world, attracting both local and foreign investors.
From 1992 to 1995 Mehta served as the deputy governor of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) which is the central bank of India. Still earlier, from 1991 to 1992 he was the director general of Foreign Trade, Government of India, and Ministry of Commerce. Prior to this, from 1989 to 1991, Mehta was additional secretary to the Government of India in the Ministry of Finance, dealing with banking.
From 1974 to 1989, except for five years when he was serving the Ministry of Finance of India, Mehta worked for the state government of Rajasthan in various senior positions as the secretary to the government, in the departments of Industries, Mines, and Special Programs of the Poor etc. During this period he was the secretary to the Chief Minister of Rajasthan. [2]
D. R. Mehta has been active in social field throughout his life. He set up Bhagwan Mahaveer Viklang Sahayata Samiti (BMVSS) in Jaipur in 1975 and is now its full-time honorary volunteer. Under his leadership, BMVSS emerged as the largest organization for the handicapped in the world, providing artificial limbs/calipers and other aids and appliances for free. More than 1 million people have been its beneficiaries so far. [3]
Mehta's focus on combining social service with science led to a memorandum of understanding between Stanford University and BMVSS, resulting in the development of a new knee joint called the Jaipur Knee. It was hailed by the Time magazine as one of the 50 best inventions of 2009. [4]
Mehta is also a well-known animal activist. He has started and has been associated with some animal homes, and has also published literature on animal welfare.
D. R. Mehta has been honoured at national and international levels. In 2008 he was conferred with the Padma Bhushan by the President of India. [5] Mehta received the TECH Museum Award for Innovation and Its Use for Humanity in Silicon Valley in November 2007. [6] He is also a recipient of the Indian for Collective Action Award, Diwali Behan Award (conferred by the Dalai Lama), the CNBC Award for Social Enterprise, Satpal Mittal Award, etc. Mr. Mehta is also a director on the Europe / Asia Board of the U.S.-based MIT Sloan School of Management. D R Mehta was also a recipient of the Rajiv Gandhi National Sadbhavana Award in 2012. The award, which carries a citation and a cash award of Rs five lakh, has been given for his outstanding contribution towards promotion of communal harmony, peace and goodwill. In 2013 he was conferred with the Rajasthan Ratna by the Rajasthan Government.
The Padma Bhushan is the third-highest civilian award in the Republic of India, preceded by the Bharat Ratna and the Padma Vibhushan and followed by the Padma Shri. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is given for "distinguished service of a high order...without distinction of race, occupation, position or sex." The award criteria include "service in any field including service rendered by Government servants" including doctors and scientists, but exclude those working with the public sector undertakings. As of 2020, the award has been bestowed on 1270 individuals, including twenty-four posthumous and ninety-seven non-citizen recipients.
Ramanlal C. Mehta was an Indian musician and musicologist. In 2009, he was awarded the Padma Bhushan, India's third-highest civilian honour.
Prabhu Lal Bhatnagar, commonly addressed as P. L. Bhatnagar, was an Indian mathematician known for his contribution to the Bhatnagar–Gross–Krook operator used in Lattice Boltzmann methods (LBM).
The Jaipur foot, also known as the Jaipur leg, is a rubber-based prosthetic leg for people with below-knee amputations. Although inferior in many ways to the composite carbon fibre variants, its variable applicability and cost efficiency make it an acceptable choice for prosthesis. Ram Chandra Sharma and orthopedic surgeon P. K. Sethi designed and developed it in 1968.
Ratan Shastri, also called Ratandevi Shastri, was founder of Banasthali Vidyapith and a notable champion of women education. She was a notable woman freedom fighter of Rajputana and wife of Hiralal Shastri, first Chief Minister of Rajasthan. She was a recipient of Padma Shri in 1955, Padma Bhushan in 1975, and Jamnalal Bajaj Award for outstanding contribution in the field of uplift and welfare of women and children in 1990. Ratan Shastri was a strong pillar of Parajamandal Movement in Jaipur state during the Indian national Movement. She was a champion of female education and started a women school, that later developed into a university, that contributed immensely to encourage and support female education in Rajasthan. She was a staunch adherent of Gandhian ideals and promoted Khadi.
Bhogilal Pandya (1904-1981) was a freedom fighter and social worker from Dungarpur in the Indian state of Rajasthan. On 3 April 1976, the Government of India awarded him the Padma Bhushan for his social services. The Padma Bhushan is the third-highest civilian award in the Republic of India, given for distinguished service to the nation. For his championing of education and rights for the poor and underprivileged, he is referred by the people of Rajasthan as "Gandhi of Vahgad". His home is in the Gandhi aashram area of Dungarpur.
Umayalpuram Kasiviswanatha Sivaraman is an Indian musician and exponent of the Carnatic percussion instrument, the mridangam. He is a recipient of the Padma Vibhushan as well as the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award.
Jagan Nath Kaul was the founder, president, and patron of SOS Children's Village of India. SOS CVI provides a home to almost 15,000 children in 34 children's villages, located in various parts of the country. In addition to the children's villages, SOS provides indirect care to children through its 122 allied projects such as kindergartens, schools and social, medical and vocational training centres throughout India. SOS CVI provides direct and indirect care to almost 200,000 (200,000) children in the country.
Bhagwan Mahaveer Viklang Sahayata Samiti-BMVSS is a Jaipur-based non-profit organization, founded by D.R. Mehta in 1975. It is the world's largest organization for the disabled in terms of fitment of artificial limb, calipers etc., providing them with artificial limbs, calipers, crutches, ambulatory aids like wheel chairs, and other aids and appliances totally free of cost.
Shamshad Begum is an Indian social worker, known for her efforts towards the education of backward communities of Chhattisgarh such as the Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribe and other backward communities. She was honoured by the Government of India, in 2012, with the fourth highest Indian civilian award of Padma Shri.
Phoolbasan Bai Yadav is an Indian social worker and the founder of the non governmental organization, Maa Bamleshwari Janhit Kare Samiti, known for her efforts towards the development of economically and socially backward women of Chhattisgarh, India. She was honored by the Government of India, in 2012, with the fourth highest Indian civilian award of Padma Shri. She also acts as a mentor to Vision India Foundation. She appeared in the Karmveer special episode of Kaun Banega Crorepati along with Renuka Shahane.
Veerendra Raj Mehta was an Indian social worker, a former Joint Secretary to the Government of India, a trustee of Sir Dorabji Tata Trust and a former Senior Specialist of the Asian Development Bank in Manila, Philippines and a Consultant at the World Bank and the African Development Bank. He was the elder brother of Devendra Raj Mehta, a 2008 winner of Padma Bhushan and the founder of Bhagwan Mahaveer Viklang Sahayata Samiti (BMVSS), Jaipur, the makers of renowned Jaipur foot, where Veerendra Raj Mehta was also an honorary executive President.
Darshan Lal Jain was an Indian social activist, who was awarded Padma Bhushan, India's third highest civilian award, in 2019 for his contribution in social work. He was known for educating young girls and financially troubled children.
Lieutenant General Devendra Pratap Pandey UYSM, AVSM, VSM is an Indian Army general serving as the current Commandant of the Army War College, Mhow, prior to his appointment he was the General-Officer-Commanding of the Srinagar-based Chinar Corps. He took over from Lieutenant General B. S. Raju after the latter completed his term as the Corps Commander. Prior to his appointment as the Chinar Corps Commander, the general served as the Director General of Territorial Army of the Indian Army.
Shri Prabhat Kumar is a part of the selection jury in Mahaveer Awards presented by Bhagwan Mahaveer Awards [1]