Deep Joshi | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 1947 (age 78–79) Puriyag,Pithoragarh district, Uttarakhand |
| Alma mater | Massachusetts Institute of Technology,MIT Sloan School of Management,Motilal Nehru National Institute of Technology |
| Occupations | social worker, Executive Director, PRADAN. ChairmanInstitute of Rural Management, Anand |
| Known for | NGO/Social work, 2009 recipient ofMagsaysay award and one of the recipient of 2010Padma Shri Award. |
| Spouse | Sheela Joshi |
| Children | One son (Uday) and one daughter (Girija) |
| Awards | Magsaysay award (2009) |
Deep Joshi is an Indiansocial worker and NGO activist and a recipient of theMagsaysay award in 2009.[1][2][3] He is recognised for hisleadership in bringing professionalism to the NGO movement in India.[4][5] He co-founded a non-profit organisation, Professional Assistance for Development Action (PRADAN), of which he was the Executive Director till 2007. He was awarded the 2009Magsaysay award forCommunity Leadership for his work for "development of rural communities".[4] He is also a recipient of the civilian honour ofPadma Shri.[6]
Deep Joshi was born in 1947 in the village of Puriyag in a remote area ofPithoragarh district, Uttarakhand in the Himalayas to Harikrishan Joshi, a farmer, and was one of seven children.
He received his early education at the local primary school, and later he took his engineering degree fromMotilal Nehru National Institute of Technology, Allahabad and also holds a masters engineering degree fromMassachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and another on management fromSloan School,MIT.[3][7][8]
Returning to India, Deep Joshi worked with the Systems Research Institute, and as a programme officer with theFord Foundation in India. In the coming decades he worked in the field of rural development and livelihood promotion. In 1983, he co-founded a non-profit organisation,Professional Assistance for Development Action (PRADAN),[9] that recruits college graduates to do community work,[10][11] which recruits university-educated youth from campuses across India and trains them for grassroots work. Pradan was jointly awarded NGO of the Year 2006 at the first ever India NGO Award event.[12]PRADAN is involved in building self-help groups, developing land and water resource, natural resource management, forest-based livelihood, horticulture and agriculture. Pradan formed its first SHG in Alwar, Rajasthan, in 1987. Colleagues at PRADAN includeVijay Mahajan andSankar Datta.
He also advises theGovernment of India onpoverty alleviation strategies and also was a member of the Working Group onRainfed Areas for theEleventh Five Year Planning Commission, Govt of India.[13]
In 2006, Deep received theHarmony Silver Award for his contributions to society.[14] The Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation (RMAF) announced Deep among others as winner of a 2009Magsaysay award.[2][4] On the eve of Republic Day (26 January 2010), he was honoured with the prestigiousPadma Shri award by the Government of India.
He was chosen as the Chairman of theInstitute of Rural Management Anand (IRMA) in October 2012, succeeding Dr.Yoginder K Alagh.[15]
