Lalit Pande | |
|---|---|
| Born | Almora district,Uttarakhand, India |
| Education | The Doon School Indian Institute of Technology, New Delhi Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
| Occupation | Environmentalist |
| Known for | Environmental education, sustainability in ecologically fragile regions ofUttarakhand |
| Spouse | Anuradha Pande |
| Parent | B. D. Pande |
| Awards | Padma Shri IIT Delhi Distinguished Alumni Award |
Lalit Pande is an Indian social worker, environmentalist and the founder of Uttarakhand Seva Nidhi Environmental Education Centre, anon governmental organization promoting environmental education in the hilly areas of the Indian state ofUttarakhand.[1] Under the aegis of the organization, Pande is known to have introduced community educational programmes focused on environment and development[2] and supported over 200 community based organizations in the state.[3] The Government of India awarded him the fourth highest civilian honour of thePadma Shri, in 2007, for his contributions to environmental education.[4]
Lalit Pande was born in a socially knownAlmora family to Vimla Pande andBhairav Dutt Pande, anIndian Civil Service officer,[5] a 1972Padma Shri recipient[3] and a former Governor of the states ofWest Bengal andPunjab.[6] His uncle, Vinod Pande, was also a former Governor and a Cabinet Secretary and his sister-in-law,Mrinal Pande, is aPadma Shri award winning journalist and the author ofThe Other Country: Dispatches from the Mofussil. His schooling was atThe Doon School, theDehradun based premier educational institution,[7] and graduated in Engineering from theIndian Institute of Technology, Delhi, in 1970.[8] Later, moving toCambridge, he secured a master's degree from theMassachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 1972.[9]
Returning to India, he worked in various places, including atCadbury's, but shifted back to the US to pursue his doctoral studies and gained a doctoral degree (PhD) fromPurdue University in 1982. Eschewing a regular job, he went to his ancestral town ofAlmora, a hilly region inUttarakhand, in 1984, where he started anon governmental organization,Uttarakhand Seva Nidhi Paryavaran Shiksha Sansthan (USNPSS),Uttarakhand Seva Nidhi for short, to start his social career.[9] Securing a grant of₹200,000 from the Government of India, under the New Education Policy of 1986, the organization functioned from a room at Pande's residence and worked for promoting environmental education in the state.[8] Over the years, they are reported to have been successful in introducing environmental education as a subject in the middle school curriculum of the state, which is related to the topics offood, fodder, water, trees, crops, soil, manure and rainfall. They are also supporting over 300 pre-primary schools in the state.[8] The organization is associated with agencies such asUNESCO, in the matters related toenvironmental sustainability[10] and Pande serves as the director of the Uttarakhand Seva Nidhi Environmental Education Centre. He is also involved with the other issues of social interest in the state.[11]
The Government of India awarded him the civilian honour of thePadma Shri in 2007.[4] His alma mater, theIndian Institute of Technology, Delhi, awarded him the Distinguished Alumni Award in 2014.[9] Pande is married to Anuradha, who is also involved in his social activities, attending to the women's forums of the Uttarakhand Seva Nidhi.[3]
