Ashok Khosla
Ashok Khosla received his MA from Cambridge and his PhD in Experimental Physics from Harvard. He was Resident Tutor at Harvard University (1963-71); Director of the Office of Environment, Government of India, New Delhi (1972-76,); Director of Infoterra, UN Environment Programme, Nairobi (1976-82,); and since 1983, has been the Chairman of Development Alternatives, New Delhi and Technology and Action for Rural Advancement (TARA). Ashok is Chair of the Hydropower Sustainability Alliance and was earlier Co-Chair of UN’s International Resource Panel (2008-2016(; President of International Union for Conservation of Nature(2008-2012); and President of Club of Rome (2005-2012). He iwas a member of the China Council for International Environment and Development, and has been an adviser and consultant to the World Bank, UNEP, UNDP, Ministries of Environment, Science and Technology, among others. Ashok was a special advisor to the Brundtland Commission (WCED), and to the Secretary-General of the Rio+20 Conference. He is also a member of the World Future Council, the Earth Charter International's Council, and of the International Advisory Board of La Caixa Bank, Spain.
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- Development Alternatives
- Model
- Hybrid Social Enterprise
- Sectors
- Innovation; Entrepreneurship; Sustainable Development
- Headquarters
- India
- Areas of Impact
- South Asia, India
Development Alternatives
The Development Alternatives Group (DA) is the premier social enterprise working in the field of sustainable development. Established in 1983, and headquartered in New Delhi, it has built up a global presence in the fields of economic development, social equity, and environmental management. The DA Group consists of the not-for-profit Society for Development Alternatives (DA), which is responsible for innovation and policy outreach, and Technology and Action for Rural Advancement (TARA), whose for-profit subsidiaries are responsible for taking DA's innovations into the market on a commercial basis. The DA Group is recognized as a national-level research institution by the Ministry of Science and Technology and a major partner with several ministries and industrial associations nationally and numerous bilateral, foundation and corporate partners worldwide.
DA’s vision is to help create a world where every citizen can live a secure, healthy and fulfilling life in harmony with nature. The Group’s objectives are: to facilitate multi-stakeholder action for empowering people and communities; to effectively promote and support the large-scale creation of green jobs; and to design and demonstrate low carbon pathways for development. Some of the impacts created in last 35 years include 900+ projects with revenues and grants of over $200 million; 500,000 houses built by rural enterprises using various TARA eco-technologies; more than two million persons have new livelihoods or improved living conditions resulting from TARA interventions; 48,000 environment conservation initiatives through our network of 1.25 million school students; several hundred thousand beneficiaries of environmental improvements designed or promoted by DA; more than seven million households assisted directly or through network partners; some 2 million poor enabled to claim their rights and entitlements; and 200,000+ women made literate and numerate.
awardees
Our awardees
Curt Rhodes
Sylvain Couthier
