Chirag » Leadership

Leadership

Chirag’s core competency lies in the activities that it undertakes in villages. This is possible because of a strong team, 96% of whom are from the region. The team has made Chirag’s expansion possible and provides continuity. Team Leaders, coordinators and area coordinators provide the requisite leadership. A majority of Chirag’s senior staff have been with the organisation for more than a decade. The Chirag team is led by the Executive director who is accountable to the governing body.

	V K Madhavan Executive Director Madhavan was appointed the Executive director of Chirag in 2004. Prior to this, Madhavan had worked in Delhi with The Hunger Project, Action Aid and as an independent consultant prior to which he worked for 8 years in Bikaner district of Western Rajasthan with Urmul Trust and Urmul Setu Sansthan. Madhavan holds a Masters in Politics (International Studies) from Jawaharlal Nehru University.
	Bipin Kabdwal Team Leader, Accounts and Administration Bipin has a masters in economics and commerce and has been with Chirag since 1988. Bipin belongs to Satoli, a village close by.
	Rajendra Negi Senior Team Leader, Natural Resource Management Rajendra Negi provides leadership to all Chirag’s activities pertaining to natural resource management. He also supports the Dewaldhar, Suyalbari and Katpuriyachina area teams. Raju joined Chirag in 1992 and holds a Masters degree in Forestry from Kumaun University.
	Dr. Mahendra Singh Bisht Team Leader, Curative Health Dr Bisht leads the curative health program at Chirag. This includes the clinic at Sitla and the hospital at Sargakhet village. He joined Chirag in 2003 and holds a degree in ayurveda and modern medicine and surgery.
	Sundar Singh Nayal Senior Team Leader, Education Sundar has a Master’s in Botany and Bachelor’s degree in Education and leads Chirag’s activities pertaining to primary education. He also supports the Reetha and Kasiyalekh area teams. Sundar has been with Chirag since 1993.
	Kuldeep Kumar Thapliyal Senior Team Leader, Community Based Institutions Kuldeep currently leads the preventive and promotive health program at Chirag and supports the Naukuchiyatal area team. He joined Chirag in 2005, prior to which he worked at the Foundation for Ecological Security. He has a Masters in Agricultural Statistics and a diploma in Rural Development.
	Naveen Bhatt Coordinator, Sustainable Agriculture and Herbs Naveen coordinates Chirag’s activities pertaining to the promotion of sustainable agriculture and the cultivation of herbs. He has been with Chirag since 1992.
	Lata Harbola Coordinator, Rural Livelihoods – Institution Strengthening Lata has been the area coordinator for Kasiyalekh and has focused on health committees in the past. She currently supports efforts to strengthen community based institutions created to improve rural livelihoods. Lata has a Bachelor’s degree in Law.
	Surendra Negi Coordinator, Soil and Water Conservation Surendra has a diploma in civil engineering and coordinates Chirag’s activities pertaining to soil and water conservation and in particular engineering measures. Suren is an integral part of the technical support team.
	Neomi Pal Singh Administrator, Chirag Hospital Neomi is the administrator of the Chirag Hospital at Sargakhet. Neomi joined Chirag in 1992 and was trained initially as a health worker. In 2003, Neomi joined the team working with young people and coordinated the programme before assuming this new responsibility.
	Shailesh Pant Coordinator, Agri-marketing Shailesh has a Bachelor’s degree in Agriculture and worked for a few years in the corporate sector before joining Chirag. Shailesh coordinates Chirag’s efforts to provide women producers from cooperatives with assistance in marketing their agricultural produce.
	V Rajiv Coordinator, The Chirag School Rajeev is passionate about education and worked at the Krishnamurti School at Uttarkashi before joining Chirag in 2006. Rajeev currently leads activities related to all aspects of the Chirag School. Rajeev has a Bachelors degree in English Literature.