Governing Council
Prem Das Rai is a founding member and the current President of Integrated Mountain Initiative (IMI). He is a former Member of Parliament, two terms – 2009 – 2019, from Sikkim and belongs to the Sikkim Democratic Front Party.
He is a former Deputy Chairman of the State Planning Commission, Govt. of Sikkim, and has also chaired the Sikkim Industrial Development and Investment Corporation. He has the distinction of being the first Member of Parliament with the dual and prestigious IIT and IIM degrees from Kanpur and Ahmedabad respectively. He was a member of the Standing Committee on Finance and the Subordinate Legislation Committee of Lok Sabha. He was the Chairman of the Library Committee of the Parliament of India.
He is also an Eisenhower Fellow (2000) from India. He was awarded the prestigious and selective Eisenhower Fellowship for his contribution to Sikkim’s economic and industrial growth.
Dr Rajendra Dobhal is the Director General of Uttarakhand State Council for Science and Technology. He has had the distinct privilege to occupy the positions like Chairman and Managing Director, National Research Development Corporation (NRDC), Govt. of India; Director, Uttarakhand Science Education and Research Centre (USERC); Director, Uttarakhand Space Application Centre (USAC); Senior Scientific Advisor/Project Director, Uttarakhand State Biotechnology Board; Scientist/Tech. Advisor to DG and Science Advisor, Govt. of Madhya Pradesh, Bhopal, in the past. He is also the Chairperson of the Sustainable Development Forum, Uttaranchal.
A development consulting expert with over two decades of multidisciplinary and multi- team experience from policy formulation to project development, implementation and review, Amba is professionally trained as an environmental lawyer and development communicator. He is a grassroots convenor, trainer and facilitator with experience in the Asia Pacific region in areas of education, rural development, community institutions and resource management, livelihood, policy advocacy and envisioning. Amba works directly with policy makers, NGOs, community leaders, farmers and the poorest of the poor in mountain regions, particularly the Eastern Himalayas. He has extensive experience working in local, national and international NGOs, the government and with advanced regional policy and research think tanks such as the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES), Japan. He is a founding member of the Sustainable Development Forum Nagaland (SDFN) and the Integrated Mountain Initiative (IMI).
Priyadarshinee Shrestha, Secretary IMI, has been working on issues of sustainable development, nature conservation, and waste management in Sikkim- Darjeeling Himalaya for the last twenty years with various organisations. She is a core member of the Zero Waste Himalaya, a platform advocating for sustainable waste policies and practices. Currently, she is the Team Leader of WWF - India’s Khangchendzonga Landscape Programme in Sikkim.
Binita Shah, Treasurer IMI, is an organic/ Biodynamic Farmer and Social –Entrepreneur and Agriculture Development Professional. She is the CEO / Founder of SARG Vikas Samiti. SARG is a national player in Organic Agriculture Development with special focus in Biodynamic Agriculture and development. SARG is working in four states of India with nearly 50,000 farmers and more than 100 farmers organizations. She is an international Consultant with number of Organic Food Export companies namely Nature BioFoods Sonepat , Sunstar Rice Exports, Delhi , Pure Life P Ltd , Dubai/ Mozambique etc. Ms. Binita is the Secretary , Sustainable Development Forum Uttarakhand.
Egam Basar is the Mission Director of Arunachal Pradesh Horticulture Research and Development Mission (APHRDM) and also Member Secretary of Master Plan Development Committee for Agriculture and Allied Sectors in Arunachal Pradesh.
Egam also pursues a personal mission of nature conservation known as EB-Project Nature that functions in Arunachal Pradesh.
Dr Vincent Darlong has been an eminent contributor to the issues of natural resource management and livelihoods, community based biodiversity conservation and community forestry, environment and social impact assessments, research and development, among others. Apart from his engagement with the communities in the Northeast, he has worked with the Government of India as a member of various task forces, working groups and committees.
He was the Country Programme Officer for International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD). Currently, he is the Vice Chancellor of Martin Luther Christian University, Shillong.
Ramesh Negi is an IAS officer of 1984 Batch. In his long and illustrious career as an administrator, he has served in many roles including Chief Secretary, Arunachal Pradesh, Administrator of Daman & Diu, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Chief Executive Officer, Delhi Jal Board. Currently, he is Chairperson, Delhi Commission for Protection of Child Rights.
Dr Lalbiak Mawia Ngente is an architect and community leader. He has been the General Secretary of Central Young Mizo Association, Secretary of Mizoram People Forum, President YHAI Mizoram State Branch, and present Chairman of the Mizoram Sustainable Development Foundation. He has previously been associated with the Government of Mizoram.
Roshan P. Rai is a development practioner with DLR Prerna, Darjeeling-based NGO (www.darjeelingprerna.org). He works on issues of environment and social equity in the Darjeeling Himalaya. His work with small farmers at present focus on local food cultures, water and climate change. He is part of the core team of Zero Waste Himalaya and has partnered with local urban bodies, communities and educational institutions in promoting sustainable waste management practices. The team has been undertaking peer educators training and campaigns like the Plastic Freedom Challenge in the Darjeeling and Sikkim Himalaya. Roshan bases his experience and community initiatives within the Darjeeling and Sikkim Himalaya and simultaneously engages with the IMI family to place it within the policy landscape.
Honorary Advisor
Nita Kapoor has worked for 30+ years in varying leadership roles in the Corporate Sector. A well-known name in Advertising and Communications, she was the CEO at NewsCorp VCCircle, COO at Godfrey Phillips India Ltd and VP at DDB Mudra Communications Ltd. She is currently engaged as the Founder of Rcube Ventures, a social initiative with the mission of bringing Indian Art to the forefront by designing modern recycled packaging, lifestyle and gift products. Apart from her many milestones in the Corporate world, she is actively involved with women’s empowerment through livelihood opportunities.
She is an alumnus of IIM A and Harvard Business School and speaks at key leadership forums and business schools across India on management topics, the importance of gender diversity and the role of women in building the economy of our country .
Nita Kapoor is the Honorary Advisor for Social Media at IMI. She guides the IMI team on social media strategy for media platforms, content curation, development and execution ensuring IMI brings its news and views to its stakeholders and audience.
Secretariat
Nupur Sarkar works as an Accounts & Administration Officer at IMI. She is currently working on IMI current projects related to accounts & administration activities. Prior to joining IMI, she has worked with banking & financial institution for four years. She holds a Post Graduate Diploma in Finance and Marketing from Doon Business School, Dehradun and a graduate degree in Accounts & Finance from West Bengal State University. She has previously work as a Senior Manager in ICICI Direct and Assistant Manager in Axis Bank.
Based in Gangtok,Sikkim works as a Program Associate with the IMI secretariat. She has a MBA background and worked as a project manager in SAATHI NGO for five years and deputy manager in Vocational Education Project in SIBIN for eight years.
Shirsha works as a Programme Officer at IMI, she is based in Dehradun, Uttarakhand. She holds a postgraduate degree in Disaster Management from Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai and a bachelor’s degree in Science (Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics) from D.A.V College Dehradun. She has previously interned with NGOs and institutes like SEEDS, GTF, PSI, TISS Mumbai, Coventry University etc.
