Dr M S Swaminathan - Chairperson
Dr M S Swaminathan is one of India's foremost agricultural scientists and is best known as the scientific leader of the "evergreen revolution movement" in India. His pioneering work in the field of agricultural science and food security has earned him several awards, both national and international, the Padma Shri, the Padma Bhushan, the Padma Vibhushan, the Ramon Magsaysay Award, the World Food Prize, the Tyler Environment Award, to name only a few. He has held several distinguished positions, including Direcor General of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research and of the International Rice Research Institute, and Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperation.

Sunita Narain - Director
Sunita Narain has been with the Centre for Science and Environment since 1982. In her years at the Centre she has worked both to analyse and study the relationship between environment, development and to create public consciousness about the need for sustainable development. Her research interests range from global democracy, with a special focus on climate change to the need for local democracy where she has worked on forest-related resource management and water issues. She serves on the boards of different organisations and on governmental committees and has spoken at many forums across the world on issues of her concern and expertise. Sunita Narain has devoted a great deal of her time to develop the management and financial support systems needed to make CSE strong and sustainable. She has greatly contributed to the institution of management systems that ensure that CSE produces quality work consistently. Learn more about Sunita Narain.

Dr B D Dikshit - Treasurer
One of the founder members of CSE, has been associated with the Centre since its inception. He has a doctorate in Economics and has been the Chairman and Managing Director of Union Bank of India and Deputy Managing Director of State Bank of India, the largest commercial bank of India. He has served with several other financial institutions both in India and abroad and has been an important member of various committees constituted by financial institutions of India. He is a consultant with the World Bank, and the Asian Development Bank at Manila and serves on the Boards of several companies as a nominee of the Government of India.


Dr Kamla Chowdhry - Member
Dr Kamla Chowdhry, one of the founder members of CSE, has also served as Chairperson for several years. She has played a key role in establishing and developing several premier institutions of India such as the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad, the Institute of Rural Management, Anand, the National Wastelands Development Board, the National Foundation of India and others. She served as the Chairperson of the Society for the Promotion of Wastelands Development for several years and guided the institution in setting policies for community-based afforestation. She has a deep interest in issues relating to forestry, ecology, environment, women's issues, sustainable development, people's participation and philosophy. She currently works with the Vikram Sarabhai Foundation.

Vikram Lal - Member
Vikram Lal is the former Chairman of the Eicher Group, a leading tractor manufacturing company. He is also well known for institutionalising systems that facilitated a decentralised management culture in his company. Vikram Lal has wide ranging interests and his deep interest in cartography resulted in the publishing of the first Indian city maps of international standard, the Eicher City Map of Delhi and Chennai, Bangalore and Mumbai, as well as a number of high quality guides for Delhi, Varanasi, etc. He is currently involved in a number of public interest initiatives and is associated with several non-profit organisations including World Wildlife Fund, the Common Cause and the National Council for Applied Economic Research. He was also instrumental in initiating support by the Eicher Group for the Dr. Shroff Charitable Eye Hospital, one of Delhi's oldest charitable eye hospitals.

B G Verghese - Member
B G Verghese is one of the leading journalists in India and has served as the editor of two leading national dailies of India, The Hindustan Times and the Indian Express. He is the recipient of Magsaysay award for journalism in 1975 and was the information advisor to Indira Gandhi, the former Indian Prime Minister. He is a member of the Press Council of India and the Prasar Bharati Board, India's newly reconstituted broadcasting corporation. A highly respected professional, B.G. Verghese was a member of the Kargil committee and was also on the National Security Council. He is also associated with the Centre for Policy Research, New Delhi and works on issues of water management, especially relating to the optimal development of land and water resources of the eastern Himalaya. He is a member of India's National Commission on Integrated Water Resources Development and has written several books on the subject.

Ela Bhatt - Member
Ela Bhatt founded the Self Employed Womens' Association and has devoted her life to the upliftment of women through innovative programmes. She has served on the Governing Body of CSE for many years. Inspired by the work of Mahatma Gandhi, Ela Bhatt founded SEWA in 1971 as a trade union for poor women who eke out a living selling vegetables, recycling trash, hand-rolling cigarettes, and working at other marginal occupations. She also founded the SEWA Bank to provide credit at reasonable rates to the poor self-employed women. A recipient of several awards, including the Ramon Magasaysay Award, the Padma Shree and Padma Bhushan from the Government of India, the Right Livelihood Award for 'Changing the Human Environment' and the CARE Humanitarian Award she serves as a Member of Parliament, the Planning Commission, the National Commission on Self-Employed Women, National Population Commission, among others. She has several honorary degrees conferred on her by national and international institutions.

WILLIAM BISSELL - Member
William Bissell has been closely associated with the Centre for Science and Environment for many years He is the Managing Director of FabIndia, a company that has made a signal contribution in popularising handlooms, nationally and internationally. He is deeply interested in issues of environment and sustainable development. Besides CSE, he is also involved with other non-profit organizations. William Bissell is the Managing Trustee of the Bhadurajun Artisan Trust, which runs schools in Rajasthan to bring quality education to the artisanal families living in rural areas.


G N GUPTA - Member
G N Gupta joined the Board of CSE in 1998 and is one of the core group that provides guidance on institutional development issues, particularly on financial issues. As a member of the Indian Revenue Service, he has held several key positions in the revenue department of the Ministry of Finance. He served as the Chairman of the Central Board of Direct Taxes, India's highest tax making body, and also as a Director in the Planning Commission. He currently serves on the Board of several companies and offers consultancy services on issues related to direct taxes.

Dr VIRENDRA KUMAR - Member
Dr Virendra Kumar, former professor of botany at the Zakir Husain College, New Delhi, is an ardent environmentalist and expert on Himalayan flora and fauna. He has been closely associated with CSE and has been instrumental in providing valuable information on the bio-resources found in the Himalaya and the impact of environmental degradation on this fragile ecosystem. Dr Kumar has served as advisor to the Planning Commission on hill areas. During his long tenure as professor of botany, he has spoken at manyforums on the Himalayan flora and fauna.