Brief Bio-Data

Neelima Khetan is the Chief Executive of Seva Mandir, a voluntary organization based in Udaipur, Rajasthan.  She joined Seva Mandir in 1985, a year after completing her Post Graduate degree from the Institute of Rural Management, Anand, one of India’s premier management schools.  In her early years at Seva Mandir, she became the role model and magnet for highly qualified people to join Seva Mandir and work in remote villages.  She also pioneered a style of working that enabled professionals, villagers and locally recruited staff to combine their skills and expertise.  Since becoming Chief Executive in 1999, she has established Seva Mandir as one of the country’s leading voluntary organizations. 

Today, Seva Mandir’s work encompasses the areas of governance (strengthening village institutions), livelihoods (natural resources development and enterprise promotion) and human capabilities (health, education and women’s empowerment), and extends to nearly 600 tribal villages.

From June 2006 to May 2007, she was the Acting Director of the Institute of Rural Management, Anand (IRMA).  Neelima has served on the Board of IRMA for 6 years, and is presently on the Boards of several other leading and emerging NGOs, and research and academic institutions in the country.  She has served on many Central and State Government Committees, including the Land Reforms Committee of the Government of India, the Task Force to suggest Decentralized Funding Mechanisms to the Planning Commission, the Joint GO-NGO Machinery of the Planning Commission, and the Advisory Committee for the State’s Rajiv Gandhi Mission on Primary Education, etc.

For her sustained contributions to the field of development, she has been nationally recognized.  She was awarded the Laxmipat Singhania-IIM Lucknow National Leadership Award for young leaders by India’s Prime Minister in December 2006.  In March 2007, she received the Maharana Mewar Award from the Maharana Mewar Foundation, for work of permanent value to society through service and philanthropy.