Himmotthan Society · Est. 2007
Uplifting the Heart of the Himalayas
Working with rural mountain communities across Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, and Ladakh — fostering sustainable livelihoods, education, and resilient futures since 2007.
2001
–OUR STOREY
From vision to ground reality
The Himmothan Pariyojana (HMP) was initiated by Tata Trusts in 2001 to address the root causes of underdevelopment in the Central Himalayan region of Uttarakhand. To translate this vision into action, Himmotthan Society was established as the associate organization and has been actively working in the Central Himalayan region since 2007.
“Over the years, Himmotthan has developed extensive experience in working with rural mountain communities — gradually expanding its outreach from the Central Himalayas of Uttarakhand to the broader Western Himalayan region.”
Today, Himmotthan operates across Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, and the Leh region. The organization focuses on strengthening rural mountain communities by promoting sustainable and community-owned enterprises linked to livestock, agriculture, rural tourism, and non-timber forest produce.
Alongside livelihood promotion, Himmotthan works to improve access to quality education, safe drinking water, sanitation, and clean energy — contributing to resilient, informed, and self-reliant Himalayan communities.
Vision
To Catalyze self-sustaining rural economic ecosystems that are climate-adaptive, youth-engaging, technology-enabled, and institutional-led across the Himalayan
Mission
To improve the quality of life of 2 Lakh households of 3,000 villages in 20 mountain districts benefiting 8 lakh people of rural communities of Central & Western Himalayas.
Meet Our Governing Board
The Governing Board of Himmotthan Society comprises eminent professionals from the fields of natural resource management, governance, finance, water, and development. The Board provides strategic oversight, fiduciary guidance, and program direction to ensure that Himmotthan remains aligned with its mission of empowering rural mountain communities. Tata Trusts, the founding partner, is represented on the Board through its nominated members.
Dr. Rajesh Thadani
Dr. Rajesh Thadani is a forest ecologist and development professional with over three decades of experience in the central and western Himalaya. He holds a PhD in Forestry from the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies. His work focuses on Himalayan forest ecosystems, climate change adaptation, and community-based natural resource management. His published work spans over 30 peer-reviewed papers on topics including forest degradation, carbon sequestration, biodiversity in community-managed landscapes, and the expansion of pine into oak forests — findings that have directly shaped conservation policy in the region. He has also worked extensively with grassroots organisations, served as an Advisor to Tata Trusts, and currently chairs the Governing Board of Himmotthan.
Mr. Deepak Sanan
Mr. Deepak Sanan is a retired Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer of the Himachal Pradesh cadre (1982 batch) who retired as Additional Chief Secretary, Government of Himachal Pradesh. With over three decades of administrative experience, he has worked extensively in rural development, water and sanitation, public finance, and land governance. He played a key role in introducing Community-Led Total Sanitation (CLTS) in Himachal Pradesh. Post-retirement, he has worked with international organisations including the World Bank’s Water and Sanitation Program, and currently serves as Chairman of the CLTS Foundation while contributing to several leading policy and research institutions. Mr. Sanan brings to Himmotthan's Governing Board a rare combination of field-level administrative experience in mountain states and policy-level expertise in water, sanitation, and rural governance — areas central to Himmotthan's mission.
Mr. STS Lepcha
Mr. S. T. S. Lepcha is a retired Indian Forest Service (IFS) officer who served as Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF), Government of Uttarakhand, and Managing Director of the Uttarakhand Forest Development Corporation. With extensive experience in forest ecology, bamboo, and natural fibre–based livelihoods, he also contributed to the Government of India’s Natural Fibre Policy (2010). He has been closely associated with the Uttarakhand Bamboo and Fiber Development Board, promoting rural livelihoods through bamboo and natural fibre value chains.
Mr. Ashish Deshpande
Mr Ashish Deshpande is Chartered Accountant. He is a Senior Executive with 26+ years of experience in building and leading finance teams with significant operating scale and complexity. Experience to handle a cross cultural team. Presently working with Tata Trusts as Chief Financial Officer, Mumbai. Prior to his current role, he served as Grant Management Head within Tata Trusts and as Finance Head at Tata Communications Lanka Ltd.
Dr. Vinod Kothari
Dr. Vinod Kothari leads Himmotthan Society as its Executive Director, overseeing programmes across Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, and the Ladakh Union Territory. With deep field-level expertise and nearly two decades of engagement in the Himalayan region, he has shaped Himmotthan's approach to natural resource management, water security, and community livelihoods.
Ms. Amrita Patwardhan
Ms. Amrita Patwardhan heads the Education Portfolio at Tata Trusts. She holds a Master’s degree in Child Development from MS University and an MPhil in Education from Delhi University, and has pursued advanced studies at Harvard Graduate School of Education. At Tata Trusts, she leads work focused on quality and equity in elementary education, with a particular emphasis on technology in education, teacher development, and children's literature.
Mr. Divyag Waghela
Mr. Divyang Waghela heads the Tata Water Mission at Tata Trusts, the organisation’s flagship Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WaSH) initiative. He has led the Mission’s outreach to over 5,000 villages across India. With more than two decades of experience in project financing, decentralised WaSH programmes, and rural water initiatives, he holds an MBA with specialisation in finance.
----Legal Status
Registration Detail
Registered under the Indian Societies Registration Act of 1860
Reg. No. 78/2007-2008 · Dated 22/12/2007
----Tax Exemptions
Income Tax Act, 1961
- Section 12A — Granted since 25/09/2008
Ref: 40(117/Dehradun/2008-9/10768)
- Section 80G — Granted since 08/10/2008
Ref: S.No. 19(52) Dehradun/2007-08/11261