Dr. Anil Prakash Joshi

Dr. Anil Prakash Joshi, founder of HESCO, has spent over 40 years promoting sustainable development in the Himalayan region. Known as the “Mountain Man,” he champions the use of local resources for rural empowerment through science and technology. His work includes revitalizing watermills, restoring rivers, founding women-led initiatives like WISE, and promoting indigenous crops. He introduced the Gross Environmental Product (GEP) as a parallel to GDP. Dr. Joshi has led extensive padyatras to understand rural challenges and bridge ecology with economy. Honored with numerous awards including the Padma Bhushan, he remains a national leader in environmental and grassroots development.