240D:F:488:9600:F0C2:4E91:5899:A723 at 02:01, 2 July 2025

2025-07-02T02:01:58Z

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{{Short description|Indian civil servant (born 1937)}}
{{BLP sources|date=November 2012}}

{{Use Indian English|date=July 2015}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2015}}

'''D. R. Mehta''' (born 25 June 1937) is a former chairman of [[Securities and Exchange Board of India]] (SEBI). Mehta is a recipient of [[Padma Bhushan]], one of the highest Indian civilian awards, for his contribution to social causes.<ref>[http://www.poornima.org/AdvisoryBoard.asp] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110105190021/http://www.poornima.org/AdvisoryBoard.asp|date=5 January 2011}}</ref>

==Early life==
Mehta was born at [[Jodhpur]] in [[Rajasthan]]. He is a graduate of arts and law from [[Rajasthan University]]. He also studied at [[Royal Institute of Public Administration]], London, UK and the [[MIT Sloan School of Management]].

==Career==
D. R. Mehta joined the [[Indian Administrative Service]] in 1961 and held numerous positions initially in the [[Government of Rajasthan]] and later in the [[Government of India]].

Mehta served as chairman of [[Securities and Exchange Board of India|SEBI]], the regulator of the capital markets in India, from 1995 to 2002. Mehta, unlike most bureaucrats,<ref>{{Cite book |last= |first= |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=StVbu7cTWg4C&dq=D.+R.+Mehta+SEBI&pg=PA57 |title=Economic Developments In India : Monthly Update, Volume -16 Analysis, Reports, Policy Documents |date=1999 |publisher=Academic Foundation |isbn=978-81-7188-158-1 |editor-last=Kapila |editor-first=Raj |language=en |editor-last2=Kapila |editor-first2=Uma}}</ref> orchestrated significant transformations in the India's capital markets within a brief period by introducing a slew of economic reforms; eventually making the Indian capital market one of the most modern and efficient ones in the world, attracting both local and foreign investors.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Goel |first=Rajiv |date=2002-02-25 |title=The man behind the facade |url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/the-man-behind-the-facade/articleshow/2104719.cms?from=mdr |access-date=2024-04-11 |work=The Economic Times |issn=0013-0389}}</ref>

From 1992 to 1995 Mehta served as the deputy governor of the [[Reserve Bank of India]] (RBI) which is the [[central bank]] of India. Still earlier, from 1991 to 1992 he was the director general of Foreign Trade, Government of India, and Ministry of Commerce. Prior to this, from 1989 to 1991, Mehta was additional secretary to the Government of India in the Ministry of Finance, dealing with banking.

From 1974 to 1989, except for five years when he was serving the [[Ministry of Finance (India)|Ministry of Finance]] of India, Mehta worked for the state government of Rajasthan in various senior positions as the secretary to the government, in the departments of Industries, Mines, and Special Programs of the Poor etc. During this period he was the secretary to the [[Chief Minister of Rajasthan]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://seminars.indiatimes.com/speakers/drmehta.html |title=Indiatimes Seminars: Speakers — D. R. Mehta |publisher=Seminars.indiatimes.com |date=1937-06-25 |access-date=2012-08-04}}</ref>

==Social work==

D. R. Mehta has been active in social field throughout his life. He set up [[Bhagwan Mahaveer Viklang Sahayata Samiti|Bhagwan Mahaveer Viklang Sahayata Samit]] (BMVSS) in [[Jaipur]] in 1975 and is now its full-time honorary volunteer. Under his leadership, BMVSS emerged as the largest organization for the handicapped in the world, providing artificial limbs/[[Orthotics|calipers]] and other aids and appliances for free. More than 1 million people have been its beneficiaries so far.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.embajadaindia.org/en/india-colombia/cultural-relations-colombia/74-jaipur-foot.html |title=Jaipur Foot |publisher=Embajadaindia.org |access-date=2012-08-04 |archive-date=8 March 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120308032546/http://www.embajadaindia.org/en/india-colombia/cultural-relations-colombia/74-jaipur-foot.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Mehta's focus on combining social service with science led to a [[memorandum of understanding]] between [[Stanford University]] and BMVSS, resulting in the development of a new [[Knee replacement|knee joint]] called the Jaipur Knee. It was hailed by the ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'' magazine as one of the 50 best inventions of 2009.<ref>{{Cite news |title='Jaipur Foot': A Small Step with a Big Footprint |url=https://www.mea.gov.in/photo-features.htm?868/jaipur+foot+a+small+step+with+a+big+footprint |access-date=18 March 2025 |work=[[Ministry of External Affairs (India)|Ministry of External Affairs]]}}</ref>

Mehta is also a well-known animal activist. He has started and has been associated with some animal homes, and has also published literature on animal welfare.

==Awards and honours==
D. R. Mehta has been honoured at national and international levels. In 2008 he was conferred with the [[Padma Bhushan]] by the President of India.<ref name="Padma Awards">{{cite web |url=http://mha.nic.in/sites/upload_files/mha/files/LST-PDAWD-2013.pdf |title=Padma Awards |publisher=Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India |date=2015 |access-date=July 21, 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151015193758/http://mha.nic.in/sites/upload_files/mha/files/LST-PDAWD-2013.pdf |archive-date=15 October 2015 |df=dmy }}</ref> Mehta received the TECH Museum Award for Innovation and Its Use for Humanity in Silicon Valley in November 2007.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hindu.com/2007/11/13/stories/2007111353310500.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071116021935/http://www.hindu.com/2007/11/13/stories/2007111353310500.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=2007-11-16 |title=Other States / Rajasthan News : US award for D. R. Mehta |date=2007-11-13 |work=[[The Hindu]] |access-date=2012-08-04}}</ref> He is also a recipient of the Indian for Collective Action Award, Diwali Behan Award (conferred by the [[Dalai Lama]]), the CNBC Award for Social Enterprise, Satpal Mittal Award, etc. Mehta is also a director on the Europe / Asia Board of the U.S.-based [[MIT Sloan School of Management]]. D R Mehta was also a recipient of the [[Rajiv Gandhi National Sadbhavana Award]] in 2012.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2012-08-06 |title=Jaipur Foot patron DR Mehta to get Rajiv Gandhi award |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/jaipur-foot-patron-dr-mehta-to-get-rajiv-gandhi-award/articleshow/15369757.cms |access-date=2025-03-18 |work=The Times of India |issn=0971-8257}}</ref> The award, which carries a citation and a cash award of Rs five [[lakh]], has been given for his outstanding contribution towards promotion of communal harmony, peace and goodwill. In 2013 he was conferred with the [[Rajasthan Ratna]] by the Rajasthan Government.<ref>{{Cite web |title=D R Mehta gets Rajasthan Ratna Award 2013 |url=https://www.rajasthangk.net/2013/09/d-r-mehta-gets-rajasthan-ratna-award.html |access-date=2025-03-18}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* http://www.rediff.com/money/1999/mar/17nandy.htm
* http://thinkchangeindia.wordpress.com/2008/03/19/mit-meets-cutting-edge-grassroots-technology/

{{PadmaBhushanAwardRecipients 2000–09}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mehta, D. R.}}
[[Category:Indian civil servants]]
[[Category:1937 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Rajasthani people]]
[[Category:Indian bankers]]
[[Category:University of Rajasthan alumni]]
[[Category:MIT Sloan School of Management alumni]]
[[Category:People from Jodhpur]]
[[Category:Securities and Exchange Board of India]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Padma Bhushan in social work]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian businesspeople]]
[[Category:Businesspeople from Rajasthan]]

D. R. Mehta - Revision history

240D:F:488:9600:F0C2:4E91:5899:A723 at 02:01, 2 July 2025