Shri Laxmi Dass

Shri Laxmi Dass, born on September 10, 1947, in Ujhe, District Kangra, Himachal Pradesh, is a noted social reformer and cooperative leader. A postgraduate from Himachal Pradesh University, he was inspired early by Vinoba Bhave’s Sarvodaya movement and Mahatma Gandhi’s principles of rural development. He serves as Vice President of the Harijan Sevak Sangh, founded by Gandhi, and actively promotes naturopathy and yoga. In 1988, Shri Dass was appointed Chairman of the Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) by the Government of India. He later founded the Akhil Bhartiya Gramodyog Mahasangh to strengthen cottage industries. As General Secretary of the All India Khet Mazdoor Kissan Parishad since 1978, he has championed the rights of landless laborers, small farmers, and rural artisans. Committed to grassroots democracy, he has worked extensively to empower Panchayati Raj institutions. He has edited magazines such as Harijan Sewa, Kudarati Upchar, and Kangra Bank Patrika, and authored influential works like Sustaining Rural Industries and From Rags to Riches.
Currently, he is President of NAFCUB, Member of the Governing Council of NCDC, Chairman of Kangra Co-operative Bank (Delhi), and Director of the Delhi Urban Co-operative Bank Federation.