Governing Board

The Governing Board consists of seven members to be nominated by the Central Government from amongst persons who have,

• rendered valuable service to Auroville;

• dedicated themselves to the ideals of life-long education synthesis of material and spiritual researches or human unity;

• contributed significantly in activities that are being pursued or are envisaged to be promoted in Auroville, including activities relating to the environment, afforestation, arts and crafts, industry, agriculture, humanities, sciences and integral yoga;

and of two representatives of the Central Government itself.

The members, who do not live in Auroville, hold office for a period of 4 years. The Governing Board meets at least twice a year in Auroville.

The general management of the affairs of the Foundation is vested in the Governing Board. Its task is to promote the ideals of Auroville, to review and approve basic policies and programmes, to secure the proper management of all properties, to prepare the master plan and co-ordinate fundraising. Most of these functions are executed in consultation with the Residents' Assembly.

The present members

The Central Government, vide Ministry of Human Resource Development’s dated 29 June 2017, nominated new members of the  Governing Board including its Chairman for a fourth term of four years with the following members: 

CHAIRMAN

Dr. Karan Singh
Member of Parliament (Rajya Sabha) & former President, Indian Council for Cultural Relations

MEMBERS

Dr. Prema Nandkumar,  a famous independent researcher, translator, critic and authoress who writes in Tamil and English  
http://www.collaboration.org/aum/2001/prema.html
https://overmanfoundation.wordpress.com/2012/04/27/dr-prema-nandakumar-and-shraddhavan-to-receive-the-auro-ratna-award/

Prof. Sachidanand Mohanty, Former Vice Chancellor Central University of Orissa and Former Professor and Head, Department of English, University of Hyderabad. He is the recipient of several national and international awards, and has to his credit 28 books in English and in Odia.

Dr. Anirban Ganguly, Director Dr. Syama Prasad Mookerjee Research Foundation, New Delhi 

Co-Convener, Library Department, BJP
Member, Policy Research Department, BJP
Member, Central Advisory Board of Education (CABE), MHRD
Member, Visva Bharati Samsad (Court), Santiniketan
http://www.spmrf.org/team/
http://www.spmrf.org/
http://www.anirbanganguly.in/
http://www.dailypioneer.com/columnists/author/anirban-ganguly

Dr. Nirima Oza, Professor, Mahatma Gandhi Postgraduate Institute of Dental Sciences, Pondicherry.
http://www.meramd.com/find/doctors/details/nirima-oza

Dr. K. Parameswaran, Associate Professor of Law & Former Dean of Academic Affairs, Gujarat National Law University has been appointed as member of the Governing Board of the Auroville Foundation.

Dr. Parameswaran's web profile can be seen at: https://www.gnlu.ac.in/GNLU/Faculty/eETrDyIcANEcetcu5IfaLg%3d%3d

Sri. M. Madan Gopal, IAS (Retd.), former Additional Chief Secretary Department of Forests, Environment and Ecology, Government of Karnataka.  He also served as Executive Director for World Bank-funded Jala Samvardhane Yojana, (Integrated Tank Development Project), Commissioner for Public Instruction, Bangalore, Registrar, Central University of Hyderabad.
More information at http://www.bmsce.ac.in/faculty/sri-m-madan-gopal-ias-retd 

The ex-officio members are
Mr. Rakesh Ranjan IAS (Joint Secretary, HRD Ministry) and
Ms. Darshana Dabral IAS (Financial Advisor, HRD Ministry). 

Former members include:

Mr. Gajapati Maharaja Dibyasingha Deb, Maharaja of Puri;

Dr. M.S. Swaminathan (ex-chairman), Chairman M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation;

Dr. Malini Parthasarathy
Director, The Hindu Centre for Politics and Public Policy  

Dr. Kapila Vatsyayan, former Academic Director of the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts;

Mrs. Bilkees Latif, Chairman Andra Pradesh Social Welfare Board;

Late Mr. Ajoy Bagchi, Director People's Commission on Environment and Development (PCED);

Mr. N. Krishnan, former member of the executive board of UNESCO;

Sri Keshav Desiraju, I.A.S., Joint Secretary (UNESCO), Ministry of HRD, GoI, joined the Board in the beginning of 2006.

Late Prof. V. Madhusudan Reddy, Chairman of the Institute of Future Studies;

Late Mrs. Shantadevi Malwad, writer;

Late Mr. Roger Anger (Chief Architect of Auroville);

Mrs. Aster Patel, resident member of Auroville;

Lt. Gen. (retd.) Ashok Chatterjee, resident member of Auroville.

Representatives of the Central Government have included

• Mr. Sudeep Bannerjee;
• Mr. S.R. Tayal;
• Mr. Sudhir Nath.

Late Mr. Kireet Joshi (ex-chairman),former Registrar Sri Aurobindo International Centre of Education, Chairman Indian Council for Philosophical Research;

Dr. D.P. Chattopadhyaya, Chairman Centre of Studies of Civilisations, and former Union Cabinet Minister;

Late Dr. L.M. Singhvi, MP, eminent jurist and member of Indian Parliament, former Indian High Commissioner in the UK;

Dr. Subhash C. Kashyap, former Secretary General, Loksabha;

Shri V.K. Pipersenia, IAS, Joint Secretary & Financial Adviser, Dept of Secondary Education and Higher Education, Ministry of Human Resource Development;

Shri C. Balakrishnan, IAS, Joint Secretary, (Planning & UNESCO) Dept of Secondary Education and Higher Education, Ministry of Human Resource Development;

Mrs. Jyothi Madhok;

Late Prof. Meera Srivastava.