A native of Karnataka, "Dhatta" became passionate about the Northeast region of India while undertaking a government development project. During this time, Dhatta experienced first hand the difficulties faced by the local poor in accessing essential financial services to improve their lives.  Typically, small and marginal farmers, unable to access financial loans to grow their businesses, have been forced to purchase loans from local agents at outrageously high interest rates. Though formal lending institutions are available, they are not traditionally geared towards small-scale entrepreneurs. This predicament inspired Dhattateya Hosagrahar to establish the Institute of Integrated Resource Management (IIRM) in 2000 to provide the hard-to-reach communities of Northeast India with life-changing access to microfinance. His is the current CEO of Institute of Integrated Resources Management

Go to complete bio »
Speaker's website »