Mr. Premendra Raj Mehta is former President of Council of Architecture, India. COA is a statutory Body created by Government of India under the provision of Architects Act 1972, and it is charged with the responsibility to regulate the standards of Education and Practice of Architects, besides registering the Architects. Mr Mehta is currently a member of Technology Sub Mission of Housing for All mission of Government of India.
Mr Mehta is former member of Research Council of Central Building Research Institute, Roorkee ( CSIR-CBRI), Lalit Kala Academy and Chairman of All India Board of Architecture, Town Planning & Applied Art Education of AICTE. He has been member of National Board of Accreditation, GATE Committee of Ministry of Education and several other forums concerned with development of higher Education in India. He has also been a member of Expert Committee of Ministry of Commerce on Services.
Mr Mehta has represented India at WTO and has participated in several Bilateral and Multilateral negotiations on Market Access for professionals. He has also presented a paper of Recognition of Qualification at WTO, Geneva. He has spoken, as Key Note Speaker, at several national and International forums on subject of Architectural Education, Higher Education, Urban Design and Urban Management, General Agreement on Trade in Services, Professional Practice etc.
Extensively travelled, Mr Mehta is in active practice since 1979 and he is the Architect for the Redevelopment of Connaught Place, New Delhi. He holds post graduate qualification in Urban Design and is an Alumnus of School of Planning and Architecture, New Delhi. He has been a Visiting Professor at his alma mater for over two decades.
Mr Mehta is also Director of Bhagwan Mahaveer Viklang Sahayata Samiti (BMVSS) known for Jaipur Foot. Over 2 million disabled persons across the globe are the beneficiary of the assistive devices provided by BMVSS, free of cost. Mr Mehta is a recipient of Helen Keller Award for service to Disabled.
