Dr. Om Singh Verma, the Founder of ESFI, sowed the seed of “Developmental Charity” in Agriculture and Village Industries. His approach to charity is fundamentally different from the conventional idea of merely giving away a portion of individual wealth.

He strongly believes that philanthropy in agriculture is not about one-day social service activities such as planting a few saplings, cleaning roads, or symbolic village visits. He critiques superficial charity practices that focus on publicity rather than genuine impact, where visits to villages serve more as rural tourism or image-building exercises.

According to him, charity without a voluntary spirit and without tangible benefit to rural communities cannot be called charity at all. Sporadic, obligation-driven interventions by bureaucrats or politically motivated engagements do little to transform rural lives.

Developmental Charity is a sustained and purposeful intervention aimed at enabling needy rural people to enter the domains of development. These domains include Agriculture, Village Industries, and Rural Crafts. The philosophy rests on empowering people rather than offering temporary relief.

Born on 20 September 1943, Dr. O. S. Verma earned his Ph.D. in Agricultural Extension in 1970 from the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), New Delhi. After a brief tenure at Pantnagar University, he joined the ICAR service in November 1972 as Senior Extension Specialist, equivalent to Associate Professor.

He became Principal Scientist / University Professor in July 1982 and continued in ICAR service until his retirement on 30 September 2003. During his distinguished career, he held several key positions including Head of Department (Extension & Training), Advisor-I in Technical Education at AICTE, and Visiting Professor at West Virginia University, USA.

In July 2017, Dr. Verma founded Extension Systems Foundation International (ESFI), where he serves as Chairman. With over 55 years of experience in Extension Education, his contributions have been widely recognized by peers and professionals.

He has authored numerous publications and guided several Master’s and Ph.D. scholars. His expertise spans Communication Arts and Management Science, further strengthened by his MBA degree obtained in 1982.

His passion for journalism led to the launch of the International Journal of Extension Systems in 1985, of which he continues to serve as the Chief Editor, contributing significantly to global academic discourse in extension education.