A VISIONARY’S JOURNEY
At Vipra’s helm is Rajeevkumar Vedparkash Mehra, a man of many talents with philanthropy in his heart and mind.
Born in the Eastern part of Ahmedabad, far away from the posh pockets of the city, Mehra came to understand the life and needs of labourers and migrant workers very early in his childhood. While he got sound education and many opportunities to shine and climb academically and professionally, Mehra witnessed the daily hardships the lower income group faced, the limited source of funds they had, the high cost of borrowing they dealt with.
Another predicament Mehra saw was that when these beneficiaries bought properties sold to them by the Gujarat Slum Clearance Board, most of the time they weren’t in a position to pay regular installments. As a result, these people never got the title of the property they had paid scattered but hard earned money for. Without titles, these properties became non-bankable and changed hands frequently on the basis of power of attorney. These people had no option but to go to pedestrian money lenders who charged up to 20 % financial cost every month just to meet ends or pay EMIs.
Mehra observed how even after living in these houses for over 30 years, this stratum couldn’t call it their ‘home’. So when he finally came up with the idea for a finance company, it was this income group he wanted to come to the rescue of. That is how Mehra developed Vipra’s unique micro-mortgage service. As an ally and friend, Mehra was acutely aware of how it would help their cause.
Today, not only have hundreds of customers approached Vipra but have also improved their financial discipline and improved their credit ratings. The EMIs they now pay an esteemed organisation like Vipra is a sum of both interest and the principal amount, so there is literally no scope of faltering or skipping discipline.
Due to Mehra’s vision, Vipra has spread its wings in social upliftment activities as well. Two physiotherapy centres, in Hathijan and Vinzol respectively, are running at nominal rates to give healthcare access to the working class. Children of parents from this income group are also encouraged to pursue education if they are particularly bright.