India's got compassion. But it takes a lot more to change lives. It takes optimism, to dream of a better tomorrow. Vision, to chart a course to get there. Tenacity, to confront challenges and overcome obstacles. And administrative acumen to design and implement projects and programmes that catapult people from deprivation and despair to hope and prosperity. In short, it takes a remarkable breed of men and women to make a lasting social impact.
On March 26, this newspaper, in partnership with J P Morgan, launched 'The Times of India Social Impact Awards'. These awards, the first of their kind in India, seek to honour the unsung heroes who have been battling enormous odds and making great personal sacrifices in a bid to transform the destinies of millions of their underprivileged countrymen.
To begin with, we invited entries for the awards. We were heartened by the number of entries (over 700) that poured in from across the country-- and deeply moved by their inspiring stories.
The most striking thing about the entries is the sheer range of activities being undertaken. A huge, diverse society like India's is bound to throw up a staggering array of challenges -- many of which could easily be swept under the carpet. But happily, it seems that there is no issue so small, no problem so large that some group of intrepid Indians cannot take it on.
Here's a random selection: ensuring welfare of cyclists by putting reflector stickers on their mudguards and training them, taking mentally challenged children on mountaineering trips, organizing runs for various causes, training farmers in modern IT skills, training religious heads in psychiatric counselling, caring for released prisoners, visiting children's wards in hospitals and telling stories to kids, clearing slogans and posters from city walls, converting the garden of a city hospital into a biodiversity park, training maids, and so on.
Then there are efforts to address complex issues like spreading education, making agriculture viable and sustainable, better management of water resources, creating jobs for underprivileged sections through diverse training programs, exploitation of new energy sources like wind etc.
Although the entry form asked applicants to focus on only one of their main activities, it turned out that most organizations are involved in multiple programs as they strive to work out "holistic" solutions. That's understandable. After all, problems tend to be interconnected, so how can solutions exist in isolation?
The biggest response came from the voluntary sector, with over 84% entries coming in from NGOs. About 13% of the entries are from corporate-backed organizations. The remaining applicants are government organizations, including several district collectors and municipalities.
The highest number of entries are from Maharashtra (21%) followed by Delhi (14%). That's not unexpected, because many of the bigger organizations are based in metropolises. However, their work spans the hinterland. Other states with a notable number of entries include Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and Gujarat. Even distant states like Arunachal Pradesh and Manipur, and strife-ridden Jammu & Kashmir have sent in entries.
Teach India has been one of TOI's most popular initiatives. So it comes as no surprise that most of the entries -- in fact, 34% -- are related to work done in education. Health follows with 24% -- an apt reminder that illiteracy and illness remain the two biggest problems of Rising India. The other three categories - environment, advocacy & empowerment, and livelihoods have attracted about 14% entries each.
The entries are now being processed by a group of specialists from the NGO sector. They include Deval Sanghavi from 'Dasra', Venkat Krishnan from 'GiveIndia', Pushpa Aman Singh from 'GuideStar' and their colleagues. Well-experienced in assessing performances of NGOs, this group has been specially put together for the most difficult part of this exercise - making a shortlist of about 10 applicants for each of the five sectors -- under each of the three categories (NGOs, corporate-backed organizations and government bodies at state/district levels).
This group of specialists will evaluate the entries on the basis of scale of impact, funds used, innovativeness of approach, replicability and sustainability, and promotion of social equity, in that order.
This process is expected to end by mid-August. Then, the shortlisted applications will be sent to various experts for detailed evaluation and grading. The experts will prepare the final ranked shortlist of three applications for every award. These will then be sent to a jury of eminent citizens, which will be announced shortly.
The jury will finally pick one winner for each of the 15 awards, who will duly be felicitated. That will mark the culmination of this year's exercise. But it will also, hopefully, mark a new beginning. We hope these awards will further enthuse the people who are already hard at work in these fields. And we would be delighted if they inspired many more to add their efforts to this noble cause. The ultimate goal of these awards is to contribute to social and economic transformation. When that is achieved, all of us will be winners. Because India cannot truly shine while millions of Indians remain stranded in the darkness of destitution and disempowerment.
On March 26, this newspaper, in partnership with J P Morgan, launched 'The Times of India Social Impact Awards'. These awards, the first of their kind in India, seek to honour the unsung heroes who have been battling enormous odds and making great personal sacrifices in a bid to transform the destinies of millions of their underprivileged countrymen.
To begin with, we invited entries for the awards. We were heartened by the number of entries (over 700) that poured in from across the country-- and deeply moved by their inspiring stories.
The most striking thing about the entries is the sheer range of activities being undertaken. A huge, diverse society like India's is bound to throw up a staggering array of challenges -- many of which could easily be swept under the carpet. But happily, it seems that there is no issue so small, no problem so large that some group of intrepid Indians cannot take it on.
Here's a random selection: ensuring welfare of cyclists by putting reflector stickers on their mudguards and training them, taking mentally challenged children on mountaineering trips, organizing runs for various causes, training farmers in modern IT skills, training religious heads in psychiatric counselling, caring for released prisoners, visiting children's wards in hospitals and telling stories to kids, clearing slogans and posters from city walls, converting the garden of a city hospital into a biodiversity park, training maids, and so on.
Then there are efforts to address complex issues like spreading education, making agriculture viable and sustainable, better management of water resources, creating jobs for underprivileged sections through diverse training programs, exploitation of new energy sources like wind etc.
Although the entry form asked applicants to focus on only one of their main activities, it turned out that most organizations are involved in multiple programs as they strive to work out "holistic" solutions. That's understandable. After all, problems tend to be interconnected, so how can solutions exist in isolation?
The biggest response came from the voluntary sector, with over 84% entries coming in from NGOs. About 13% of the entries are from corporate-backed organizations. The remaining applicants are government organizations, including several district collectors and municipalities.
The highest number of entries are from Maharashtra (21%) followed by Delhi (14%). That's not unexpected, because many of the bigger organizations are based in metropolises. However, their work spans the hinterland. Other states with a notable number of entries include Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and Gujarat. Even distant states like Arunachal Pradesh and Manipur, and strife-ridden Jammu & Kashmir have sent in entries.
Teach India has been one of TOI's most popular initiatives. So it comes as no surprise that most of the entries -- in fact, 34% -- are related to work done in education. Health follows with 24% -- an apt reminder that illiteracy and illness remain the two biggest problems of Rising India. The other three categories - environment, advocacy & empowerment, and livelihoods have attracted about 14% entries each.
The entries are now being processed by a group of specialists from the NGO sector. They include Deval Sanghavi from 'Dasra', Venkat Krishnan from 'GiveIndia', Pushpa Aman Singh from 'GuideStar' and their colleagues. Well-experienced in assessing performances of NGOs, this group has been specially put together for the most difficult part of this exercise - making a shortlist of about 10 applicants for each of the five sectors -- under each of the three categories (NGOs, corporate-backed organizations and government bodies at state/district levels).
This group of specialists will evaluate the entries on the basis of scale of impact, funds used, innovativeness of approach, replicability and sustainability, and promotion of social equity, in that order.
This process is expected to end by mid-August. Then, the shortlisted applications will be sent to various experts for detailed evaluation and grading. The experts will prepare the final ranked shortlist of three applications for every award. These will then be sent to a jury of eminent citizens, which will be announced shortly.
The jury will finally pick one winner for each of the 15 awards, who will duly be felicitated. That will mark the culmination of this year's exercise. But it will also, hopefully, mark a new beginning. We hope these awards will further enthuse the people who are already hard at work in these fields. And we would be delighted if they inspired many more to add their efforts to this noble cause. The ultimate goal of these awards is to contribute to social and economic transformation. When that is achieved, all of us will be winners. Because India cannot truly shine while millions of Indians remain stranded in the darkness of destitution and disempowerment.
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