IndiaCSR News Network
NEW DELHI: The Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship, a sister organization of the World Economic Forum, in partnership with the Jubilant Bhartia Foundation announced Dr. H Sudarshan, Karuna Trust, as the winner of the 2014 India Social Entrepreneur of the Year awards. The awards were conferred in New Delhi at a high-level celebration, in the presence of Arun Jaitley, Minister of Finance, Corporate Affairs and Defence, Government of India, and over 200 participants.
Karuna Trust is transforming dysfunctional government primary healthcare centers (PHCs) into professional hubs of ‘last mile’ healthcare service delivery. It works through a Public Private Partnership (PPP) model – the government invests in upgrading infrastructure and efficient running of the PHCs; Karuna Trust brings healthcare management systems and disruptive health innovations; village health councils hold PHCs accountable for reporting higher health outcomes and functioning as zero-corruption zones. Karuna Trust has served more than one million patients and reported health outcomes that are amongst the highest in the country.
Over 180 applicants entered the tenth annual Social Entrepreneur of the Year selection process for India, and three finalists emerged after several stages of rigorous assessment. An independent panel of pre-eminent judges met on 4 November to select the winner. This year’s judges included Shobhana Bhartia, Chairperson & Editorial Director of HT Media Ltd; Sudha Pillai, Board Member Jubilant Life Sciences Ltd and Former Member Secretary of Planning Commission, Government of India; David Aikman, Managing Director, Head of New Champions, World Economic Forum; Neelam Chhiber, Managing Director, Industree Crafts Pvt Ltd, Industree Crafts Foundation and Mother Earth; Dr Harish Hande, Managing Director of Selco Solar Light Ltd ; Sunil Kant Munjal, Joint Managing Director of Hero Moto Corp; Mr. Ronnie Screwvala, First Generation Entrepreneur/ Founder – Unilazer Ventures Ltd, Founder Trustee – Swades Foundation and Ms Chetna Vijay Sinha, Winner SEOY 2013, Founder of Mann Deshi Group of Ventures.
Commenting on the finalists, Hilde Schwab, Chairperson and Co-Founder of the Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship, said “We are inspired by the three finalists of the Social Entrepreneur of the Year India 2014 Awards – all three entrepreneurs are leading initiatives that seek fundamental changes in delivery systems and demonstrate a strong commitment to collaboration and co-creation with the community and other stakeholders. We hope these entrepreneurs and their work will serve as an inspiration to many more social innovators, especially among the country’s youth”.
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Congratulating the winner, Shyam S Bhartia, Chairman & Managing Director and Hari S Bhartia, Co Chairman & Managing Director, Jubilant Life Sciences and Founder Directors of Jubilant Bhartia Foundation, said, “We congratulate the winner of India SEOY 2014 Award. The social entrepreneurs undergo numerous operational challenges and yet stay committed in their mission with an objective to bring positive impacts and drive inclusive growth. They are the dreamers, the innovators, the doers and most importantly, they are the pragmatic visionaries. Jubilant Bhartia Foundation looks forward to collaborating and supporting them with linkages and networks to increase their impact and scale.”
The winner will be invited to join the Schwab Foundation’s global community of over 250 social innovators. Social Entrepreneurs are driven by their mission to create substantial social change and promote inclusive growth, developing new products and service models that benefit underserved communities.
Jubilant Bhartia Foundation (JBF) joined hands with the Schwab Foundation in 2010 for Social Entrepreneurship to launch the Social Entrepreneur of the Year (SEOY) Award in India. The Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship and the Jubilant Bhartia Foundation are dedicated to promoting social innovation in India. In recognizing social entrepreneurs who address the needs of under-served communities in both scalable and sustainable ways, JBF’s aim is to make inclusive growth in the country a reality.
