The Times of India Social Impact Awards jury has selected the winners for this year, the second time the award has been run.
The selection process is detailed in an extensive commentary published on the Times of India website, which you can read here. The winners are:
LIFETIME CONTRIBUTION
Naga Mothers Association & Meira Paibi, Manipur | Both women-driven organizations are peacekeepers in the troubled north-eastern region. NMA sustains the ceasefire between Naga groups and government. Meira Paibi is the largest grassroots civilian human rights movement in Manipur
INTERNATIONAL CONTRIBUTION TO INDIA
Pratham USA | Volunteer-run fundraising arm of Pratham (India) that works to improve education here; has 14 chapters; raises about $11 million annually through galas and events
HEALTH
CORPORATE: Ziqitza Health Care Ltd | Affordable ambulance service; runs 860 ambulances; touched 1.75 million people in Rajasthan, Punjab, Bihar, Kerala, Mumbai
GOVERNMENT: National Trust for the Welfare of People with Autism, Cerebral Palsy, Metal Retardation and Multiple Disabilities | Health insurance for people with disabilities; insured 1.2 lakh people across India
NGO: Karuna Trust | Free primary healthcare in remote, tribal areas; benefits for 9.6 lakh people in 8 states including Karnataka, Maharashtra, Arunachal Pradesh
EDUCATION
CORPORATE: None
GOVERNMENT: Joint award
National Institute of Open Schooling | Vocational and academic education to 5.2 lakh students across the country every year
Sarvodaya Kanya Vidyalaya No. 2, Zeenat Mahal | Turnaround of Urdu medium school in Old Delhi to achieve 100% results for five years running; education for 1,300 girls
NGO: Room to Read | Libraries for rural and urban poor; education in government schools and for disadvantaged girls; impact on one million children in 9 states, including Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Uttarakhand
ENVIRONMENT CORPORATE: Selco Solar Light Pvt Ltd | Solar energy and cooking solutions for low income families; reached 1.3 lakh households in Karnataka, Kerala, Gujarat
GOVERNMENT: Anand Agricultural University | Developed and distributed eco-friendly, cost-effective liquid biofertilizers; supplies farmers in 18,000 villages in Gujarat
NGO: Joint award
Foundation for Ecological Security | Restoration and conservation of land and water resources; improved earnings for 1.6 million people in 7 states including Nagaland, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh Dhan Foundation | Forms farmer associations to restore common ponds, tanks; helps provide water to 3 lakh farmers in six states including Tamil Nadu, Bihar, Odisha
LIVELIHOODS
CORPORATE: Jaipur Rugs Co Pvt Ltd | Training marginalized rural poor to weave carpets for export; hires 50,000 people in 7 states including Rajasthan, Jharkhand, West Bengal
GOVERNMENT: Central Silk Board | Part of textile ministry; sets up micro enterprises for tussar silk production among tribal communities; helps close to 3,000 people in Bihar, Jharkhand
NGO: Self Employed Women’s Association (Sewa) | Creating cooperatives to make women self-reliant; impact on 1.4 million women in five states including Gujarat, Assam, J&K
ADVOCACY & EMPOWERMENT
CORPORATE: None
GOVERNMENT: District Administration Gwalior | Setting up decentralised hubs to deliver public services efficiently and punctually; benefits more than 2 lakh every year
NGO: Joint award
Association for Democratic Reform | Improves voter knowledge by disseminating information on candidates contesting local and national elections through all media across the country
Navsarjan Trust | Empowers dalits, tribal communities, religious minorities and women; works with close to 2 lakh people every year in Gujarat