Sep 12 2014 : The Times of India (Delhi)
Social Impact Awards about sharing, inspiring
TOI Launches Third Edition Of Social Impact Awards
How did Puniya Baba, an 80-year old Bhil tribal from Alirajpur, Madhya Pradesh, manage to get a title deed to cultivate a plot of land in the forest? How did villagers of Ahata village in Bahraich, UP, get drinking water even when surrounded by flood waters for two months? Why is Rafiqu Begum so happy about her daughters' school in Old Delhi? How did infant mortality fall dramatically in Jamkhed block in Ahmednagar, Maharashtra? These and many other heart-warming stories were the result of the untiring efforts of groups of remarkable men and women found in all corners of our country. An organization of tribals fought to get Puniya Baba’s title deed recognized under the Forest Act. A visionary district collector installed raised hand pumps in Bahraich.A government school with only minority students transformed itself at the initiative of the principal. A pair of doctors trained village women in deliveries and care of the newborn and the mother.
A large part of the system does not work, a fact obvious to everybody. Over half the students that join school in Class 1 drop out by Class 8. A person dies of TB every three minutes, although there is a cure available for free. A quarter of all infant deaths in the world take place in India.
Employment has been growing at just 2% per year for more than a decade. Rapes have been increasing at a phenomenal rate. Natural calamities claim thousands of lives, and survivors struggle to cope.These are the headline indicators, just the tip of the iceberg.
In this dismal state of affairs, the lives of many -though not most -have been changed by the intervention of voluntary organizations and government departments at the grassroots level, fired up by a band of committed individuals. Corporate bodies too have pioneered ways of delivering some recompense to disadvantaged sections, sharing their profits for the larger good.
The Times of India, which has always stood for a more humane and just society , decided in 2011 to recognize these individuals and organizations by initiating the Social Impact Awards. After two very successful editions, it is now time for the third edition of the Awards. This time, we have as our partner the Aditya Birla Group, which has long been associated with education and other social endeavours.
Today , a dedicated website has gone online for receiving applica tions from non-governmental organizations, corporate entities and even state or lower level government departments. After a nationwide search and evaluation by experts, the awards will be given for work in five key sectors: education, health, environment, livelihoods and advocacyempowerment.
There will be three awards in each sector -one each for an NGO, a corporate-backed organization, and a government body at the district or state level. There will also be an award each for Lifetime Achievement and Global Impact.
In the previous two rounds, we were flooded with applications from across the country . While only three Awards were given in each of the five sectors, 15 in all, the stories that emerged from the thousands of entries showed that the pain, distress and deprivation that exists in our society is matched in equal measure by compassion, humanity and the striving for change.
These Awards are not about winning or losing. They are about sharing, encouraging and inspiring. If you know about meaningful work being done in your area by an NGO, a corporate body , or a government organization, you can nominate them through our Awards website. We urge you to do so. Because the least they deserve is a recognition of their effort.
A large part of the system does not work, a fact obvious to everybody. Over half the students that join school in Class 1 drop out by Class 8. A person dies of TB every three minutes, although there is a cure available for free. A quarter of all infant deaths in the world take place in India.
Employment has been growing at just 2% per year for more than a decade. Rapes have been increasing at a phenomenal rate. Natural calamities claim thousands of lives, and survivors struggle to cope.These are the headline indicators, just the tip of the iceberg.
In this dismal state of affairs, the lives of many -though not most -have been changed by the intervention of voluntary organizations and government departments at the grassroots level, fired up by a band of committed individuals. Corporate bodies too have pioneered ways of delivering some recompense to disadvantaged sections, sharing their profits for the larger good.
The Times of India, which has always stood for a more humane and just society , decided in 2011 to recognize these individuals and organizations by initiating the Social Impact Awards. After two very successful editions, it is now time for the third edition of the Awards. This time, we have as our partner the Aditya Birla Group, which has long been associated with education and other social endeavours.
Today , a dedicated website has gone online for receiving applica tions from non-governmental organizations, corporate entities and even state or lower level government departments. After a nationwide search and evaluation by experts, the awards will be given for work in five key sectors: education, health, environment, livelihoods and advocacyempowerment.
There will be three awards in each sector -one each for an NGO, a corporate-backed organization, and a government body at the district or state level. There will also be an award each for Lifetime Achievement and Global Impact.
In the previous two rounds, we were flooded with applications from across the country . While only three Awards were given in each of the five sectors, 15 in all, the stories that emerged from the thousands of entries showed that the pain, distress and deprivation that exists in our society is matched in equal measure by compassion, humanity and the striving for change.
These Awards are not about winning or losing. They are about sharing, encouraging and inspiring. If you know about meaningful work being done in your area by an NGO, a corporate body , or a government organization, you can nominate them through our Awards website. We urge you to do so. Because the least they deserve is a recognition of their effort.
