New Delhi - Harish Hande, Managing Director, SELCO Solar Light, India, has been named the Social Entrepreneur of the Year 2007 for India. Minister of Tourism and Culture Ambika Soni presented the award to Hande during the World Economic Forum's India Economic Summit. The Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship and the Nand & Jeet Khemka Foundation have collaborated with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) to select and reward the Social Entrepreneur of the Year 2007 for India.
Hande, visibly excited after winning the award, said, "It is wonderful that SELCO's efforts to link poverty alleviation and the climate have been recognized. We, at SELCO, sincerely hope the award can bring to attention that environment-friendly technologies like solar can provide solutions to the underserved populations."
Hande will participate as a Global Social Entrepreneur in the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2008 in Davos, Switzerland, which provides unprecedented opportunities to engage with global decision-makers from the public and corporate sectors, the media and academia to strengthen and expand the winner's model. In addition, Hande is eligible to be named a "Khemka Fellow" and receive a financial award from the Nand & Jeet Khemka Foundation.
Around 57% of the Indian population does not have electricity and for many more the supply is unreliable. Hande has pioneered access to rural solar electrification for families living below the poverty line through a combination of customized home lighting systems and innovative doorstep financing, and an understanding of market needs of different user groups. An example is solar lights on miners' caps for midwives and rose sellers. To date, he has reached 80,000 clients in Karnataka and Kerala, and recently moved into Gujarat.
"Social entrepreneurs are the innovators who are able to engage business in mutually beneficial ways that benefit both the bottom line and social or environmental issues. The Social Entrepreneur of the Year award seeks to highlight the contributions made by these outstanding entrepreneurs. We hope this will inspire others to either start a social enterprise or support one," added Klaus Schwab, Founder of the Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship.
Uday H. Khemka, Managing Trustee of the Nand & Jeet Khemka Foundation, India, said, "Globalization in the developed world has resulted in a shift away from a mere social welfare approach to social development. Social entrepreneurs better leverage on resources, enhance effectiveness through creative partnerships, raise expectations for performance and accountability, and ultimately achieve more sustainable social impact."
The following eminent jury members selected the Indian Social Entrepreneur of the Year from among four finalists: Montek S. Ahluwalia, Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission of India; Rohini Nilekani, Chairperson, Arghyam Foundation, India; Shailesh Shah, Director and Senior Vice-President, Corporate Strategy Group, Satyam Computer Services, India; Parag Gupta, Head of South Asia, Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship, Don Mohanlal, Executive Director, the Nand & Jeet Khemka Foundation, and Thulasiraj Ravilla, Executive Director, Aravind Eye Hospital, India. The finalists were identified through an open competitive process that surfaces social entrepreneurs whose work has created, or has the potential to create, large-scale, transformational benefit for disadvantaged populations or for society at large.
Other finalists included Chetna Sinha, Chairperson of Mann Deshi Mahila Sahakari Bank; Rajendra Joshi, Managing Trustee of Saath Charitable Trust; and Pravin Mahajan, Executive Director of Janarth.
- Ends -
About the Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship
The Geneva-based Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship is a sister organization of the World Economic Forum. Through its Social Entrepreneurship awards, the Foundation provides a national platform to promote social entrepreneurship as a key element to advance societies and address social problems in an innovative and effective manner. It also fosters a close-knit network of social entrepreneurs who have successfully implemented and scaled their transformational ideas so they may exchange ideas and replicate best practices. The Foundation creates unprecedented opportunities where social entrepreneurs can further the legitimacy of their work, have access to usually inaccessible networks and, in consequence, mobilize financial and other resources that enable them to continue to strengthen and expand. (http://www.schwabfound.org/)
About the Nand & Jeet Khemka Foundation
The Nand & Jeet Khemka Foundation is a private and independent Indian foundation. Its mission is to develop and promote institutions and initiatives that make a substantial impact on poverty, deprivation and disempowerment of the human and natural environment. It takes an approach that is long term, strategic and leveraged. The Foundation believes that change can only be effected through multistakeholder collaboration both within India and internationally, and is therefore deeply committed to partnership and collaborative approaches. It seeks not so much to be an implementing or programmatic agency as to build key pillars of strategic philanthropy and development infrastructure in the country. (www.khemkafoundation.org)
About the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
UNDP is the UN's global development network, an organization advocating for change and connecting countries to knowledge, experience and resources to help people build a better life. UNDP is on the ground in 166 countries, working with them on their own solutions to global and national development challenges. (www.undp.org)
About the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII)
The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) works to create and sustain an environment conducive to the growth of industry in India, partnering industry and government alike through advisory and consultative processes. CII is a non-government, not-for-profit, industry-led and industry-managed organization, playing a proactive role in India's development process. (www.ciionline.org)
Further information on the social entrepreneurs can be found at http://www.schwabfound.org
For more information, please contact:
Parag Gupta
Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship
91-93 Route de la Capite
CH - 1223 Cologny/Geneva
Tel.: +41 (0)22 869 1498
Fax: +41 (0)22 869 1396
Mobile: +91 98 1199 6330
Email: Parag.Gupta@schwabfound.org
Website: www.schwabfound.org
© Press Release 2007
