Aarohan Awards to honour innovators in key social sectors

Tech-powered innovation is set to be a key driver of social entrepreneurship in post-pandemic India.

The third edition of the Aarohan Social Innovation Awards is anchored in the potential of these emerging technologies in three critical social streams — education, healthcare and women empowerment.

Individuals, groups and NGOs are presenting functioning prototypes or finished projects for the awards, for which the submissions will close on March 12.

Infosys Foundation, which launched the awards in 2018, is looking at the third cohort for a good mix of inclusive, cost-effective, sustainable, and scalable solutions.

Sunil Kumar Dhareshwar, Trustee, Infosys Foundation, said including women empowerment as a category in the 2023 edition was in line with a larger vision to use its potential in solving “multiple challenges” faced by the country.

“From better access to products related to personal hygiene, to helping women build a fulfilling career, to ensuring their safety, we think it is important to recognise and support innovations that can empower women, build self-respect and confidence, and make them self-sufficient,” he told DH.

The award carries Rs 50 lakh per winner, with a total purse of Rs 2 crore. The jury will evaluate the entries, submitted as videos uploaded on the Aarohan Social Innovation Awards website, based on four broad criteria — innovative use of sustainable technology, originality, ease of use, and quality of presentation.

Winners all

Dhareshwar said education has continued to be a focus area for the awards, in line with efforts to bridge social gaps that limit access to education for millions. The awards, in the previous editions, received over 1,000 applications.

He listed as significant innovations from the past editions Annie, a self-learning Braille device (Thinkerbells Labs); a decentralised sanitary pad sterilisation, segregation and disposal unit (PadCare Labs); and Bandicoot, a manhole-cleaning robot (GenRobotics). After winning the Aarohan Awards, GenRobotics also won the National Startup Award in 2020.

A new NASSCOM report said India — the world’s third largest startup ecosystem — added more than 1,300 tech startups in 2022. Dhareshwar said India has rightly identified innovation as a key priority.

“Moreover, Covid-19 accelerated the adoption of new technologies; in India too, the pandemic led to the emergence of several path-breaking ideas. India, in the past decade, has witnessed a boom in social innovations across areas like healthcare, education, and women empowerment, and has seen the amalgamation of economic growth and social values unlike before,” he said.