Ashraf Patel of Pravah & ComMutiny Youth Collective wins the Social Entrepreneur of the Year (SEOY) Award – India 2020

Kolkata: The Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship, the sister organisation of the World Economic Forum and the Jubilant Bhartia Foundation of Jubilant Bhartia Group today announced Ashraf Patel of Pravah & ComMutiny Youth Collective (CYC) as the winner of the Social Entrepreneur of the Year Award – India 2020.The award was presented by Smt. Smriti Zubin Irani, Hon. Minister of Women & Child Development &Textiles, Government of India at a virtual ceremony in presence of eminent personalities from different fields from across the world.

Congratulating the winner and appreciating the finalists of this year’s SEOY Award India 2020, Smt. Smriti Zubin Irani, Hon. Minister of Women & Child Development & Textiles, Government of India said, “I acknowledge and appreciate the contribution of Schwab Foundation and Jubilant Bhartia Foundation in celebrating social entrepreneurs. I would like to congratulate all the social entrepreneurs who have been considered by the esteemed jury for this prestigious award. This award today highlights to the rest of our country, that compassion is not only the most endearing but also an equally profitable business skill. Those who have come to this platform are the champions of digital India.”

The SEOY Award India 2020 winner – Ashraf Patel has been bringing revolutionary change through development of a generation of empathetic, sensitive youth change-makers in India. It is doing so, through psycho-social interventions and helping them build more inclusive identities & societies.

Prof Klaus Schwab, Founder & Executive Chairman, World Economic Forum and Co-Founder the Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship announced the winner of the SEOY Award India 2020 and added, “The World Economic Forum is very much involved in helping fight the pandemic. I am looking forward to having India very well represented in our activities because India is a major force in shaping the future and has to be very prominently engaged.”

Commending the winner and the finalists of SEOY Award India 2020, Mrs. Hilde Schwab, Chairperson and Co-Founder of the Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship said, “This year’s winner and finalists of the Social Entrepreneur of the Year India award all exemplify what our community is about – actors who have selflessly dedicated their lives to improving the state of the world around them. Social innovators are pioneering agents of change re-inventing the way our institutions operate, and are critical to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030. The current global pandemic has highlighted the crucial role of social innovators in identifying urgent needs and mobilizing responses to realities on the ground. The Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurships is proud to have been partnering with Jubilant Bhartia Foundation over the past 11 years to award social innovators from India who are not only driving change but are also shifting organisations and systems towards a more just, inclusive, sustainable future.”

Applauding the winner and the finalists, Mr. Shyam S Bhartia, Chairman and Founder and Mr. Hari S Bhartia, Chairman & Co-Founder, Jubilant Bhartia Group and Founder Directors of Jubilant Bhartia Foundation, said, “Over last eleven years, we have seen a diversity of applications coming from the remotest corners of the country. The award process has so far seen over 1600 diverse applications. This year, inspite of trying times of pandemic, we received over 100 applications, with over one third women social entrepreneur applicants. The enthusiastic participation reflects the resilience & the tenacity of the social sector in these challenging times. It hearting to see that the finalists of this year have brought disruption in their own fields with their innovative ideas and approach. They have done path-breaking work in the fields of Healthcare, Youth Development and Solid Waste Management. Congratulations and kudos to the winner and the finalists for their extraordinary efforts.Their commitment to the cause is incomparable.”

Ashraf Patel, on winning the SEOY Award – India 2020 said, “This recognition for youth leadership has come at a moment when it was needed the most, the world right now is beset with inequality, conflict and environmental issues. Never before have we needed more collaboration and shared leadership with young people to create a better world.”

Ashraf Patelwill join the Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship Community, the world’s largest and prestigious network of social innovators from around the world. The winner also participates in the annual and regional meetings of the World Economic Forum (WEF)which offer unique opportunities to engage with global decision makers from the public, corporate, media, academic and civil society sectors. The other finalists were Sujoy Santra of IKure, Kolkata &Sandeep Patel of NEPRA ,Ahmedabad .

Celebrating its 11th year, the SEOY Award India has established itself as one of the most reputed and coveted awards for social entrepreneurs in India. The award recognises entrepreneurs who implement innovative, sustainable and scalable solutions to solve India’s social problems. In 2010, the Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship and Jubilant Bhartia Foundation came together to promote social innovation in India through the Social Entrepreneur of the Year (SEOY) India Award.

The SEOY Award – India 2020 received applications from 23 cities this year, with interventions in diverse fields including clean technology, media communication, youth development, disability, energy, enterprise development, labour conditions, microfinance, health & nutrition, sustainable farming and water & sanitation.

This year’s jury members for the award included, Shobhana Bhartia, Chairperson & Editorial Director, HT Media Ltd;Hilde Schwab, Chairperson & Co – Founder, Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship;Sudha Pillai, Board Member, Jubilant Life Sciences Ltd &Former Member Secretary, Planning Commission, Government of India; Uday Kotak, President, CII& Executive Vice Chairman and Managing Director, Kotak Mahindra Bank; Rakesh Mohan, President and Distinguished Fellow, Centre for Social & Economic Progress; RohiniNilekani, Chairperson, Arghyam Foundation; P R Ganapathy, Regional Director, Stanford Seed, India and DipeshSutariya, Co-founder -EnAble India, Winner SEOY 2019.