The need for change remains constant and inevitable: positive and sustainable change, change that impacts individuals, communities and societies.
“Leaders For Social Change” was initiated by Socio Story with the objective of encouraging corporate change makers to present their stories of impact, incorporating sustainable development goals.
“Selection process was very credible and the jury took completely an independent decision; our objective was to bring to light CSR projects that are making a sustainable impact on the community,” says Manoj Pachauri, Founder, SocioStory:
The jury for the initiative comprised of Dr Seema Sharma, HoD, IIT Delhi, Dr K.K. Upadhyay, Former Head of FICCI; and Prof Prashant R Chauhan, Department of Social Work, Amity University, Noida, along with the mentorship of Padma Bhushan Dr Anil Joshi, Founder HESCO, and Mr Yashveer Singh, Executive Director Ashoka Young Changemakers.
On the process of the assessment Dr Upadhyay commented: “Impact assessment was an open and a transparent process based on environmental, social and governance parameters, with an aim to make business accountable. It is extremely competitive and based on ethics, transparency and a responsible sustainable development paradigm.”
The following projects have been shortlisted for the final round –“Jeewan Jyoti women empowerment”, a CSR initiative by Sterlite Tech, with focus on creating a comprehensive ecosystem to help remote women achieve financial independence and self-reliance; Bharti Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Bharti Enterprises, aiming to transform the lives of children and youth by proactively implementing and supporting programmes in school education; UPL Vasudha Program, a nature conservation initiative by UPL Limited, which aims for an integrated nature conversation; Schneider Electric India Foundation’s “Energy for Livelihood” project aims at livelihood enhancement of the rural community in the remote and economically backward districts of Jharkhand and Odisha; “Prabhaav Foundation”, a non-profit organization supported by Jindal Stainless Foundation which focusses on restoring, maintaining and developing an urban park; Roots Foundation’s DSR project (Direct Seeded Rice) aims at reducing water consumption by about forty percent, especially in areas where the water tables are low; Spark Minda Foundation’s prison programme that helps prisoners learn new skills, enabling them to find employment.