JSPL Foundation launches Rashtriya Swayamsiddh Samman to recognise
talent at the grassroots level in Andhra Pradesh; showcase untold stories of courage and determination on the National level
- In the 10 categories identified, 10 Awards will be given to Individuals and 10 to Organisations. Prize money would be Rs 1 lakh each
- United Nations Global Compact Network India as Knowledge Partner will earmark the parameters and finalise the awardees with the help of 4 Regional Juries and ONE National Jury
- Call for Entries started from September 22and end on November 10th, 2015
- Final Award ceremony on January 14, 2016 in New Delhi
- Application form can be downloaded or filled online atco.in/swayamsiddh
Hyderabad, October 27, 2015: DashrathManjhi, also known as “Mountain Man”, was a poor labourer in a village near Gaya in Bihar, who carved a path through a hillock using only a hammer and chisel after 22 years of work. Today, Dashrath is not amongst us, but his story lives on. This is just one famous example of sheer courage and determination. However, there are scores of DashrathManjhi’s in India who have made a mark for themselves in their villages and mofussil towns. And their stories are yet untold.
It is people like these that JSPL Foundation — which spearheads the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives of Jindal Steel and Power Limited (JSPL) – wants to highlight and recognize through a unique national initiative titled RashtriyaSwayamsiddhSamman that it has instituted from this year onwards.
The RashtriyaSwayamsiddhSamman will felicitate people from the grassroots level for their exemplary Courage, Commitment and Confidence that has enabled them to overcome adversities and create a unique identity of their own, making them a source of inspiration for many in India. They would become Ambassadors of Change who will pan out in other parts of the country to work for the upliftment of the underprivileged and through their experience and hardships guide others to achieve their dreams.
Says Ms Shallu Jindal, President, JSPL Foundation, “The objective of holding the RashtriyaSwayamsiddhSamman is to recognize and nurture talent at the grassroots level. Our effort is to bring out stories that have yet been untold. Stories of Courage, Determination and a Will to bring about a change in the society! RashtriyaSwayamsiddhSamman is an effort to salute such people and provide them with a national platform, so that others too can take inspiration from them. By taking the SwayamsiddhSamman national, JSPL Foundation thus strives to form a human chain.”
The awards will be conferred in 10 categories viz. Women Empowerment, Entrepreneurship (start-ups), Education, Agriculture / Rural Development, Public Service / Social Service, Art and Crafts (Ancient Heritage/Village Crafts), Livelihood / Vocational Skills, Health, Innovation / Technology (related to Science) and Environment.
TEN awards would be conferred upon Individuals and 10 would be given to Organisations. The awardees will be given a certificate and Rs 1 lakh as prize money.
United Nations Global Compact Network India (UNGCN), the Indian arm of United Nations Global Compact (UNGC), will be the Knowledge Partner for the awards and will be responsible for earmarking the parameters and finalising the awardees with the help of four regional juries and one national jury. The call for entries will begin from today and close by 10th November, 2015.
The four regional juries will meet in the first week of November this year in Kolkata, Bengaluru, Mumbai and Delhi to shortlist 2-3 names in each category from their respective regions. The shortlisted entries will then be placed before an eminent National Jury at the end of November wherein the awardees will be finalised. The National Jury will comprise noted personalities from different walks of life who have attained great heights in their own right.
The awards ceremony will take place on January 14, 2016 at Kamani Auditorium in New Delhi. Application form can be downloaded or filled online at jsplfoundation.co.in/swayamsiddh
Enumerating about the process, Mr. Pooran Chandra Pandey, Executive Director, United Nations Global Compact Network India (UNGCN), says, “The process undertaken to recognise and honour grassroots leaders in identified areas will be a 360 degree, robust, multi-layered and impartial one that will potentially eliminate any form of favour towards anyone through a well-structured evaluation mechanism by 4 regional and one national jury. The RashtriyaSwayamsiddhSammanharmoniously blends with the mandate of the United Nations Global Compact to recognise leaders and their innovative initiatives on the Ten Universal Principles and broad UN goals including Sustainable Development Goals that would be rolled out this month”.
JSPL Foundation has held such similar SwayamsiddhSamman awards previously in the states of Chhattisgarh, Odisha and Jharkhand in March, May and July, 2015 respectively, states where JSPL has a significant presence. The awardees were shortlisted basis their contribution to particular Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives of the JSPL Foundation that they have been a part of, how they have taken it forward and how it has changed their life. Leadership qualities and the ability to work in a team coupled with their strategies for the future were other parameters on which they were identified.
About JSPL Foundation
Jindal Steel & Power Ltd has always strived to be a globally admired organization that enhances the quality of life of people in and around the areas of its operations through sustainable industrial development. The cornerstone of its business strategy is to achieve sustainable and profitable growth, creating in its wake prospering eco-systems around all its businesses. CSR initiatives of JSPL are carried out by the organization in order to give an impetus and align the existing programme with those of government and other development agencies. JSPL Foundation is an expression of the company’s vision towards sustainable growth in India.
JSPL Foundation works with some of the most vulnerable and marginalized communities around the operational areas of the company, with the objective of bringing about a radical transformation in their lives and integrating them into the mainstream development process of the country through positive intervention in social upliftment programs. The Foundation focuses its efforts in key areas of Health, Education, Vocational Training, Women Empowerment, Livelihood, Livestock Care, Drinking Water and Sanitation, Youth and Sports and Infrastructure Development among others.
About United Nations Global Compact Network India (UNGCN)
United Nations Global Compact Network India (UN-GCNI), the Indian arm of United Nations Global Compact (UNGC) and a global platform for businesses, civil organizations and public sectors, aids in aligning stakeholders’ practices towards the Ten Universally accepted principles of UNGC in the areas of Human Rights, Labour, Environment and Anti – Corruption. It is the largest corporate sustainability initiative, currently present in more than 160 nations and leading UN led CSR platform empowering businesses to adhere to and champion ethical corporate practices through Ten Universal Principles. India launched Global Compact in the year 2000, with an aim to conjoin private sector activities with the civil society initiatives. Global Compact Network India is one of the oldest networks amongst its 103 counterparts in the world and became a legal entity in 2003. India Network continues to be number one in Asia Oceania region besides now being among top 10 high performing Networks of UNGC in the world.
For more details, please visit www.globalcompact.in
