10th National Conference on Social Innovation on Nov 17th

Social innovations in the Tribal, Rural, and Urban categories are to be showcased

PUNE: The 10^th National Conference on Social Innovation (NCSI), a flagship event of the Pune International Centre (PIC) will be held on Nov. 17 at YASHADA, Baner Road, Pune

From nearly 130 entries, 18 finalists will be vying for three cash awards of Rs. 50,000 each for their social innovations in the Tribal, Rural, and Urban categories.

Smt Sangita Jindal Chairperson of JSW Foundation will be the Keynote speaker & Chief Guest. Mr. Kishore Chaukar, Former Managing Director, of Tata Industries Limited, will be the Valedictory Keynote speaker.

Smt Pratima Kirloskar, Kirloskar Brothers & Mr. Mukesh Malhotra, Chairman Weikfield Group of Companies will be the speaker and chairperson for Urban & Rural Innovation sessions respectively. Dr. K V Somasundaram will be the chairperson for the Tribal Category.

Entries have been received from 20 States including Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Sikkim, Jammu & Kashmir. The 18 finalists this year cover sectors such as ecology, education, disaster management, health, agriculture, empowerment of disabled persons, construction, advocacy, and renewable energy. There are six finalists in each category.

Some of the award-winning social innovations in the past have been: 

• Urdhvam Environmental Technologies Pvt Ltd.- BoreCharger is an innovative, affordable, and smart rainwater harvesting and recharges solution that substantially improves borewell recharge 4 to 20 times, drastically improves borewell production, enhances water quality and longevity of groundwater supply.
• “Nirnal Water Filter” Purity in your pocket A flexible portable water filter device is provided that includes an approach for filtering unfiltered ground/ tap water within the bottle or can be connected to a tap. This device has a porous housing containing activated carbon, ultra-filtration & other filter materials
• Distinct Horizon (Ayush Nigam) for innovating agricultural machinery that can double the profits of farmers and reduce GHG emissions by five times at a lesser cost than solar panels.

NCSI 2022 has been organized by Pune International Centre (PIC) along with the National Innovation Foundation, New Delhi, and Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS, Mumbai) and provides innovators a platform to showcase their innovations and offer them several benefits.

The Social Innovation Lab of PIC runs a mentorship program to provide guidance to finalists. It also facilitates collaboration between social innovators, impact investors, and CSR departments of leading corporate houses.

In addition, PIC offers access to the Shared Service Centre for Social Enterprises (SSC-SE) which provides quality service in areas such as digital marketing, product design, accounting and audit, legal compliance, intellectual property rights, website development, etc.

This year, the 18 shortlisted social innovators who will compete for the top prize are as follows:

Tribal

Mudita and Rashesh Pvt. Ltd. upcycles the chicken waste generated in butcheries to create woolen fibers and fertilizers and helps in reducing the impact of the slaughtering process on the environment

Jaljeevika ensures better livelihood and food security for small-scale fish farmers by supporting them using integrated aquaculture models and sustainable value chains

Forestica Booty promotes a sustainable lifestyle by converting naturally available herbal twigs to fresh anti-bacterial organic tooth-brushes

Fuselage manufactures customized UAVs/drones and provides data-based aerial surveillance and spraying solutions for agricultural crops

The Sakhi project by the RNisarg Foundation works on developing sustainable solutions to promote menstrual health and hygiene amongst underprivileged women.

Pirul empowers the artisans of Uttarakhand by working with them to sell local pine handicrafts and thus helps the economic and social development of the community

Rural

Pragmatech Healthcare Solutions focuses on early diagnosis and treatment through innovative healthcare solutions and aims to democratize cervical cancer screening in India.

Krishigati provides technological solutions to farmers for modern and precision farming that helps in reducing the farming expenditure substantially and thus boost the income of the farmers

DK Health Access Foundation provides easy access to affordable and quality healthcare services using the power of technology.

Medyseva is a health-tech company that bridges the gap between doctors and patients and ensures high-quality healthcare services to all by facilitating telemedicine in rural India.

DigiSwasthya Foundation works on making healthcare services affordable and accessible for marginalized communities in India

Rural Health Care Foundation delivers high-quality primary health care at low costs to underprivileged communities in West Bengal

Urban

Robo Bionics develops 3D-printed affordable prosthetic solutions with a unique set of features that help in better acceptance and easier adoption by the user

DeeDee Labs is a tech startup that manufactures a range of AI-enabled next-generation assistive devices that are designed to improve user adoption and user comfort.

ProEarth provides decentralized, cost-effective, and customized solid waste management solutions to enable zero-waste communities

Under the ReCircle initiative, Swachh Sustainable Solutions works to divert plastic waste away from oceans and landfills by implementing an ethical and traceable reverse supply chain for the waste, thus ensuring that the waste is brought back into the economy to be recycled, reused, or repurposed

Sunbots manufactures an AI-based wearable navigation device for the blind and visually impaired that provides real-time actionable intelligence using camera vision.

Prayogik Technologies provides cost-effective energy solutions by converting solid waste into energy using biomass gasifier-based thermoelectric generating modules.