Businesses were honored by Javadekar at the ‘Star Awards’ award ceremony organized by the Software Exporters Association of Pune (SEAP)
PUNE: “Innovative experiments like iPhone, Google, Microsoft, and various social media platforms have created a big revolution in the world and Indians have contributed to some extent toward such experiments. But taking ownership of such innovations is equally important and necessary if we want India to prosper. The Indian youth should strive for this,” said Chief Guest Prakash Javadekar, Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha during ‘STAR Awards’ organized by Software Exporters’ Association of Pune (SEAP) at Sheraton Grand, Pune in presence of Guest of Honour and Keynote Speaker, Dr. Anand Deshpande, Founder, Chairman and Managing Director, Persistent Systems Ltd.
Prashant KS, President, SEAP, Vidyadhar Purandare, VC, SEAP, Organizing Committee Members of SEAP including Vinita Gera and Executive Committee Members including Abhijit Atre, Shivraj Sable, Swapnil Deshpande, Anand Ranade were present on the occasion along with Sanjay Kumar Gupta, Director, STPI and Mital Hiremath, Joint Development Commissioner, SEZ-Pune Cluster.
Commodore Anand Khandekar was felicitated with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the hands of Prakash Javadekar.
Javadekar said, “The progress India has made in the IT sector in the last few years is commendable. With robotics, artificial intelligence, and 5G technology, India is entering a new level of entrepreneurship. The IT and the corporate sector should come forward to encourage the youth who would want to experiment with innovation.”
Speaking on his felicitation, Commodore Khandekar said, “Pune is one of the main cities of India. Be it information technology or other sectors, this city has always led the country. I want this city to become a ‘Centre of Excellence’ in Fabless Chip Design in the future and companies should take initiative for that.”
During the program, Anand Deshpande advised on the future course of the organization while Prashant KS spoke about the journey of the organization.
The STAR Awards celebrate great business practices that transform lives. The awards were given to SEAP Member companies that are doing phenomenal work in various award categories.
In the category of Growth, Globant India Pvt Ltd stood first, while UST Product Engineering (Xpansion International Pvt Ltd) and Evolent Health Services stood second and third respectively.
In the category of Best People Practices, Evolent Health Services stood first, while Expleo Group and UST stood second and third respectively.
In the category of Best Innovation Practices, Expleo Group stood first, while Evolent Health Services and Globant stood second and third respectively.
In the category of DEI, Thoughtworks Technologies India Pvt Ltd stood first, while Dell Technologies and Harbinger Group stood second and third respectively.
In the category of Strategic Academia Partnership, UST Product Engineering (Xpansion International Pvt Ltd) stood first, while Shunya IoT AI Research Pvt Ltd and Persistent Systems Ltd. stood second and third respectively.
 at Sheraton Grand, Pune in presence of Guest of Honour and Keynote Speaker, Dr. Anand Deshpande, Founder, Chairman and Managing Director, Persistent Systems Ltd.){kind=link}