Case4-April-2012
DHAN Foundation bags Jindal Prize 2011 for its contributions in rural development and poverty alleviation. The prize carries a cash contribution of Rs. 1 crore to further its initiatives. The Jindal Prize has been instituted by Dr. Sitaram Jindal to accolade exceptional service of current significance rendered by individuals or organisations for the welfare of Indian citizens in the country. It is expected that the recognition garnered by the Jindal Prize awardees will catalyse their efforts towards social upliftment.
Sitaram Jindal Foundation has honoured 27 Outstanding Institutions and individuals including DHAN Foundation. Five prizes carrying Rs. 1 crore each have been given to DHAN Foundation for Rural Development and Poverty Alleviation, Rishi Valley Education Centre, Chittoor (AP) for Education - with moral upliftment, Shri Dharmasthala Veerendra Heggade for Health - including drugless healing, A P J Abdul Kalam for Science and Technology, Justice N Santosh Hegde for Social Development.
The founder of the Art of Living Sri Sri Ravishankar and Shri Tejendra Khanna, Lieutenant Governor of Delhi gave away prizes to winners in New Delhi on February 23, 2012.
Together Jindal & S R Jindal Prizes had attracted close to 2000 nominations in the first year of launch, mirroring the exceptional response for the Prizes. The nominations were invited from across India and abroad through advertisements in print and electronic media as well as the website of Jindal Foundation. The nominations received were adjudicated by Juries comprising eminent persons of high integrity through a process independent of the working of the Foundation.
Briefing about the Prize, M.P. Vasimalai, Executive Director of DHAN Foundation said ''The prize is timely, as DHAN Foundation reached a mark of one million poor families through its pioneering initiatives such as Kalanjiam Community Banking Programme and Vayalagam Tankfed Agriculture Development Programme, spread over 12 Indian states and over 10000 villages and slums"
"Since 1990, we have launched new themes in the beginning of each decade. The Kalanjiam and Vayalagam Programmes promoted by us in 1990, have now become larger programmes, and took a shape of resource centres supporting other development organisations, government agencies who are interested in replicating our model. ICT for poor, Democratising Panchayats, Tata-Dhan Academy and Rainfed Farming Development Programme were launched in 2000, and in 2010, we have launched Youth and Development, Migration, Climate Change Adaptation. DHAN will continue to evolve and launch new themes for poverty reduction in the future" he added
V.K. Padmavathy, Programme Leader, DHAN Foundation said "Driven by the philosophy of 'Giving back to the Society", DHAN Foundation attracts, grooms and engages highly motivated, educated young women and men to the development sector. Over 700 professional graduates drawn from various disciplines have been employed at the grassroots work along with 2500 local field workers. All these were possible because of the collective efforts of the communities with whom we are working, our collaborators, and DHAN Professionals and field workers working at the grassroots level".