The CSR Journal Excellence Awards 2023: Rajnath Singh Harps On India's History Of Social Welfare, Eknath Shinde, Aamir Khan Attend Event

VMPL
Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], December 13: Defence Minister of India Rajnath Singh was the Chief Guest and Chief Minister of Maharashtra Eknath Shinde was the Guest of Honour at the 6th Edition of The CSR Journal Excellence Awards 2023. The awards ceremony was hosted on the 9th December, 2023, at The Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE), Dalal Street, Mumbai. As it has been since the very inception, this year also, the theme for our awards was 'India First' with a focus on Youth Empowerment.
Addressing a gathering of over 600 citizens including senior bureaucrats, public representatives, social activists, youth leaders, artists, members of India Inc. and meritorious students representing the future of our nation at the 6th edition of The CSR Journal Excellence Awards, the Defence Minister of India Rajnath Singh expressed, "India has had a tradition of social welfare and philanthropy since ancient times of the sages. India is a country where if you face any kind of problem or unfortunate incident, your neighbours will be the first to come and support you voluntarily. Even strangers come forward to rescue road accident victims and take them to the hospital. This shared humanity makes us treat everyone as our own and we follow 'Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam' where we consider people across the world as our family. The CSR Journal since its very inception in 2014 has been a source of inspiration and information for a lot of people, encouraging them to come forward and work for social upliftment. It is very important to recognise those people who are contributing for the betterment of the society and The CSR Journal deserves mention for that."
Addressing the audience, Chief Minister of Maharashtra Eknath Shinde said, "In our country, there is an ancient tradition of charity and responsibility towards the society. Even today, when we donate something for charity, it is done without any publicity. Programmes like this are necessary to encourage more people to come forward for social welfare and The CSR Journal Excellence Awards is doing this work very sincerely. We live in the world's biggest democracy and it is our duty to support the weaker sections of the society and help the needy. While the Central Government and State Government is doing this, the awardees of this evening are also doing a commendable job for social welfare be it in the field of education, child welfare, women empowerment, agriculture, healthcare and other fields. I would also congratulate noted actor Aamir Khan, who is present here with us today, who along with his team is doing a very good job to ensure water in remote rural areas."
The Chief Minister also congratulated Amit Upadhyay, Founder & Editor-in-Chief, The CSR Journal for recognising Corporate Social Responsibility and philanthropy through The CSR Journal Excellence Awards every year.
"I would like to express my gratitude to our Defence Minister Rajnath Singh who has travelled all the way to Mumbai only to grace The CSR Journal Excellence Awards 2023. His presence is both an honor and an inspiration to us. It is a great blessing that the Chief Minister of Maharashtra is here with us today. As The CSR Journal approaches its 10th anniversary, it feels as though we have only just begun. Every honoree present is significantly advancing social service inside their respective fields of expertise. While Corporate Social Responsibility is mandated by law, it is ultimately up to us to implement it. You don't need a law to help others; all you need is intention and effort," expressed Amit Upadhyay, Founder and Editor-in Chief, The CSR Journal.
Superstar of Indian Cinema Aamir Khan graced The CSR Journal Excellence Awards 2023 as a Special Guest, while his daughter Ira Khan was honoured with The CSR Journal Excellence Awards for her notable work in the field of mental health through Agatsu Foundation.
Speaking on stage, Aamir Khan said, "Today I have come here as a guest. I have come here as a father only to witness the respect Ira is getting. I would like to congratulate all the winners of this award but today, my place is over there (pointing at the audience)."
The prestigious event was hosted by Popular Radio Personality 'Mumbai Ki Rani' Malishka Mendonsa aka RJ Malishka who kept the audience enthralled with her exuberant presentation. Indian Mentalist and Magician Suhani Shah left the audience surprised by her unique thought reading skills. Talented singer Annkur Pathak and his team left everyone mesmerised with their soulful rendition.
India mandated Corporate Social Responsibility in 2014, and since then the field has seen enormous growth potential for human development. With an aim to recognise the efforts of India Inc. in CSR, The CSR Journal Excellence Awards are organised annually.
Defence Minister of India Rajnath Singh, Chief Minister of Maharashtra Eknath Shinde, Minister for Forest, Cultural Affairs, Fisheries, Government of Maharashtra Sudhir Mungantiwar and our Jury Members felicitated the winners across 6 categories including Education & Skill Training, Health & Sanitation, Environment, Women Empowerment & Child Welfare, Agriculture & Rural Development and Sports.
The top six winners are Gland Pharma Limited, BALCO Medical Centre (Vedanta Medical Research Foundation), Coca-Cola India Foundation, Tata Communications Limited, Hindalco Industries Ltd., Renukoot and Jindal Steel & Power from the respective categories.


The CSR Journal Excellence Award 2023 in the Category of Sports has been awarded to Jindal Steel & Power for their CSR project aimed at improving sports in India.
The CSR Journal is pleased to announce its Special Awardees for this year:
Indian Social Activists Padma Shri Dr. Ravindra & Dr. Smita Kolhe, working for tribal welfare in rural Maharashtra, have been honoured with 'The CSR Journal Lifetime Achievement Award - 2023'.
'The CSR Journal Champion of Good Governance Award 2023' has been conferred upon Shri. Sudhir Mungantiwar, Minister of Forest, Cultural Affairs & Fisheries, Government of Maharashtra.
Shri. Kumar Vishwas, Indian Poet, Motivator and Social Reformer, has been honoured with 'The CSR Journal Youth Icon Award 2023'.
Dr. Shrikant Shinde, Member of Lok Sabha & Founder - Dr. Shrikant Shinde Foundation, has been felicitated with 'The CSR Journal Ambassador for Social Impact Award 2023'.
Former Indian Cricketer Yuvraj Singh has been honoured with 'The CSR Journal Pride of India Award 2023'.
Bhumi Pednekar, Indian Actress and National Advocate - UNDP India for SDGs, has been honoured with 'The CSR Journal Climate Champion of the Year Award 2023'.
Former Indian Cricketer Mithali Raj has been felicitated with 'The CSR Journal Pride of India Award 2023'. Social Entrepreneur Padma Shri Arunachalam Muruganantham (popularly known as the Padman of India) has been felicitated with 'The CSR Journal Menstrual Hygiene Champion of India Award 2023'.
Ira Khan, Founder & CEO, Agatsu Foundation, has been felicitated with 'The CSR Journal Inspiring Youth Award 2023'.
This year, we have partnered with School of Skill Education, Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai, to evaluate a record number of applications for impactful programmes in the corporate social responsibility domain for The CSR Journal Excellence Awards 2023. School of Skill Education, TISS was our Knowledge Partner for the shortlisting process and background research which was done for months ahead of the event. The winners were chosen based on personal assessment of the jurors, following a live Q&A round which was conducted virtually before the event with the representatives of the CSR programmes in the respective categories.
Following is the list of our Jury Members at The CSR Journal Excellence Awards 2023.
Education & Skill Training
* Uday Mahurkar, Former Information Commissioner, Central Information Commission, India
* Prof. Bino Paul, Pro Vice-Chancellor, Tata Institute of Social Sciences
* Dr. Bhaskar Chatterjee, IAS (Retd.), Former DG & CEO, Indian Institute of Corporate Affairs
Women Empowerment & Child Welfare
* Vikas Agarwal, IRS, Commissioner, Income Tax, Mumbai
* Nidhi Chaudhary, IAS, Joint Commissioner, GST, Govt. of Maharashtra
* Yashasvi Yadav, IPS, Special Inspector General of Police, Cyber, Govt. of Maharashtra
Environment
* J.S. Saharia, IAS (Retd.), Former State Election Commissioner, Maharashtra & Chairman, ISHAD
* Deepak Sanan, IAS (Retd.), Ex. Additional Chief Secretary, Govt. of Himachal Pradesh & Advisor - CPR, IIHS & NCAER
* Ajit Kumar Jain, IAS (Retd.), Former SIC, Maharashtra and Chairman & MD, ERAF
Agriculture & Rural Development
* Rajiv Khandekar, Executive Vice President ABP News & ABP Majha
* Sumit Kumar, IRS, Commissioner, Income Tax, Mumbai
* Ruchesh Jaivanshi, IAS, CEO, NRLM, Mumbai
Health & Sanitation
* Reena Jha Tripathi, IRS, Principal Chief Commissioner of Income Tax, Pune
* Dr Pradeep Vyas, IAS (Retd.), Former Additional Chief Secretary, Govt. of Maharashtra
* Biswanath Sinha, Director - Policy and Technical Support, WaterAid India
This year, The CSR Journal's Special Commendation Award in Corporate Social Responsibility was awarded to:
* Amazon for the Project Amazon Future Engineer (AFE)
* Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd. for Project Kashmir Super 50 (Medical)
* Mahindra & Mahindra Financial Services Ltd. for Project Swabhimaan
* Nayara Energy Limited for Project Tushti
* TVS Motor Company Limited for Project Desilting of Minor Irrigation Tanks in Tiruvannamalai, Tiruneveli and Krishnagiri Districts
* VFS Global for Project Future Skills Scholarship Programme & Empowering Women in Tourism
* ACG World Wide for Project Skill Development Centre - Shirwal
* SBI Foundation for 'The CSR Journal EmpowerHER Change Award'.
The CSR Journal's Social Welfare and Growth Award 2023 has been awarded to:
* Sandeep Donde, MD & CEO, Microscan Infocommtech Pvt. Ltd. Championing Social Impact & Sustainability
* FUEL Business School for Excellence in Future Skills and Management Education
* PlayboxTV for Entertainment for a Cause.
* Lord's Mark Industries Ltd for Social Leadership and Empowering Communities
* KPT Piping System Private Limited for Leadership in Sustainability & Manufacturing
* Kamala Ankibai Ghamandiram Gowani Trust for Community Development & Wellbeing
* Annamrita Foundation for School Nutrition and Food for Change
* Abhishek Kumar Burman, MD, NexMoney: Innovative Ways of Earning for Entrepreneurial Excellence and Digital Transformation
* Entigrity for Excellence in Outsourcing, Education and Empowering Communities
We extend heartfelt gratitude to our partners for The CSR Journal Excellence Awards 2023. Our partners include:
* Microscan Infocommtech Pvt Ltd, Ashoka Buildcon, MIDC, MMRDA & MSRDC - Principal Partners
* Mahagenco, Reliance Industries Ltd, Aryans Group of Companies, Akshaya - Official Partners
* Adfactors PR - PR Partner
* Tata Institute of Social Sciences, School of Skill Education - Knowledge Partner
* PlayboxTV - Streaming Partner
* ABP News and ABP Majha - TV Partner
* Free Press Journal - Print Partner
* Inshorts & Public App - Hyperlocal Information Partner
* Karma Art Gallery, QuinnsArte, The Shawl Studio - Gift Partners
* Sutraa Creations Pvt Ltd - Event Partner
* Pixburg Creative Agency - Design Partner
* SHV Media - Marketing Partner
Mumbai-based entrepreneur Uttam Dave has taken up the project to open Jagatguru Adi Shankaracharyaji Institute and inauguration of the Sanskrit Paathshaala/Gurukul in collaboration with The CSR Journal, Dr. Pushkar Mishra, D Padmanabhan, Shri Niranjan Shukla, and Sutraa Marketing. The aim is to preserve and strengthen the Gurukul-based education system for the future.
The upcoming edition of The CSR Journal print magazine will feature insightful columns and articles about our prestigious awards show. To Subscribe please visit thecsrjournal.in/magazine
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