It’s time to salute India’s silent heroes once again

On Gandhi Jayanti, TOI Social Impact Awards Return

• Just 2% of India's youth have any kind of formal technical training, making gainful employment difficult 

• Of the nearly 400 million children that enroll in primary school, about half drop out by class 8 and just 17% study after class 12. Among tribals and dalits, dropout rates are even higher 

• India accounts for the highest number of maternal deaths and a quarter of all child deaths in the world. It also has the largest number, and the largest proportion, of malnourished children in the world 

• Over 93% of India's labour force is employed in the informal sector, where wages are low and work conditions onerous. Women workers make up only 15% of the labour force, a pointer to the immense waste of productive capacities 

• An estimated 60% of cultivated land suffers from soil erosion, waterlogging and salinity, and about 5-10 billion tonnes of topsoil are lost annually from soil erosion. More than half of the 130 cities being monitored for air pollution are at critically polluted levels and small towns are emerging as pollution hotspots 
    India is a deeply divided country. On the one hand, you have high GDP growth rates, a big pool of scientific manpower, a large middle class with disposable income. You have malls and expressways and global retail chains and an ever-expanding billionaire and multi-millionaire club. On the other hand, you have a huge number of people in a cycle of poverty, unemployment and debt, with limited access to education or health. 
For all our successes, we will have failed as a nation if we cannot provide the less fortunate with at least the expectation of a dignified life. 
    Many would throw up their hands and say, "What can we do?" Others are moved by humanity, and by the conviction that India can't really become a superpower unless her impoverished millions too rise up. They take a step beyond just sympathizing—they do something, however small, to change things. National Search Panel to help select awardees 
    Fortunately for India, there are many such wonderful and amazing people and organizations that battle enormous odds, make great personal sacrifices so that the lives of suffering people can be changed for the better. They are mostly unknown, working silently in the remote hinterland. 
    Last year, The Times of India decided to institute 'The Times of India Social Impact Awards', in partnership with J P Morgan, to acknowledge and honour these unsung heroes of India. After a nationwide search, meticulous evaluation by experts, visits to remote areas, and re-evaluation by an eminent jury, 11 organizations were selected for the Awards. 
    In addition to publicizing the efforts of those struggling to bring developmental justice to the deprived and underprivileged millions, the TOI Awards helped focus greater attention on five critical sectors: education, healthcare, livelihood, environment and advocacy/ empowerment. 
    To recognize outstanding contributions from different sections of society, three awards were instituted in each of the five sectors, to be given to a non-governmental organization (NGO); a corporatebacked organization; and a government body at the state or district level. We also gave A Lifetime Achievement Award, and an award to recognize the contribution of overseas individuals or organizations to Indian society. 
    Building on last year's success, and based on the feedback from our 2011 jury, the selection process has been deepened and streamlined for this year's Awards. A National Search Panel, consisting of some of the most venerable and experienced people in the field of voluntary work, was set up to search and suggest potential names. They have recommended 126 names that will join the stream of direct entries for evaluation for the Awards. 
    As before, widespread and tangible impact, which has the quality of changing lives, is the key criterion for the awards. This could be through providing education or affordable healthcare to communities, or it could be through income-generating, job-creating initiatives that help families become economically self-reliant. Innovative and self-sustaining measures that have the potential of bringing about far-reaching efficiencies will be given preference. The Awards will also recognize work for environmental conservation, which has become all the more urgent given the increasing pressure on natural resources. This will include biodiversity conservation, checks on greenhouse gas emissions, and prevention of pollution and erosion.