The award was promoted through national and regional newspapers, online countrywide press releases, social media and mailers to network leaders across the country.
Each partner was allocated an area in their constituency to promote the award and receive the applications till December 28, 2016. The website portal www.neas.in was created to enable on-line applications, eligibility check, sorting and preliminary evaluation.
Evaluation Process
Implementing partners ascertained the validity and reliability of information including verification of the credentials of the applicants and nominee. Subsequently, after the initial screening and verification, a common pool of shortlisted candidates was created.
In the second level of screening, the eligible applications were evaluated by the implementing partners with the help of expert reviewers on a mix of quantitative parameters (70 per cent) for e.g., financial metrics, and qualitative parameters (30 per cent) for e.g., innovation and social impact. Thus the total number of shortlisted applications collated at the Lead Institute were 111 (Award track: 63 and Recognition Track: 48)
The Lead Institute constituted an expert selection committee comprising experts from industry, academia, government and Investment or banking. The expert committee deliberated in detail over the shortlisted applications and largely recommended up to three entries per category as per their evaluation on parameters like founding team, scalability, and quality.
The winners were selected by a national jury of eminent personalities.
(This article was first published in the February issue of Entrepreneur Magazine. To subscribe, click here)
NAINA LAL KIDWAI retired as the Chairman of HSBC Bank in 2015. She is the first woman to guide the functioning of a foreign bank in India and the first Indian woman to have graduated from Harvard Business School. Her commendable work has been given due recognition by honouring her with the Padma Shri award.
T.V. MOHANDAS PAI is the Chairman of Manipal Global Education Services and Aarin Capital. He used to be a member of the board of directors at Infosys and Head– Administration, Education and Research, Financial, HR and Infosys Leadership Institute.
DR. RAGHUNATH ANANT MASHELKAR is a former Director General of the Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR). He chaired twelve committees established to examine a variety of issues including higher education, national fuel policy, the drug regulatory system and the agriculture research system.
DR. MK BHAN is the former Secretary to the Government of India, Department of Biotechnology, Ministry of Science & Technology. He conceived the newly formed BIRAC which is expected to result in product development by industry in collaboration with academia.
DR. BINDESHWAR PATHAK is Social Entrepreneur and founder of Sublah International that promotes human rights, environmental sanitation, non-conventional energy and social reforms through education. He is the Brand Ambassador for Swachh Rail Mission of Indian Railways.
