Camp impacts lives of over 130 people with 26 beneficiaries being provided prosthetic limbs and 107 wheelchairs being distributed; summit includes panel discussions with corporate CSR Heads and NGOs, speaker session and keynote speech
19 February, 2024, Bengaluru: Prayaas, the social responsibility initiative of the students of IIM Bangalore’s one-year, full-time MBA for experienced professionals, the Executive Post Graduate Programme in Management (EPGP), along with Bhagwan Mahaveer Viklang Sahayata Samiti (Jaipur Foot), conducted the ‘Free Prosthetic Limb Camp’ on 18th February 2024, at the IIM Bangalore campus, Bannerghatta Road, as part of Prayaas Day 2024.
The free prosthetic limb camp consisted of three types of prosthetic limb fitments – above-knee prosthetics, callipers and below-knee prosthetics. Arrangements such as casting the limb for every beneficiary, based on their measurements, were made during the camp.
The event was intended for people who cannot afford a prosthetic limb. Free custom prosthetics were provided. The cost of the prosthetics is completely borne by Bhagwan Mahaveer Viklang Sahayata Samiti (Jaipur Foot). Both screening and fitment were done on the same day of visit.
The camp has permanently transformed the lives of more than 130 people. A total of 26 beneficiaries were provided with prosthetic limbs and 107 wheelchairs were distributed to various beneficiaries on this occasion. The cost of a wheelchair is 10000 and a prosthetic limb 6000. A total of INR 12,26,000 worth of products were donated during the drive. The joy on the faces of the beneficiaries, after coming to know that their lives have changed in a better way forever, is the core aim of Prayaas which was achieved during the initiative.
Prayaas is an IIMB student run platform to provide life-changing interventions to the underprivileged and create a sustainable ecosystem for continued social welfare.
Bhagwan Mahaveer Viklang Sahayata Samiti (Jaipur Foot) is world’s largest organization dedicated to the rehabilitation of disabled persons. It has provided over two million artificial limbs, callipers and other aids/appliances, totally free of charge, to disabled people in India and 27 other countries. The organization has significantly impacted the lives of disabled people around the world and is a valuable resource for anyone seeking information on disability or services for people with disabilities.
Social impact summit: ‘Sustainable Synergies – Shaping the Future Together’
In another initiative, Prayaas hosted the social impact summit, ‘Sustainable Synergies – Shaping the Future Together’, on 18th February 2024 as part of Prayaas Day. This landmark event brought together changemakers from various sectors including NGOs, CSR foundations, Government, academia and industry in a bid to foster dialogue, share insights and showcase groundbreaking work in sustainability as well as social impact. Participants got the opportunity to engage in meaningful discussions, connect with like-minded individuals and organizations, and contribute towards shaping a sustainable future together through panel discussions, speaker sessions and keynote speeches.
Prof. Rishikesha T Krishnan, Director, IIM Bangalore; Prof. Ashok Thampy, Chairperson, Executive Post Graduate Programme in Management, and faculty of the Finance & Accounting area of IIM Bangalore, and Padma Bhushan awardee D R Mehta, former Chairman, SEBI, and Founder and Chief Patron of Bhagwan Mahaveer Viklang Sahayata Samiti (BMVSS), Jaipur, inaugurated the event.
The welcome addresses by Prof. Rishikesha T Krishnan and Prof. Ashok Thampy were followed by the keynote address by D R Mehta on, 'Empowering Lives through Sustainable Innovation: The Jaipur Foot Journey’. Through the discussion, he provided insights into the 49-year-old organization, the challenges faced during its initial days and how those were overcome. He also shared how the organization creates impact, which includes donating 92000 prosthetic limbs and callipers every year. They aim to deliver 125000 units per year in years to come.
The event proceeded with the Corporate CSR Heads Panel Discussion on, 'Sustainable Synergies: Navigating CSR in the Era of Global Challenges', with Anuj Srivastava, Manager, HCLTech Grant by HCL Foundation; Abhishek R, Sr. Director & Global Head – Sustainability & Admin/Facilities, Brillio; Sakina Baker, Head – CSR, Bosch Limited and Bosch India Foundation, and Arjun Ranga, CMD, N. Ranga Rao & Sons Pvt. Ltd., Cycle Pure Agarbathi India and Trustee, NR Foundation Trust. The session was moderated by Prof. Padmini Srinivasan, Chairperson of the Centre for Corporate Governance & Sustainability and Executive Education Programmes and faculty of the Finance & Accounting area, IIMB.
The NGOs Panel Discussion on, 'Sustainability as a Service: NGOs Driving Community-led Solutions' featured Kadali Anand Kumar, Director and Board Member of Annapoorna Trust; Benjamin Mathew, President – Rural Transformation and Innovation Knowledge Center, Deshpande Foundation; Prof. Amit Prakash, Co-founder and Trustee, Vision Empower Trust, and Shrishail Dhanawade, Head of Program Leadership, Agastya International Foundation. The session was moderated by Prof. Prateek Raj of the Strategy area of IIMB.
Next was a Speaker Session on, 'Future Forward: Pitching for a Sustainable World' by Paresh Mohan and Manisha Khemani, CSR, Biocon Foundation - India; Gautam Kathuria, Zomato; Pallabi Ghosh (She/her), Director, Impact and Dialogue Foundation, and Nagaraja (Naga) Prakasam, Mentor and Investor - Social Startups and Advisor and Mentor-in-Residence at NSRCEL.
Vivek Wadhwa, author and entrepreneur, spoke on, 'Opportunities to solve humanity's grand challenges'.
The speaker session was followed by an Expert Panel Discussion on, 'Empowering Change: How NGOs and CSR can Co-create Sustainable Solutions' by Aakash Sethi, CEO, QUEST Alliance; Viswanaathan R, CSR Head, Landmark Group; Shankar A G, Director of Programs, Swasti Health Catalyst, and Sagar Sanjay Shinde, Manager – CSR and Sustainability, Alstom. The session was moderated by Arun Nathan, Partner - Sattva Consulting.
The Awards and Recognition ceremony saw NGOs such as Bhumi and Parivahan being felicitated for their groundbreaking work. The vote of thanks was delivered by Prof. Ashok Thampy along with the Prayaas Committee of EPGP.
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