The spotlight is on healthcare at the third edition of the Aarohan Social Innovation Awards by Infosys Foundation, the philanthropic arm of IT giant Infosys. The awards, initiated in 2018, have the purpose of acknowledging and rewarding individuals, teams, and NGOs for their groundbreaking solutions that contribute to social welfare and uplift the underprivileged communities in India.
This year witnessed a surge in participation with 2,400 applications submitted, marking a significant increase from the previous year’s count of 1,600. Notably, a substantial portion of the submissions revolved around innovations in the healthcare sector. Sumit Virmani, Chief Marketing Officer and Trustee of Infosys Foundation, revealed that social enterprises focusing on healthcare made a considerable impact in this year’s submissions.
The Aarohan Social Innovation Awards recognize outstanding contributions in healthcare, education, and women’s empowerment categories, each carrying a prize of Rs 50 lakh.
In the healthcare category, the winners were Subrahmanyam Prasad Muddam and Akitha Kolloju from Hyderabad, creators of ‘nLite 360’. This portable battery-powered phototherapy device offers tailored treatment for jaundice conditions, proving to be a significant advancement in medical technology.
In the education category, Seetharam Muthangi from Bengaluru secured the award for developing ‘smart vision glasses’. These glasses, assisted by artificial intelligence, aid individuals with visual impairments in object and people identification, distance estimation, currency detection, and more.
The women empowerment category was claimed by Pune’s Shelter Associates for their creation ‘one home one toilet’. This data-driven model focuses on providing hygienic household toilets for disadvantaged urban women, a pivotal step toward dignified sanitation.
Salil Parekh, Chairman of Infosys Foundation, emphasized the awards’ role in fostering purposeful innovation to address real-world challenges. He stated, “The Aarohan Social Innovation Awards not only celebrate such innovations but empower social innovators by helping them scale up and impact more lives.”
Additionally, the jury acknowledged five social innovations in the healthcare sector, granting a prize of Rs 10 lakh to each creator. These recognitions underline the vital role that healthcare-focused innovations play in improving lives and communities across India.
