TOI Social Impact Summit: Food security, women's rights, education reforms take centre stage on Day 2

Time of India

5 days ago

Social Impact Summit
The Times of India's Social Impact Summit was held in Mumbai on July 11 and 12, bringing together people from government, business, civil society, and academic institutions to discuss inclusive and sustainable development.
The event was presented by Malabar Gold & Diamonds, with Ernst & Young as the knowledge partner. It featured keynote sessions, panel discussions, and one-on-one conversations on various topics, including technology and AI in sustainability, digital inclusion, climate-related innovation, education, empowerment of underrepresented groups, gender, and healthcare.
On the second day of the event, former NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant said there was a need for better distribution of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) funds across sectors.
'It is imperative for companies to define clear outcomes, collaborate with civil society organisations and move from a 'prescription' to 'purpose-led' approach to realise CSR's full potential,' he said. He added that CSR should bring about deeper and long-term change by working with other companies, government bodies, and non-profits.
While delivering a keynote address, Bollywood actor and UN secretary general's advocate for SDGs, Dia Mirza said, "We have only one planet to call home.
Earth has finite resources. The manner in which we are using, consuming and wasting, we will need two and a half planets to provide for us."
In a panel discussion on food security titled 'Feeding the Future – Sufficient, Safe, Nutritious Food for All', Upmanyu Patil of Swayam Shikshan Prayog, Sudarshan Suchi of Reliance Foundation, and Asher O, MD, India Operations, Malabar Gold & Diamonds said hunger and malnutrition can be addressed by using grassroots innovations and solving system-level issues in food delivery.
During a discussion on financial independence for women titled 'CancelPatriarchy: Advancing Financial Independence for Women', panellists Jayant Rastogi of Magic Bus Foundation and Nayana Chowdhury of Breakthrough said that while women have progressed, the social systems around them still need to change. Rastogi highlighted the importance of equal pay, equal opportunities in leadership, and proper inheritance rights for women.
Meanwhile a panel discussion on public health, oncologists, and NGOs shone the spotlight on preventive healthcare over merely curative options. Dr Sultan Pradhan of Care Trust emphasized that reducing mortality from serious illnesses would be difficult without greater investment in disease prevention, particularly cancer. Dr P Raghu Ram of the Ushalakshmi Breast Cancer Foundation urged the use of CSR funds for early screening and detection initiatives.
Shalini Jatia from the ImpaCCT Foundation highlighted that the hospital provides free treatment to 6,000 children each year, made possible through donor support.
In a session on expanding grassroots education efforts, Manmohan Singh of Kaivalya Education Foundation said, 'We have to shift from one-year, single-domain projects to multi-year, multi-domain, transformation-driven collaborations.' Rema Mohan of NSE Foundation added that flexibility is important depending on local needs.
'A headmaster in Karnataka might not need the same thing as one in Nagaland,' she said.
The Social Impact Summit culminated in an honours ceremony recognising exemplary organisations and individuals who are making impactful contributions in the ESG and CSR spaces. Lohum's Yogesh Kumar and Siddharth Nautiyal were conferred with Climate Innovator award for making integrated lithium-ion battery maker and recycler, which uses battery technology with a circular economy approach to reduce reliance on imports and support clean mobility and energy storage.
PHOOL's Smitesh Pawar was also honoured with Climate Innovator award.
The Digital Paani's Prashant Aswale and Sat Sure's Kumarjit Mazumdar were conferred with Tech & Innovation award. Moreover, Piramal Foundation's Ishmeet Singh and Sewa Rural's Ami Yagnik were honoured with Healthcare & Wellness Excellence award for delivering last-mile primary care, and eyecare and tribal outreach programmes, respectively.
Moreover, Bajaj Auto's Sheetal Dhamecha, Samir Nabar and Aakash Sethi from Quest Alliance were also awarded as Education Impact Leader.
Empowerment Champion award was given to Hindustan Unilever's Yashmi Yadav, Viduyt Chavda, Vergies Koshi, and Aajeevika Bureau's Deepika Paradkar, Anupama Payne.
Breakthrough's Nayana Chowdhury and Crea's Aditi Gogia and Aburadha Chaterjee were honoured with Leadership in advancing gender equality award.
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