FICCI Flo’s Women Achievers Awards for 2024
Lakshmi V. Venkatesan- Social Entrepreneur (non-governmental organization)
Lakshmi V Venkatesan, Founding and Managing Trustee, Bharatiya Yuva Shakti Trust, was honoured with the FICCI Flo Award in the ‘Social Entrepreneur (non-governmental organization)’ category. Bharatiya Yuva Shakti Trust is a not-for-profit organization co-founded by Ms. Venkatesan with the Late Mr. J R D Tata.
Ms. Aruna Vinodh, COO of BYST, received the award on behalf of Ms. Lakshmi V Venkatesan.
FICCI Flo’s Women Achievers Awards for 2024
Sridevi T. R.- Special Recognition
Sridevi T. R., a BYST-supported entrepreneur, was bestowed with the FICCI Flo Award in the ‘Special Recognition’ category. Her venture, Ecomom Natural & Herbal Traders, launched in 2017, bottles and sells pure, natural honey sourced from the Western Ghats hills and forests in Tamil Nadu state. BYST’s support and guidance helped Sridevi obtain a bank loan to expand her business and diversify her product range and customer base.
Sridevi continues to support several indigenous families living in and around the hills of Coimbatore who source and supply raw honey to Sridevi’s bottling unit.
FICCI Flo’s Women Achievers Awards for 2024
Panchmirtham E.- Special Recognition
Panchmirtham, the founder of M/s Indo Tools & Dies, was conferred with the FICCI Flo Award in the ‘Special Recognition’ category. Established in 2012 and headquartered in Chennai, M/s Indo Tools & Dies Pvt. Ltd. is a renowned manufacturer specialising in tools and dies for the industrial sector, particularly focusing on electrical and electronic components.
BYST’s support extended beyond financial aid, and encompassed invaluable mentorship and guidance by Mr. Kunjidhapatham, a former electrical engineer and the senior mentor of BYST Chennai cluster. With her commitment and BYST’s support, Panchamirtham’s business revenues in financial year 2022-23 reached Rs. 3.9 crore.
Vijayalakshmidas Award for 2020
Lalita Debi Shing - Medium Entreprise
Lalita Debi Shing, Owner, Jay Hanuman Paper Plates, based in the remote Amlabhata village in Rayagada district of Odisha state was recognised under the Medium Enterprise Category at the Vijayalakshmi Das Entrepreneurship Awards for 2020, instituted by SATYA MicroCapital, a Reserve Bank of India registered NBFC Micro Finance Institution. Lalita’s unit is an avenue of employment generation for local youth and underprivileged women. Lalita employs seven women directly, and has trained around 30 widows, school dropouts, elderly indigenous women, and adolescent girls, by giving them an opportunity to work at her unit on a part-time basis, helping them learn easy tasks, such as pasting or arranging finished products. She is thus helping develop the entrepreneurial ecosystem in this remote rural village that affords few opportunities for gainful employment.
Vijayalakshmidas Award for 2020
Vaishali Vasant Patil – Medium Enterprise Category
Vaishali Vasant Patil, Owner, Vaishali Gruh Udyog, Wardha was recognised under the Medium Enterprise Category at the Vijayalakshmi Das Entrepreneurship Awards for 2020, instituted by SATYA MicroCapital, a Reserve Bank of India registered NBFC Micro Finance Institution. Under the guidance of her BYST appointed mentors, this Grampreneur® was able to diversify and expand her product range, cater to a larger clientele, and avoid shutting shop during the COVI19-induced lockdown. She currently generates annual revenues of INR 4,000,000, employs 40 women, and herself saves a comfortable INR 90,000 per month – all in all, a creditable performance that easily justifies her award win
Vijayalakshmidas Award for 2020
Dr. Neelima Tippavajhala - Small Enterprise
BYST supported Grampreneur®, Dr. Neelima Tippavajhala, a dentist by training, was recognised under the Small Enterprise Category at the Vijayalakshmi Das Entrepreneurship Awards for 2020, instituted by SATYA MicroCapital, a Reserve Bank of India registered NBFC Micro Finance Institution. Dr. Neelima runs COCOTANG, that prepares, packages and retails innovative flavours of coconut-based, dairy-free, and preservative-free shakes and mocktails out of Hyderabad city that are especially good for vegans and consumers with lactose intolerance.
Vijayalakshmidas Award for 2020
Sridevi T. R. - Micro Enterprise
Sridevi T. R., a BYST supported Grampreneur®, was recognised under the Micro Enterprise Category at the Vijayalakshmi Das Entrepreneurship Awards for 2020. Her venture, Ecomom Natural & Herbal Traders, launched in 2017, bottles and sells pure, natural honey sourced from the Western Ghats hills and forests in Tamil Nadu state. BYST’s support and guidance helped Sridevi obtain a bank loan to expand her business and diversify her product range and customer base, and she continues to support a number of indigenous families living in and around the hills of Coimbatore who source and supply raw honey to Sridevi’s bottling unit.
Vijayalakshmidas Award for 2021
Padmini Waghmode - Small Enterprise
BYST supported Grampreneur®, Padmini Waghmode was recognised under the Small Enterprise Category at the Vijayalakshmi Das Entrepreneurship Awards for 2021, instituted by SATYA MicroCapital, a Reserve Bank of India registered NBFC Micro Finance Institution. Padmini runs a successful garments manufacturing business, Rudra Sportswear out of Aurangabad in Maharashtra state.
Youth Business International Social Entrepreneur of the Year Award for 2015
Arun Awtade - Small Enterprise
BYST supported Grampreneur®, Arun Awtade was recognised for his social enterprise, Iris Polymers based out of Pune. The company manufactures mulching films that help retain soil moisture, provide weed control, cut down the cost of labour, decrease leaching of fertilisers, and reduce electricity consumption. These manifold benefits help underprivileged farmers from drought-prone areas avoid a lot of hardship, improve crop production and overall viability of their small farms.
Winner of the JRD Tata Award for 2016
Ragu C.
Ragu C., a BYST supported Grampreneur® was recognised for his drive and vision in establishing and scaling up his business ‘Everest Cement Pipes’ to manufacture RCC products and signing up prestigious customers like KSA Power Infra, Sterling and Wilson, Lotus Wireless Technology, VJN Builders, EK Infra, Marutham Apartments, Amar Prakash Builders, Naveen Construction, Swan Electricals, and more. He also handles international clients based out of Korea.
Ragu was also felicitated by BYST at the 3rd International Mentoring Summit 2017 on the occasion of BYST’s Silver Jubilee Celebrations.
Youth Business International ‘Young Entrepreneur of the Year’ Award for 2020
Amruta Mangale - Women Entrepreneur
Amruta Mangale, Owner, Hindavi Solution, Pune competed successfully against over 1,000 entrepreneurs from 54 countries to win the prestigious ‘Young Entrepreneur of the Year 2020’ award from Youth Business International (YBI), UK. Amruta’s firm manufactures specialty chemicals and adhesives for the paints and packaging industries. Under the guidance of her BYST supported Mentor, Mr. Kiran Nawathe, Amruta has expanded and diversified her manufacturing operations and notched up revenues of over INR 75,000,000 in 2021 and is confident to cross the INR 100,000,000 mark in 2022.