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Glenmark Nutrition Awards 2024

Glenmark Foundation has been focused on malnutrition as a core issue with special attention to children in the age group of 0 to 6 years, pregnant and lactating women and more. It has adopted a 360 degree approach to tackling malnutrition through various programs and interventions. As part of taking a step in this direction, Glen mark Nutrition Awards was organized for the first time during the RISE World Summit which was held on 28th – 29th January 2021 in partnership with the UN World Food Programme and Idobro Impact Solutions. It aimed to strengthen the eco-system to fight the scourge of hunger and support healthy mothers and children as per Glenmark’s mandate to combat malnutrition.

Conceived as a platform to recognize non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and individuals who undertook exceptional efforts during the Covid-19 pandemic, the focus of the Nutrition Awards continues, from around Diet diversity and Innovation in the second year; on innovation, impact, inspiration and collaboration in the 3rd year, to a focus on the Aspirational Districts this year.

The Aspirational Districts Programme (ADP), launched in January 2018, is a visionary initiative aimed at bringing rapid and effective transformation to the 112 most underdeveloped districts across India. These districts were identified based on their need for substantial development across various socio-economic parameters. The ranking system of these districts is determined by their incremental progress across 49 Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) categorized under five broad socio-economic themes: Health & Nutrition, Education, Agriculture & Water Resources, Financial Inclusion & Skill Development, and Infrastructure

The awards this year, were open to organizations actively implementing nutritional health programs within any of the 112 aspirational districts.

The shift in focus towards aspirational districts in the Glenmark Nutrition Awards program offers numerous compelling advantages. It allows for a more precise and impactful targeting of regions urgently requiring development, particularly in nutrition and health. By aligning with government initiative, it ensures synergy with existing programs, enhancing overall development outcomes. Additionally, it creates a nationwide platform to showcase the work of organizations in these districts, raising awareness about their unique challenges and attracting increased support. Lastly, winning the Glenmark Nutrition Award in these districts provides recognition and motivation, inspiring continued efforts and serving as an exemplar for similar initiatives.

The synergy between the awards program and the Aspirational Districts Programme has the potential to accelerate progress towards improving health and nutrition outcomes in these districts and, ultimately, contribute to the holistic development of the nation.

The process followed was the same as every year; applications were invited from 2 categories, NGOs and Open, which included Corporate Foundations, CBOs, Individuals, and SHGs. We had 3 selection rounds which saw the anonymous shortlisting of the applications by 5 selection Committee Members.

The Selection Committee consisted of

  1. Dr Ratna Thar – Hon Police Nutritionist for Maharashtra Police Academy, Advisor and CSR Consultant
  2. Aarti Jain – Founder, Poshan, and Nutritionist and Research Consultant
  3. Varsha Naik – Assistant Professor at Goa College of HomeScience
  4. Jyoti Agarwal – Visiting Faculty at Byramjee JP College, Mumbai,
  5. Dr Radhika Hedaoo – Assistant Professor & Nutrionist at Symbiosis Institute of Health Sciences.

We received 319 applications from across 24 states and 8 Union Territories. These were shortlisted in 2 rounds to select the top 6 ( top 3 in each of the 2 categories ) who came to Mumbai, to present their projects, on the 8th of February, before the Grand Jury.

The Grand Jury included

  1. Prof Satish Agnihotri – Professor, CTARA, IIT Bombay
  2. Dr Rupal Dalal – Associate Professor CTARA, IIT, Bombay
  3. Dr Raju Jotkar – MD and Sr Consultant at Rajmata Jijau Mother & Child Health Mission.

As usual, the selection was tough, and the winners were Ekam Foundation from the NGO Category, and RevolutionAIze Pvt Ltd from the Open Category. They will be receiving a grant of Rs 200000 towards their project.

Each of the finalist received a gift along with a certificate of recognition for making it to the final round of the competition