by Suman Gupta
Nagaon, August 2019: As India forges ahead as a growth engine, sustainable development has become the de facto way forward for the long-term economic, social, and environmental sustainability. Youth can play a very powerful role in accomplishing the country’s 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) agenda with an earnest focus on inclusive growth, climate change, resource optimization, and environment conservation. To encourage youth to explore solutions for the country’s sustainable development needs and create employment opportunities for many more young people, Jagriti Sewa Sansthan and Coca-Cola India had again invited participation for the third edition of ‘Sustainable Enterprise Awards.’ The awards sought to recognize promising ideas in the field of water management, sustainable agriculture, and waste recycling and help them turn into an enterprise. The awards aim to discover and promote young entrepreneurial talent especially residing in Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities and give them an interactive platform to voice their ideas and thoughts.
The activation event for the same was conducted at Nowgong College, Nagaon (Assam) on August 22nd, 2019 in the presence of Dr. Sarat Borkataki, Principal, Nowgong College and Chief Guest – Mr. Merwyn Coutinho, the social entrepreneur behind Northeast India’s ‘Batti Project’ and e-waste management program.
Speaking on the occasion, Shri Ashutosh Kumar, Executive Director, Jagriti Yatra, said, “Youth can help solve some of the most critical challenges we face in the society today from water issues to farming, environmental and waste problems. In doing so, they can create many jobs and provide employment to more young people. The youth of today is driven by purpose and conscience, which can be effectively channelized for sustainable economic and social development of the country. We’ve a time-tested partnership with Coca-Cola India and we hope to make a positive difference to the way young people apply themselves to solve big issues.”
Ishteyaque Amjad, Vice President, Public Affairs, Communications & Sustainability at Coca-Cola India & South West Asia said, “Coca-Cola India and Jagriti Sewa Sansthan collectively feel that youth are the ultimate change makers who can contribute immensely to the prosperity of their communities in a sustainable way. We need their leadership and participation to solve some of the most fundamental issues that we are currently facing and that might arise in the future. Through Sustainable Enterprise Awards, we hope that young entrepreneurs will find a platform to share their entrepreneurial ideas on issues that matter. Some of these ideas can also be transformed into sustainable purpose-driven businesses.”
The activation events have begun in 30 other Tier 2 and Tier 3 locations across India. Participants can apply online through the website http://www.jagriti.org/sea. Three entries each from in and around these 30 regions will be shortlisted by a panel of eminent and experienced jury members from Jagriti Sewa Sansthan and Coca-Cola India.
The chosen 90 finalists will then compete for the award during the grand finale to be scheduled in Mumbai. Besides monetary reward and heartening recognition, all members of top three winning teams will be awarded with a special waiver for the 12th Edition of the World’s largest train journey of entrepreneurs, Jagriti Yatra 2019.
About Jagriti Yatra:LJagriti Yatra is an entrepreneurial annual train journey which started in the year 2008, with 500 brilliant young minds and today the Yatra family has reached the 5000+ milestone. It covers 8000 km and travels to 12 destinations in 15 days across the landscape of India. The Yatris, chosen after multi-level selection process, are introduced to extraordinary social and business innovators and entrepreneurs to get inspired. It starts on 24th of December from Mumbai and ends on 8th of January at Ahmadabad. The motto of Jagriti Yatra is “to Build India through Enterprise,” which is way forward for a nation like India, especially in the present economic climate.
About Coca-Cola India & South West Asia :Coca-Cola in India and South West Asia: is one of the region’s leading beverage companies. Headquartered in Gurgaon, the Business Unit manages the businesses in Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Nepal and Bhutan. It offers a range of healthy, safe, high quality, refreshing beverage options to consumers. Since its re-entry in 1993, the company has been refreshing consumers with its beverage products – Coca-Cola, Coca-Cola Zero, Diet Coke, Thums Up, Thums Up Charged, Fanta, Fanta Green Mango, Limca, Sprite, Sprite Zero, Maaza, VIO flavoured milk ‘Almond Delight’ and ‘Kesar Delight’, Minute Maid range of juices, FUZE tea, Georgia and Georgia gold range of hot and cold tea and coffee options, Aquarius, Schweppes, SmartWater, Kinley and Bonaqua packaged drinking water and Kinley Club Soda. The Company along with its owned bottling operation and other bottling partners, through a strong network of over 2.6 million retail outlets, touches the lives of millions of consumers, at a rate of more than 500 servings per second. Its brands are some of the most preferred and most sold beverages in the country – Thums Up and Sprite – being the top two selling sparkling beverages.
The Coca-Cola India system provides direct employment to 25,000 people and indirect employment to more than 150,000 people. The Coca-Cola system in India is contributing in its own small way to building sustainable communities through community initiatives like Support My School, VEER, Parivartan and Unnati and by reducing its own environmental footprint. For further information on the company’s India operations and its products, please visit: http://www.coca-colaindia.com and http://www.hindustancoca-cola.com.
