Hyderabad’s ‘Mowo Social Initiatives Foundation’ wins Bridgestone India’s Mobility Social Impact Awards 2023

HYDERABAD: Bridgestone India on Friday announced the winners of the 3rd Edition of the Mobility Social Impact Awards, an initiative aimed at recognising and celebrating innovative solutions that positively impact the mobility landscape in India.

The award ceremony was held in Pune, bringing together industry leaders, innovators, and social change-makers. The winners were rewarded with a total prize money of Rs 30 lakh in three categories. Mowo Social Initiatives Foundation’s “Women in Mobility”, the auto driving programme for Women Hyderabad, Telangana and Ahmedabad, Gujarat-based Janvikas Trust’s Driverben- 'Ek Nayi Pehchan' were both recognized as joint runners-up in the category of “Mobility for empowerment of vulnerable groups”.

These initiatives were aimed to empower women through mobility and skill development. The Mobility Social Impact Award, launched by Bridgestone India, is a testament to the organisation’s commitment to fostering innovation and sustainability within the mobility sector. These awards cover three areas. The first recognizing mobility solutions that were focussed on empowering vulnerable social groups and communities, the second being work done in the area of road safety and the third initiative aimed at increasing access to resources and opportunities.

This year's winners represent a diverse range of projects and initiatives that made significant contributions to the mobility ecosystem. The winners of the 3rd Edition of the Mobility Social Impact Awards were: Nirman Bahuuddeshiya Vikas Sanstha, Pune, Maharashtra was the winner for their efforts under the category of road safety, for enhancing awareness among various groups in Pune, including children, driver communities, police and traffic police.

Vikasonmukh Sansthan Jaipur, Rajasthan received the award in the category of increasing access to resources, for their outstanding work in livelihood generation through farm mechanization in Jaipur Rajasthan. Their efforts contributed significantly towards improving agricultural practices and livelihoods. Navajeevan Organization Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh was the winner in the category of ‘Mobility for Empowerment of vulnerable groups’, for their efforts in promoting safai karamcharis, sanitation workers and rag pickers as entrepreneurs.

The United Way of Chennai, Tamil Nadu secured the first runner-up position for their project named ‘Nalam’, which focuses on providing mobile ambulance support for cancer screening. Ratna Nidhi Charitable Trust Mumbai, Maharashtra received an award on the jury’s special recommendation for their outstanding efforts in providing access to high quality prosthetic aids and improving the lives of individuals by ensuring they had access to top notch prosthetic devices, enhancing their mobility and quality of life.

Stefano Sanchini, MD Bridgestone India, said, "Sustainability is core to Bridgestone’s strategy and is woven into every part of our business and operations. It is also a joint responsibility and can only be achieved effectively when all stakeholders in the ecosystem come together to deliver value for future generations. These awards are truly important as we recognise and celebrate the achievements of those whose inspiring work has positively impacted the quality of life of the communities they are engaged in."

The jury comprised Arindam Lahiri, CEO Automotive Skills Development Council, Prashant Ranjan Verma, general secretary at the National Association for the Blind Delhi, Dr Sudha Kothari, managing trustee Chaitanya. Awardees were felicitated at the event by Biren Bhuta, who is a recipient of the Gurukul Fellowship from the Foundation for Universal Responsibility of the Dalai Lama. Corporates and NGOs were also present.