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editor’s note
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They put society above self. They use entrepreneurial means to drive social change. These 50 social entrepreneurs are enriching the nation.
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Winds of change are blowing through this Tamil Nadu village, thanks to a rural BPO. The venture has made a big impact both socially and commercially.
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Grassroots follows a simple way to improve rural lives: organise a collective, empower it and nurture it to a point where it thrives by itself.
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Due to this couple’s curiosity, tribal artisans in Katlamara, an archetypal bamboo village in Tripura, are making a living off bamboo again.
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Stan Thekaekara wanted trade to be just and humane. So, he brought producers and consumers closer to each other.
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Saath’s myriad initiatives have helped Gujarat’s slum dwellers shake off poverty.
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Industree has built a business by connecting rural artisans with urban consumers.
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Better prices for farmers, jobs for women, better products for consumers—that was the idea behind Rudi. And it’s paying off.
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These 850 sakhis sell utility products for India Inc—for a fee and a share of profits.
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Ishita Khanna feels for Spiti. So she works at preserving the environment there.
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He feels small producers will become stronger and more profitable if they unite to form a company.
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How one man spawned 20 businesses, 4,618 self-help groups, 75 market committees, 19 cooperatives, two societies and one company.
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He wants to make Bihar the vegetable capital of India. And give all—farmers, vendors, consumers—a fair deal.
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LabourNet links informal sector workers and customers seeking their services.
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In one stroke, William Bissell solved a supply problem and made proud shareholders out of thousands of artisans.
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This hospital provides maternal care at one-fifth of market rates. And it makes profits too.
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This organisation in Tamil Nadu helps women survive the stigma linked to AIDS.
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Dr Devi Shetty’s Narayana Hrudayalaya mends hearts—low-cost and on a large scale.
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Rajeev Kher plans to make Indians hygienic—by selling portable toilets.
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Santanu Bhattacharjee is helping thousands of students in
West Bengal and the North East find the right job.
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The services sector has jobs, but there aren’t enough skilled people. They want to fix that.
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Aditya Natraj wants to fix India’s education system—one principal at a time.
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A maths prodigy, he had to stop studying for want of money. But he now makes sure he gives 30 kids a great shot to enter IIT.
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Sriram Ayer’s NalandaWay helps children with a bitter past move ahead.
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He believed access to water could alleviate poverty. And Amitabha Sadangi has proved it many times over.
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Fino’s army of 6,000 agents is bringing the unbanked and the underserved into the financial services fold—by going to them.
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Rural India is crying for services. And Ekgaon has several technologies to take those services to them.
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Anurag Gupta uses technology to let banks access customers.
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This entrepreneur has revolutionised the milk-collection process in Gujarat’s co-operatives.
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In a power-starved village in Bihar, Vivek Gupta is turning on the lights with his green plant.
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Five entrepreneurs are quietly lighting up the homes of millions who still have no access to electricity.
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Harish Hande founded Selco to provide solar lighting solutions for the poor.
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Dr Rajnikant Arole’s brand of healthcare helped villagers
fight disease—and social taboos.
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He wants to do a McDonald’s with low-cost and clean products for the poor.
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Ela Bhatt’s Sewa has helped millions break the bonds of poverty.
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Javed Abidi pushes for new laws and use of existing ones to make the disabled independent.
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Bunker Roy believes solutions to rural problems lie within communities. Tilonia village is a testament to that belief.
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For decades, Jockin Arputham has championed the rights of slum dwellers. His efforts are bearing fruit.
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George Abraham has been visionary in his efforts to help the visually impaired.
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This eye hospital was founded to bring light into their dark world.
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MPs make laws that influence our lives. And he does his two bits to see they make an informed decision.
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Sameer Mehra helps farmers grow organic crops—so that their profits increase.
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Cotton farmers can thank Zameen for better prices and community support.
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Rangaswamy Elango’s regime as the panchayat president of this small village in Tamil Nadu has been one of quiet revolution.
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Anshu Gupta collects clothes for the needy and gives them a lifeline.
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Urban folks can feel the smell of ploughed fields or sleep with buffaloes. Villagers get paid for it.
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Milind Ranade fights for the rights of Maharashtra’s poorest and most marginalised labour group.
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For over a decade, Ravi Agarwal has fought hard to contain toxic waste.
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E-waste recycling convert Soni scouts for entrepreneurs to grow his sector.
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Ashok Rathod trains slum kids to tackle football and life.
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Gopinath Parayil wanted to revive a dying river, and along with it, local culture.
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