Ashoka inducts 63 social entrepreneurs

Altogether 63 leading social entrepreneurs (individuals with innovative solutions to society's most pressing social problems) from across Asia were inducted on Thursday by Ashoka: Innovators for the Public, a global organisation pioneering the concept of social entrepreneurship, at the Infosys campus.

The induction programme was attended by Ashoka Founder Bill Drayton, Ashoka President Emeritus Sushmita Ghosh, Infosys Chief Mentor N R Narayana Murthy and entrepreneur Gururaj Deshpande.

Magsaysay award recipient Arvind Kejriwal was felicitated by Narayana Murthy for his campaign against corruption.

Murthy expressed concern over the decline in agricultural production. "While the progress made by the economy and the business over the past decade is outstanding, we have taken our eyes off the agriculture sector. The nation already has a low per capita income and with agricultural income declining, it leaves close to 650 million people with less than a dollar a day."

Drayton spoke of how there will be no distinction between social and business entrepreneurs in the future. Terming social entrepreneurs as mass recruiters of change makers, he said each Ashoka fellow is a model.

Since 1981, Ashoka has elected and supported over 1,800 leading social innovators as Ashoka Fellows, providing them with over $40 million in stipends and professional support, as well as access to a global network of peers.