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SBI Foundation provides seed grants to social ventures at YFI Conclave 2023 to accelerate rural development

By TheCSRUniverse Team Published 11 Apr 2023

Dignitaries at the SBI YFI Conclave 2023

New Delhi, April 09, 2023: The SBI Foundation organized a two-day Youth for India (YFI) Conclave where multiple stakeholders of the social sector deliberated on socio-economic issues in rural India and supporting the country’s G20 goals through rural development. The conclave was attended by social entrepreneurs, academia, civil society and SBI YFI alumni.

Speaking at the Youth for India Conclave 2023, Mr Sanjay Prakash, Managing Director & CEO, SBI Foundation said: “The future change drivers for our nation will be its young demographic that is educated and socially aware. We have seen our Youth for India fellows foster and implement ideas for social development to drive on-ground change in rural India. As an organization, we are proud to fuel social enterprise and contribute to India’s G20 goals.” He added “Projects implemented by our fellows have helped to accelerate rural development, as also resulted in inclusive and sustained growth across the remotest corners of the country.”

The Conclave 2023 also included ‘SBI YFI Sahyog - The Pitch Fest’ wherein seed grants amounting to approx. INR 2.4 million were given out to YFI alumni for their social ventures. The following ventures won grants to further their work:

YFI Sahyog - The Pitch Fest 2023: Ventures that received grants
Sr. No	Name of Alumni	Batch	Name of the Organization	Organization Brief
1	Mr. Nitesh Bhardwaj	2016-17	Aadiwasi Janjagruti	Using hyperlocal Communications to bring social justice and awareness.
2	Mr. Rangan Ghosh	2018-19	AIZHEIMERS	AIZHEIMERS is engaged in design, testing and prototyping of innovative AI/ML based platforms combined with deep science approaches for early-stage risk stratification of neurological disorders and mental health issues such Alzheimers, depression etc.
3	Ms. Shravani Ladkat	2016-17	Eco-Circular India Foundation (ECIF)	ECIF encompasses activities coming under health, livelihood, education, environment and sustainability as these integrate to provide a better tomorrow.
4	Mr. Siddarth Daga	2016-17	NeoMotion	NeoMotion designs and manufactures life transformative products for the physically challenged and elderly.

The winning ventures were selected based on the assessment and evaluation by an eminent jury that included Mr. Sanjay Prakash, Managing Director & CEO, SBI Foundation; Mr. Lalit Mohan, President & COO, SBI Foundation; Mr. Vijay Mahajan, Co-Founder, Pradan & Basix; Mr. Vimal Garg, Director, R A Environlink Technologies; Mr. Suresh Krishna Bandi, Associate VP-Programs & Partnerships, I-Venture at ISB Hyderabad and Mr. Gyan Prakash, Coordinator & Program Head, SBI Youth For India Fellowship.

The Youth for India Conclave showcased the last decade of the Fellowship and the impact it has made in the development of the rural sector. SBI YFI Alumni have cumulatively started over 45 enterprises and 70% of previous Fellows are pursuing careers in the social sector.