Hyderabad: H.E. the Governor for Himachal Pradesh, Sri Bandaru Dattatraya felicitated Smt Karuna Gopal, President, Foundation for Futuristic Cities & BJP leader, on her bagging the prestigious ‘SKOCH Challenger Award’; today at Raj Bhavan Guest House, Hyderabad. Smt Karuna Gopal has been conferred the SKOCH Challenger Award, the coveted civilian honour instituted by the SKOCH Group.
Appreciating Smt Karuna Gopal, Sri Bandaru Dattatraya said, the transformative work she has been part off is acknowledged not just in India but is winning laurels even abroad, especially in the developed countries. He complimented Smt Gopal for devoting a lifetime ushering in Urban Reforms and Urban Innovations for a New India and wanted her to take it forward with renewed vigor, as India marches ahead to claim its rightful place in the comity of nations.
Smt. Karuna Gopal was conferred the SKOCH Challenger Award, a highly prestigious Civilian Honour instituted by the Skoch group, recently, in recognition of her seminal work spanning over two decades in the area of Urban Reforms & Urban Innovations. In her pursuit of a transformed India, she has introduced several innovations that shaped the Smart City Mission design and guidelines, which are today a part of the National Best Practices. Her work is at the intersection of Technology, Innovation, Future Cities and her inputs on Smart Governance and Urban Development have attracted the attention of the governments of USA, Sweden, UK and Israel.
Some of the eminent SKOCH Challenger awardees in the past include, HE Shri M Venkaiah Naidu, Vice President of India; Dr. C Rangarajan, Former RBI governor; Padma Bhushan Lord Meghnadh Desai, British Economist; Shri Yashwant Sinha, Former Finance Minister; Shri P Chidambaram, Former Finance Minister; Shri Nitin Gadkari, Minister of Road Transport & Highways & Shipping; Shri Suresh Prabhu, Former Minister for Commerce & Industry and Civil Aviation; Shri Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’, Minister for Human Resource Development; Shri Bibek Debroy, Chairman Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister; Late Shri Tarun Gogoi, Former Chief Minister of Assam and Shri Kiran Karnic, Former President of NASSCOM.
About SKOCH Challenger Awards & Selection criteria
Skoch Challenger Awards, instituted in 2003, salute people, projects and institutions that went the extra mile to make India a better nation. These Awards – the highest independently instituted civilian honours – have been conferred, the mighty and the ordinary have shared this platform for their extraordinary achievements in contributing to the society.
The Skoch Challenger Awards are coveted for their independence, primary research and a distinguished jury-based approach. The Skoch Challenger are distinctive for its approach of selection of awardees, which is not based on the nomination but on discovery. Additionally, the College of Lifetime Achievers is regularly consulted for expert identification, inputs and qualification of a project, person or institution to be considered for the Award. Further, documentary videos are produced after detailed research. These are then shared with the domain experts and larger audience groups of practitioners ahead of the Awards and are put in public domain for larger dissemination once the Award is conferred. No industry or government support or endorsement is either expected, accepted or solicited for these Challenger Awards and they remain independently instituted and conferred as a third-party perspective. The Roll of Honour of the Skoch Challenger Awards over the years is a testimony to this. The Skoch Challenger Awards not only acknowledge exceptional achievers but also spurs inspirational guidance and motivational leadership.
