Mumbai, October 9, 2025: Centum Foundation, a social impact organisation focussed on skilling and livelihood and leveraging upGrad’s ability to scale, along with YES Foundation, the social development arm of YES Bank working towards an empowered and equitable India, has been conferred with the prestigious Mahatma Award for Partnership & Impact 2025 for their joint initiative, the Youth Empowerment for Security (YES) Program, recently.
The recognition highlights the transformative impact of the YES Program, which has empowered underserved youth with a strong focus on women beneficiaries – across Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Telangana, and Assam, including the North-East region. To date, the program has trained more than 1,800 youth, with 30%+ women participation, and facilitated 1,250+ job placements in high-demand sectors such as Retail, BFSI, Healthcare, and Logistics.
Designed to drive strong learning and employability outcomes, the YES Program is a holistic initiative that equips underserved youth, especially women, with industry-relevant training, certification, and access to sustainable jobs.
Indian government data shows female workforce participation in India is steadily increasing. The Worker Population Ratio (WPR) among women rose from 30.2% in June 2025 to 32% in August 2025, while the Labour Force Participation Rate (LFPR) for women aged 15+ grew from 32% to 33.7%, with rural women experiencing higher gains than their urban counterparts. This trend highlights the growing potential of women as key contributors to India’s workforce.
On receiving the award, Garima Dutt, President, CSR – YES Bank Ltd. & CEO – YES Foundation, remarked: “I strongly believe that empowering youth is key to India’s social and economic development. Through our partnership with Centum Foundation, we are enabling underserved young people to gain skills, confidence, and meaningful opportunities. This collaboration is not just transforming lives but also building a future of economic self-reliance and inclusive growth.”
Instituted in 2016 by philanthropist Amit Sachdeva (also known as The CSR Man of India) and supported by the Aditya Birla Group, the Mahatma Award honours organisations and leaders whose work exemplifies Gandhian values of truth, social justice, and inclusivity. Past recipients include Ratan Tata, Azim Premji, Sudha Murthy, Microsoft Philanthropy, and Google Ad Grants, among others.
Commenting on the achievement, Srikanth Iyengar, CEO, upGrad Enterprise, added: “Social impact never happens overnight – it is the result of deep partnerships and scalable models of training and skilling. This is a proud moment for both Centum Foundation and YES Foundation because together, we’re building bridges from aspiration to opportunity. In a country with the world’s largest youth population, the real dividend lies in including those who have been on the margins. We constantly strive to bring them closer to meaningful impact and employability. This award is a call to scale, sustain, and accelerate that impact, especially for women and underserved rural communities.”
The honour comes shortly after Centum Foundation received the Brandon Hall Gold Award for the same initiative, further highlighting its commitment to quality skill development and creating sustainable livelihood opportunities for underserved communities across India.