7th South India NGOs Conference – Social Hero Awards 2018

The 7th South India NGOs Conference titled,” Role of NGOs in Capacity Development” was hosted by CIGMA Foundation and LEAD Trust, Bangalore, on July 28 and 29th 2018, at the Canopy Hotel.
Mr Akram Pasha, Director, Directorate of Minorities, Govt. of Karnataka was the chief guest, while Naseer Ahmed, Chairman, Karnataka State Minorities Commission, Govt. of Karnataka was the guest of honour.
The Lifetime Achievement Award 2018, was conferred on Ahmed Ali. The 82-year-old rickshaw-puller from Karimganj district, Assam who set up nine schools in Madhurband village of Patharkandi with his personal earnings was also featured in the 42nd ‘Mann Ki Baat’. He regretted being uneducated and resolved that he would never allow this “tragedy” to befall any child in his village. The very first school he established was in 1978. He was able to do this by selling off his land and collecting small amounts of money from the villagers.
The other Social Hero Awards for 2018 were presented to: Aabid Surti, the Water Warrior, from Mumbai. The 83 year old writer and artist, Aabid Surti is the founder of Drop Dead Foundation, a water conservation initiative in Mumbai in 2007. This NGO repairs minor plumbing problems such as leaks in the households of Mumbai, for free. Surti and his assistants raise awareness through posters and pamphlets. He pays for all expenses from his pocket. So far he has helped save 10 million litres of water.
Tazaiyun Oomer, has chosen to tread the path less travelled and founded Humane Touch in 1999. She believes that Education is the best tool to bring change in a community.
Mohammad Imran Khan, a Web App Developer from Alwar, Rajasthan, is a mathematics teacher in the Sanskrit Education Department and a self-taught computer programmer. He has developed over 75 educational mobile applications and more than a hundred websites. His apps have more than 9 million (9,179,584 Actual Figure) total installs. In 2015, Khan donated his 50 mobile applications to the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) as a patriotic contribution to Digital India in a National ICT Conference in Vigyan Bhawan, Delhi.
Sheikh Tanveer Asif, IAS, (All India Rank – 25 in UPSC 2016 Exam), is currently serving as Assistant Commissioner, Mysore. The 24-year-old engineering graduate from Kalaburagi district Northern Karnataka cracked the exam in his second attempt and bagged the 25th rank. Asif is the son of retired police-sub Inspector, Sheikh Yusuf. He attributes all his success to his mother, who mortgaged her belongings to ensure that his preparations for civil service examination were not disturbed.
Mohammed Kaif Mulla: Karnataka State SSLC Board Exam 2018 Topper, Mohammed Kaif Mulla scored a perfect 625 out of 625 in the Karnataka Class 10 Board Exams. This topper wants to be a doctor and then pursue his dream to become an IAS officer.