Ahmedabad : Shri Piruz Khambatta, a noted entrepreneur and the name behind the Rasna brand, delivered the annual Dr. VG Patel Memorial Lecture that was organised by Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India (EDII), Ahmedabad, today.

The lecture, fifth in the series, was held at EDII campus. The Topic of the Lecture was ‘Entrepreneur: A Nation Builder’.

EDII lost its founder Padma Shri Dr. VG Patel on April 4, 2019. To commemorate Dr. Patel’s great work in the field of entrepreneurship, the Institute started an annual lecture series in 2019. Recognised by the entrepreneurship fraternity as the ‘Pioneer of Entrepreneurship Movement,’ Dr. VG Patel committed himself to propagate entrepreneurship within India and globally. Not only did he succeed in establishing the credibility of his belief across India, but also went on to establish the National Resource Institute, EDII, in 1983.

Dr. Sunil Shukla paid tribute to the late Dr VG Patel recalling Dr. Patel’s exceptional contribution to the economic development of the nation by introducing and promoting the concept of entrepreneurship. He said, “Entrepreneurship has traversed a long journey from being doubted upon as a career option to being accepted as a wholesome development tool. I am happy to be mentored by Dr. V. G. Patel and be a part of this movement. Today the country is emphasizing on entrepreneurs and entrepreneurship in view of the advantages that come about to the economy, nation and its people. I am glad this recognition to the discipline has come about and EDII is making a meaningful contribution to this process of growth by wide spreading entrepreneurship.”

Addressing the audience, Shri Piruz Khambatta, said, “It is my honour to come and speak on the momentous occasion as EDII hosts their 5th lecture in Dr. VG Patel Memorial Lecture series. Dr. Patel, a legendary figure, was a true visionary who not only introduced entrepreneurship to our nation but also instilled the values of self-reliance through it. He talked about Startup India and Atmanirbhar Bharat even before the ideas became popular. I give my best wishes to EDII for all their future initiatives.”

On this occasion, the winner of the Dr. VG Patel National Memorial Award for Entrepreneurship Trainer/Educator/Mentor 2023 was also announced.

About Dr. V. G. Patel Memorial Award for Entrepreneurship Trainer/Educator/Mentor

In 2020, EDII instituted Dr. V. G. Patel Memorial Award for Entrepreneurship Trainer/Educator/Mentor to honor the late legendary, Dr. V. G. Patel who emphasized on the significance of instituting a cadre of entrepreneur trainer-motivators to sustain the entrepreneurship movement. Dr Patel hailed this cadre of professionals as the backbone of the entrepreneurship development movement. This National Award recognises the outstanding contribution of a trainer/educator/mentor in propagating innovations and technology driven new enterprises. To arrive at its decision, the high-level Award Committee follows a three-tier selection process based on critical evaluation parameters and personal interview. The award comprises a citation and cash prize. The award winners of 2020; 2021 and 2022 include:

• Dr. Pradeep Kumar Mishra, Professor, Department of Chemical Engineering and Technology, IIT (BHU) and Secretary & Coordinator, Malviya Centre of Innovation, Incubation and Entrepreneurship, IIT (BHU) Varanasi (2020)

• Dr. Farahanaz Rasool, Deputy Director Extension Trainings, Directorate of Extension, Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir, Srinagar (2020)

• Mr. Sunil Chandak, President, Udyogwardini Shiksha Sansthan, Nashik, Maharashtra (2021)

• Dr. Venkatesh Babu, Dean, Bharath Institute of Higher Education and Research, Tamil Nadu (2021)

• Mr. Mrutyunjay Suar, CEO, KIIT Technology Business Incubator, Odisha (2022)

This year (2023), the award was conferred on Dr Satyajit Majumdar, Professor and Dean, Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai.

Dr. Satyajit Majumdar is a leading expert on entrepreneurship and social entrepreneurship. He is the dean of the School of Management and Labour Studies at the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) in Mumbai, India.

Over the past two decades, Dr. Majumdar has played an important role in the development of entrepreneurship, especially in the social sector. He has mentored more than 350 startups, including 40 in Jammu and Kashmir and group startups in Jhabua, West Bengal. He has also helped to build an ecosystem for entrepreneurship at TISS, including the establishment of a separate entrepreneurship cell in 2012.

He was selected out of 378 nominations received this year.