Eight years, Rs 14 crore and a determined sarpanch is what took Punsari to gift itself a stunning makeover. Today it boasts of beautiful roads, RO water plant, waste collection system, closed-circuit television cameras, air-conditioned schools, WiFi network and biometric attendance for office-bearers. Cut to the late 1990s, Punsari grappled with power cuts, water crisis and bad roads. The miraculous transformation can be credited to Himanshu Patel, 31, the village sarpanch. An alumnus of North Gujarat University, he won the panchayat polls in 2006. And then on Patel has been working overtime to make Punsari a model village. In the past eight years, he has utilized funds from 12thfinance commission, self-help group yojana, district planning commission and others to develop Punsari as it is today. Himanshubhai proudly said " We have only utilised government funds to develop this village and didn't take any other support". Punsari clearly demonstrates that if the government can come up with developmental schemes that are futuristic, plug the leakages in the system effectively, these schemes alone can be used to transform systems. In fact, Punsari is guiding a number of villages through its own examples in becoming self-sustained.” "To make India smart, we have to first make the grassroots-level people smart since they constitute majority of the population. Making a village techno-smart holds the key to its development," he reasons. He also emphasized development should not be done at the cost of core values of a village. He believes in Aadarsh Gam rather than Model Village. He further added ‘Sense of ownership and responsibility is what drives the village’. Website: www.punsarigrampanchayat.in

Manav Sadhna is a nonprofit organization based in a quiet corner of Mahatma Gandhi’s Ashram, Ahmedabad. Our mission is simply to serve the underprivileged. At Manav Sadhna, we navigate with the philosophy of love all, serve all. By seeing God in every individual (Manav), mere service is transformed into worship (Sadhna). To this end, Manav Sadhna is engaged in constructive humanitarian projects that cut across barriers of class and religion while addressing issues faced by socio-economically neglected segments of society. In executing this mission, Manav Sadhna is guided by Mahatma Gandhi’s unshakable beliefs in love, peace, truth, non-violence and compassion. In 1990, a team of young volunteers, inspired by Gandhian values, began gathering under the branches of a tree in the Gandhi Ashram every Saturday to play with street children. They provided the children with a nutritional meal and taught them about basic hygiene by cutting their nails and bathing them. This activity quickly came together into a full time endeavor working to brighten the future of underprivileged children. Under the guidance of Gujarat Harijan Sevak Sangh, Safai Vidyalaya and Environmental Sanitation Institute (ESI), Manav Sadhna was established both in India and in the United States. Today, from a quiet corner in the Gandhi Ashram, Manav Sadhna serves more than 8000 children and women through more than 35 projects. We also indirectly touch the lives of many more individuals through our healthcare and educational support projects. The projects are created based on the needs and participation of the community. Website: www.manavsadhna.org

Raj Shah is a young and dynamic social entrepreneur with vision of creating a grass-root change in Indian Economy by strengthening farmers and providing masses a world class quality health product. He believes in inclusive growth and has been recognized by Boston Consulting Group and CII for inclusion of People with Disabilities in Agriculture. He wants to use his industry knowledge and professional skills to strengthen Indian rural spaces. He has done his MBA(Tech.) from NMIMS University. Been President of PMI Mumbai Chapter’s Student Branch and CAPM. Having worked with Reliance Industries, Siemens, L&T Hydrocarbon, TVS, Radisson Hotels and AIESEC BJTU China has made him understand the pillars of a successful business. He believes that technology is today’s driver and enabler. Inclusive growth through convergence supported by technology and moral values will make India a better place to live in. His venture COSMO Natural Care LLP is an Integrated Stevia Ecosystem Expert. COSMO Natural Care LLP believe in use of most efficient technology and innovations, governed by professional project management and controls, to create stevia ecosystem where every stakeholder can sustainably grow for years to come. COSMO Natural Care LLP aim to implement cross -industry best practices in field of Agriculture. Website: www.cosmoagroworld.com

On his return from South Africa, Gandhi’s first Ashram in India was established in the Kochrab area of Ahmedabad on 25 May 1915. The Ashram was then shifted on 17 June 1917 to a piece of open land on the banks of the river Sabarmati. Reasons for this shift included: he wanted to do some experiments in living eg farming, animal husbandry, cow breeding, Khadi and related constructive activities, for which he was in search of this kind of barren land; mythologically, it was the ashram site of Dadhichi Rishi who had donated his bones for a righteous war; it is between a jail and a crematorium as he believed that a satyagrahi has to invariably go to either place. The Sabarmati Ashram (also known as Harijan Ashram) was home to Mohandas Gandhi from 1917 until 1930 and served as one of the main centres of the Indian freedom struggle. Originally called the Satyagraha Ashram, reflecting the movement toward passive resistance launched by the Mahatma, the Ashram became home to the ideology that set India free. Sabarmati Ashram named for the river on which it sits, was created with a dual mission. To serve as an institution that would carry on a search for truth and a platform to bring together a group of workers committed to non-violence who would help secure freedom for India. Website: www.gandhiashramsabarmati.org

The Environmental Sanitation Institute (ESI) is a non-governmental organization based on the Gandhian values of environmentalism that strives to provide a better quality of life to rural peoples and the urban poor of India by improving their sanitation situation. The Institute was born in 1985 out of its mother NGO, Safai Vidyalaya (“sanitation institute”), under the leadership of Padmashri Ishwarbhai Patel. The Environmental Sanitation Institute tackles the problem of sanitation with the holisitic mindset that the issue affects the environment, health, education and economy of the whole country. Website: www.esi.org.in

By a single thread, Gramshree weaves lives through craft. With one mission in mind, to empower women artisans in Gujarat, we serve as a platform to enable women and artisans who are victims of poverty and abuse to make fair wage and create healthy family dynamics in their homes. Currently, the organization employs nearly two thousand women residing primarily in slums of Gujarat and surrounding regions. Both rural and urban dwelling women are home-based workers which allow them the ability to balance both personal and professional lives. While upholding daily living responsibilities, these women execute intricate traditional techniques in contemporary styles. We provide the necessary skill-based training that will sustain self-employment and which allows them to work with dignity and integrity. Website: www.gramshree.org

Craftroots, an initiative of Gramshree, is touching the lives of over 17000 artisans. It is a unique platform that showcases and brings into spotlight the best of craftsmanship from Gujarat. It aims to empower artisans by connecting them to our resources, tools and network of partner members. Our mission is to revive, preserve and share the craft traditions of Gujarat and develop a sustainable and scalable model for craft development. Craftroots promote 27 wide varieties of craft forms and products ranging from Apparels, home decor, accessories, gift articles --both textile and non textile. Our craft forms include applique , embroidery, weaving , patolla, sujni mashru, khadi, bandhni, block printing, batik, painting, bead work, wood, lacquer, metal, paper and more. Craftroots creates awareness in the market about the skills, time and creativity that artisans invest into their craft. Craftroots connect Artisans, NGOs, Self-Help Groups, Cooperatives, Businesses, Corporations, Design & Management Institutes, Individuals and Experts such as designers, educators, students, and customers so that they can interrelate in a better and productive way. Craftroots' five main objectives are Survey and Documentation, Education and awareness, Design Development, Sales and Marketing and Social Services. Live Interactive Exhibitions, Retail Outlets, Corporate Gifting, Cross Sales and E-store are some of the best ways of closing the gap between artisans and customers. Website: www.carftroots.org

Imagine a restaurant where there are no prices on the menu and where the check reads Rs.0 with only this footnote: "Your meal was a gift from someone who came before you. To keep the chain of gifts alive, we invite you to pay it forward for those dine after you." That's Seva Cafe, a experiment in 'peer to peer' generosity. Driven by volunteers and operated by modest staff, our meals are cooked and served with love, and offered to the guest as a genuine gift. To complete the full circle of giving and sustain this experiment, guests make contributions in the spirit of pay-it-forward to those who will come after them. In keeping this chain going, the generosity of both guests and volunteers helps to create a future that moves from transaction to trust, from self-oriented isolation to shared commitment and from fear of scarcity to celebration of abundance. Website: www.sevacafe.org

There are 40,000 ‘Paryavaran Mitras (PMs)’ (Rag Picking Women)in Ahmedabad city. Each of them collects nearly 25kgs of wastes everyday which cumulatively amount to 1 million kgs daily. They have been involved in solid waste collection (paper, plastic etc.) for ages and work in extremely unhygienic conditions for meager pay and minimal social recognition. Their work is often looked down upon by society, partly because they are working in an unorganized sector and partly because their work is itself considered menial. 13th Nov, 2014, based on outcome of yearlong research done by students of IRMA, Manav Sadhna started a project to improve the conditions of PMs in a holistic manner—one that addresses their social, economic, and health issues. As these women are doing great service to Society and moreover to the Environment, the project has been named as ‘Paryavaran Mitra’. uring the research it was established that increase in volume and basic cleaning which includes sorting & baling are the main value additions done on waste before it reaches to the end users i.e., industries/recyclers. So, we have established a waste collection center wherein PMs come with their collected waste and sell them to us. Our team segregates the purchased wastes to finer level and bales them for effective transport. Since, we are directly selling to end users we get good margin, which is returned to the PMs on quarterly basis in form of good quality grocery. We are also training the PMs to develop useful and aesthetically beautiful products out of waste. Idea is to engage them in skill based work during their leisure time ensuring more economic returns for the household. Currently, we are focused on developing products out of waste bottles. This project has been named as Gift of Change.