Apollo Hospitals has won the prestigious ‘G20 Challenge on Inclusive Business Innovation’ at the ongoing G-20 summit in Los Cabos, Mexico.
The competition is managed by the International Finance Corporation, a member of the World Bank Group.
Reach Hospitals initiative
Apollo Hospitals was declared the winner for its ‘Reach Hospitals’ initiative, according to a release.
Apollo Group Reach is an effort to take quality tertiary healthcare to the underserved semi-urban and rural areas.
The award was presented by Ambassador Rogelio Granguillhome, Chair of the G20 Development Working Group at a ceremony recently.
Official launch
Apollo Group launched the Reach Hospital initiative at Karimnagar in Andhra Pradesh. Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh marked the official launch.
The objective was to make advanced technology and experienced medical professionals accessible to the people in rural and semi-urban areas.
Farmers’ needs
Jain Irrigation Systems has also bagged the award for developing sustainable business models that addresses the needs of poor farmers.
This was for the first time 15 global companies have been awarded for their efforts in inclusive business innovation.
The award citation describes JISL as a company that helps farmers shed their dependence on traditional forms of irrigation and increase their income by $100 to $1,000 an acre (Rs 5,500 to Rs 55,000 an acre) at the same time conserving 500 million cubic metres of water a year.
Market share
JISL has a market share of 55 per cent in drip irrigation and 35 per cent in the sprinkler market.
The company also provides comprehensive package including pre- and after-sale services, soil and water testing, design and installation of systems to monitor crop growth and yield.
Training institute
The company also runs an institute to train 3,000 distributors and engineers.
The distributors, in turn, train more than 100,000 farmers every year.
In addition, Jain’s procurement network consists of 2,100 contract farmers.