Mysuru: Embarking on an ambitious mission to empower Indian youth with skill training and employability, the Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship (MSDE) presented National Entrepreneurship Awards (NEA)-2017 on Nov. 9, marking the completion of three glorious years of its inception.

The awards were conferred in the presence of Minister of Finance and Minister of Corporate Affairs Arun Jaitley, Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas and Minister of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship Dharmendra Pradhan, Ambassador of Japan to India Kenji Hiramatsu, Secretary to the MSDE Dr. K.P. Krishnan and MD & CEO, ICICI Bank Ltd. Chanda Kochhar.

The NEA was instituted by MSDE in 2016 to encourage a culture of entrepreneurship across the country.

This year, the second edition of awards were conducted which saw participation from 2,880 applicants out of which 45 were short-listed; and finally, 15 winners across defined categories, were announced and awarded.

Winners were given a cash award of Rs. 5 lakh (enterprises and individuals) and Rs. 10 lakh (organisations/ institutes) along with a certificate and trophy recognising their efforts of being the change agents in India’s development.