Mrs. Rama Devi Kanneganti, President, Association of Lady Entrepreneurs of India delivered the 8th lecture of the V. G. Patel Memorial Lecture Series on the Topic – From Local Strength to National Prosperity
The event also witnessed the presence of Shri Mahesh Savani, Chairperson, P. P. Savani Group
EDII lost its founder Padma Shri Dr. V.G. 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. Every year, this day is devoted to discourse on a topic related to Entrepreneurship and its relevance in the Indian context.
Dr. Sunil Shukla, Director General, EDII recalled Dr. Patel’s exceptional contribution to establishing entrepreneurship as a structured and learnable science and delineated the discipline’s contribution in the social and economic wellbeing of the country. He said, “Entrepreneurship has come a long way and has been recognized as an engine of growth. The country is progressively instituting measures to create a conducive start up ecosystem through amiable policy machinery and the amalgamation of government, industry and academia. In all this, EDII shoulders the vast responsibility of nurturing entrepreneurs and their inventive spirit through outcome-oriented initiatives with the support of academia, Government and Corporates.”
Speaking on the Topic –‘From Local Strength to National Prosperity’, distinguished speaker, Ms. Rama Devi said, “India today stands at a very important point in its economic journey. With a strong domestic market, rapid growth in the digital economy, a vibrant startup ecosystem and a young population, we have the foundations to create the next phase of growth. Our domestic market itself is a tremendous strength. At the same time, initiatives such as Make in India, Startup India and Digital India are creating new opportunities for entrepreneurs to innovate, formalize and scale. Digital platforms are enabling even small businesses from villages and towns to access customers across the country and increasingly global markets. India’s economy is already around $3.9 trillion, and the country is moving towards becoming the world’s third-largest economy. If we sustain strong growth and combine our domestic strength with manufacturing, digitalisation, innovation and exports, the opportunity ahead is enormous. Projections and long-term aspirations indicate the possibility of India moving towards a $10–12 trillion economy over the next decade or so.”
Distinguished Guest Shri Mahesh Savani, awarded the participants and also addressed the gathering. He said, “Entrepreneurship brings the best out of a person. It helps create wealth, which can be constructively used for progress of society. Every entrepreneur must be conscious about giving back to society. A continuous cycle of impact can easily be created if every successful entrepreneur mindfully decides to care for society in his or her own way. Even a small effort , over a period of time, leads to a mega impact. So, I would say, an entrepreneur must keep innovating to excel and must also simultaneously watch out for gaps in society where he/she can contribute meaningfully. Only such an approach can create a permanent legacy. I congratulate EDII for creating entrepreneurs with the right values and ethics.”
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Dr. V.G. Patel National Memorial Awards for Entrepreneurship Trainer/Educator/Mentor 2025.
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 honour 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. This year 532 nominations were received, representing 18 countries, 25 Indian States and 302 institutions. The award comprises a citation and cash prize. The Selection Committee comprised:
- Dr. Sunil Shukla – Director General, EDII Ahmedabad
- Mr. Rajiv Vastupal – Group Chairman & Managing Director, Rajiv Petrochemicals Pvt. Ltd.
- Dr. Rajul Gajjar – Former Vice Chancellor, Gujarat Technological University
- Dr. Satya Ranjan Acharya – Professor & Director- Dept of Entrepreneurship Education, EDII Ahmedabad
- Mr. S. B. Sareen – Former Director, Dept of Government Projects, EDII Ahmedabad & Special Invitee
- Mr. Ulhas Upendra Bhale – Dr. V G Patel Memorial Award Winner 2025
The Winners of 2026 are
Traditional/Conventional Entrepreneurship Category
Dr. Pradeep Srivastava
Professor, IIT Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi
Dr. Pradeep Srivastava is a senior academician, researcher and entrepreneurship mentor with over 33 years of experience in entrepreneurship, innovation and technology development. He has 200+ research publications, 15 patents and 4 books to his credit. He has mentored 20+ startups, trained 1,000+ startups and faculty members, and contributed to 20+ Government of India policy papers, including the Action Agenda for Atmanirbhart Bharat and Technology Vision 2047.
New-Age Entrepreneurship Category
Mr. Balram Sankaran
Mr. Balram Sankaran is Scientist-G (Senior Grade) at Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences & Technology, Trivandrum, with over 20 years of experience in research, technology transfer and commercialisation.He has facilitated commercialisation of 50+ medical devices to MSMEs and startups and has helped establish TIMED, a Technology Business Incubator focused on medical devices and biomaterials. TIMED has nurtured 100+ deep-tech healthcare startups and innovators and has facilitated 25+ patents.
Social Entrepreneurship Category
Mrs. Rama Devi Kanneganti
Mrs. Rama Devi Kanneganti, Founder and President of the Association of Lady Entrepreneurs of India (ALEAP), has dedicated over three decades to women entrepreneurship and socio-economic development. Since establishing ALEAP in 1993, she has built a strong ecosystem supporting women entrepreneurs through training, mentorship and innovative programmes. Her work has impacted 350,000+ women, created 55,000+ livelihoods, and supported the development of women-focused Green Industrial Parks and social entrepreneurship initiatives.
Certificates of Appreciation were awarded to
Dr. K. S. Chandrasekar, Vice Chancellor, Cluster University of Jammu
(Traditional/Conventional Entrepreneurship Category)
Dr. Ramanan Ramanathan, Governing Board Member, India AI Mission, MeitY, Former Mission Director, Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) and former Additional Secretary, NITI Aayog
(New-Age Entrepreneurship Category)
Dr. Nilesh Priyadarshi, Founder & CEO of Kaarigar Clinic, Ahmedabad
(Social Entrepreneurship Category)
