City institutes to fund students' social projects

PUNE: Aimed at nurturing ideas of students studying across colleges in the city and at giving them a chance to bring them to reality, the College of Engineering Pune (COEP) has started a special initiative called Ignited Innovators of India' (I2India). As many as 300 social projects' by students will be funded under this initiative.
The programme will be inaugurated at a function at the COEP Auditorium on September 28.The COEP, the Bhau Institute of Innovation Entrepreneurship & Leadership and Friends Union For Energizing Lives (FUEL), an NGO, are working together in this endeavour.
"The programme is unique because of its simplicity and freedom. Students just have to propose an idea with a plan and start implementing their projects," Gantavya Sharma, a student and ambassador of the initiative said. "Students in Pune will get a chance to implement social projects of their choice. This initiative will not only encourage young entrepreneurs, but will also instill leadership skills in students to solve problems facing the city."
I2India will be a team effort, where teams comprising 4-5 members will identify a social problem, come up with a solution and submit their proposal on how to implement it in a way most beneficial to the society. Teams willing to work on their projects will be selected to be a part of this initiative.
"This will give them an opportunity to bring about small yet significant changes in the world around them and also to evaluate themselves as social entrepreneurs. Bhau Institute will support the projects with seed money, mentorship and networking opportunities," said Narendra Kale, one of the founders of Bhau Institute. 100 projects will be funded in the first phase and 200 in the second. A budget of Rs 5 lakh has been prepared to start the initiative.
According to Kale, any project which has a social significance can qualify for this programme. "The projects can aim at making a difference to the society in all possible ways, right from organising parking lots in their colleges, building a database of autorickshaw drivers, promoting hygiene in college canteens, etc."
Anand Khandekar, chief mentor, FUEL said, "Our long-term vision in the movement is to develop mainstream, socially-conscious entrepreneurs with a will to generate employment, money, along with significant social benefit."
Highlighting the support that a student will get, A D Sahasrabudhe, director, COEP said, "We will provide all the selected participants with guidance from mainstream social entrepreneurs. We will provide each participating team with opportunities and networking to generate sponsorship for their projects."