Harish Hande | |
|---|---|
 Hande at theWorld Economic Forum India Economic Summit in 2011 | |
| Born | |
| Alma mater | IIT Kharagpur University of Massachusetts Lowell |
| Occupation | Social entrepreneur |
| Awards | Ramon Magsaysay Award 2011 |
Harish Hande (born Handerto Harish Hande) is an Indiansocial entrepreneur, who co-foundedSELCOIndia in 1995.[1]
He was awarded with theRamon Magsaysay Award for 2011 for "his pragmatic efforts to put solar power technology in the hands of the poor, through his social enterpriseSELCO India".[2]
He was born in Handattu,Udupi District,Karnataka, and raised inRourkela,Orissa, India.[3]
After completing his basic schooling inOrissa inIspat English Medium School, he went toIIT Kharagpur for hisundergraduate studies inenergy engineering and graduated in 1990.[4][5]
He then went to theUnited States to do hismaster's degree and later PhD in energy engineering at theUniversity of Massachusetts Lowell.[5][6]
Hande co-foundedSELCO INDIA (in 1995), asocial enterprise, to eradicate poverty by promotingsustainable technologies in rural India.
SELCO India is asocial enterprise that providessustainable energy services to the poor in India.[7] Hande left the active management ofSELCO India in 2014 and became theCEO ofSELCO Foundation.[8]
SELCO India under the leadership ofHande has won theAshden Award forSustainable Energy 2005 and Accenture Economic Development Award for 2005.[9]
In 2007,SELCO INDIA again won theAshden Award, this time for "Outstanding Achievement" in energy sector.[10] The award was presented byAl Gore, former vice president of theUnited States of America.
Hande was named theSocial Entrepreneur of the Year 2007 by theSchwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship[5][11] and theNand & Jeet Khemka Foundation.
In 2008, Hande was chosen byBusiness Today as one of the "21 young leaders for India’s 21st century".[5] Later, in June 2008,India Today named him one of the 50 pioneers of change in India.[12] He was elected anAshoka Fellow in 2008.
In 2011 he was awarded theMagsaysay Award for "his passionate and pragmatic efforts to put solar power technology in the hands of the poor, through a social enterprise that brings customized, affordable, and sustainable electricity to India’s vast rural populace, encouraging the poor to become asset creators.”.[13][14]
Hande was also awarded theKarnatakaRajyotsava Prashasti in 2011 by the Government ofKarnataka.[15][16]
In 2013 the trustees ofUniversity of Massachusetts awarded him theDoctorate of Humane Letters.[16][17]
In 2014IIT Kharagpur conferred upon him the distinguished alumnus award.[18]
