Four Indian innovators selected for Telenor Youth Forum 2016

Four young and dynamic social innovators - Sharad Vivek Sagar, Omang Agarwal, Paridhi Rustogi and Nandini Maheshwari from India have been short listed for the Telenor Youth Forum 2016.

The four innovators selected by a distinguished jury to compete for the final two will represent the country at #TYF2016 in Oslo, Norway. The four finalists exhibited extreme dedication and passion in chasing their dreams and bringing a positive change in the society by using digital solutions.

Sharad Vivek Sagar, founder and CEO of Dexterity Global is a graduate in International Relations from Tufts University, Medford. Sharad was selected for his initiative to drive “Quality Education”. His innovative social enterprise- Dexterity Global, is empowering the next generation of leaders through educational opportunities. It connect students to world class opportunities with the help of digital media.

Omang Agarwal, a 20-year old Political Science graduate from Delhi University was selected for his ideas around “peace, justice and building strong institutions”. He presented his app “Gufatgu” which would help in building peace between India and Pakistan by connecting youth and others and sharing stories to tackle existing thaw in relations through digital forum.

Paridhi Rustogi, a 21- year old environment engineer from Delhi Technological University was selected for her passion to create awareness on “Clean Water and Sanitation”. She presented her ideas on citizen science project to monitor water quality and infrastructure using mobile phones, at the same time she discussed the idea of gamification and augmented reality to identify and conserving water bodies in cities and target urban dwellers to earn “social karma” or water points.

Nandini Maheshwari, an Applied Psychology graduate from Gargi College, Delhi University was selected for her ideas around providing quality education through her app “AVSAR”. The app includes NCERT lecture/ test/ gamification/google classrooms to help both students and teachers to assess and develop grow knowledge.

The jury comprised of Nils Ragnar Kamsvag, ambassador of Norway to India; Rishi Raj, executive editor, The Financial Express; Anshu Gupta, founder, Goonj; Sharad Mehrotra, CEO, Telenor India; and Quazi Mohammad Shahed, CHRO, Telenor India.

On this occasion, Sharad Mehrotra, CEO, Telenor India said, "Telenor Youth Forum is a platform that seeks young leaders to help transform the world we live in by tackling social challenges through digital solutions. The Forum offers a global stage and opportunities for delegates to present their perspectives on inclusive growth and change, and participate in insightful dialogue.

The finalists have been shortlisted for their innovative and path breaking ideas on topics such as Quality Education, Clean Water & Sanitation, Peace, Justice and Social Institution which are a part of United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. This year's theme for #TYF2016 is "Digitalization for Peace" basis which entries were invited from all over India in August 2016 and the 4 finalists were selected after intense competition and challenging rounds.

The event runs in partnership with the Nobel Peace Centre, and brings together young leaders from Telenor's 13 business units to collaborate as teams around the social challenges.

The selected TYF delegates will commit to the program for one year, over the course of which they will work as a team to create dialogue and engagement around a social challenge. They will work in collaboration across boundaries - real or imagined, physical or mental - with the overall aim to foster understanding, prosperity and ultimately, peace.