Four Indians among 50 shortlisted for Commonwealth Youth Awards

London, July 29

Four Indian young leaders are among 50 social entrepreneurs, environmental champions, innovators and human rights activists from across the Commonwealth nations shortlisted for this year’s Youth Awards.

Young Achievers

• Akshay Makar: CEO of Climatenza Solar, a mission-focused company that is working to decarbonise the industrial sector
• Soumya Dabriwal: Development practitioner and an economics graduate from the University of Warwick
• Kaushal Shetty: Co-founder and CEO of Nostos Homes, a non-profit organisation that builds sustainable emergency shelters for people displaced by natural disasters
• Shrutika Silswal: Head of programmes at the Simple Education Foundation in Uttarakhand, an organisation that supports government schoolchildren

The young people, aged between 15 and 29, are all involved in initiatives that make tangible contributions to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

From India, Akshay Makar has been shortlisted under SDG13 Climate Action, Soumya Dabriwal SDG5 Gender Equality, Kaushal Shetty SDG11 Sustainable Cities and Communities, and Shrutika Silswal SDG4 Quality Education.

“Each year, I am always amazed by the innovative and transformative work these young people are undertaking to create a better world for us all,” said Baroness Patricia Scotland, Commonwealth Secretary-General.

“I am particularly proud that 50 young leaders are being honoured in this Commonwealth Year of the Youth. I have always been of the view that development should be youth-led. Those who have been shortlisted prove that young people are not just passive bystanders, waiting to see what the future will bring. Instead, they are actively shaping it,” she said.

Akshay Makar is the CEO of Climatenza Solar, a mission-focused company that is working to decarbonise the industrial sector and the company is working with leading global companies like Coca-Cola, Tata Group and Unilever to decarbonise their industrial heat where they are implementing 23MW to cut 37,430 tons of carbon emissions.

Soumya Dabriwal is a development practitioner and an Economics Graduate from the University

of Warwick.

Kaushal Shetty is the co-founder and CEO of Nostos Homes, a non-profit organisation that builds sustainable emergency shelters for people displaced by natural disasters.

Shrutika Silswal is a Dalai Lama Fellow, and the head of programmes at the Simple Education Foundation in Uttarakhand, an organisation that supports more than 200 government schoolchildren across five schools by delivering contextual and sustainable school transformation programmes.