Mumbai, Mar 23: In a landmark convening at the NSE Atrium, BKC, Mumbai, Etherwire.AI, in association with RB Foundation and co-hosted by the NSE Social Stock Exchange, hosted the inaugural Desi Dhaakad Social Impact Awards 2025–26 (DDSIA) a national platform recognizing grassroots women leaders driving transformative change across India.
Bringing together policymakers, institutional leaders, social entrepreneurs, and non-profits & community, the event honored 20 women changemakers across 11 categories, spanning healthcare, education, sustainability, gender equity, financial inclusion, and livelihood generation.
The event was organized with the support of Serum Institute of India, Aditya Birla Group, Duravit, Shoppers Stop, Aspire for Her Foundation, Mentor My Board, Shilpi Thapar & Associates, Billenium Divas Fund, Atlas Skilltech University, Indorient Financial Services Limited, Kohinoor Business School and Kohinoor Management School (KBS KMS).
Dr Harish Ahuja, Head, Sustainability, Power/Carbon Markets, Listing, SSE, NSE said: “India’s Social Stock Exchange represents a significant step towards institutionalizing impact by bringing greater transparency, credibility, and scale to the social sector. It is enabling a shift from traditional giving to a more structured, outcome-driven approach connecting capital with credible social initiatives in a meaningful way. As we move forward, improving access to capital particularly for women-led and grassroots initiatives will be critical to building a more inclusive and resilient growth model for India.
He congratulated the awardees and further said, “Platforms like Desi Dhakkad, combined with collaboration, trust, and innovation, will be key to realising the full potential of India’s social impact ecosystem.”
Roma Balwani, Co-Founder, RB Foundation, added: “Every powerful moment begins with a simple idea. The Desi Dhaakad Social Impact Awards was born from the belief that recognition is not just a form of celebration, but a catalyst for unlocking potential at the grassroots.
We see this platform as an inflection point where many will benefit in the future, especially as we deepen collaboration with the NSE Social Stock Exchange to create more structured pathways for visibility, credibility, and access to capital. RB Foundation remains committed to consistently supporting and strengthening this platform, because initiatives like DDSIA reflect the true spirit of Viksit Bharat powered by the ambition, resilience, and leadership of the women of today.”
Jyoti Rai, Founder, Etherwire.AI, said: “As India advances toward the Viksit Bharat @2047 vision of a developed, inclusive, and self-reliant nation, the government has rightly prioritized women’s empowerment, recognizing that achieving 70% female workforce participation is a cornerstone for equitable and sustainable growth. Getting Support from NSE & NSE SSE and our partners is a testimony of the intent of the platform that bridges this gap bringing visibility, credibility, and pathways to capital for grassroots leaders.”
Smt. Rajyashree Birla, Chairperson, Aditya Birla Centre for Community Initiatives & Rural Development was honored with the DDSIA Social Impact Lifetime Achievement Award 2025-26 for her outstanding contribution & championing large scale women-led initiatives with long-term impact in advancing social change in rural communities pan India.
Ms. Diana Edulji, Padmashri & Arjuna Awardee, former Captain of the Indian Women’s Cricket team was felicitated with the DDSIA Lifetime Legend Award in Sports. 2025-26.
Ms. Kanchan Puri was conferred the DDSIA Cultural Heritage Preservation Award 2025-26 for conservation of heritage monuments, ensuring cultural & architectural legacy of our past continues to inspire future generations.
Ms. Rouble Nagi was conferred the DDSIA Social Upliftment & Inclusive Education Award -2025-26 for her pioneering work using art & creativity to reach underserved communities, making spaces brighter & learning more engaging.
The evening opened with a keynote address by Dr Harish Ahuja, Head, Sustainability, Power/Carbon Markets, Listing, SSE, NSE, who highlighted the evolution of India’s social impact ecosystem and the growing role of market-linked mechanisms in enabling change. This was followed by a fireside chat with Shri Mukund Rajan, who emphasized that while ESG capital is increasingly available, access, clarity, and positioning remain key barriers, particularly for early-stage and impact-driven enterprises.
A defining moment of the evening was the unveiling of Shakti Credits 2047—a research-led initiative on India’s Gender-Carbon Dividend, aligned with the vision of Viksit Bharat 2047. The initiative is led by Sarita Bahl, mentor and board member, Etherwire.Ai and Rajiv Indimath, Principal Investigator with the support of Dr Aditya Srinivas, Project Guide, Kohinoor Business School along with students of MMS & PGDM. Shakti Credits 2047 reflects a fundamental shift in climate action from corporates to households placing women at the centre of climate decision-making. Built on the insight that women influence a significant share of household consumption patterns, the initiative aims to democratize carbon markets by enabling community and household-level participation.
The evening’s highlight was a mesmerizing cultural performance: the first musical release from Etherwires, “NavdurgasTM : Song of Shakti”, performed soulfully by Nityarupam from Varanasi.
This powerful dedication to the National Stock Exchange (NSE) and all impact makers celebrated feminine strength and grassroots empowerment, perfectly echoing the spirit of inclusive progress toward Viksit Bharat @2047.
DDSIA Awards 2025-26
- Royal Rajasthan Foundation – Driving Social Upliftment & Inclusive Education through Sports
- MANN Centre for Individuals with Special Needs – Champions of Nuero Diversity & Inclusive Employment
- Swades Foundation – Scaling Girl’s education & Gender Equity in rural India
- Educate Girls – Pioneering Scalable Finance & Community-Led Solutions for Girl’s Education & Empowerment.
- Aahan Foundation for Societal Change – Championing Safe Spaces, Education & Agency for Tribal Girls.
- Spark-A-Change Foundation – Child Education at grassroot
- Villoo Poonawalla Foundation – Sports Development & Inclusion
- Agarkar Centre for Excellence – Sports Development, Inclusion & grassroot integration
- Mann Deshi Foundation – Financial Inclusion Advocate
- PURE India Trust – Social Enterprise Innovation & Financial Inclusion
- Yuva Mitra – Health & Sanitation Excellence
- Swayam Shikshan Prayog (SSP) Environmental Sustainability
- TISSAR Artisans Trust – Empowerment through Art & Craft Revival
- Samanway R&D Foundation – Innovative Technology Impact for Inclusive digital solutions
- TeamLease Foundation – Driving Future-ready Tech Talent & Skilling Initiatives for societal transformation
Documenting the select 11 stories of impact, Etherwire announced the launch of Chronicles of Social Impact, Animation docudrama book on the inspiring journey of the awardees.
