New Delhi, Nov 25: Caritas India is one among twenty reputed innovative organizations that received the Millennium Alliance award Round two for innovation from Honorable Transport Minister Nitin Gadkare at an award function held at the Hotel Lalit today.

The award worth 1.5 Cr. comes to Caritas for her out of the box concept that aims to promote education and learning opportunities for 3-19 years old girl children among the marginalized community of Mushahars in 12 districts of Bihar.

Speaking to the gathering of innovators, Minister Gadkare felicitated the awardees saying Knowledge is power and converting knowledge into wealth is a challenge in India. The solution lies in innovation.

Citing a number of profit making ventures from across India and abroad, the minister defined innovation as converting waste into wealth with help of technology.

In a video interview immediately after the function, Executive Director Fr. Frederick D’Souza who received the award on behalf of Caritas India said This award has made us feel proud because for last fifty three years, we have been working with the down trodden…and this award is recognition of our work and we hope to bring more such initiatives to the poor and the marginalized people like the Mushahars in India.

Citing Caritas India s own animation process and style as the USP of the awarded concept christened as Hamari Pathshala, Fr. D Souza said, we (Caritas) do not go for structures but create leadership, innovation and space for poor people and that is what we are pleased to do in this program

Innovation is combination of both, being in a community being in a competitive environment explained Caritas’s innovator Vinod Pandey. He said that being in a competitive environment brings in professionalism and being with communities, inspires to think differently.

As per Census 2011, India s literacy rate stands at seventy four percent and Bihar ranks last at fifty four percent with lowest attendance rate among SC and Non SCs especially the girls. Caritas collective action for Education in the next 18-36 months would enroll girl-children between age 3-6 to ICDS centers for early childhood education. Drop out girls in the age group of 7-19 years would be grouped into clusters of informal school platform called Hamari Pathshala