XLRI Jamshedpur marked a significant milestone with the successful conclusion of the seventh edition of its Social Entrepreneurship Conclave (SEC-7), themed "Tribal Entrepreneurship for Sustainable Transformation." The event, organized by Team SIGMA-oikos, a student committee, and the Centre for Inclusiveness of XLRI Jamshedpur, brought together over 200 individuals, including students, tribal community members, social entrepreneurs, field experts, and faculty.
Retired IAS officer and former Managing Director of TRIFED, Pravir Krishna, delivered the keynote address, emphasizing the importance of building a tribal enterprise strategy for India's development. He shed light on initiatives like MSP for forest produce, Van Dhan Yojana, and Retail & Marketing, stressing the role of collaboration and digital interventions in scaling them up.
The first, moderated by Prof. Sunil Kumar Sarangi, saw esteemed panelists Mr. Pravir Krishna, Mr. Akshay Soni (The/Nudge Institute), Mr. Nitish Kumar Sinha (SPM, JSLPS, Govt. of Jharkhand), and Father Joseph Marianus Kujur (Director, XISS, Ranchi) discuss "Leveraging Government Policy and Corporate Houses for Tribal Entrepreneurship." Key takeaways included the need for micro-gains, way forward lying in facilitation and assistance rather than imposing policies, and an ecosystem respecting tribal values resolve the dissonance between modern development and traditional development.
The second panel showcased successful tribal entrepreneurs: Doman Tudu (Rusicaa Group), Kumar Abhishek Oraon (The Open Fields), Dr. Ruby Gupta (Duosis Bio-innovations), and Mohit Mohan Samad (Ong Apparels), sharing their journeys and strategies for overcoming challenges.
Catalyst - Social Startup Pitch Competition: The conclave also hosted Catalyst, a Social Startup Pitch Competition powered by The/Nudge Institute. The final rounds featured presentations from 25+ teams, judged on idea viability, scalability, clarity, feasibility, and societal impact. Winners received cash prizes and invaluable expert input.
XL-JESEY Awards 2024: The day culminated with the presentation of the inaugural XLRI Jamshedpur Emerging Social Entrepreneur of the Year (XL-JESEY) Awards. Doman Tudu, founder of Rusicaa Trends Pvt Ltd., received the top honor for bridging tribal traditions with mainstream markets. Special mentions were awarded to Manju Meena (Sakhi Shakti Samiti), Zawar, Rajasthan, and Dr. Manisha Oraon (The Open Field), Khunti, for their contributions to tribal empowerment and sustainable development.
Words from XLRI Leadership: Speaking on the occasion, the Director, Dean Academics, and Convenor of the Centre for Inclusiveness, Prof. Saurav Snehvrat, reaffirmed XLRI Jamshedpur’s commitment to building a more inclusive and prosperous India. This successful conclave underscores XLRI’s dedication to fostering impactful social change through entrepreneurship and empowering tribal communities toward a sustainable future.