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Hindustan Times
2 days ago
- Business
- Hindustan Times
5 Indians on Global Student Prize 2025 top 50 shortlist
Five students from India are among the 50 finalists shortlisted for a prestigious USD 100,000 award for making a real impact on learning and society at large. 5 Indians on Global Student Prize 2025 top 50 shortlist The Global Student Prize 2025 is open to all students who are at least 16 years old and enrolled in an academic institution or training and skills programme. Part-time students and those enrolled in online courses are also eligible. The Indian students shortlisted are Adarsh Kumar and Mannat Samra, students at Jayshree Periwal International School in Jaipur, Dhiraj Gatmane from Secondary and Higher Secondary Kasampura in Maharashtra, Jahaan Arora from The International School Bangalore and Shivansh Gupta at Heritage International Xperiential School in the Delhi NCR region. They were selected from nearly 11,000 nominations and applications from 148 countries. The top 10 finalists of the 2025 prize are expected to be announced next month and the winner later in the year, chosen from that list by a Global Student Prize Academy made up of prominent individuals. 'At Chegg, we're proud to support and celebrate the changemakers who aren't just imagining a better world – they're building it,' said Nathan Schultz, President and CEO of Chegg, Inc. 'From environmental and social justice to education, health, and youth empowerment, this year's Global Student Prize finalists are tackling the world's most pressing challenges with courage and innovation,' he said. Kumar, who discovered coding at an early age, launched Mission Badlao which helped 1,300 families access welfare schemes and his Skillzo platform delivers exposure, mentorship, and programmes in entrepreneurial skills. He has been recognised for his efforts to transform lives through education, entrepreneurship, and impactful policy. Samra, a 17-year-old changemaker from the same Jaipur school, has been shortlisted for leading powerful reforms in criminal justice, refugee education, and environmental innovation. She also co-developed SecureSense, an AI surveillance tool to protect border communities. Raised in the tribal regions of Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Gatmane founded Second Sunrise to help train seniors in digital literacy, build eco-homes and conduct health screenings. If he wins the Global Student Prize, he plans to expand his Tech Pods globally, launch intergenerational augmented reality (AR) heritage trails, and train 50,000 more volunteers. Arora has been shortlisted for his inspiring fundraising drives for HIV positive individuals and ground-breaking youth time-banking platform $ocialCred$ to empower children to clock in hours of community service. Gupta has been picked for his work in the field of gender equality, inclusion and innovation. 'Their story is a powerful reminder that education is a catalyst for solving global challenges. At a time when the world is changing rapidly, investing in education has never been more vital. It's how we prepare the next generation to lead with purpose, think boldly, and shape a better future,' said Sunny Varkey, Founder of the Varkey Foundation. Applications and nominations for this year's Global Student Prize closed on Sunday, with students being assessed on their academic achievement, impact on their peers and how they make a difference in their communities and beyond.
Hans India
30-06-2025
- Business
- Hans India
National Call to Action: Teen Launches Vision 2025 to Transform Accessibility for the Visually Impaired using AI
Bangalore, June 30, 2025: India's Accessibility Conversation Just Changed: Vision 2025 marked an important milestone in the pursuit of inclusive technology for the visually impaired. Conceived and led by 17-year-old innovator Ashwat Prasanna, the Bangalore-based summit brought together technologists, NGO leaders, educators, and disability advocates to confront a systemic gap: how can India empower millions of visually impaired children with tools that are affordable, scalable, and tailored for local context. Uniting a powerful cross-section of voices—ranging from blind education pioneers and national award winners to GenAI experts and nonprofit leaders working on the frontlines of disability inclusion, Vision 2025 witnessed key participants such as Ms. Madhu Singhal, founder of Mitra Jyothi and a veteran in disability rights; Dr. Rajdeep Manwani, a nationally awarded academic and motivational speaker who lost his sight at a young age; Shekhar Naik, Padma Shri awardee & former captain of India's blind cricket team; Mr. Arun Panayappan, Google Cloud's AI lead, who is leading efforts to bring next generation Gen AI for cloud and workspaces and leaders of various NGOs working with visually impaired children. Vision 2025 became a platform for dialogue, collaboration, and impact. The summit directly addressed the challenges of deploying assistive technology in India: language accessibility, integration with existing NGO programs, infrastructure gaps in rural schools, and the need for hyper-localized solutions. Rather than a conventional tech showcase, Ashwat, the brain & heart behind this event, designed a lineup that purposefully blended technical expertise with lived experience—ensuring that innovation stayed grounded in empathy, equity, and practical execution. It also fostered deeper dialogue among stakeholders and catalyzed action. A highlight of the event was the landmark launch of Ashwat's invention: the 'Eyesight' smart glasses. It marked the launch of Eyesight—an AI-powered smart-glass attachment developed by Ashwat Prasanna, a student at The International School Bangalore to support independent navigation and real-time scene understanding for visually impaired users. A year in development and co-designed with blind students in Karnataka, the device is currently in advanced prototype stage and is being field tested with real users. Eyesight retrofits onto standard eyewear, transforming it into an intelligent assistant capable of: ● Describing the visual environment in multiple languages using LLMs ● Reading text and explaining concepts described (e.g. textbooks) ● Providing haptic navigation guidance ● Identifying gestures, currency, and faces ● Issuing emergency alerts and proximity warnings ● Supporting Hindi, Kannada, Tamil & English ● Functioning affordably in low-resource school environments The solution drew strong interest from accessibility experts and school partners for its potential to solve everyday mobility, safety, and learning barriers—especially in underserved communities. Eyesight also received a $3,000 grant from the International Baccalaureate (IBO), recognizing its promise and real-world impact.
