One Globe Forum, India’s leading platform for debates, deliberation and discussion on building a 21^st century knowledge economy in India and South Asia, has declared the nominations for its awards as open. Now in its seventh edition, The One Globe Forum will be held on February 9 & 10, in New Delhi and will also recognize skill development and green initiatives in India this year. The last date for submission of applications is January 31, 2018.

For the third year in a row, The One Globe Awards will honor individuals as well as domestic and international companies for their initiatives towards building a 21^st century knowledge economy. The nominations will be judged based on the activities undertaken in India over the past two years (1 October 2016-30 September 2017), which can also be a part of a longer-term strategy.

Harjiv Singh, Founder & CEO, Salwan Media Ventures, says, “The idea behind the One Globe Awards is to provide a global platform which encourages individuals and companies to contribute towards building India as a 21^st century knowledge economy. While we have been recognizing the efforts made in various fields, this year we have decided to introduce two new categories that will facilitate the initiatives taken up towards building a green environment and facilitating skill development.”

With the changing economic environment, it is imperative to focus on advancing the skill sets of the Indian population. This will ensure employment opportunities and entrepreneurial development for the youth of the country.
 
With the dense smog engulfing the capital of India, there is a need for green growth strategies to promote sustainable development.
 
The seven categories for the One Globe Awards 2018 are: 

• One Globe Award for Enabling a Green Environment - For organizations that demonstrate innovative, effective, and creative approaches towards creating a sustainable business or institution
• One Globe Award for Facilitating Skill Development to Build a 21^st Century Knowledge Economy - For outstanding commitment towards training & skill development, effective strategies for skilling of trainees/apprentices, and results which demonstrate the impact of the organization’s skilling strategies
• One Globe Award for Excellence in Enabling a Digital Economy - For an app, website, multimedia channel or any other digital ecosystem that is helping build a knowledge economy. While it can have an offline component, the predominant focus should be on leveraging digital technologies to create impact 
• One Globe Award for Excellence in Research and Development - For R&D initiatives that can help transform India into a global manufacturing hub
• One Globe Award for Smart Cities to build a 21^st Century Knowledge Economy - For initiatives that have made Indian cities smarter by improving efficiency, quality of life, introducing citizen centric solutions etc.
• One Globe Award for Entrepreneurship to build a 21^st Century Knowledge Economy - For entrepreneurial ventures that have contributed towards building a 21^st century knowledge economy
• One Globe Award for Social Impact to build a 21^st Century Knowledge Economy - For social initiative by a social enterprise or organization in fields such as healthcare, skill development or any other which has contributed towards building a 21^st century knowledge economy

Some of the past winners at the One Globe Awards include ISRO for Excellence in Research and Development; the state of Maharashtra for Excellence in Enabling a Smart State; Nagpur Municipal Corporation for Smart Cities; Tech Mahindra for Excellence in Digital Economy; Power Finance Corporation for Mobile Innovation; Uttar Pradesh Police Mahila Samman Prakoshth for Social Empowerment and Shalabh Kumar, Chicago-based American-Indian industrialist and philanthropist for Excellence in Entrepreneurship.