Rashid Kidwai innovation in sanitation award

The Rashid Kidwai innovation in sanitation award (RAKIS) conceived by India Sanitation Coalition (ISC) at FICCI along with its partners, Digital Impact Square (DISQ) and Society for Innovation & Entrepreneurship (SINE), IIT BOMBAY propose to address some of the challenges in the sanitation space by creating an exclusive platform for private sector sponsors to dialogue with and support entrepreneurs wanting to innovate in this sector and ensuring over the coming years that there is a steady pipeline of different innovations - technology or process driven - being commercialised, and made sustainable and accessible to all levels of the society, both in urban and rural areas.

RAKIS AWARDS FOR WASH START-UPS

India Sanitation Coalition (ISC) at FICCI announces the inaugural edition of the Rashid Kidwai Innovation Awards in Sanitation to encourage all entrepreneurs interested in supporting the government's Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM) agenda, thereby providing innovative solutions— both management and process-driven as well as technology-based—to resolve challenges around Water and Sanitation space.

Two awards to be granted this year:

Category 1:

The First award shall be sponsored by DISQ to encourage innovators and early-stage (pre-revenue) start-ups who may have detailed conceptual idea / early prototype / MVP using digital technologies (such as IoT, Mobile/ Web, AI / ML, Sensors etc.), that aims to innovatively deliver solutions for addressing any one of the following challenges:

Safe collection, transport and disposal of Faecal Sludge from its source to a treatment plant.
Solution for vandalism and cleanliness in Community and Public toilets.
Solid Waste Management - collection, sorting, segregation and treatment.
Efficient Monitoring and Evaluation systems for improving the quality of sanitation services.

The awardees will have an incubation period of 18 months with DISQ who will support, train, and assist them in developing their idea to prototype.

Category 2:

The Second award shall be for Start-ups and innovators who have a demonstrable prototype ready to be launched in the market, that aims to innovatively deliver solutions for addressing any one of the following challenges:

End to end solution for single pit toilets in rural settings of India (address as many problems as possible) – Increasing its longevity, elimination of human contact with faeces while emptying pit, cost-effective alternative for these toilets (keeping in view the space constraints), treatment of faecal sludge.
Solution that addresses the problem of odour in toilets – both for urban and rural settings.

The awardee will get incubator support from SINE for 2 years, sponsored by Mission Pani.

All the shortlists will get a chance to participate in a national-level event where they will give a Ted-style presentation infront of an eminent jury post which the jury would adjudicate the winners.