A promising youth who started his journey in the corporate world more than 15 years ago readily bartered his corporate life for a rather difficult terrain that focused on social development. Mr. Atul Satija, the founder and CEO of The/Nudge Foundation, has been honored as one of the “India CSR Top 10 Impact Leaders of India” during the “India CSR Leadership Summit – 2021”. Through his incessant actions and a concrete vision to transform the situations of the marginalized groups across societies, this leader is busy changing the poverty scene of the country since 2015. In just a matter of five years, Mr. Satija has already developed a complex process wherein innumerable big-wigs have come forward to aid and support the grand vision of this changemaker.

Unemployed, unemployable and underemployed segments especially amongst the youth gave the founder of The/ Nudge Foundation, a starting point to create the Skill Development Centre, right at the initial stages of his organization. He created such skill development centres for the benefit of the youth from the marginalized and underprivileged segments, teaching them English, computers and soft skills to match up the industry requirements. As a matter of fact, The /Nudge Centre for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship is the first institution dedicated to creating a thriving skilling ecosystem that is able to deliver on the employment aspirations of India’s youth in order to evolve a life-long learning for them.

“Unless you collaborate there is no way you can solve the problems at the rate at which they are in India,” says Mr. Satija. The/Nudge has leveraged partnerships to its fullest. Right from having knowledge partners, technology partners, corporate partners, industry partners, academic partners as well as government and non-government partnerships and collaborations. Consequently, the foundation makes its presence even in those states or areas of work where the physical presence of The/Nudge is yet to establish. The need to find meaning and purpose in the organization is thus fulfilled on a daily basis.

The current skilling ecosystems that still faces gaps in meeting expectations of students and industry alike, Skilling Gurukuls, non-residential skilling programmes, devised by The/Nudge post COVID lockdown scenario are providing livelihood skills while not taking away the learnability factor, stressing upon areas like learning outcomes that lead to placement linkages and retention in jobs. The Future Perfect Programme plans to ready the students for the service sector jobs.

The/Nudge Incubator, which is their impact stream named Centre for Social Innovation, is an initiative of The/Nudge Foundation under the non-profit scheme. An initiative that welcomes the social sector start-ups, ready to invest in innovative practices along with a philanthropic outlook are welcome to this initiative to be incubated and deliver disproportionate impact. Moreover, those entrepreneurs who are slightly mature in their businesses are nudged and nurtured to work on India’s most critical challenges are fostered in the foundation’s The Nudge Accelerator programme.

 “Talent and capital will have to leverage technology and policy,” says the founder Mr. Satija, while showing complete conviction in his zeal on the road to poverty alleviation in a sustained fashion.

Atul is also Founder 2.0 and CEO of GiveIndia, which had a noteworthy covid relief drive. The contribution of Rs 220cr via non-profit's India Covid Response Fund (ICRF) ICRF collective that comprised corporates, foundations, digital platforms, government bodies, philanthropists, high net worth individuals, and citizens at large defined the importance of social sector to arrange for funds for a good cause.

Mr Satija and The /Nudge Foundation have nudged and prompted innumerable individuals and organisations already with the founder’s passionate and zealous efforts towards sustainably alleviation of poverty in our country. Interestingly, the name appropriately matches up too - towards fostering, encouraging and inspiring many more - in all times to come.

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Impact-Story is a series on development and CSR interventions leading to some impacts on the ground. If you have a project, innovation or intervention that has changed the lives of a few people or a community, please share a brief note at shilpi@csrbox.org. Our Team will get back to you after validating the information for a detailed coverage.