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Home • CSR • Bhagwan Mahaveer Foundation
Across India, many individuals and institutions work quietly and continuously for the poor, underprivileged, marginalised communities and voiceless animals. They often work with limited resources and face many difficulties, yet continue their service without expecting recognition.
Bhagwan Mahaveer Foundation was established to recognise such people and organisations, bring their work to public attention and encourage others to take up social service. The Foundation believes that genuine service should be acknowledged and that recognition can motivate individuals and institutions to continue and expand their work.
The idea was driven by Shri Sugalchand Jain and a group of like-minded friends who believed that India’s many unsung social workers and institutions deserved encouragement and recognition.
The objective was not only to honour their work but also to inspire others to contribute to society. The Foundation focuses particularly on services benefiting people who are poor, weak, disadvantaged or otherwise unable to access essential opportunities and services.
The Bhagwan Mahaveer Foundation was established in 1994 as a public charitable trust.
The Foundation was created to recognise individuals and institutions serving economically and socially disadvantaged communities and voiceless animals. It instituted the Mahaveer Awards in 1995 as an annual recognition of selfless service.
The Foundation receives nominations from across India and follows a structured process of shortlisting, field visits and evaluation before selecting the awardees.
The first Mahaveer Award was presented in 1995. The Awards recognise individuals and institutions providing sustained and selfless service to the needy and promoting values associated with Bhagwan Mahaveer. Since inception, the Foundation has received thousands of nominations from across India.
The Awards cover four fields:
Each Award consists of a cash component of ₹10 lakh, a Memento and a Citation.
This Award promotes the principle of Ahimsa, one of the central teachings of Bhagwan Mahaveer.
It recognises individuals and institutions that practise and promote non-violence, compassion, respect for all living beings and vegetarianism.
The Award encourages people to avoid violence in all forms and develop greater respect for life.
Education provides the foundation for individual development, social progress and economic opportunity.
This Award recognises individuals and institutions providing selfless educational services, particularly to poor, rural, underprivileged and disadvantaged communities.
It encourages efforts that provide children and adults with access to education and help them build better lives.
Good health is essential for a dignified and productive life. Many poor and rural communities continue to have limited access to medical care.
This Award recognises individuals and institutions providing medical treatment, healthcare and related services to poor, needy and rural communities.
It encourages continued humanitarian service in healthcare.
Many individuals and institutions work to improve the lives of disadvantaged and marginalised people.
This Award recognises services that provide support, dignity, skills, opportunities and hope to people facing poverty and social disadvantage.
It honours those who work to reduce suffering, empower vulnerable communities and help people become more self-reliant.
Nominations are invited from across the country with the support of district administrators, legislators, bureaucrats, educationists, media, social workers, parliamentarians and other eminent persons.
The nominations are examined by the Shortlisting Committee, which prepares a shortlist. Members of the shortlisted organisations and individuals are then visited to verify their work, understand their activities and assess the actual impact of their services.
The shortlisted nominations and field-visit reports are placed before the Selection Jury, which evaluates the candidates and selects the awardees.
The Awards are presented at formal functions by eminent personalities, including the President and Vice President of India, Governors, Chief Ministers and Ministers.
The Awards are presented in formal functions by eminent persons of our nation like the President of India, Vice President of India, Governors, Chief Minister and other Ministers and other well known personalities. 28 Mahaveer Award Functions have been completed, and 96 individuals and institutions from 24 States and 2 Union Territories have been honoured so far.
The following are the Chief Guests of previous Mahaveer Award Functions.
| Award | Year | Chief Guest | Designation |
|---|---|---|---|
| 27th & 28th | 2025 | Shri Mansukh Mandaviya | Cabinet Minister, Labour & Employment; Youth Affairs & Sports |
| 26th | 2023 | Shri R. N. Ravi | Governor of Tamil Nadu |
| 25th | 2022 | Shri Kalraj Mishra | Governor of Rajasthan |
| 24th | 2022 | Shri Om Birla | Speaker of Lok Sabha |
| 22nd & 23rd | 2021 | Shri Banwarilal Purohit | Governor of Tamil Nadu |
| 21st | 2018 | Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu | Vice President of India |
| 20th | 2017 | Shri Subramanian Swamy | Member of Rajya Sabha |
| 19th | 2016 | Shri S. Gurumurthy | Part-time Director of RBI, Editor of Thuglak |
| 18th | 2015 | Shri Thaawarchand Gehlot | Union Minister for Social Justice & Empowerment |
| 17th | 2015 | Dr. S. S. Badrinath | Chairman Emeritus, Sankara Nethralaya |
| 16th | 2013 | Shri M. Hamid Ansari | Vice President of India |
| 15th | 2012 | Shri K. Rosaiah | Governor of Tamil Nadu |
| 14th | 2011 | Shri M. K. Narayanan | Governor of West Bengal |
| 13th | 2010 | Prof. M. S. Swaminathan | MP & Chairman, MSSRF |
| 11th & 12th | 2008 | Smt. Pratibha Patil | President of India |
| 10th | 2006 | Shri T. N. Chaturvedi | Governor of Karnataka |
| 9th | 2005 | Shri Surjeet Singh Barnala | Governor of Tamil Nadu |
| 7th & 8th | 2003 | Shri K. R. Malkani | Lt. Governor of Pondicherry |
| 6th | 2000 | Shri P. T. R. Palanivelrajan | Speaker, Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly |
| 5th | 1999 | Dr. M. Karunanidhi | Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu |
| 4th | 1998 | Shri Krishan Kant | Vice President of India |
| 3rd | 1997 | Shri Karan Singh | Member of Rajya Sabha |
| 2nd | 1996 | Shri C. Subramaniam | Former Governor of Maharashtra |
| 1st | 1995 | Shri K. R. Narayanan | President of India |
Recognising the importance of acquainting young minds with the timeless message of peace, non-violence, and harmonious co-existence propagated by Bhagwan Mahaveer, the Bhagwan Mahaveer Foundation instituted the “Mahaveer Award for Essays” in 2016.
This annual essay competition is conducted in both Tamil and English for school and college students on the topic “Life and Teachings of Bhagwan Mahaveer.” The initiative aims to inspire youth to reflect upon and imbibe the values of compassion, ethical living, and universal brotherhood.
So far 8 Essay competitions have been conducted and 125338 students have participated in the competitions. Cash prizes ranging from Rs.1000 to Rs.15000 are given to students. The Foundation provides reference books to the students. All participants are given Participation Certificates.
The Bhagwan Mahaveer Foundation instituted the Dr. Nemichand Jain Memorial Award to recognize outstanding, published and unpublished books authored in either Hindi or English that promote the teachings of Bhagwan Mahaveer.
The books may draw on the teachings of Bhagwan Mahaveer and highlight themes like Health and hygiene, Benefits of vegetarianism, Non-violence, Prevention of cruelty to animals, Safeguarding ecology, trees, forests, animals, and the environment etc.
The Dr. Nemichand Jain Memorial Award carries a cash prize of ₹2,00,000, a citation and a memento.
The aim of this award is to disseminate the teachings of Bhagwan Mahaveer, which are highly relevant in today’s world. Many authors are contributing valuable work on these topics, benefiting society at large.
For more details please visit www.bmfawards.org