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IndiaMART wins Mahatma Award 2026 for education-focused CSR initiatives
B2B marketplace has supported 60+ schools and reached over 10 lakh students
NEW DELHI: IndiaMART has been honoured with the Mahatma Award 2026 for its corporate social responsibility initiatives focused on education, skill development and rural school infrastructure.
The recognition was presented at a ceremony held on 1 October at the India International Centre in New Delhi. The Mahatma Award recognises organisations working around principles associated with Mahatma Gandhi, including trusteeship, equality, truth and social justice.
IndiaMART’s CSR initiatives are anchored by its “Leaving No Dreams Behind” vision, with programmes aimed at improving access to education and creating opportunities for students in underserved communities.
As part of its efforts, IndiaMART has supported more than 60 schools in Bahraich, Uttar Pradesh, improving learning environments for over 26,000 students. In Karnataka’s MM Hills region, its education initiatives have reached more than 6,000 children across 44 schools and 19 kindergartens, with support including computer centres, scholarships and learning resources.
Through its partnership with Khan Academy, IndiaMART has enabled regional-language, technology-led learning for more than 96,000 students across Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayas and social welfare schools in Uttar Pradesh.
The company’s skill development and entrepreneurship initiatives, in partnership with Udhyam Learning Foundation, have reached 10 lakh students across more than 1,900 schools. The programmes have also trained over 2,000 teachers, while Startup Stormers has engaged 1,46,580 students.
IndiaMART co-founder Brijesh Agrawal said education remains central to creating equal opportunities and that a child’s background should not determine the limits of their ambition.
“Talent and ambition are distributed far more equally than opportunities. And education is the strongest foundation of equal opportunity,” Agrawal said.
The Mahatma Award is supported by the Aditya Birla Group and instituted by philanthropist Amit Sachdeva. It recognises organisations and individuals across areas including social responsibility, sustainability, environment, social service and public affairs.
IndiaMART said its CSR programmes are aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. The company also uses field visits, partner reports and internal evaluations to track the effectiveness and sustainability of its interventions.
Its CSR team works with students, teachers, parents, local communities, NGO partners and government officials, while implementing partners submit periodic progress and fund-utilisation reports. IndiaMART’s internal assessments track longer-term outcomes including school retention, career opportunities and household incomes.
