Celebrating the untiring efforts of organizations that enable Karachi to function all year round and give it its signature ethos, Pakistan’s largest private electric supply company, K-Electric (KE) announced 34 winners across 13 different categories at the first edition of the KHI Awards. The winning organizations spanned a broad spectrum of categories, from Education to Public Health, Uplifting Communities, Inclusion, Livelihoods & Vocational Training, Heritage & Culture to Digital Accessibility & Financial Inclusion, as well as Sports and Women Empowerment. The winners were announced at a privately held ceremony with limited attendance on Saturday, April 03, 2021.
KE’s KHI Awards aim to recognize the unyielding power of all such organizations that have contributed towards the sustainable development of Karachi and adjoining areas where KE has a footprint, driving Karachi to become the Urbs Prima of Pakistan.
Commenting on the Awards via a video message, Governor Sindh Imran Ismail said, “The participants and winners of these awards are an integral part of the state, as they support the government in its efforts to help the people of the city across a number of different fields including education, public health, and sustainability. I appreciate KE’s step to recognize the efforts of these NGOs and I am sure that it will be a catalyst towards bigger plans. The process was conducted with utmost transparency and impartiality, and all organizations were evaluated on their performance alone.”
Speaking on the occasion, CEO K-Electric Moonis Alvi said “KE is excited to bring the inaugural edition of the KHI Awards. Our relationship with the city extends over 107 years, and we are embedded in the fabric of Karachi. It is heartening to see so many competent and passionate organizations working at the forefront to uplift the city. These awards are KE’s humble effort to acknowledge their dedication, and are proud to extend our support in their ongoing efforts. KE is also grateful to the jury members who volunteered their time and expertise, as well as our audit partners who ensured credibility and transparency in the evaluating process.”
A diverse jury of experts – lead by Saad Amanullah Khan, founder and current President of #IAMKARACHI – evaluated the proposals for the KHI awards based on the impact of their initiatives developed and executed for Karachi or its adjoining areas within Sindh and Balochistan. All winners were chosen based on their performance, contributions, and the impact of their plans for the benefit of society which are in various stages of execution. EY Ford Rhodes Chartered Accountants, a member firm of Ernst & Young Global Limited were the Official Award Auditors and monitored the end to end process of shortlisting and jury process against the defined parameters developed by K-Electric.
Saad Amanullah, chair of the KHI Awards Jury, also appreciated the efforts of the winners, saying “We had an overwhelming number of entries to choose from for our first edition. The winners have been instrumental in making a tremendous impact on the city, and their total asset base stands at over PKR 54 billion, which is the welfare investment these organizations are making to drive progress in Pakistan and it’s largest metropolitan city. KE’s decision to honor these organizations and empower them on their journey is commendable.”
The ceremony was organized at KE’s headquarters, in strict compliance with safety SOPs. Attendance was limited to the leads of the award-winning organizations and key KE team members. All winners were given specified individual slots to prevent crowding at the venue. Celebrity guests Sidra Iqbal and Dino Ali hosted the event and the awards were presented while maintaining social distancing protocols.
Each winner was selected for the efficacy of its project and the manner in which it was executed during the agreed time and within the allocated budgets. The selected organizations perfectly demonstrate the best practice examples of urban innovation in the city and focus was given to the use of technology and mobile solutions.
The 34 winners include well-loved Karachi behemoths as well as up and coming organizations whose efforts continue to improve the lives of the citizens of Karachi. Recipients included the Marie Adelaide Leprosy Centre, which has worked decades for the betterment and inclusion of leprosy patients, and organizations such as the Kiran Foundation, and The Citizen’s Foundation who work for economic empowerment for women in need. Similarly, Hunar Foundation was also recognized for its efforts to provide vocational training for the promotion of small business creation. Winners have been awarded their prize in the form of electricity bill rebate, ranging from PKR 250,000 to 5 Million.
