- Aravind Eye Care System:
With time-saving and cost-cutting measures and a business model that lets the poor pay little to nothing, the 2008 Gates for Global Health award recipient has been instrumental in lowering blindness rates in India’s rural areas. - Bharti Airtel: The telecom company won two World Communication Awards last year for services aiming to improve rural life — such as free voice messages with weather updates and other crucial info for farmers.
- Narayana Hrudayalaya: The hospital performs more than 20 heart surgeries a day at low cost and high quality — including the first artificial heart implant in Asia, last April.
- MeritTrac Services: The HR-assessment firm’s programs provide high-tech education and testing of employees and job candidates for an impressively expanding array of clients: Google, Honeywell, HP, IBM, Microsoft.
- Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories: Among the new products from the first non-Japanese Asian pharmaceutical company to be listed on the New York Stock Exchange is a generic version of the migraine medication Imitrex.
- Infosys: One of India’s top IT outsourcing firms, Infosys maintained its status with deals like a five-year multimillion-dollar contract to provide services to AstraZeneca.
- Comat Technologies:
The social enterprise partnered with satellite provider Hughes India to provide 10,000 broadband satellite terminals in rural areas, making vital citizen records more accessible in underserved areas. - Wipro: In 2008, the IT provider launched Wipro HIS Lite — a pay-per-use system that helps small medical facilities efficiently manage patient data.
- Tata Group: There were delays building its $2,500 Nano car, but the conglomerate’s auto business launched redesigns and boosted sales for Jaguar after it acquired the luxury brand from Ford.
- UB Group: The parent group of Kingfisher Beer and Kingfisher Airlines saw a fruitful year, developing a diet whiskey and flying its inaugural international flight.
