Considered to be the most prestigious recognitions in the business domain, the Udaipur Chamber of Commerce and Industry instituted UCCI Excellence Awards is back with its 2020 season.  This award consists of applicants who represent business from Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises, Mid-Corporate and Large Scale Enterprises in Manufacturing and Services sectors in Southern Rajasthan.  In 2018 the participants belonged to 8 districts of Rajasthan, namely Udaipur, Pratapgarh, Sirohi, Chittorgarh, Rajsamand, Banswara, Bhilwara and Dungarpur.  In 2019, four more districts ,viz. Bundi, Kota, Jhalawar and Ajmer joined the check in list.

Scheduled to be held in February 2020, the application process for the award will be commence shortly.  To understand the genesys of the UCCI Excellence Award, we have prepared a good read, so that readers may understand the vision and mission behind the recognition that comes with the award.

Started in 2015, the UCCI Excellence Awards have gained a reputation as a serious and credible platform for recognising good work done by businesses thus contributing to the economy of Southern Rajasthan. In the third year of the awards, the committee took upon itself the challenge of developing a vision for the awards.

"At UCCI, we want to measure and recognise excellence within our business community to build an environment where we learn, share and inspire each other for enduring growth" - Nandita Singhal, Chairperson, UCCI Excellence Awards Committee.

Through this recognition, the body measures key performance indicators that reflect business performance and potential. In addition, as a catalyst, the environment desired is a network that is supported by an infrastructure (physical and learning resources) that allows reflection, awareness (of our business and the knowledge outside it), openness (to talk about our difficulties and be open to new ideas) and support. This will enable the business community to retain its vitality through generational changes while remaining true to business ethics and supporting the community at large.

At present there are 4 awards for the Manufacturing sector; 2 for CSR and 3 awards in the Services sector. Applications in 2019 were invited from 12 districts in Rajasthan, as mentioned above.

Since its inception, the award process has been constantly improved while maintaining its integrity through ensuring a free and fair process. This year, the awards body has developed an online form, which automatically populates a database to make the process smoother. Like any IT project, this too had its teething troubles. Technical and logic as well as data analysis problems have been sorted as they surfaced and in due course has led to an improved portal for the coming year.

Data, which is stored with strict confidentiality, goes through a screening process followed by a professional audit. Furthermore, an eminent jury is presented with a short list from which it decides the final outcomes of the awards. 

Future plans include visits by some members of the executive committee to the businesses that have made it to the list of finalists and to establish the credibility of the award so that more companies apply. This will make it easier to deliver the vision with which this award has been established.

There is a lot of untapped potential in the business community of Southern Rajasthan. There are many exceptional businesses in Southern Rajasthan - those that have been here for decades, others that are bringing a new wave of commercial and industrial development to the region. They are not only surviving in this increasingly competitive market but are succeeding in building national as well as global presence.

Recognition is the first step towards publicising these success stories and inspiring others to take up new challenge. Since 2015-16, UCCI, with the institutionalisation of the UCCI Excellence Awards, has left no step unturned to ensure that its true purpose be fulfilled. The awards are not just a celebration of business excellence but an encouragement to pursue it ever harder. 

To achieve this the awards need to be perceived as unbiased and open for all. There could have been no better platform for achieving it than at UCCI which is a democratic body of business enterprises. If this initiative could evolve into a template of self-assessment for businesses; in turn, foster an environment of healthy competition with a robust review process it would grow a generation of businesses that were learning continuously. This is a growing need of modern businesses.

With sponsors backing the awards for ten years, UCCI plans to conduct the programme every year. That said, if there is no suitable winner in any category, no award will be given in that category.

UCCI Excellence Awards Committe 2020 is chaired by Nandita Singhal, Director, Secure Meters.  Her team consists of a dynamic mix of young and experienced representatives of UCCI member organisations.

Over the few days we will be sharing stories of Winners of the UCCI Excellence Awards in the previous years.

Online Registration of Applications for the UCCI Excellence Awards will be made available this week. Watch out for the Application Deadlines on UDAIPURTIMES.