Dr Ketan Deshpande, Founder and Chairman of Friends Union for Energising Lives (FUEL), has been honored with the Dr BML Munjal Social Impact Award 2026 in the category “Outstanding Effort Towards Promoting Education.” The award was presented at a ceremony held at the India Habitat Centre in New Delhi, according to a statement issued by FUEL.
About the Award
The third edition of the awards, hosted by Hero Future Energies in association with the Raman Kant Munjal Foundation, recognizes individuals and organizations contributing to social impact across sectors including education, women’s empowerment, sustainability, biodiversity, water conservation, and teaching excellence. Instituted in memory of Dr Brijmohan Lal Munjal, Founder Chairman Emeritus of the Hero Group, and Rahul Munjal, Founder and Chairman of Hero Future Energies, the awards acknowledge grassroots-led initiatives working towards community development and social change.
Dr Deshpande’s Contributions
Over the past 18 years, Dr Deshpande has worked in the areas of education, skilling, and employability for first-generation learners and underserved youth through FUEL. According to the organization, it has reached over one million young people through training, scholarships, and career guidance initiatives across multiple states in India. FUEL stated that it has trained more than 2.9 lakh students in vocational and future-ready skills and awarded over 2,900 scholarships to economically disadvantaged learners.
Response from Dr Deshpande
Commenting on the recognition, Dr Ketan Deshpande said, “This recognition belongs to every young learner who chose to dream beyond circumstance and to every mentor, partner and institution that supported the journey. The values associated with Dr BML Munjal’s legacy continue to inspire our work in education and skilling,” according to the release.
