India SME Forum receives over 1700 nominations for its first ‘Best Sellers of India Awards 2022’

India SME Forum (ISF), India's largest non-governmental, not-for-profit organization for small and medium businesses, hosted a meeting with the jury as a lead up to the first of its kind seller awards, the ‘Best Sellers of India Awards 2022’. Having received over 1700 nominations from across six South Indian states - Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, and Goa - the award aims to honor the outstanding achievements and excellence of retailers across South India. According to India SME Forum, the state of Tamil Nadu received the highest number of nominations, with over 270 retailers scoring 600 points and above out of a total of 1000 points.

The esteemed panel of juries comprised of eminent dignitaries like Dr. Amar Patnaik, Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha, Mr. Dhanendra Kumar, IAS, Former Chairman CCI, Dr. Aruna Sharma, IAS, Former Secretary, GoI, Mr. Ramesh Abhishek, IAS, Former Secretary, DPIIT, Mr. Prahlad Kakar, Chairman, ISF, Mr. TK Arun, Editor, The  Economic Times, Ms. Shriti Malhotra, CEO, Quest Retail, The Body Shop, Mr. Prashant Lohia, Managing Director, Ginesys, Shri Nandakumar G. W., General Manager & Business Head MSME, South Indian Bank, Mr. Harish Kohli, President & Managing Director, Acer India and Mr. Vinod Kumar, President, ISF.

On receiving an overwhelming response from the debut edition of the awards, Mr. Abhishek, Dr. Sharma, and Mr. Kumar congratulated everyone and expressed their gratitude towards the efforts of India SME Forum for providing a platform for retailers, where they can showcase their growth, innovation and future proof orientation. Dr. Patnaik highlighted that such awards will give an impetus for more retailers and MSMEs to register and grow. Ms. Malhotra shared, “This award has been a great platform for us as a bigger retailer to understand the fears of smaller players. As a forum, ISF is a great place and it would be great if it could look at helping the retail sector have an industry status.” Mr. Kohli said, “It is heartening to see so many participants not just limited to a particular sector but from across sectors.” Mr. Nandkumar and Mr. Lohia pointed out how great it is to see India SME Forum giving an impetus to startups and entrepreneurs and playing an important role in encouraging small retailers.

Mr. Vinod Kumar said, “Each of these entities have a beautiful story - how they have grown, worked, and survived during COVID, and how they are now thriving. We want to spread their stories across India and encourage more retailers to go digital.” Ms. Sushma Morthania, Director General, ISF, concluded the session by saying, “ISF has been instrumental in leading retailers and traders in its advisory capacity with the MSMEs. The idea behind the Best Seller Awards was to bring a more transparent culture among the retailers and traders.”