Mahindra Navistar Transport Excellence Awards

Back in the year 2005 Mahindra & Mahindra and International Truck and Engine Corporation (the operating company of Navistar) entered into a joint venture to manufacture light, medium and heavy commercial vehicles for India as well as global markets. 

This year, Mahindra Navistar Automotives Limited (MNAL) organised the first ‘Mahindra Navistar Transport Excellence Awards 2011’ to honour noticeable personalities of the Indian transportation industry. These awards recognised and rewarded Outperformance, Excellence, Innovation and Change Leadership in the Transport Ecosystem. 

The event brought together prominent transporters and dealers from across India. Thirty eight winners from different walks of the transport ecosystem witnessed the glorious ceremony dedicated to the industry. Each of the winners had a different role to play relating to the challenges they faced in achieving excellence. The criteria for judging the awards were ‘Accepting No Limits,’ ‘Alternative Thinking’ and ‘Driving Positive Change’ – the three facets of Mahindra’s ‘Rise’ initiative. 

Speaking on the occasion, MNAL Director and President, Automotives & Farm sector, M&M, Dr. Pawan Goenka, said, “Mahindra Navistar has taken on the onus of making a difference in the lives of the trucking community… first, with its products and now with these awards, MNAL has connected with the transport ecosystem at an emotional level.”

Chief Guest Shri Praful Patel, Honorable Minister of Heavy Industries & Public Enterprises, Govt. of India, delivered a keynote address and congratulated all the award winners saying, “I urge the transporters present to adapt to current unprecedented economic changes and emerge victorious by investing in the future today.  It is very important to imbibe industry imperatives such as innovation in technology, enriching partnership and transforming workforce that defines the path to prosperity.”

Addressing the next generation of youth going into the family transport business, Anand Mahindra, Chairman, MNAL, said, “You can take the foundation your parent has built, and grow your own dreams by building on it. Because this is a new India and it needs all the entrepreneurs it can get.”

Noteworthy winners include: 

• Abdul Ghani, fleet driver, Professional Automotives, won Super Outperformer Driver of the Year 2011 and a brand-new MN 25 truck. 

• Nitesh Agarwal, DARCL Logistics won the “Youth Transport Personality of the Year 2011” award.

• Ravindra Singh, R K Food Point Dhaba – first ever winner of a Dhaba award through driver votes.

• In the Fleet Owners category, InLand Road Transport, Cargo Wings and Siddhi Vinayak Logistic won the national awards.

• In the NGO category, Transport Corporation of India Foundation, Lokmanya Medical Foundation and Sangli Zilla Transport Association won the National Awards.

The awards have set new standards for the Indian transport sector in recognising and rewarding the efforts of individuals, groups and organisations alike for their efforts to improve the Indian transport sector. The award has been setup to encourage the younger generation of entrepreneurs to look at the transport industry as an attractive business proposition.