The Scindia School. Additionally, he has held positions on the boards of IIT Delhi, IIM Bangalore, IIM Udaipur, and Delhi University's University Court. Social Impact Pawar has launched the Hole-in-the-Wall education (HiWEL) initiative in 1999 with Dr Sugata Mitra, Chief Scientist emeritus, NIIT, with the aim of making education accessible to the remotest corners in the country. The project has earned the coveted ‘Digital Opportunity Award’ by World Information Technology Services Alliance (WITSA) in 2008. He has also led NIIT to participate in the ambitious human capacity building project for Bhutan, which was designed to help the country transition into a modern Knowledge Society. The Indian Government assisted project was launched on April 30, 2010 by the Prime Ministers of India and Bhutan, on the side-lines of the SAARC summit in Bhutan. The project was aimed to provide ICT skills to over a quarter of the population of Bhutan, to help them to become confident and empowered citizens of a connected and ICT enabled world. Pawar promoted the establishment of NIIT Foundation (NF) a not-for-profit education society in 2004 with the vision to support the underprivileged sections of the country through educational initiatives and skill development programs. Awards and honours Pawar received the Padma Bhushan in 2011. He was also name 'IT Man of the Year' by IT industry journal, Dataquest in 1998. Pawar received ‘Lifetime Achievement Award 2022’ from the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry. In recognition of his entrepreneurial innovation in education, he received the 'Lifetime Achievement Award' at Dataquest ICT Awards in August 2020. He was honored as the ‘IT Gem of India’ at INFOCOM 2013, India’s largest IT & Telecom convention, by the ABP Group. Global Business Intelligence firm, Ernst & Young conferred on Pawar its ‘Master Entrepreneur of the Year Award’ in 1999. Pawar has been awarded ‘The Global India Splendor Award’ on the occasion of 60th year of India’s independence, for his work on developing human resource potential. He has also been honored with the Nayudamma Award in 2012. Personal life Pawar’s wife, Neeti Pawar, is an active promoter of Indian art & handicrafts. They have three children - son Udai, an IIT physicist turned film maker, and two daughters Urvashi, a psychoanalytic psychotherapist and Unnati, an art historian. References Living people Businesspeople from Madhya Pradesh People from Gwalior IIT Delhi alumni Recipients of the Padma Bhushan in trade and industry