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Harish Hande

b. 1967

Indian businessman

Entrepreneur Social entrepreneur
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About Harish Hande

Born 1967. Harish Hande is an Indian entrepreneur and social entrepreneur.

Harish Hande (born Handerto Harish Hande) is an Indian social entrepreneur, who co-founded SELCO India in 1995.

He was awarded with the Ramon Magsaysay Award for 2011 for "his pragmatic efforts to put solar power technology in the hands of the poor, through his social enterprise SELCO India".

Early life He was born in Handattu, Udupi District, Karnataka, and raised in Rourkela, Orissa, India.

After completing his basic schooling in Orissa in Ispat English Medium School, he went to IIT Kharagpur for his undergraduate studies in energy engineering and graduated in 1990.

He then went to the United States to do his master's degree and later PhD in energy engineering at the University of Massachusetts Lowell. Career Hande co-founded SELCO INDIA (in 1995), a social enterprise, to eradicate poverty by promoting sustainable technologies in rural India.

SELCO India is a social enterprise that provides sustainable energy services to the poor in India. Hande left the active management of SELCO India in 2014 and became the CEO of SELCO Foundation.

Awards and recognitions SELCO India under the leadership of Hande has won the Ashden Award for Sustainable Energy 2005 and Accenture Economic Development Award for 2005.

In 2007, SELCO INDIA again won the Ashden Award, this time for "Outstanding Achievement" in energy sector. The award was presented by Al Gore, former vice president of the United States of America.

Hande was named the Social Entrepreneur of the Year 2007 by the Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship and the Nand & Jeet Khemka Foundation.

In 2008, Hande was chosen by Business Today as one of the "21 young leaders for India’s 21st century". He was elected an Ashoka Fellow in 2008.

In 2011 he was awarded the Magsaysay Award for "his passionate and pragmatic efforts to put solar power technology in the hands of the poor, through a social enterprise that brings customized, affordable, and sustainable electricity to India’s vast rural populace, encouraging the poor to become asset creators.”.

Hande was also awarded the Karnataka Rajyotsava Prashasti in 2011 by the Government of Karnataka.

In 2013 the trustees of University of Massachusetts awarded him the Doctorate of Humane Letters.

In 2014 IIT Kharagpur conferred upon him the distinguished alumnus award.

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Important facts

Birth century
Nationality
Education
Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, University of Massachusetts Lowell
Awards
Ramon Magsaysay Award
Also known as
Handerto Harish Hande

People in Harish Hande's life

Named in this biography and alive at the same time

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped Harish Hande's

Frequently asked questions

Who is Harish Hande?

Indian businessman

When was Harish Hande born?

Harish Hande was born on 1 March 1967 in Kundapura Taluk.

What is Harish Hande's occupation?

Harish Hande is an entrepreneur and social entrepreneur.

What nationality is Harish Hande?

Harish Hande is Indian.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: Harish Hande

· Wikidata: Q3595933

· DBpedia: Harish Hande

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Harish Hande. https://biography.guide/harish-hande/

MLA: "Harish Hande." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/harish-hande/.

Chicago: "Harish Hande." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/harish-hande/.

Data last updated: 2026-09-22 · Spot an error? Report a correction.

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