At a special ceremony held at the Indian Embassy in Riyadh, Eram Group Chairman and Managing Director Dr Siddeek Ahmed was officially presented with the 2021 Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award (PBSA) by the Ambassador of India to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, H.E. Dr Ausaf Sayeed.
Conferred by the President of India as a part of the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) Conventions organized annually since 2003, this award acknowledges august members of the Indian community and their tangible contribution to social and humanitarian upliftment. This year, Dr. Ahmed was one of only 4 recipients from the Middle East and the only one representing the Kingdom.  The pandemic didn’t allow for the more elaborate ceremony that is usually held in New Delhi annually every year, but the sense of occasion and sentiment was palpable at the embassy.
Eram Group’s interests in India remain far and wide and the company employs 2000+ across 5 states who focus primarily on developing indigenous technology tailored to local requirements primarily in the sanitation space via an R&D-based social enterprise, Eram Scientific Solutions, acquired by Dr Ahmed in the year 2011.
The innovative ‘e-Toilet’, which is an automated public sanitation solution in line with the Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan is the result of this was duly showcased at the UN Innovation exhibition and recognized by the United Nations country representative for its game-changing potential.
The patented e-Toilet has had more than 12 million users till date and an average of 9,000 daily users across India. Eram Scientific Solutions has already won more than 44 national and international accolades for its inspiring contributions in introducing high-end, future proof and scalable technology in the sanitation space. Dr. Ahmed also received the Toilet Titan award from Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Safaigiri Summit in 2015, a salute to the Eram work ethos and the dedication of its 8,000 plus employees from over 20 plus countries.
Lauding Dr. Ahmed’s unwavering commitment to addressing the critical challenges faced by humanity, Dr Sayeed noted that the company’s innovative products and services had made many Smart Cities safer, cleaner, smarter and prouder making him a worthy recipient of this eminent award.
Expressing his gratitude to Indian President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narender Modi for the honour and thanking the Pravasi Divas committee, not to mention Dr Sayeed and the Indian Embassy in Saudi Arabia, Dr. Ahmed took this opportunity to acknowledge the importance of having a strong base.
“Thanks to strong partnerships, the unwavering commitment of our team, and their industry, Eram Scientific Solutions has installed 4,000+ e-Toilets across India, Kuwait, Nepal and the MENA region over the years. The plan now is to continue our work and enhance the lives of people across the world with our innovative approach to infrastructure development.â€