At the Annual General Meeting of The All India Glass Manufacturers’ Federation, Youth and Industry Members were felicitated at Pride Plaza Aerocity Hotel, DELHI on August 30, 2025.
The program was organized to honour Youth of the country who participated from India-wide schools and colleges in the annual contest on ‘Glass is Pure’ or कांच जीवन है coinciding with the International Youth Day on August 12, 2025. Online entries were invited from the age group between 7-24 years where hundreds of entries were received from educational institutes and youth across India.
The Jury comprised of Mr. Gurmeet Singh, Chairman, Federation of Safety Glass (FOSG) and Managing Director, Gurind India (P) Ltd.; Mr. G N Gohul Deepak, Executive Director, Glazing Society of India (GSI); Mr. Dave Fordham, Member Editorial Board of KANCH (AIGMF’s Glass journal), Former Publisher of Glass Worldwide magazine and Global Engagement Lead for Glass Futures (United Kingdom); and Mr. Vinit Kapur, Secretary of The All India Glass Manufacturers’ Federation (AIGMF) who judged top 3 entries:
1st Prize (Rs. 25,000) was given to Rashi Sharma aged 13 years, 8th class student of Bal Bharti School, Bahadurgarh HARYANA
2nd Prize (Rs. 15,000) was given to Avira Jain aged 13 years, 8th class student of Bhavan's B.P. Vidya Mandir, Nagpur MAHARASHTRA
3rd Prize (Rs. 10,000 each) were given to:
a) Ananya Maity aged 14 years, 9th class student of Sant Nandlal Smriti Vidya Mandir, Ghatsila JHARKHAND
b) Dakshit Sinsinwar aged 14 years, 9th class student of DPS Ranipur, Haridwar UTTARAKHAND
The annual ‘CK Somany Award for Excellence’ was given to Mr. P K Kheruka, Former President AIGMF, Chairman of the Glass panel in CAPEXIL, and Chairman of Borosil Ltd. The ‘Balkrishna Gupta Award for Exports’ was bestowed to M/s Schott Glass India Pvt. Ltd. The 2nd ‘Lifetime Achievement Award’ was given to Mr. Mohan Lalvani of Mascot Engineering Company. The previous winners are listed at www.aigmf.com
Former President of the AIGMF Mr. P. K. Kheruka is the Chairman of Borosil Limited. He is a Commerce graduate and has over 5 decades of experience in the glass industry. He possesses a multi-faceted experience in strategy formulation and implementation, setting up of Projects, planning and execution. He has a firm grip over the technicalities pertaining to manufacturing and production of soda lime flat glass, as well as borosilicate drawn, blown and pressed glass. He has immense knowledge in marketing of glass products in the domestic and international markets.
“It has been a privilege for me to have had the opportunity to work in the field of glass! Glass is magic. God knows how much time I have spent battling a problem which has seemed unsolvable: and then the solution is suddenly found! My father has been my Guru - most of my learning, which started when I was an adolescent, has been from him. My dear uncle, Chandra Kumar ji Somany, has also been a major influence in my life. I have led an enriched life!” said Mr. P K Kheruka, recipient of CK Somany Award for Excellence.
M/s Schott Glass India Pvt. Ltd, is a 100% subsidiary of the German technology group SCHOTT AG. SCHOTT is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of special glass tubing, FIOLAX® established and long-standing experience since 1911. SCHOTT has foreseen in 2018; a global 5.0 pharma tubing demand is going to increase. As already that time the supply was short compared to demand, the expected market growth offers the opportunity to increase market share by establishing incremental capacity faster than competition.
Most recently, SCHOTT, a global pioneer in specialty glass announced the addition of syringe and cartridge glass tubing reinforcing SCHOTT's commitment to the 'Make in India' initiative. This strategic action positions the company as Asia's largest producer of syringe and cartridge glass tubing.
The jury for the awards comprised of Dr. K Annapurna, Chief Scientist, Glass Division, CSIR-Central Glass & Ceramic Research Institute (CSIR-CGCRI) and Member Editorial Board KANCH; Mr. Dave Fordham, Member Editorial Board of KANCH (AIGMF’s Glass journal), Former Publisher of Glass Worldwide magazine and Global Engagement Lead for Glass Futures (United Kingdom); Mr. Amit Malhotra, President of Confederation of Construction Products and Services, Treasurer of uPVC Window & Door Manufacturers Association and Managing Director of McCoy Silicones Ltd.; and Mr. Pawan Kumar Shukla, Treasurer AIGMF and Managing Director, Schott Glass India Pvt. Ltd.
“My heartiest congratulations to Shri Pradeep Kheruka for winning the prestigious C K Somany Award for Excellence for his key R&D initiatives in developing eco-friendly solar glass formulations as well as fully tempered 2 mm thick solar panel. His contributions in the laboratory, consumer glassware and especially in the solar cover glass, have a high impact globally, including India. Further, I congratulate M/s Schott Glass India Pvt. Ltd., for receiving the esteemed Balakrishna Gupta Award for its attaining remarkable exports.” said Dr. K. Annapurna, Chief Scientist, CSIR- Central Glass & Ceramic Research Institute, Kolkata.
“Not only does acknowledging the achievements of Mr. Pradeep Kheruka give me immense personal pride having had the privilege of collaborating with him over many decades, officially honouring him with the prestigious C K Somany award provides a perfect opportunity for his outstanding achievements to be forever etched into glass industry history. Mr. Kheruka’s remarkable contributions will leave a lasting impression on not only the Indian sector but on the global scale too. His name will always be synonymous with trailblazing developments in sustainable glass solutions for a greener planet. SCHOTT Glass India Pvt. Ltd., are also very worthy winners of the Balkrishna Gupta Award for Exports and fully deserve recognition for their flourishing export business despite challenging global trade conditions”. said Mr. Dave Fordham, Member Editorial Board of KANCH (AIGMF’s Glass journal), Former Publisher of Glass Worldwide magazine and Global Engagement Lead for Glass Futures (United Kingdom).
“The 2nd Lifetime Achievement Award was given to the Editor of KANCH (quarterly journal of the AIGMF) Mr. Mohan Lalvani, Chairman of MASCOT Group of companies for his dedicated 4 decades in the glass industry and as an Associate Member of AIGMF since 1989. A Mechanical Engineer from ECOLE DES METIERS VERSAILES in France, Mr. Lalvani brought technical know-how to India from German and other European principals of Mascot Engineering Company representing hi-tech companies in glass industry and has contributed to the modernisation of the Indian Glass Industry.”said the Secretary AIGMF, Mr. Vinit Kapur.
The cash prizes for the winning students were once again sponsored by Schott Glass India Pvt. Ltd., producing Type I pharma tubing primarily meant for Glass Vials which were supplied worldwide for packaging the COVID vaccination. Most recently, SCHOTT, a global pioneer in specialty glass announced the addition of syringe and cartridge glass tubing reinforcing SCHOTT's commitment to the 'Make in India' initiative. This strategic action positions the company as Asia's largest producer of syringe and cartridge glass tubing. Mr. Pawan Kumar Shukla, Managing Director of Schott Glass India Pvt. Ltd., and Treasurer AIGMF while congratulating the students said “sustainable packaging is the key to create a better living society for eco and health reasons; and the Youth plays a very important role in spreading these right messages.”
Top 100 entries will get specially designed Glass Mementos and top 3 can be viewed at www.aigmf.com
