Shri Lal Singh, Executive Director of Bank of Baroda, has received the SKOCH Challenger Award for Financial Inclusion for his distinguished work and contributions to promoting financial inclusion.
The award was presented during the inaugural session of the BFSI Forum – 110th SKOCH Summit, held on 26 September 2026 at the India Habitat Centre, New Delhi. The summit was organised around the theme “Banking Bharat for Inclusive Growth.”
The award recognises Shri Lal Singh’s contribution to the cause of financial inclusion and his work in making banking services more accessible.
The award also recognised Bank of Baroda’s efforts and commitment towards financial inclusion. The bank has been working to provide accessible banking services to underserved and marginalised sections of society.
The award was conferred by Prof. S. Mahendra Dev, Chairman, Prime Minister’s Economic Advisory Council (PMEAC). The ceremony was held in the presence of the Chairman of SKOCH Group and other dignitaries.
SKOCH Challenger Award
The SKOCH Challenger Award is an award given by SKOCH Group, an Indian think tank that works on socio-economic issues, governance and inclusive growth.
According to SKOCH, the awards were instituted in 2003 and recognise people, projects and institutions that have made significant contributions to society. The awards cover areas such as financial inclusion, digital inclusion, social inclusion, governance, inclusive growth, citizen services and empowerment.
What does “Challenger Award” mean?
It is essentially a recognition of impactful work, rather than a conventional competitive award. SKOCH describes the Challenger Award as non-competitive and says it is based on research, evidence and recommendations from its awardee/fellow network.
SKOCH also says that its selection process involves primary research and a distinguished jury, and that awardees are identified through a discovery process rather than simply through nominations.
