Passionate about exploring cultures and traditions that maketh the diverse nation of India and the bountiful world, diving deep into the impact sector has made Saloni realize the importance of individual efforts that create a chain reaction when it comes to bringing sustainable changes.
A technocrat at heart, Saloni is a graduate of Electronics and Communication Engineering (2015-’19) from Vishwakarma Government Engineering College, Gujarat Technological University, Ahmedabad, Gujarat. When the love of electrons, protons, and semiconductors pulled her towards Engineering, her love for communicating with people and giving back made her gravitate towards volunteering for the National Service Scheme (NSS). Since 2015, she has been a part of multiple community development initiatives in sectors like education, healthcare, climate, SDGs, etc. For her volunteering efforts and innovative initiatives designed, she has been conferred the NSS National Award 2017-18 by the Honorable President of India Shri Ram Nath Kovind ji.
In 2020, Saloni was awarded the Mahatma Gandhi National Fellowship by the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, GoI, and the Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore, where she also studied Public Policy and Management (2020-’22) under the World Bank-funded project SANKALP of the Government of India. As a part of the fellowship, she is currently working with the ministry to understand the skilling ecosystem of India and ways to create opportunities for sustainable livelihood till the last mile with a focus on apprenticeship promotion and the creation of skilled entrepreneurs.
Saloni is presently focussing on the effective implementation of NIPUN Bharat Mision - a mission to achieve the foundational literacy and numeracy goals prioritized under the National Education Policy 2020 as a Project Manager for Central Square Foundation for the Department of School Education and Literacy, Government of Gujarat. She is pivoting the creation of MIS for monitoring the FLN KPIs that will aid decision-making at all levels of governance. A firm believer in a bottom-up approach for effective implementation of policies, she’s designing an IEC strategy for Gujarat establishing processes for strengthening the district-level functionaries.
About the work in the diversity and inclusion space of skilling and education, she believes that we need to make conscious efforts while designing spaces that are temples of learning where no one feels left out. Working at the last mile, in the villages of India, she has observed a need for people who understand the importance of designing inclusive spaces. She believes the space creates an environment that promotes growth culture. More than 50% of Indian youth, come from villages and go to study at government schools and ITIs, and other vocational training institutes which can be made more welcoming, she is ideating upon the ‘how’ of it now realizing the ‘why’.