The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) has presented Shilpa Mehta Jain with the 16th ICAI Award. The ICAI Award Ceremony was held on January 10 in Mumbai. Shilpa Mehta, a CA with polio, has been awarded under the Category, ‘CA Special Recognition (for specially-abled members)' for her exceptional level of professional achievement. Ms Mehta is a management professional cum inspirational speaker. She is also the co-founder and Director of dJED Foundation, an NGO that focuses on the causes of Ecology, Education and Entrepreneurship.
On account of receiving the recognition, and being given the ICAI Award 2022, Ms Mehta pledges to pay it forward by supporting 100 people with disabilities to pursue their CA in the next 10 years through her foundation, dJED Foundation, an official statement said.
In this regard, she has earmarked Rs 10 lacs and seeks to spread the message of hope and courage. With this endeavour, she aims to mentor and fund support to specially-abled members of society so that they can create an independent identity of being a CA, and support their own families, an official statement said.
Diagnosed with Scoliosis (Polio) when she was two months old, Ms Mehta grew up with 94 per cent Post-polio Syndrome affecting her lower limbs. Despite the mammoth physical setback of living with polio, Ms Mehta set foot on an ambitious journey with grit, passion and determination.
Expressing her thoughts, CA Shilpa Mehta says, “I am humbled to be honoured by the prestigious ICAI, an organisation which is very close to my heart. It has been my dream to establish a successful career, and be independent. Today, I feel overwhelmed to see this dream fructify, and wish to share the fruits of my hard work with individuals who are like me. I have been rather fortunate to have an ever-loving family and friends who have been a strong pillar of strength. I, therefore, wish to extend that support system to convert individuals who are called a liability into strong assets of the society.”