Social entrepreneur from Coimbatore Arunachalam Muruganantham has joined some of the global leaders in the list of World’s 50 Greatest Leaders 2019 by Fortune Magazine. He is ranked 45th in the list released recently.

Period. End of Sentence, a documentary that reflects his work, had won an Oscar in the Best Short Documentary category this year.

Mr. Muruganantham told The Hindu that the recognition should be an inspiration to youngsters to think of social issues, address those as a business model, and become job providers. “There are a very few people as social entrepreneurs. I have created self-employment opportunities for 1.25 lakh women in the country through my machines. And these are all semi-skilled job,” he said. Only by creating more job providers can India become a developed nation.

He recollects his addresses at several leading institutions even in the United States he urged youngsters not to aspire for listings based on wealth but to create jobs.

“They (Fortune magazine) had followed my work. We installed six machinery in Sri Lanka to be operated by war widows. It had a huge reach globally. The listing is a recognition to Coimbatore and the country. My responsibility has increased, especially when I address youngsters. They should not look for profits in business but have a social connect,” he said.

Mr. Muruganantham is currently working on taking projects to Pakistan and Afghanistan and in India, his focus is on the north eastern States. “Women in these States need to be empowered. We have installed a dozen units in these States. My focus is on Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh,” he said.