The 2024 KP Narayana Kumar Memorial Award for Social Impact Journalism was jointly awarded to Vandana Menon for her story “Rajasthan’s elderly are victims of ‘digital murder’ eKYC gaps leave lakhs without pension” published in ThePrint, and to Shamsheer Yousaf, Monica Jha and Sriram Vittalamurthy for their five-part multimedia series “Breaking the nets: An oral history of India’s fisherwomen” published in the The Wire.   
The three-member awards jury was chaired by veteran journalist Kalpana Sharma, independent journalist and writer Priya M. Menon, and documentary photographer and visual artist Harikrishna Katragadda.   
The winners of the K P Nararyana Kumar Memorial Social Impact Journalism were awarded of INR one lakh (1,00,000); all of them also received citations and trophies.   
Citation   
The K P Narayana Kumar Memorial Award for Social Impact Journalism is jointly awarded to Vandana Menon for her story ‘Rajasthan’s elderly are victims of ‘digital murder’. eKYC gaps leave lakhs without pension’, and to Shamsheer Yousaf, Monica Jha, and Sriram Vittalamurthy for their multimedia series 'Breaking the Nets'   
Vandana Menon’s story ‘Rajasthan’s elderly are victims of ‘digital murder’. eKYC gaps leave lakhs without pension’ sheds light on a silent but pressing crisis—how lakhs of elderly people in Rajasthan have been deprived of their pensions because of digital verification issues. Powerfully narrated and meticulously researched, her story highlights the human cost of digitalization, giving voice to those who have been virtually erased from the system.   
Shamsheer Yousaf, Monica Jha, and Sriram Vittalamurthy’s multimedia series ‘Breaking the Nets’ documents the struggles as well as the triumphs of India's fisherwomen. The five-part series, visually rich and well narrated, highlights the grit of the women who have battled all odds to earn a livelihood and lead a life of dignity.   
Both stories exemplify the media’s vital role in highlighting pressing social issues and amplifying voices from the margins.   
Special Mentions   
K. P. Narayana Kumar Memorial Award for Social Impact Journalism   
Gunjan Sharma for the report on the conflict in Manipur, “One year On: Ground reportage from conflict-hit Manipur” published in the Press Trust of India.   
Akhil Sivanand and Muhammed Subith UM for their for their reports (“Lost Land, Losing Mind; A Wayanadan Angst”) ’on the psychological impact of the Wayanad landslide disaster on the survivors published in mathrubhumi.com