Shri Vivek Sawant, who is former Managing Director of Maharashtra Knowledge Corporation Limited, hails from Konkan. He was born on 26th October 1958 in Mumbai. However, his grandfathers - both maternal and paternal, were settled in Konkan. His maternal grandfather, Shri Shankarrao Dajiba More belonged to Harne-Murud, the village to which Bharat Ratna Maharshi Dhondo Keshav Karve belonged. Shri More was a renowned sculptor, interior designer, decorator and mural artist. He engraved the letters 'हे राम' on the Samadhi of Mahatma Gandhi at Rajghat, Delhi.

Vivek's paternal grandfather was Laxman Hari Sawant. He shifted his base from Ratnagiri to Nashik where he established new high school, which was dedicated to national education. He was a follower of Mahatma Gandhi who believed in simple living and high thinking. The then Chief Minister, Shri Yashwantrao Chavan had given land in Nashik at a nominal price for the high school and he also inaugurated the building of the high school. Shri Sawant was honoured as ideal teacher on the national level. Vivek Sawant's father was associated with Kushthadham - an institute dedicated to treatment and rehabilitation of leprosy patients. Vivek's mother had started a school called 'Shishu Vihar' where she worked on honorary basis. One can see the imprint of high values of his father and grandfathers in the life and work of Shri Vivek Sawant.

After completing his school and college education in Nashik and post-graduation in Pune, Vivek served as a teacher of physics, electronics and computer science at the Fergusson College, Pune from 1979 to 1987. In 1988 he started working in C-DAC, then headed by Dr. Vijay Bhatkar. He worked in C-DAC from 1988 to 2000, where he participated in design and development of India's first indigenous super computer Param. During his tenure at C-DAC, he established the nationwide network of 20 Advanced Computing Training Schools (ACTS). Under his stewardship of ACTSs, more than 25,000 engineering graduates from various disciplines were rigorously trained in software engineering and state- of-art software development tools and methodologies. All of these trainees of ACTS got placements in leading IT industries in India and abroad.

A significant initiative of Shri Sawant has been the IT literacy campaign within the Government of Maharashtra from 1995. It has now taken the form of MKCL and MS-CIT. MKCL has emerged as a high-tech initiative of the Government of Maharashtra and ten universities for technical education, e-governance and empowerment technologies. It is widely acknowledged as the benchmark in IT literacy and a major step towards bridging the digital divide and resultant knowledge and opportunity divide. In view of his pioneering contribution in e-governance of the PWD, he was invited to be the co-author of the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana under which a nationwide rural road network of 12 lakh kms has been established. He also played a leadership role in computerization of the Maharashtra State Legislature and revolutionized the working of Stamps and Registration Department. In MKCL he has set up a network of about 5,000+ authorized learning centres spanning the length and breadth of Maharashtra. Over 1.25 crore learners have taken the low cost but high quality IT qualification leading to MS-CIT. This venture has provided employment and self-employment opportunities to about 25,000 youngsters at their native places. Today MKCL has emerged as a self-sustaining, wealth creating and ever growing enterprise, which is committed to its social responsibility and social accountability.

Shri Sawant has served on the Board of Studies and Academic Councils of several universities. He is the honorary fellow of the Maharashtra Academy of Sciences. He also serves on the Board of Directors of Odisha Knowledge Corporation, Haryana KCL, MKCL International Free Zone Establishment, Dubai; MKCL Arabia Ltd., Riyadh; MKCL Malaysia, MKCL Lanka, etc. He is a recipient of several awards for his distinguished contribution in the field of IT and computer education. To mention a few, Rotary's Vocational Excellence Award, Rajeev Gandhi Sanganak Sarathi Award, Doordarshan's Shikshan Ratna Award and Pune's Pride Award 2014 for Excellence in Education. Currently he is the Chief Mentor of MKCL.

With his significant and dedicated work in the field of IT literacy, e-governance and education, he has made outstanding contribution to social and economic development of the nation. The Yashwantrao Chavan Pratishthan, Mumbai is pleased to honour his services to the nation by conferring on him the Yashwantrao Chavan National Award 2020.