csr

Author: csr-voice

  • DBS Bank India extends support towards environmental sustainability initiatives

    DBS Bank India extends support towards environmental sustainability initiatives

    Amid climate change concerns, private lender DBS Bank India has tied up with two NGOs to pilot a food forest project and as well as extend support to mitigate human-wildlife conflict in Maharashtra. A pilot project to develop food forest in rural Maharashtra has been collaborated

    Amid climate change concerns, private lender DBS Bank India has tied up with two NGOs to pilot a food forest project and as well as extend support to mitigate human-wildlife conflict in Maharashtra.

    A pilot project to develop food forest in rural Maharashtra has been collaborated with Raah Foundation, while a grant is being extended to the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) to support its ongoing endeavour to mitigate human-wildlife conflict in Mumbai’s Sanjay Gandhi National Park.

    According to DBS Bank, the pilot food project aims to establish a prototype of long-term carbon sinks through a scientifically designed forestry consisting of several seasonal fruit and vegetable plants.

    This approach can provide various benefits and deliver long-term social, economic and environmental value, it said in a statement.

    Separately, the bank has extended a grant to the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) to support its ongoing endeavor to mitigate human-wildlife conflict in Mumbai’s Sanjay Gandhi National Park.

    WCS’ initiative aims to engage local communities and conduct awareness and rescue training programmes, reducing the risk of such conflicts and providing a safer habitat for leopards and other wild animals.

    Speaking about these partnerships, DBS Bank India Executive Director, Group Strategic Marketing and Communications, Shoma Narayanan said: “We understand our role as a financial institution in nurturing social, economic and environmental sustainability. These initiatives are crucial in the broader context of climate change and sustainable development.”

    “We are confident that our partnership with the Raah Foundation and Wildlife Conservation Society will result in long-term environmental and social impact,” she added.

    Raah Foundation Founder Sarika Kulkarni said”With the support from DBS Bank, we are creating a food forest which will have 200 species of trees/shrubs/grasses/tubers/climbers for the tribals living in Jawhar, in the Palghar district of Maharashtra. We have ambitious plans to create 1,000 acres of food forests in the years to come. We are truly in gratitude to DBS Bank for their immense support.”

    Studies have revealed that climate change poses a severe threat to the food security of vulnerable communities. Multi-tiered food forests are a low-maintenance, sustainable, plant-based food production system that yields direct uses to humans.

    DBS Bank India’s contribution to Raah Foundation will be utilised towards the installation of a solar pump, drip irrigation, procurement of saplings, organic manure and geo-tagging the trees. Additionally, the funds will also help in conducting a baseline biodiversity assessment and hydrogeology assessment.

    Growing food forests will address a variety of issues in terms of reducing vulnerability to climate change impact while safeguarding essential ecosystem services such as air and water purification, pollination, providing nutrition, controlling soil erosion and carbon sequestration, the bank said.

    Wildlife Conservation Society-India Country Director Dr Vidya Athreya said,”The project to study the Mumbai leopards is extremely important to address the issue of human leopard conflict. The generous support of DBS Bank has been crucial in the success of our work.”

    DBS Bank has been committed to conducting business more sustainably and managing its environmental footprint. The bank has undertaken several initiatives to support and address crucial environmental, social, and governance (ESG) challenges through strategic partnerships.

    The bank firmly believes in the need to change the way we approach food production and consumption. With this as the mission, DBS Bank introduced a Towards Zero Food Waste (TZFW) initiative in 2020.

    DBS also advocates the scaling up of transition finance and supporting like-minded clients and their ecosystem of supply chain partners to adopt sustainable business practices.

  • Nand Ghar: transforming lives of women and children

    Nand Ghar: transforming lives of women and children

    Nand Ghar project has achieved the important milestone of completing 3000 Nand Ghars across 12 states in India providing nutrition and early education to children and skill development to women. Vedanta Chairman, Anil Agarwal’s dream – Project Nand Ghar is the flagship

    Nand Ghar project has achieved the important milestone of completing 3000 Nand Ghars across 12 states in India providing nutrition and early education to children and skill development to women.

    Vedanta Chairman, Anil Agarwal’s dream – Project Nand Ghar is the flagship CSR project under the aegis of the Anil Agarwal Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Vedanta Group, one of the world’s leading metals and mining conglomerates.

    Set up in collaboration with the Union Ministry of Women and Child Development, Nand Ghars are modernized “Anganwadis” working around nutrition, early childhood education, primary healthcare & skill development for women. Vedanta has committed to develop 4000 Nand Ghars across India. The project aims to transform the lives of 7 crore children and 2 crore women in the 13.7 lakh Anganwadis in India.

    With Nand Ghar, Vedanta is bridging the urban and rural divide by leveraging technology, upgrading to state-of-the-art infrastructure, capacity building of front-line functionaries, digital real time monitoring making significant improvements in the overall service delivery of anganwadi ecosystem.

    Agarwal himself says, “Nand Ghar is the closest to my heart. It gives me immense joy to see the project achieving the milestone of 3000 across 12 states in India and making a significant impact at the grassroots, strengthening the foundation of our nation that are rural women and children. With this important milestone, we are marching towards realizing Hon’ble Prime Minister’s vision of eradicating malnutrition, providing healthcare services, education and skill development for rural women, becoming an imperative project for social development.”

    In the last 20 months of the pandemic, Nand Ghars ensured the last mile delivery of services to beneficiaries, repurposing itself for creating greater impact. With regular activities making a paradigm shift, Nand Ghar molded its service delivery method accordingly. With education moving from classroom to home-based learning, Nand Ghar swiftly rolled out alternative learning methods through WhatsApp and IVRS for continuous education.

    Nand Ghar has ensured doorstep delivery of Dry and Take-home rations for its beneficiaries. Additionally, more than 3300 nutrition gardens were developed in Nand Ghar premises and community areas to ensure steady supply of nourishment to the community members.

    It has also generated local employment by training women to stitch masks and prepare items of local needs, significantly raising their household income by ₹4000.

    With the pandemic, healthcare became a key priority. To ensure wellness of the community members, Nand Ghar deployed an integrated healthcare model which comprised of Mobile Health Vans, Telemedicine facilities and paramedic on wheels for preventive and curative care providing the consultation of MBBS/Specialist doctors, dispensing medicines and conducting non-invasive tests, all free of cost.

  • MG India and ACMA to boost electric vehicle development

    MG India and ACMA to boost electric vehicle development

    To educate and foster skill development in the Electric Vehicles (EV) component industry, MG Motor India and the Automotive Component Manufacturers Association of India (ACMA) have come together to boost the development of the EV ecosystem. The two work in tandem with the IIT Delhi campus

    To educate and foster skill development in the Electric Vehicles (EV) component industry, MG Motor India and the Automotive Component Manufacturers Association of India (ACMA) have come together to boost the development of the EV ecosystem. The two work in tandem with the IIT Delhi campus at Sonipat in Haryana for research on the deployment of electric vehicles in urban India.

    Rajeev Chaba, President and MD MG Motor India has said “MG Motor and ACMA will collaboratively add value to the EV component industry by imparting education and skill development to create a future-ready workforce.

    The alliance is also aligned with MG’s vision of CASE mobility, learning & skill development, and overall commitment to strengthening the EV ecosystem.”

    The ACMA President Sunjay J Kapur while appreciating the gesture said “We are grateful to MG Motor for providing us with this opportunity. A future-ready workforce for manufacturing electric vehicles is the need of the hour and this collaboration will help the auto component makers in upskilling themselves and remaining relevant.”

    The association is in line with MG’s vision to support and develop the ecosystem for the electric vehicle. Previously, MG had formed an alliance with IIT Delhi – Centre for Automotive Research and Tribology (CART) for similar research.

    Founded in the UK in 1924, Morris Garages vehicles were world-famous for their sports cars, roadsters, and cabriolet series. MG vehicles were much sought after by many celebrities, including the British Prime Ministers and even the British Royal Family, for their styling, elegance, and spirited performance.

    The MG Car Club, set up in 1930 at Abingdon in the UK, has thousands of loyal fans, making it one of the world’s largest clubs for a car brand. MG has evolved into a modern, futuristic, and innovative brand over the last 96 years.

    Its state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Halol, Gujarat, has an annual production capacity of 80,000 vehicles and employs nearly 2,500 workers. Driven by its vision of CASE (Connected, Autonomous, Shared, and Electric) mobility, the cutting-edge automaker has augmented across-the-board ‘experiences’ within the automobile segment today.

    It has introduced several ‘firsts’ in India, including India’s first Internet SUV – MG Hector, India’s first Pure Electric Internet SUV – MG ZS EV, India’s first Autonomous (Level 1) Premium SUV – MG Gloster and MG Astor- India’s first SUV with personal AI assistant and Autonomous (Level 2) technology.

  • Companies’ CSR spending crossed ₹1 lakh crore in last five years: Govt

    Companies’ CSR spending crossed ₹1 lakh crore in last five years: Govt

    More than ₹1 lakh crore has been spend by companies on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activities between 2014-15 and 2020-21 fiscal, according to Corporate Affairs Ministry data placed before Parliament. Since the enactment of CSR provision w.e.f. April 2014, companies are responding

    More than ₹1 lakh crore has been spend by companies on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activities between 2014-15 and 2020-21 fiscal, according to Corporate Affairs Ministry data placed before Parliament.

    “Since the enactment of CSR provision w.e.f. April 2014, companies are responding positively and have shown encouraging signs in adopting the culture of being responsible towards society,” Minister of State for Corporate Affairs Rao Inderjit Singh said in a written reply to the Lok Sabha on Monday.

    The philosophy of CSR is to engage corporates as partners in the socio-economic development of the country by leveraging their managerial efficiency, best practices, technology and innovation in the delivery of public good and services, he said.

    The CSR architecture is disclosure based and CSR mandated companies are required to file details of CSR activities annually in MCA21 registry. All data related to CSR, including name of the companies are available in the public domain at www.csr.gov.in.

    On the basis of filings made by the companies in the MCA21 registry till September 30, 2021, a cumulative amount of ₹85,109.09 crores has been spent by companies under CSR during the financial years 2016-17 to 2020-21,the Minister said.

    Out of that, ₹46,654.52 crores have been spent by the top 100 companies during the same period, he added.

    Asked if the government is monitoring and reviewing the CSR scheme systematically, the Miniter said the tovernment provides the broad framework of CSR through Section 135 of the Companies Act, 2013 (Act), Schedule VII of the Act and Companies (CSR Policy) Rules, 2014.

    Under the Act, CSR is a Board driven process and the Board of the company is empowered to plan, decide, execute and monitor the CSR activities of the company based on the recommendation of its CSR committee.

    “Thus, the responsibility of monitoring the implementation of CSR policy lies with the Board of the concerned company,” he said.

    The Government monitors the compliance of CSR provisions through the disclosures made by the companies in the MCA21 registry.

    However, to create an enabling environment and effective implementation of CSR activities by the companies, the government have been taking various initiatives by amending various provisions related to CSR and issuing clarifications, guidelines, Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) from time to time, he said.

    The government constituted two High-Level Committees to review the CSR framework. The Committee recommended various measures to improve the CSR ecosystem, he said.

    A National CSR Data Portal was launched for driving accountability and transparency of CSR disclosures of the companies by making the portal accessible to general public.

    Further, the National CSR Awards have been instituted to recognize the companies that have made a positive impact on the society through their innovative and sustainable CSR initiatives, he added.

  • HPCL contributed ₹45 crore CSR funds for Statue of Vallabhbhai Patel

    HPCL contributed ₹45 crore CSR funds for Statue of Vallabhbhai Patel

    State-owned Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd (HPCL) has contributed total ₹45 crore during 2016-17 and 2018-19 financial years from their CSR funds for the Statue of Sardar Vallabhhai Patel. The Statue of Unity, a 182 meters tall tribute to Indian freedom fighter

    State-owned Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd (HPCL) has contributed total ₹45 crore during 2016-17 and 2018-19 financial years from their CSR funds for the Statue of Sardar Vallabhhai Patel.

    The Statue of Unity, a 182 meters tall tribute to Indian freedom fighter Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, was inaguarated on October 31, 2018 and is the world’s tallets statue.

    “HPCL has contributed ₹25 crore and ₹20 crore for 2016-17 and 2018-19, respectively, from their CSR funds for the Statue of Sardar Vallabhhai Patel,” Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas Rameshwar Teli said in a written reply to the Lok Sabha.

    The CSR expenditure of the company was at ₹156.35 crore during 2020-21 fiscal, lower than ₹182.24 crore in the previous 2019-20 financial year, he said.

    For the ongoing 2021-22 fiscal, the company has set ₹175.48 crore as CSR budget out of which ₹50.77 crore has been spent till October, 2021, he added.

  • Crypto Relief joins had with DFY to handle third wave

    Crypto Relief joins had with DFY to handle third wave

    Doctors For You (DFY) has established 5 COVID hospitals across India to help deal with the third wave of COVID-19. As part of what is being termed as the Crypto Relief initiative, 1000 beds, with 70 ICU beds and 130 pediatrics beds, have been put in place

    Doctors For You (DFY) has established 5 COVID hospitals across India to help deal with the third wave of COVID-19. As part of what is being termed as the Crypto Relief initiative, 1000 beds, with 70 ICU beds and 130 pediatrics beds, have been put in place.

    A collaboration has been formed with the district administration in Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Maharashtra and Karnataka. The doctors who would help treat patients at these designated locations are Tau Devilal Stadium, Gurugram, Public Hospital, Lucknow, Patliputra Stadium, Patna, SRA, Mumbai and KPCL Hospital, Bangalore.

    The intervention encompasses strengthening the health institutions with the required infrastructure, expert workforce, and other essential resources. This includes providing health establishments with necessary facilities, including HDU and oxygen beds. The current staffing is equipped to handle Pediatric cases, which are the critical concern under Omicron pandemic spread.

    Talking about this initiative, Sandeep Nailwal, Founder of Crypto Relief, said, “Amid 3rd wave of COVID, we are closely working with the group of health institutions to provide healthcare needs during this surge. The infrastructure provided by CRF will help with quality healthcare services and aid relief from the major health crisis.”

    In addition, Nailwal’s Crypto Relief fund was instrumental in building rural and tribal district’s capacity in 6 districts for the COVID current wave, where far-flung communities such as Pulwama, tribal areas such as Lasadiya and aspirational districts such as Nuh have been provided necessary medical capital equipment, medical personnel and capacity building to support healthcare services to impact health outcomes directly and additionally adding 500 more COVID beds in remote Areas.

  • Metropolis announces MedEngage for medical students

    Metropolis announces MedEngage for medical students

    MedEngage Scholarship program has been announced by Metropolis Healthcare, India’s leading diagnostics service provider. Aimed to nurture medical students and help them contribute to healthcare research, the service provider helps medical students financially

    MedEngage Scholarship program has been announced by Metropolis Healthcare, India’s leading diagnostics service provider. Aimed to nurture medical students and help them contribute to healthcare research, the service provider helps medical students financially.

    Dr Sushil Shah, Metropolis Chairman, had floated the idea in 2018 and is aimed to be a holistic academic program for medical students that includes Scholarship, Observership, Academic Research discounts, and certificate courses.

    Since its inception, over 500 institutes have reached and registered with the MedEngage program for several of its initiatives. More than 5000 students registered for Observership, academic research, and several courses that MedEngage offers.

    Metropolis has successfully conducted the scholarship program for two consecutive years and has awarded more than100 students with scholarships worth up to 50 lakhs. This year 2022, it intends to reward 150 students from across India through this scholarship program.

    The students can log on to www.med-engage.com to register and apply for the program. The applications will be checked by an eminent panel of jury members, predominantly from the healthcare fraternity and external bodies. The winners will be announced in February 2022, followed by a felicitation ceremony held in April 2022.

  • APM Terminals Pipavav starts mobile science and maths lab for local students

    APM Terminals Pipavav starts mobile science and maths lab for local students

    APM Terminals Pipavav has started a mobile science and maths laboratory at Rampara Primary School in Rajula in Amreli, Gujarat for the benefit of local students, an initiative that will benefit around 10,000 students and 200 teachers

    APM Terminals Pipavav has started a mobile science and maths laboratory at Rampara Primary School in Rajula in Amreli, Gujarat for the benefit of local students, an initiative that will benefit around 10,000 students and 200 teachers.

    According to the company, the local students did not have access to advanced technology and were dependent on bookish knowledge. However with this facility, the students will be able to get practical understanding on various subjects making “I do I learn” possible.

    The “lab on wheels”, which was inaugurated on January 5, will help village students to perform science and maths experiments to gain practical insights and hone scientific skills, it said in a statement.

    APM Terminals Pipavav starts mobile science and maths lab for local students

    The lab will facilitate experiments on various topics along with the sky watching, celebration of National Science Day, National Mathematics Day and block level science and math exhibition.

    The mobile lab was inaugurated by APM Terminals Pipavav Chief Operating Officer (COO) Captain P K Mishra in the presence of Sarpanch, Block Resource Coordinator and locals.

    Speaking on the new initiative, Mishra said one the objectives of APM Terminals Pipavav is to empower the students in the surrounding villages in their pursuit of acquiring knowledge and hone their scientific skills.

    “This lab will provide an opportunity to students to do experiments and learn from the same. It will also help teachers in expanding their learning horizon and improve scientific knowledge,” he added.

    APM Terminals Pipavav is India’s first public private partnership (PPP) port in India and is a part of the APM Terminals global terminal network.

  • Day Quote

    “Never worry about the numbers. Help one person at a time and always start with the person nearest you.”

    Mother Teresa

  • Ambuja Cement saves 70 mln litres water at construction sites with water conservation efforts

    Ambuja Cement saves 70 mln litres water at construction sites with water conservation efforts

    Taking a lead in the industry’s efforts to tackle the effects of climate change, Ambuja Cement Ltd on Wednesday said it has saved 70 million litres of water at its construction sites with focus on water conservation efforts

    Taking a lead in the industry’s efforts to tackle the effects of climate change, Ambuja Cement Ltd on Wednesday said it has saved 70 million litres of water at its construction sites with focus on water conservation efforts.

    In 2020, Ambuja facilitated the installation of Rooftop Rain Water Harvesting systems at 268 construction sites, Modular Curing at 2391 construction sites and Concrete Mix Proportion services at 14271 construction sites, the company said in a statement.

    “These initiatives (Concrete Mix proportions, Modular Curing, and Rainwater Harvesting) have helped Ambuja in saving 70 million litres of water,” it added.

    Ambuja Cements Managing Director and CEO Neeraj Akhoury said: “The scope and opportunities for creating a sustainable future are immense. ….I am pleased with the progress that we have made through our efforts, and we will continue to put into action the bolder plans for emission reduction, resource optimisation and water conservation to build a sustainable future of India.”

    As part of the global organisation, Holcim, Ambuja Cement’s ambition is to be a part of the solution to the sustainability challenges faced today, he said.

    In 2020, Ambuja Cement also developed and revived 83 water harvesting and recharging structures and 14 dams for the benefit of the community, amounting to a storage capacity of 600 million litres, taking the total count to 14060 water harvesting and recharge structures, 458 check dams and 59240 million litres, respectively.

    Last year, Ambuja Cement reduced its carbon footprint to 531 kg CO2/tonne of cement and reused 8.2 million tonne of waste in cement production. Furthermore, it also reduced the freshwater withdrawal up to 77 litres/tonne of cementitious material, and added 3 lakh new beneficiaries under its community outreach programmes.

    Green energy is another focus area for Ambuja as the company has invested Rs 525 crores towards Waste Heat Recovery Systems (WHRS), which reduces its conventional fuel consumption.

    Ambuja Cements is a member of Holcim, the global leader in innovative and sustainable building solutions.

    Among the leading cement companies in India with a capacity of 29.65 million tonne, Ambuja Cement has five integrated cement manufacturing plants and eight cement grinding units across the country.