Category: News

Urban Company has partnered with Project Baala to distribute eco-friendly reusable pads among its female partners and raise awareness on menstrual wellness and hygiene. The aim is to target the economically marginalized sections of society who don’t have access to sanitary

Urban Company has partnered with Project Baala to distribute eco-friendly reusable pads among its female partners and raise awareness on menstrual wellness and hygiene. The aim is to target the economically marginalized sections of society who don’t have access to sanitary facilities.

Aimed to ensure every menstruator has access to affordable and sustainable practices, Urban Company is using its distribution channel to get Project Baala’s eco-friendly pads across Delhi NCR for now.

Project Baala has already conducted pan-India virtual workshops to educate and dispel myths and misinformation around menstruation. The feature-rich pads can be reused for up to two years, reducing plastic waste.

Commenting on the pilot project’s launch, Nikhil Shanker, VP – Customer Experience and Partner Experience at Urban Company, said, “We at Urban Company are committed towards the welfare and well-being of our partners. After speaking to Project Baala, we realized a huge gap between understanding menstrual wellness and hygiene and safe, sanitary practices. We are happy to have partnered with Project Baala and take a step towards creating sustainable and long-term impact for our female partners.”

Project Baala’s Outreach Head, Khushali Samriya, said, “For most of us, Urban Company service providers have been the immediate support for all our household services with and without the pandemic. As a menstrual hygiene organization, the least we aim to do is provide a long-term sustainable solution for their period needs. The combination of holistic menstrual awareness and sustainable product dissemination will fill up all knowledge gaps on menstrual health and provide tips on hygiene management, with a gradual non-subscription to myths. This is an extraordinary collaboration for us!”

The project is a part of Urban Company partner welfare initiatives. It comes on the heels of the company’s recent health awareness workshops conducted in collaboration with HCG Hospitals and, more recently, Max Healthcare. While the pilot phase focused on Delhi NCR for the distribution of sanitary kits, awareness workshops were conducted for all female partners across India.

Urban Company focuses extensively on partner livelihood through its skilling programs and other security benefits. All active partners on the UC platform in India are covered under the Group Life and Accidental Insurance cover, in partnership with ACKO. Some of the key aspects covered under the policy are life insurance (INR 6 lakhs), disability cover (INR 6 lakhs), accidental hospitalization (INR 70,000), accidental OPD treatment (INR 10,000) among others. Further, all UC Plus partners in India have access to additional health insurance benefits, which includes up to INR 2 lakh in-hospitalization treatment, room/ICU expenses, OPD, medical equipment and 12 free online doctor consultations in a year.

Committed to Skill India Mission, Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India Pvt. Ltd. (HMSI) has started Delhi’s third Skill Enhancement Centre at Malviya Nagar, collaborating with Government Industrial Training Institute (ITI), Delhi. The new centre became operational in February 2022

Committed to Skill India Mission, Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India Pvt. Ltd. (HMSI) has started Delhi’s third Skill Enhancement Centre at Malviya Nagar, collaborating with Government Industrial Training Institute (ITI), Delhi.

The new centre became operational in February 2022 and aimed at empowering local youth with job-oriented technical skill training in the city.

The inauguration was witnessed by top dignitaries of the industry and the government. These included O.P. Shukla (Joint Director Planning, Department of Training & Technical Education, Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi), BS Negi (Deputy Director Training, Department of Training & Technical Education, Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi), Vijay Kumar (Principal, Government Industrial Training Institute, Malviya Nagar, New Delhi), Rahul Sharan (Senior Manager – Skill Enhancement, Customer Service Technology & Customer Relations, HMSI) and other dignitaries from Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India Private Limited.

HMSI’s Skill Enhancement Centre at ITI Malviya Nagar has a fully functional workshop with two-wheelers and service infrastructure to give practical training to students on technical aspects of two-wheelers maintenance and repair. HMSI will also support recruitment opportunities to successful candidates at HMSI dealerships after completion of the training program.

Pradeep Pandey, Senior Vice President – Customer Service, Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India Pvt. Ltd., said, “Fulfilling our commitment to up-skill local youth and enhance their employability, we are proactively supporting the Skill India Mission to empower Indian youth. The BSVI emission norms have raised the demand for a skilled technical workforce in the automobile sector. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, students could not get hands-on practical training. HMSI’s third Skill Enhancement Centre in Delhi at Malviya Nagar will provide an improved facility to recoup for practical training while ensuring all safety protocols. Further, we will continue to inaugurate more centres in other parts of the country.”

Fulfilling its corporate social responsibility, HMSI has taken several initiatives in Skill Development. To bridge the requirement and availability of trained human resources in the automotive sector, HMSI is setting up Skill Enhancement Centres across India. Currently, HMSI operates 48 skill enhancement centres across 19 states in India.

Vedanta has signed an MoU with TERI (The Energy and Resources Institute) to promote “Sustainable Use of Resources for a Resilient Planet through Transformative Actions”. The MoU was signed at the World Sustainable Development Summit (WSDS), where Prime Minister Narendra Modi

Vedanta has signed an MoU with TERI (The Energy and Resources Institute) to promote “Sustainable Use of Resources for a Resilient Planet through Transformative Actions”. The MoU was signed at the World Sustainable Development Summit (WSDS), where Prime Minister Narendra Modi delivered the inaugural address.

A global natural resources company, Vedanta is committed to the sustainable use of resources. At the same time, TERI, a multi-dimensional Not for profit organization (NPO), aims to create a sustainable world by leveraging both the organizations’ strength in the ESG space.

Vedanta plans to invest around ₹200 Cr over the next 5 to 10 years on R&D and sustainability initiatives to promote and build a sustainable ecosystem. The partners will create a sustainable future by engaging with governments, civil society and peers to encourage a more extensive ecosystem for climate change, resource efficiency, and circularity, harnessing cleaner energy, sustainable supply chains, and people-centric development.

TERI’s DG, Dr Vibha Dhawan, has said, “Businesses can play a paramount role in meeting development goals of the UN Development plan of 2030. Towards fulfilling this ambition, Vedanta and TERI have come together to work in the pursuit of solving pertinent issues that are critical towards achieving a sustainable future.”

Vedanta Group CEO Sunil Duggal said, “At Vedanta, we keep communities, people and planet at the centre of business decisions. We believe the partnership with TERI will create a larger ecosystem to support the global agenda of a sustainable world. This collaboration will help us traverse our ESG commitments on ‘Transforming for good’. TERI has a great track record of developing innovative and sustainable solutions in waste utilization, clean energy, resource efficiency and community welfare, which augurs well with our defined ESG aims. We aspire to work in tandem to achieve our common vision with this partnership.”

With this MoU, Vedanta and TERI will look at opportunities to work on common areas of interest until 2050. The partnership will provide a platform to promote individuals and organizations to adopt sustainable practices by creating Vedanta-TERI ESG awards and building a sustainable supply chain.

Vedanta is planning to be the ESG leader in the natural resources sector and has committed to reducing carbon emissions to zero by 2050 or sooner. The company has pledged $5 billion over the next ten years to accelerate the transition to net-zero operations. As part of the process, the company has repurposed its mission statement to Vedanta – ‘Transforming for Good’, to make a meaningful difference to society.

Aragen Life Sciences, formerly known as GVK Bio, has donated a fully-equipped ambulance to the Government of Telangana (GoT) as part of its CSR activities. A flag-off event of the vehicle was held in the presence of Minister for Health

Aragen Life Sciences, formerly known as GVK Bio, has donated a fully-equipped ambulance to the Government of Telangana (GoT) as part of its CSR activities.

A flag-off event of the vehicle was held in the presence of Minister for Health, Medical and Family Welfare and Finance T Harish Rao on Saturday, according to a company statement.

Aragen Corporate Services Vice President Ramesh Gambhir was also present at the event.

The ambulance is equipped with an advanced life support system and other equipment including a multi-channel monitor, defibrillator, ventilator, oxygen cylinder, humidifier amongst others to support in case of an emergency, the statement added.

Aragen’s CSR activities are focused on three main areas – education, environment, and healthcare.

Aragen Life Sciences Pvt Ltd (Aragen) is a global leader in providing discovery, development, and manufacturing solutions for life sciences firms. Established in 2001, Aragen now serves over 450 customers worldwide across multiple modalities and therapeutic areas.

The companies have spent a cumulative amount of ₹70,764.70 crore during 2017-18 to 2020-21, of which about 60 percent of the CSR expenditure has been spent through engaging implementing agencies, the government informed Parliament on Tuesday.

The companies have spent a cumulative amount of ₹70,764.70 crore during 2017-18 to 2020-21, of which about 60 percent of the CSR expenditure has been spent through engaging implementing agencies, the government informed Parliament on Tuesday.

Government provides the broad framework of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) through Section 135 of the Companies Act, 2013 (‘Act’), Schedule VII of the Act and Companies (CSR Policy) Rules, 2014.

In a written reply to the Rajya Sabha, Minister of State for Corporate Affairs Rao Inderjit Singh said, “In the CSR legal framework, the word ‘Non-governmental Organisations (NGO)’ has nowhere been defined.”

Section 135 of the Act read with Rule 4 of the Companies (CSR Policy) Rules, 2014 prescribes that the Board of the company is empowered to undertake CSR activities either by itself or through engaging an Implementing Agency as mentioned in the said rule, he said.

The minister was responding to a query raised by DMK leader P Wilson on local funds not available for NGOs as most of the CSR goes to central government oriented projects.

The MP also asked the government for steps to fund NGOs through CSR as there has been a 90 per cent drop in donations from abroad for NGOs from 2017-21.

To which, the Minister said, “In the CSR legal framework, the word ‘Non-governmental Organisations (NGO)’ has nowhere been defined.”

Section 135 of the Act read with Rule 4 of the Companies (CSR Policy) Rules, 2014 prescribes that the Board of the company is empowered to undertake CSR activities either by itself or through engaging an Implementing Agency as mentioned in the said rule, the minister added.

On the basis of filings made by the companies in the MCA21 registry, the Minister said “companies have spent a cumulative amount of ₹70,764.70 Crores during the FY 2017-18 to 2020-21 of which approximately 60% of the CSR expenditure has been spent through engaging implementing agencies.”

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

“The Government does not issue any specific direction to the companies to spend in any particular geographical area or activity,” he added.

The Government provides the broad framework of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) through Section 135 of the Companies Act, 2013 (‘Act’), Schedule VII of the Act and Companies (CSR Policy) Rules, 2014.

The CSR framework is disclosure based and companies are required to file details of CSR activities annually in the MCA21 registry, as part of their Profit & Loss Account and the same is required to be audited by the statutory auditors of the company.

Further, the Board of the company is also required to disclose the CSR Policy implemented by the company in its Board report. Thus, the corporate governance framework along with the existing legal provisions such as mandatory disclosures, accountability of the CSR Committee and the Board, provisions for statutory audit of accounts of the company etc. provide adequate safeguards in this regard.

Regarding CSR data for the financial year 2020-21, the Minister said it is informed that the companies are required to hold Annual General Meeting (AGM) within six months from the end of financial year.

Thereafter, financial statements and board reports containing disclosure about CSR, are to be filed in MCA21 within 30 days of the AGM. In view of the disruption caused by COVID-19 pandemic, Registrars of Companies had accorded extension of time till 30th November, 2021 for conduct of AGMs by companies.

The Ministry vide General Circular No. 22/2021 dated 29.12.2021 has relaxed the levy of additional fees till 15.02.2022 for filing of financial statement in respect of the financial year 2020-21, the minister added.

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.

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.

HCL Foundation (HCLF), the Corporate Social Responsibility arm of HCL Technologies, has flagged off a Sports for change (SFC) team bus in Chennai, Tamil Nadu under its flagship program. The SFC team bus will enable students

HCL Foundation (HCLF), the Corporate Social Responsibility arm of HCL Technologies, has flagged off a Sports for change (SFC) team bus in Chennai, Tamil Nadu under its flagship program.

The SFC team bus will enable students to travel and participate in competitions, attend coaching and training around the city.

Furthermore, the bus will also help to promote campaigns and spread awareness about sports in the communities and schools, the Foundation said in a statement.

The ‘Sports For Change’ team bus was flagged off by Nidhi Pundhir, Director HCL Foundation and Alvin Raj, Inspector of Police, Kannagi Nagar, at the Kannagi Nagar Playground in Chennai in the presence of Fr. Leo, Director Don Bosco Anbu Illam, among others.

Since its inception in 2015 as a volunteer-led initiative in Chennai, HCL Foundation’s Sports for Change has supported more than 21,000 athletes across India.

Sports for Change, HCL Foundation’s special initiative, works toward achieving the following objectives:

• Harnessing the positive transformative potential of sports by bridging the access-gap and promoting participation in sports at the grassroots (right to play)
• Promoting play or sports at grassroots, youth to help achieve larger development goals (linking sports with development outcomes)
• Empowering young leaders from disadvantaged communities by channelizing their energy toward play and sports (creating role models)

The aim of Sports for Change is to promote grass root sports among the young talents from the most difficult circumstance and deserving communities.

Families in India have shown great traction in their philanthropic actions over the last year as they deployed both short-term relief funding as well as longer-term grants to non-profits in the face of the coronavirus pandemic and the momentum

Families in India have shown great traction in their philanthropic actions over the last year as they deployed both short-term relief funding as well as longer-term grants to non-profits in the face of the coronavirus pandemic and the momentum is likely to continue this year as well, says a report.

Dasra, a strategic philanthropy foundation, on Wednesday released the top ten philanthropy trends for 2021, as per which, family giving is expected to witness an increase in 2021.

“Next-generation givers are also leaning into philanthropy now more than ever, even if their interest areas are largely varied compared to that of their families. Overall, family giving is expected to witness an increase in 2021,” it said.

Citing a recent survey by GiveIndia, it said the country’s appetite for giving has radically increased during the pandemic — 85 per cent of respondents plan to increase their giving, with 74 per cent more inclined to contribute to local communities.

“As normalcy resumes, priorities of retail givers might shift but at least a fourth of fresh givers are expected to remain active during this year. With the advent of new platforms such as the Social Stock Exchange (SSE) in the coming year, this thrust towards expanding the base of givers is expected to grow even further,” it noted.

Further, the report said that over the last year, CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) capital has drastically diminished, international funding has become increasingly restricted due to FCRA (Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act) regulations, and an increasing number of family givers are looking to own and operate their own programmes.

“Larger and more well-established non-profits are expected to receive much of the available philanthropic funding. For mid-size and smaller organisations, recovery will be much slower, if at all,” it noted.

Among corporates in India, while proximate giving has always been an important emphasis, the pandemic has heightened its significance and further pushed CSR funding towards areas in and around company offices or factories a trend that is expected to continue this year.

The India Philanthropy Trends 2021 is based on collective foresight from the Community of Foundations, a group of professional philanthropic leaders representing 20 of the most influential Indian and international foundations such as The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Rockefeller Foundation, Azim Premji Philanthropic Initiatives, Omidyar Network and Nilekani Philanthropies.

Smile Foundation has partnered with IIT-Kanpur’s premier Technical and Entrepreneurship Festival Techkriti ’21 to support the latter’s social welfare initiatives. On February 12, Techkriti conducted a drawing completion as a part of its social

Smile Foundation has partnered with IIT-Kanpur’s premier Technical and Entrepreneurship Festival Techkriti ’21 to support the latter’s social welfare initiatives. On February 12, Techkriti conducted a drawing completion as a part of its social initiative BLISS – Brightening Lives by Igniting Social Support in collaboration with Smile Foundation’s Shiksha Na Ruke campaign.

Techkriti is a meeting of minds, an excellent platform to collaborate and bring about positive change in the education sector. The much-awaited festival witnesses nearly 20,000 participants with over 1,000 participants from abroad. Through the pandemic, Smile Foundation has implemented a blended learning approach under its Shiksha Na Ruke initiative to ensure the continued education of school children to mitigate disruption from COVID-19.

Smile Foundation’s blended learning approach improves access to education for students across India through multiple means – smartphones, tablets, television sets, radio and even through feature phones. The blended learning approach includes a methodology for continued learning, even after schools gradually re-open.

Speaking about the partnership, Santanu Mishra, Co-Founder, and Executive Trustee, Smile Foundation said, “At Smile, we believe that real and permanent change on the ground is only possible with the active participation of civil society. In the pandemic, people from all walks of life and organizations and institutions came together as one and showed up a resilient front which helped the most vulnerable survive the crisis. But there is a lot more to be done to get them back on their feet. Working with children for almost two decades now, we feel that children have been one of the worst sufferers of the pandemic. Particularly, less privileged children, who could not continue their education properly as they had little or no access to digital learning. Through our Shiksha Na Ruke initiative, we are making efforts to provide continued access to education for all children through a blended learning approach so that they do not drop out of the fold of education. We are grateful to Techkriti’21 for lending their support to the cause and the student volunteers who are dedicating their time to make learning engaging and fun for our children”.

Supporting NSS volunteers who continue to serve the nation even during COVID-19 uncertainties, Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India Pvt. Ltd. (HMSI) today announced that its road safety training ‘Honda Road Safety E-Gurukul’ has successfully

Supporting NSS volunteers who continue to serve the nation even during COVID-19 uncertainties, Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India Pvt. Ltd. (HMSI) today announced that its road safety training ‘Honda Road Safety E-Gurukul’ has successfully empowered over 23,000 National Service Scheme (NSS) volunteers across India on staying safe on roads, that too digitally, from the safety of their homes.

Across India, Honda’s specialized road safety instructors digitally trained the National Service Scheme (NSS) volunteers aged 16 years + on the important aspects of road safety. Noteworthy, that in just 8 months beginning June 2020, Honda reached out to the NSS volunteers of over 200 colleges of 13 universities across 30+ towns & cities of India – From East (Dhanbad, Sambalpur, Medinapore, Gaya, Durg) to West (Ahmednagar, Nashik & Pune); North (Bilaspur, Gurugram, Udaipur, Delhi) to South (Kannur, Trivandrum, Calicut, Ernakulam, Thrissur).

Speaking on this milestone achievement, Mr. Prabhu Nagaraj, Senior Vice President – Brand & Communications, Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India Pvt. Ltd. said, “For 20 years, Honda has been aggressively working in India towards its vision of ‘Safety for Everyone’ on roads. We respect the grit of NSS volunteers across the nation who continued serving the society even in the challenging times of COVID-19. To enhance their safety & inculcate safer riding habits, Honda has digitally trained more than 23,000 NSS volunteers of over 200 colleges in just 8 months. With this initiative, Honda aims to sensitize all type of road users, be it existing or new riders, pedestrians or pillions of their responsibility on roads.”

Keeping it informative yet engaging, Honda’s road safety instructors conducted a 2-hour long Road Safety Webinar based on a mix of theory, videos & case studies.

NSS volunteers were given an understanding of road safety rules, signs & markings (the difference between mandatory, cautionary & informative signs; yellow, white or double lines) and traffic lights & signals (stop, move, left turn, right turn, go straight or slow down).

The volunteers were also briefed on how they can pro-actively avoid road accident injuries by scientific techniques like the correct driving/riding posture, the importance of wearing a seatbelt or helmet and riding gears.

Further, Honda’s safety instructors also educated the NSS volunteers on road sharing manners (sticking to your lane, use of bicycle tracks & footpaths by bicycle riders & pedestrians).