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STFC ties up with Skill India to train 1000 drivers for transporting oxygen tankers

Commercial vehicle financer Shriram Transport Finance Company (STFC) on Tuesday said it has partnered with Skill India to train 1000 drivers to ensure seamless and accident free transportation of oxygen tankers. With an objective to streamline Liquid Medical Oxygen

Commercial vehicle financer Shriram Transport Finance Company (STFC) on Tuesday said it has partnered with Skill India to train 1000 drivers to ensure seamless and accident free transportation of oxygen tankers.

With an objective to streamline Liquid Medical Oxygen (LMO) Tankers supply chain amidst the pandemic, STFC has launched a CSR initiative — Shriram Seva Sankalp LMO Driver Training. The campaign aims to upskill 1000 experienced heavy and medium vehicles drivers to carefully handle and transport Cryogenic LMO Tankers.

According to STFC, over 500 drivers have successfully completed their training in January 2022, the company aims to certify the remaining 500 drivers by March 2022.

The shortlisting of experienced heavy motor vehicles (HMV) drivers to enroll for the capacity building training program was conducted at the approved training centers funded by STFC at multiple locations including Maharashtra, Jharkhand, Gujarat and Tamil Nadu.

The Holistic Cryogenic Medical Oxygen Tanker Driver Training Program will offer the trainees a deep-dive into the theory, hands-on practice on simulators, handling of hazardous cargo tanker and in-plant LMO loading and unloading along with all other safety precautions to be taken.

This will help in creating a pool of skilled drivers to transport cryogenic medical oxygen tankers owing to its growing significance in medical management of COVID-19 across hospitals.

Post the successful completion of the training program, the drivers will be awarded with a certification by the Logistics Skill Council.

Speaking about the initiative, STFC Vice Chairman and Managing Director Umesh Revankar said: “The need for skilled drivers to operate oxygen tankers was felt in 2021 owing to the acute shortage of oxygen in the country.”

As India braces towards meeting challenges of the third wave of the pandemic, Revankar said the company’s endeavor is to once again provide continuous support to the society.

“Thus, we have stepped up to the opportunity and decided to work together with the government to avert a similar situation in the future,” he said.

Since the start of the CSR training program, over 10,000 candidates have been trained to drive heavy and light motor vehicles with ease, he added.

Skill India is an initiative launched by the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship in 2015 with an aim to train Indians in different industry-related jobs. The Ministry is responsible for coordination of all Skill Development efforts across the country, removal of disconnect between demand and supply of skilled manpower, and building the vocational and technical training framework.

STFC through its partner DB Skills is working in collaboration with National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) to upskill drivers.

Recently, STFC Ltd had also organized a vaccination campaign for truck drivers titled ‘Highway Heroes’ in collaboration with TV9 Network and Apollo Hospitals.

The month-long campaign initiated to vaccinate 6000 drivers was inaugurated in Chennai and executed in transportation hubs in five cities including Chennai, Hyderabad, Nalagarh, Kolkata and Dharuhera.

January 17, 2022
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.

January 17, 2022
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.

January 15, 2022
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.

January 14, 2022
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.

January 14, 2022
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.

January 14, 2022
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.

January 14, 2022
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.

January 14, 2022
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.

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.

January 10, 2022
Day Quote

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

Mother Teresa

January 5, 2022