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  • Vodafone India Foundation launches digital literacy portal for marginalised communities

    Vodafone India Foundation launches digital literacy portal for marginalised communities

    Vodafone India Foundation, the CSR arm of mobile service provider Vodafone Idea, today launched a portal ‘Digisakshar.org’ to help marginalised communities become digital literate and self-reliant. The portal, which has ben developed

    Vodafone India Foundation, the CSR arm of mobile service provider Vodafone Idea, today launched a portal ‘Digisakshar.org’ to help marginalised communities become digital literate and self-reliant.

    The portal, which has ben developed in partnership with IT and business consulting services firm CGI and NASSCOM Foundation, was launched at a virtual event.

    In addition to offering digital literacy to communities, Vodafone India Foundation said that the self-learning portal also drives them towards better job and entrepreneurship opportunities helping them become self-reliant.

    The web platform curates personalized content from different sources in Hindi and English and will soon also be available in Kannada, Oriya and Marathi.

    The free to use portal provides over 40 courses in both Hindi and English, designed for all age groups and curated to cover basic, intermediate and advanced knowledge on digital skills, it said in a statement.

    The courses range from basics of computer operations, handling mobile phones, using internet securely, digital payments, finding jobs and livelihood opportunities, accessing common and government websites and many more.

    Vodafone India Foundation launches digital literacy portal for marginalised communities

    According to Vodafone India Foundation, NASSCOM Foundation has program managed the creation of the portal, while the CGI will be developing self-learning content in multiple languages to augment the digital skills curriculum.

    Commenting on the intiative, Vodafone Idea Ltd Chief Regulatory and Corporate Affairs Officer P Balaji said the company has transformative initiatives in the domains of agriculture, education, health, women empowerment which are positively impacting millions of Indians every year.

    “Today, as part of our commitment to increase digital literacy and help communities learn digital skills, I am delighted to announce launch of Digisakshar – which I am sure will contribute to a resilient and skilled India,” he said.

    NASSCOM Foundation CEO Ashok Pamidi said, “With digital literacy through physical centres taking a huge hit due to the current crisis, Digisakshar hopes to provide a safe online learning environment for Digital Novices to learn new skills.”

    CGI Asia Pacific Global Delivery Centers of Excellence President George Mattackal, CSC e-Governance Services India CEO Dinesh Tyagi, and National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) Head Learning Resources and Technology Preet Arora were among others present at the launch.

  • Reliance Foundation to partner W-GDP, USAID to bridge gender digital divide in India

    Reliance Foundation to partner W-GDP, USAID to bridge gender digital divide in India

    Reliance Foundation, the CSR arm of Reliance Industries Ltd, today said it has forged a new partnership with US Agency for International Development and W-GDP to bridge the gender digital divide in India. The partnership was announced

    Reliance Foundation, the CSR arm of Reliance Industries Ltd, today said it has forged a new partnership with US Agency for International Development and W-GDP to bridge the gender digital divide in India.

    The partnership was announced at a Women’s Global Development and Prosperity (W-GDP) event hosted by Deputy Secretary of State of the United States Stephen Biegun and with special guest, Ivanka Trump, Advisor to the President of the United States, and Deputy USAID Administrator Bonnie Glick, it said in a statement.

    Ivanka Trump said that the W-GDP Fund was created to source and scale the most innovative programmes to advance women’s economic empowerment.

    “We are leveraging the resources and expertise of the US government and the private sector so that activities have enduring, deep effects on the communities they reach,” she said.

    Whereas USAID Acting Administrator John Barsa said, “Global prosperity will remain out of reach if we exclude half the population. At the US Agency for International Development (USAID), we believe investment in women is key to unlocking human potential on a transformational scale.”

    The W-GDP Fund at USAID is financing innovative solutions to close the economic gap between women and men and help our partners advance on their Journeys to Self-Reliance, he said.

    At the event, through a virtual video message, Nita M Ambani, Founder and Chairperson, Reliance Foundation, said, “I am delighted and proud to announce that Reliance Foundation is joining forces with W-GDP, through our partnership with USAID. Together, we shall launch the W-GDP WomenConnect Challenge across India, in the fall of 2020. At the heart of this partnership, is our shared goal to help bridge both the gender divide and the digital divide in India.”

    The W-GDP Women’s Connect Challenge (WCC) supports private sector-led approaches that close the gender digital divide, expands business opportunities, and empowers women. As part of programme, W-GDP will partner with the Reliance Foundation to create an India-specific expression of the WCC and incorporate the lessons of previous W-GDP WCC Rounds.

    This year Reliance Foundation is celebrating its 10th anniversary, and over the last decade has impacted the lives of 36 million Indians.

    “Together, Jio and Reliance Foundation will make a tremendous contribution to the W-GDP Initiative in India to help bridge the gender digital divide,” the statement added.

    In February 2019, the White House established the Women’s Global Development and Prosperity (W-GDP) Initiative, the first whole-of-government approach to women’s economic empowerment.

    W-GDP seeks to reach 50 million women in the developing world by 2025 by focusing on three pillars of women prospering in the workforce, women succeeding as entrepreneurs, and women enabled in the economy.

    In its first year alone, W-GDP programs reached 12 million women across the globe. It leverages a new innovative fund, scaling private-public partnerships that address the three pillars.

  • Usha Int’l & SIDBI to set up 700 Usha Silai Schools in 3 states

    Usha Int’l & SIDBI to set up 700 Usha Silai Schools in 3 states

    Consumer durables major Usha International and Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) today announced setting up of 700 Usha Silai schools in aspirational districts and calamity prone areas of Himachal Pradesh

    Consumer durables major Usha International and Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) today announced setting up of 700 Usha Silai schools in aspirational districts and calamity prone areas of Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand in the phase II of its flagship initiative ‘Mission Swavalamban’.

    Under the Phase I of the initiative, 1000 Usha Swavalamban Silai Schools were set up in five states – Bihar, Rajasthan, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh and Telangana. 200 schools were up and running in each state in 2019, it said.

    “We are sure these 700 new Silai Schools in the Government of India shortlisted aspirational districts/ calamity affected areas will go a long way in making a real impact by training thousands of people, improving their lives and the lives of their families,” Usha International CEO Dinesh Chhabra said in a statement.

    These schools will pave the way for a better tomorrow by developing rural women as entrepreneurs in their own right, and an earning power that helps them meet their aspirations. It underscores the company’s commitment to skill people in order to create a more equitable world, he said.

    The objective of these school is to skill rural women in sewing and stitching to financially empower them and make them ‘homepreneurs, it added.

    SIDBI Chairman and Managing Director Mohammad Mustafa, said, “In 2nd phase besides tailoring skills, we shall impart exposure on entrepreneurship and life skills. This aligns with our Mission Swavalamban which intends to spread entrepreneurship culture, family being the focal point.”

    The bank will continue to leverage partnership for including the excluded as also serving the unserved. “We firmly believe that strengthening villages through enterprise enabler steps is important for national mission of Aatmanirbhar Bharat,” he added.

    In Usha Silai Schools, the training will be imparted on various aspects of stitching along with maintenance and repairing of sewing machine by expert trainers of Usha International in these Silai Schools.

    The women entrepreneurs successfully completing the training program will be provided with Usha Sewing machine (leg paddle driven), a certificate, a training-kit, and a Usha Swavalamban Silai School Signage board, the company added.

    The Silai School program, initiated in 2011, is a pan India community based rural initiative of Usha International Ltd. This social initiative is aimed at empowering women from marginalized sections of the communities residing in the remote hamlets, habitations and villages of India.

    Presently, there are 23,000 Silai Schools across India, 100 in Nepal and 20 in Sri Lanka and 3 production centers in Bhutan.

  • UP CM visits HCL’s COVID control centre in GB Nagar

    UP CM visits HCL’s COVID control centre in GB Nagar

    Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath today visited the IT firm HCL Technologies supported, 24×7 Integrated Control Centre in Gautam Buddha Nagar that has responded to 2.5 lakh citizen queries on COVID-19 in the last four months

    Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath today visited the IT firm HCL Technologies supported, 24×7 Integrated Control Centre in Gautam Buddha Nagar that has responded to 2.5 lakh citizen queries on COVID-19 in the last four months.

    The Centre which has been operational since April 3, 2020 is one of the first such centres in Uttar Pradesh and has played a critical role in responding to citizen queries in the wake of the pandemic, the company said in a statement.

    HCL set up the “all in one” control room, reachable on toll free number 18004192211, at one of its facilities in Noida, with support from the GB Nagar district administration, the police, the health department and both Noida Authority and Greater Noida Authority.

    The centre has responded to 2.5 lakh citizen queries since it began operations,it said.

    The data analysis of the call volume, the company said reveal that over majority of the calls received have been food related (60 percent) with callers requesting for information on ordering groceries online or dry ration and cooked meals support.

    The Control Room also responded to 15 percent queries related to Health Services, including questions around e-pass for hospital visits, ambulance related services and pharmacy options.

    About 21 percent of the total calls were related to other queries including information on masks and sanitizer availability, ATM accessibility etc. Remaining 4 percent calls were police related.

    HCL employees have been supporting the call centre operations on 24×7 basis while keeping in mind the required social distancing norms.

    According to HCL, the centre’s focus has also been on screening callers and queries before referring them to a team of doctors appointed by the government for further course of recommendation.

    About 12 percent of the total health related calls received were therefore, referred for doctor consultation.

    The control Centre also included processes for following up and reporting of all unconfirmed, suspected, foreign return cases as well as mobile tracking and monitoring for all home and hotel quarantine cases basis inputs from official government authorities, it added.

  • Jubilant Life Sciences presents 1,000 vials of Remdesivir to UP CM

    Jubilant Life Sciences presents 1,000 vials of Remdesivir to UP CM

    Drug firm Jubilant Life Sciences today presented 1,000 vials of antiviral drug Remdesivir that it sells under the brand name ‘JUBI-R’ to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. The drug is being made available to over 1,000 hospitals

    Drug firm Jubilant Life Sciences today presented 1,000 vials of antiviral drug Remdesivir that it sells under the brand name ‘JUBI-R’ to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.

    The drug is being made available to over 1,000 hospitals providing COVID-19 treatment in India through the company’s distribution network, Jubilant Life Sciences said in a statement.

    “Remdesivir is an effective medicine in the treatment of severe COVID-19 cases. In this critical situation, I am pleased that this medicine was made available by Jubilant in the quick time of two and a half months,” the company quoted the CM as saying.

    “It gives us immense pleasure and satisfaction to present ?JUBI-R’, the life-saving medicine, to Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh Yogi Adityanath,” Jubilant Life Sciences Chairman Shyam S Bhartia said.

    The company is donating 1000 vials of JUBI-R through its CSR arm, the Jubilant Bhartia Foundation, he added.

    In May 2020, Jubilant entered into a non-exclusive licensing agreement with Gilead Sciences, Inc., that granted it the right to register, manufacture and sell Gilead’s investigational drug remdesivir in 127 countries including India, the company said.

  • ICICI Lombard donates 7,000 raincoats, 15,000 face masks to traffic police in & around Mumbai

    ICICI Lombard donates 7,000 raincoats, 15,000 face masks to traffic police in & around Mumbai

    As Mumbai experiences heavy rainfall amid COVID-19 pandemic, private sector insurer ICICI Lombard General Insurance today said it distributed 7,000 raincoats and 15,000 face masks to traffic police officials in the financial capital

    As Mumbai experiences heavy rainfall amid COVID-19 pandemic, private sector insurer ICICI Lombard General Insurance today said it distributed 7,000 raincoats and 15,000 face masks to traffic police officials in the financial capital, Navi Mumbai, and Thane.

    The company, in a statement, said it has distributed N95 masks which are washable and reusable, while the raincoats are made of 100 percent pure polyester fabric and are fully sealed, waterproof and moisture resistant for complete protection from the rains.

    Speaking on the initiative, ICICI Lombard Executive Director Sanjeev Mantri said the traffice police personnel are braving unpredictable city rains amid the Covid-19 pandemic to ensure smooth traffic flow. It is they who ensure round the clock road safety and make sure that the city keeps moving.

    Considering the need to protect these ‘Guardians of Road Safety’, he said, “We have come forward and distributed raincoats and masks to the traffic police personnel. This initiative is a natural extension to our commitment to road safety. It is our small token of gratitude for their relentless contribution and a salute to their spirit.”

    Maharasthra Police Joint Commissioner (Traffic) Madhukar Pande expressed gratitude towards ICICI Lombard for providing Mumbai Traffic Police 5,000 rainwear and 10,000 N95 masks.

    ICICI Lombard through its flagship CSR Campaign “Ride to Safety” works towards the safety and well-being of people on 2 wheelers. It focuses on children as pillion riders and provides them specially designed ISI marked helmets. In the recent years, it has expanded the scope to distribute helmets among parents as well, to provide protection to the entire family and encourage helmet usage.

  • Lupin spends only 62% of prescribed CSR budget in FY’20

    Lupin spends only 62% of prescribed CSR budget in FY’20

    Drug maker Lupin spent Rs 34.2 crore on corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities in the 2019-20 fiscal, only about 62 percent of the prescribed CSR budget. During the year, the company ought to have spent Rs 55.51 crore on CSR activities

    Drug maker Lupin spent Rs 34.2 crore on corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities in the 2019-20 fiscal, only about 62 percent of the prescribed CSR budget.

    “During the year, the company ought to have spent Rs 55.51 crore on CSR activities. The actual spend was Rs 34.2 crore,” the company said in its annual report.

    Despite best efforts, the company has been unable to execute its ambitious plan of setting up a state-of-the-art JCI and NABH accredited hospital in Mumbai as it could not identify a suitable plot, it said.

    Lupin however said “it aims to continuously increase its CSR spend and is constantly exploring new areas/activities, particularly deeper sustainable projects to accelerate the spend.”

    During the 2020-21 fiscal, the company will also make CSR spends towards the relief efforts for mitigating the COVID-19 pandemic, including contributions to the PM CARES Fund, it added.

    The company is implementing CSR initiatives through Lupin Human Welfare and Research Foundation (LHWRF) which was established in 1988. It focuses on economic, social, infrastructure development and natural resource management.

    LHWRF has a presence in 4,546 villages located in 63 blocks of 23 districts spread across nine states in India. It operates through 20 centers.

  • Eaton India taking care of safety kits of local police in several cities

    Eaton India taking care of safety kits of local police in several cities

    Eaton India Foundation, the CSR arm of global power management company Eaton, today said it is closely working with the local police in several cities and taking care of their safety and hygiene kits. The Foundation, in a statement

    Eaton India Foundation, the CSR arm of global power management company Eaton, today said it is closely working with the local police in several cities and taking care of their safety and hygiene kits.

    The Foundation, in a statement, said it is also providing frontline workers with healthcare and safety equipment, migrants and daily wagers with essentials like meals and ration kits amongst other causes.

    That apart, Eaton’s employees have also been working with the foundation’s existing education projects to take the content online, minimizing disruption in school education for the disadvantaged.

    The relief work is being done in Pune, Puducherry, Coimbatore, Ranjangaon, Ahmednagar, Nashik, Bangalore, Delhi, Chennai and Mumbai with plans to reach out to more areas soon.

    Commenting on the relief work, Eaton India HR Director Ashish Kapoor said amidst the uncertainty, Eaton has taken adequate precautions to ensure our employees’ safety and well-being both on location and in remote work environments.

    “However, we are well aware of the Covid-19 warriors amongst us who face high risks daily to keep us healthy and our cities safe and clean. We have also witnessed the plight of the vulnerable communities who have been impacted the most in this challenging phase,” he said.

    It is a time when everyone need to stand and support a section of the society which needs assistance. “Through our little contribution, we hope to have brought respite to some,” he added.

    Eaton’s CSR programs in India began when the company started operations in Pune in 1999. For more than two decades, Eaton has been leading various CSR and community initiatives in the country – in education, health and environment.

    In 2015, Eaton India Foundation – a public charitable trust, was established to further streamline and broad-base Eaton’s community efforts in India.

    Currently the Foundation serves communities in all major Eaton locations in India, impacting more than 17,000 school and college students, more than 400 plus destitute, 1200 families and cumulative volunteer support from 1900 plus Eaton volunteers.

  • Godrej Consumer’s CSR spend 23pc less than mandated Rs 24.34cr for 2019-20

    Godrej Consumer’s CSR spend 23pc less than mandated Rs 24.34cr for 2019-20

    FMCG firm Godrej Consumer Product Ltd (GCPL) has spent Rs 19.49 crore on the corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives in the 2019-20 fiscal year, about 23 percent lower than the mandated amount of Rs 25.34 crore

    FMCG firm Godrej Consumer Product Ltd (GCPL) has spent Rs 19.49 crore on the corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives in the 2019-20 fiscal year, about 23 percent lower than the mandated amount of Rs 25.34 crore.

    The CSR provision requires affected companies to spend at least 2 percent of their average net profits made in the preceding three years on CSR.

    GCPL’s CSR spending stood at Rs 21.87 crore in the 2018-19 fiscal year.

    In its annual report, the company said its average net profit in the last three fiscal years was Rs 1,267 crores and prescribed CSR budget was Rs 25.34 crore for the 2019-20 fiscal.

    “A total of Rs 19.49 crore was spent, against the mandated amount of Rs 25.34 crore. The unspent amount is Rs 5.85 crore,” the company said.

    The CSR Committee has approved that the unspent funds be carried forward to the 2020-21 fiscal in addition to the prescribed 2 percent CSR budget for 2020-21, it said.

    According to GCPL, projects worth this amount had been sourced and committed, with signed MoUs and deliverables agreed during the financial year itself.

    “In order to ensure proper utilization of funds and high-quality results from our CSR initiatives, we believe in funding projects on tranche basis. The whole grant is not given upfront in advance and is instead given in stages when certain milestones are achieved,” it said.

    This led to an underspend of Rs 5.85 crore during the financial year. The Company is committed to spend the unspent funds specifically for the selected projects in 2020-21, it added.

    The company spent CSR funds on livelihood enhancement projects, promoting preventive healthcare, rural development projects, environment sustainability, education and traditional arts during 2020-21.

    About 80 per cent of GCPL’s product portfolio comprises health, hygiene, and value for money product.

  • SOS Children send rakhis to Corona-warriors of Max Healthcare

    SOS Children send rakhis to Corona-warriors of Max Healthcare

    On the auspicious occasion of Raksha Bandhan festival, more than 80 children from the Faridabad-based SOS Children’s Villages today sent rakhis and hand-made cards to doctors of two Max Healthcare hospitals in the national capital

    On the auspicious occasion of Raksha Bandhan festival, more than 80 children from the Faridabad-based SOS Children’s Villages today sent rakhis and hand-made cards to doctors of two Max Healthcare hospitals in the national capital.

    SOS Children’s Villages, in a statement, said the rakhis were sent doctors posted at Max Smart Super Specialty Hospital at Saket and BLK Super Specialty Hospital at Pusa Road in Delhi.

    The colorful, vibrant cards, hand-made by children, carried messages to the Corona Warriors at the two hospitals, thanking them for all their efforts and sacrifices in protecting the people in the time of the pandemic.

    “Thank you for fighting with the Coronavirus on our behalf,” said a card handmade by a SOS child.

    “You are all real-world heroes for protecting us from the Coronavirus and saving lives,” said a card handmade by another.

    “You are all real heroes. The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience but where he stands in times of challenge and controversy,” said another card made by a SOS child.

    The doctors were overwhelmed at this show of love and affection from the children.

    Saket-based Max Smart Super Specialty Hospital Vice Present and Unit Head Dr Gurpreet Singh said: “The cards carry heart-felt messages for our doctors and nurses. Our Corona warriors are over-whelmed by this gesture in the midst of facing one of mankind’s biggest pandemic. We all thank the SOS children for this loving gesture.”

    According to Delhi-based BLK Super Specialty Hospital Unit Head and Vice President Dr Sanjay Mehta: “We all are deeply touched at receiving the rakhis and cards from the SOS children. It is a deeply emotional moment for us after everything the Corona Warriors have gone through in the past few months. We will treasure these symbols of love and affection for many years to come. And this bond will last lifelong.”

    “This Raksha Bandhan, we and our children recognize the remarkable contribution of doctors, nurses and all the other Covid Warriors for saving humanity from the pandemic. In celebrating them, we celebrate the shared value of selfless efforts of our SOS mothers for creating lasting bonds of devotion, care and commitment,” said Sudarshan Suchi, Secretary General of SOS Children’s Villages of India.

    Established in 1964, SOS Children’s Villages of India protects the best interests of children who do not have a family or those who are risk of losing one. It operates in 32 locations across 22 states/UTs in India.