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  • Govt allows cos to spend CSR funds for ‘Har Ghar Tiranga’ campaign

    Govt allows cos to spend CSR funds for ‘Har Ghar Tiranga’ campaign

    Mass scale production and supply of the national flag, outreach and amplification efforts and other related activities are eligible CSR activities under this campaign.

    Companies can spend their CSR funds for activities related to the ‘Har Ghar Tiranga’ campaign, according to the government.

    The campaign is being organised by the government as part of the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav to encourage people to bring home the national flag and hoist it to mark the 75th year of India’s independence.

    Under the Companies Act, 2013, certain class of profitable companies are required to shell out at least two per cent of their three-year annual average net profit towards Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activities.

    In a circular on Tuesday, the corporate affairs ministry said the campaign is aimed to invoke the feeling of patriotism in the hearts of people and to promote awareness about the Indian national flag.

    “Spending of CSR funds for the activities related to this campaign such as mass scale production and supply of the national flag, outreach and amplification efforts and other related activities are eligible CSR activities,” the circular said.

    The activities are eligible for CSR funds under the provisions of Schedule VII of the Companies Act pertaining to promotion of education relating to culture.

    Schedule VII pertains to CSR activities.

    The circular also noted that companies can undertake these activities subject to fulfilling the Companies (CSR Policy) Rules, 2014 and related circulars/ clarifications issued by the ministry.

    The Companies Act, 2013 is implemented by the ministry.

  • Karnataka companies increase CSR spending on Health and Education

    Karnataka companies increase CSR spending on Health and Education

    Cos spent Rs 2380.54 crore on education, Rs 945 cr on health in Karnataka in five years till FY’21: FM

    In Karnataka, companies spent a cumulative CSR amount of Rs 2380.54 crore and Rs 945 crore on education and health-related activities, respectively, between 2016-17 to 2020-21 fiscal, Finance and Corporate Affairs Minister Nirmala Sitharaman informed Parliament on Tuesday.

    Further, the companies are required to file the CSR data for the 2021-22 financial year on or before March 31, 2023, she said in a written reply to Rajya Sabha.

    On institutionalising the use of CSR funds, the Minister said Section 135 of the Companies Act, 2013 (‘Act’) along with Schedule VII of the Act and Companies (CSR Policy) Rules, 2014 provides the broad framework for Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).

    Schedule VII of the Act indicates the eligible list of activities that the companies can undertake as CSR, she said.

    Also, the CSR framework is disclosure-based, and CSR-mandated companies must file CSR activities details annually in the MCA21 registry.

    All data related to CSR filed by the companies in the MCA21 registry, including the list of companies who have spent their CSR funds on activities related to education and health, are available in the public domain at www.csr.gov.in, she has said.

  • Walmart-Flipkart help with Assam Flood relief

    Walmart-Flipkart help with Assam Flood relief

    Walmart and Flipkart give Rs 2 crore for Assam flood relief

    American multinational Walmart and its Indian partner Flipkart have jointly contributed over Rs 2 crore towards flood relief in Assam as part of its CSR initiative.

    Walmart Foundation and Flipkart Foundation have contributed more than Rs 2 crore (USD 2,50,000) to flood relief work in Assam.

    In a joint statement, the duo also said that the funds would help the humanitarian organisation “Doctors For You” support people impacted in the region. “Doctors For You” will supply kits with essential food items, medicines, and hygiene-care products and offers healthcare and psychological support to the affected population.

    “Our hearts are with those affected by the devastating flooding in Assam, and together with the Flipkart Foundation, we are here to support relief efforts,” said Julie Gehrki, Vice President and COO, Walmart Foundation.

    “The people of Assam have been severely affected by the floods, and we endeavour to provide the necessary support, care and compassion. With support from our colleagues across the organisation, we hope to leverage our capabilities and mobilise resources toward the most critical needs of people and communities,” said Rajneesh Kumar, Chief Corporate Affairs Officer, Flipkart Group.

    As floods continue in several parts of India, Flipkart, through its CSR arm, is also partnering with Goonj to raise funds from customers to provide critical medical supplies and essential relief materials for flood relief efforts in the country. The statement added that the company has also mobilised employee contributions for this cause.

    Walmart Foundation is a CSR arm of Walmart, while Flipkart Foundation is that of e-commerce player Flipkart Group.

  • ACC’s DISHA trains 200 Jharkhand youth for employment

    ACC’s DISHA trains 200 Jharkhand youth for employment

    ACC trains 200 rural youth to become employable

    DISHA project by the ACC has trained 200 rural youth from the tribal villages of Jharkhand, making them employable. DISHA, part of ACC’s CSR initiative, aims to eliminate unemployment among people in host communities and provides training for self-employment in areas such as automotive technicians, electricians, life skills, sewing machine operators, pickers, and packers.

    DISHA aims to provide the necessary training and education to make people employable across different skills and industries. In the eight tribal villages surrounding the company’s manufacturing plant at Chaibasa in Jharkhand, the initiative drives rural communities’ development by addressing local youth’s unemployment, particularly dropout children.

    DISHA recently completed the skill development training and successfully placed the candidates at leading organisations like Mother & Sons Sumi, Grofers, Big Basket, Welspun and Shahi Exports in Bengaluru. To date, more than 200 candidates have benefited from the DISHA project.

    When it comes to problem-solving, DISHA follows the participatory rural appraisal study of communities followed by a collection of household data that facilitates micro planning, counselling facilities, soft skills and digital skills development are also part of the programme, in addition to engaging with the local Panchayat members, who are critical stakeholders of villages. Some of its other outreach programmes to the underprivileged focus on digital and financial literacy, soft skills, personality and overall development.

    ACC Limited, Chaibasa continued its journey and inaugurated a new batch of trades graced by Mr Ananya Mittal, District Collector, West Singhbhum, in the presence of Mr Raj Gurung, Plant Director of Chaibasa Cement Works, to provide skill training to 70 candidates. District Commissioner was pleased to mention that West Singhbhum District is progressing rapidly under the program “Transformation of Aspirational Districts” launched by the Prime Minister, which aims to quickly and effectively transform some of the most underdeveloped districts of the country. District Commissioner also appreciated the contribution of ACC Limited in this regard. He said that the participation of the youth would motivate others from the tribal area to come forward.

    Sridhar Balakrishnan, MD & CEO, ACC Limited, said: “At ACC, our goal has always been clear: to transform lives and create a better world. We try to achieve the same by enabling marginalised households to access gainful self-employment, creating opportunities for youth development, and promoting equality through participation and inclusion of all individuals, groups and communities.”

    The outreach programme also helps mobilise employment with many governments and social security schemes, like the Shram card and zero-balance Jan Dhan bank accounts.

  • Aequs Foundation launches Hamara Gaon Project

    Aequs Foundation launches Hamara Gaon Project

    CSR arm of Aequs rolls out an early education support programme in 25 villages in Koppal District in Karnataka Synopsis

    Aequs Foundation has launched the Hamara Gaon Project to impart education to children in the age group of 3-14 years in the Koppal District of Karnataka to create community ownership in early schooling.

    In partnership with Pratham Education Foundation, Hamara Gaon will reach 5000 children over the next three years by supporting in-school and in-community components for early education. The programme will cover twenty-five villages in the Koppal District, where India’s first toy manufacturing cluster, the Koppal Toy Cluster (KTC), is located.

    The Hamara Gaon Project is implemented to support children in their early years (3- 6 years) by training children with Anganwadi workers and volunteers on early-learning activities for children. The programme will also set up Mother’s Groups to increase their participation.

    The primary objective of the programme is to build age-appropriate skills in children. The in-school component for children in grades 1-5 addresses learning loss and focuses on foundational literacy and numeracy skills.

    “In a rapidly transforming world, we believe education is the key. We at Aequs Foundation have introduced several programs that aim to help students excel in academics and extra-curricular activities for overall development. Research has shown that the Pandemic has proved the importance of the mother’s role in building foundational skills in numeric and reading skills. This program seeks to involve them more closely in this process along with teachers and Anganwadi workers,” said Ms Akkamahadevi Melligeri, Chairperson, Aequs Foundation.

    Aequs Foundation and Pratham intend to create an environment that encourages self-learning and group learning. Hence, Pratham team members conduct learning camps (short bursts of intense activities) in school for children in grades 3 to 5 using Pratham’s Teaching at the Right Level (TaRL) methodology.

    As part of the early schooling interventions, several mother’s groups in villages get trained in teaching their children. These groups meet weekly to share experiences and discuss activities they can take up with children. Pratham team members support the Lead Mothers and the groups by periodically visiting them.

    In addition, engagement kits are given to mothers as an engagement tool to support the mother-child duo. The kit comprises three components- an individual pouch with materials for every child, a kit for every mother’s group at the Mohalla level, and a village-level kit. The kits contain various teaching-learning materials that help children acquire age-appropriate skills. During the Inauguration of the programme on July 9 at Koppal, several Engagement Kits were distributed to the mothers.

  • PEPSICO Foundation aims to build global food security

    PEPSICO Foundation aims to build global food security

    PEPSICO to respond to the growing hunger crisis by boosting its food security initiatives

    The PEPSICO Foundation hopes to respond to the growing hunger crisis by boosting its food security initiatives. The Foundation will double its effort to increase equitable access to nutritious food by increasing its investments and offering three new ways to engage people in fighting hunger.

    This will directly or indirectly help many of the 345 million people globally who face severe hunger. This number is expected to rise due to climate change, the COVID-19 pandemic, and global conflicts impacting the food chain.

    In response to the growing hunger crisis, in 2021, PepsiCo and the Foundation announced Food for Good’s expansion to 28 countries worldwide to provide access to nutritious food to 50 million people by 2030 (against a 2021 baseline). Through Food for Good, PepsiCo has delivered more than 245 million meals since 2009, reached 41 million people worldwide since 2016, and partnered with more than 60 non-profits across 28 countries to ensure the company implements local solutions that meet the unique challenges of each community.

    PepsiCo Food for Good has committed more than $35 million since 2021 to increase access to nutritious food and increase the productivity and incomes of small-scale farmers. This year, it’s directing investments to interventions that have shown can build long-term solutions while it continues to address immediate hunger needs.

    Increasing productivity and incomes of small-scale farmers

    With global partners, including World Food Program USA in support of the United Nations (U.N.) World Food Programme and CARE, along with leading local organisations, Food for Good, focus on economically empowering women through regenerative agriculture. To stave off the food crisis, it’s mobilising multiple initiatives in communities with a substantial vulnerability within Africa, the Middle East, Latin America, and Asia. Through these efforts, it aims to support 3.5 million farmers and their families between 2022 and 2024.

    Increasing access to nutritious food

    Food for Good provides students with increased access to the nutrition needed to learn and grow in multiple countries, including the U.S., and through the Pioneer School Breakfast Nutrition Programme in South Africa, while working to ensure the most vulnerable can access food with dignity through malnutrition interventions in Mexico and Guatemala.

    As part of its Nutrition Enhancement Programme, PepsiCo in India is working to improve the nutritional status of pregnant & lactating women and children in the age group 0-6 years in Sangrur, Punjab, I n partnership with Smile Foundation. PepsiCo also launched the ‘Bowl of Hope’ initiative in India in 2021 with its brand Quaker and Smile Foundation to provide over one lakh nutritious bowls of whole grains to underserved communities across the country. In addition, PepsiCo is inviting corporations, organisations and community members to take action on global hunger.

    C.D. Glin, Vice President, PepsiCo Foundation and Global Head of Philanthropy, PepsiCo, says, “As one of the largest convenient food companies in the world, PepsiCo plays a critical role in leveraging our resources and capabilities to create and inspire local impact on hunger,”

    “We’re answering the call to address escalating global food insecurity, and we plan to continue with our significant investments. But to make a meaningful impact, everyone with a role to play in our global food systems must be a part of the solution to address the immediate need and work on approaches to prevent us from landing in this place of crisis again.” Glin said.

    Lauren Bush Lauren, Founder of FEED, has collaborated with PepsiCo Food for Good: “The fight against hunger is an issue that knows no borders. In the past few years, the already overwhelming global issue has been exacerbated further. Often people aren’t sure where to begin or how to make a difference, which was my inspiration for founding FEED in 2007″.

  • PepsiCo report on sustainability encouraging

    PepsiCo report on sustainability encouraging

    PepsiCo’s 2021 ESG Sustainability Reports highlight it’s leveraging a new course to drive positive action for the planet and people.

    PepsiCo has published its first Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Summary since the launch of PepsiCo Positive (pep+), a strategic end-to-end business transformation with sustainability and human capital at the centre of how the company will create growth and value.

    The 2021 ESG Summary – an evolution from PepsiCo’s prior Sustainability Reports – highlights how the company is leveraging its brands, people and scale to chart a new course to drive positive action for the planet and people. It also highlights progress made on industry-leading commitments.

    Positive Agriculture

    Pep+ helped to spread the adoption of regenerative agriculture practices across more than 345,000 acres, leading to progress toward its goal of seven million acres, the approximate equivalent of PepsiCo’s agricultural footprint, by 2030.

    It further Supported the livelihoods of female farmers and rural communities via initiatives such as the $20 million USAID, a partnership to develop women-led enterprises, and the $2 million Next Generation Agriculture Fund with the Inter-American Development Bank (IADB) to demonstrate the impact of gender-smart solutions for agriculture.

    These programs mark initial action towards a new pep+ goal to improve the livelihoods of more than 250,000 people in PepsiCo’s agricultural supply chain and communities, including economically empowering women. In 28 demonstration farms in India, there were average yield improvements of almost 7 per cent and reduced GHG emissions by more than 7 per cent resulting in the farmer income increase of $55 per acre on average yielded value for farmers.

    PepsiCo is working with USAID in West Bengal to empower women farmers and expand their horizons by educating them on sustainable farming practices, best irrigation and crop rotation techniques, financial literacy, entrepreneurship, etc., through training programs. In partnership with USAID, PepsiCo in India has trained more than 1000 women in potato agronomy and sustainable farming practices since 2019 to reach 500 additional women farmers in 2022.

    Positive Value Chain

    Pep+ initiatives helped reduce Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 25 per cent from a 2015 baseline, with more than 70 per cent of global electricity needs in direct operations now met by renewable sources. In 2021, Scope 3 emissions – which account for 93 per cent of the company’s emissions – increased by 5 cents from a 2015 baseline, due mainly to unprecedented business growth.

    It helped improve operational water-use efficiency by 18 per cent in high water-risk areas from a 2015 baseline against a target of 25 per cent by 2025. It replenished 34 per cent of water used in operations to local watersheds in 2021– more than 6.1 billion litres of water. In addition, PepsiCo has continued to advance safe water access globally to more than 68 million people since 2006 (Of this, over 27 million beneficiaries are from India.), putting the company more than halfway to its 2030 goal of 100 million people.

    PepsiCo has implemented N-Drip technology on farms in India that saw improved crop yields and reduced fertiliser usage, with an average reduction of 39 per cent in water consumption compared to flood irrigation in the states of Uttar Pradesh and reduced fertiliser usage, with an average decrease of 39 per cent in water consumption compared to flood irrigation in Uttar Pradesh states Punjab and Rajasthan.

    Positive Choices

    Four years ahead of schedule in 2021, PepsiCo attained its saturated fat reduction goal of 75 per cent. In addition, 53 per cent of PepsiCo’s beverage portfolio volume now has less than 100 Calories from added sugars per 12oz. Serving 66 per cent of its convenient foods portfolio volume does not exceed 1.3 milligrams of sodium per Calorie.

    PepsiCo in India has been working to improve the nutritional status of pregnant and lactating women and children in the age group 0-6 years in Sangrur, Punjab, in partnership with Smile Foundation.

    “PepsiCo’s commitment and action to create a more sustainable and resilient food system is unwavering, and we are proud of the progress that we made in 2021 toward our new and updated pep+ goals”, Jim Andrew, Chief Sustainability Officer, PepsiCo, said.

    He said, “We aim to decouple so our business can grow sustainably while decreasing environmental impacts. There is still much more work to be done, and we cannot do it alone, so we – in partnership with our value chain partners, communities, NGOs and government leaders – will continue investing in action, innovation and partnerships that enable us all to realise a more sustainable future”.

  • Lodha Net Zero Urban Accelerator move toward net-zero

    Lodha Net Zero Urban Accelerator move toward net-zero

    Lodha developer aims to achieve carbon neutrality by 2035

    India’s leading real estate developer, Lodha, has announced the launch of “Lodha Net Zero Urban Accelerator’ to promote sustainable practices in the Indian real estate sector. Assisted by RMI, the developer aims to achieve carbon neutrality by 2035.

    The accelerator will craft and deliver innovative initiatives towards Lodha’s net-zero commitment, using facilitated multi-stakeholder engagement, integrative design, and research and development. The meeting with industry stakeholders will be around technologies, business models, financing, and programs to accelerate net-zero implementation.

    According to the developer, the model can generate scalable solutions to propel India’s burgeoning built environment towards zero carbon. With the launch of the accelerator, Lodha envisions taking a leadership stance by offering an urban development template that can demonstrate — to India and the world — that growth decoupled from emissions is possible, thus, advancing livability and staying true to its promise of building a better life.

    Palava, Lodha’s flagship development and India’s first integrated Greenfield smart city, will be the model used in the initiative, which will gradually be replicated across other locations. Palava will serve as a city-scale living laboratory to solve challenges and pioneer innovations on the path to net-zero.

    Commenting on the launch, Abhishek Lodha, MD and CEO, Lodha said, “As a responsible developer, we recognise the crucial role that the real estate sector can play in minimising the risks posed by climate change to our planet. Combating global warming aggressively has become imperative, and the onus is on all organisations to promote the transition towards a low-carbon economy. Aiming to build a better life for everyone, we established a North Star goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2035. The launch of “Lodha Net Zero Urban Accelerator” is a major step in this direction to drive collaborative, large-scale solutions for a greener future. In addition to our long-standing association”.

    He said, “RMI is the perfect partner in this journey due to its decades of global expertise in fast-tracking the adoption of market-based solutions. The accelerator is formulated with an overarching goal to make net-zero carbon development the new normal, thereby maximising the sector’s contribution towards India’s 2070 net-zero emissions target while also increasing resilience, health, affordability, and energy services.”

    Amory Lovins, Cofounder and Chairman emeritus, RMI, states, “This unique Accelerator can demonstrate that through collaboration, integrative design, and efficiency as a first resource, growth and prosperity will increase greatly while carbon and emissions intensity decline toward zero.”

  • India to surpass China as world’s most populated country in 2023: UN

    India to surpass China as world’s most populated country in 2023: UN

    India to surpass China as world’s most populated country in 2023: UN

    India will surpass the population of China by next year, making it the most populous country in the world. In the United Nations (UN) report, the world population is expected to reach eight billion by mid-November 2022.

    The report by UN’s World Population Prospects 2022, released on July 11, which is World Population Day, India’s population is expected to increase to 1.429 billion from the current 1.417, which will be marginally higher than China’s 1.426 billion people.

    Director John Wilmoth at the UN population division has said the world population expansion was slowing down but was still growing. The UN expects the world population to touch 8 billion later this year, 9 billion around 2037 and 10 billion around 2058.

    By 2080, the world population is expected to reach 10.4 billion people. Growth rates in China were slowing down, while those in India were increasing. “we expect India to surpass China as the world’s most populous nation,” Wilmoth has said.

    By 2050, India’s population will reach 1,668 million, far exceeding China’s declining population at 1,317 million. The global population by 2050 will have touched 9.7 billion, the UN reports predict.

    The population in high-income countries was grown due to the migration of people from other nations. At the same time, the population of people above 65 was growing faster due to increasing longevity. “From 1950-2050, we expect the population above 65 to grow from 5 to 16 per cent of the total. By 2100 it is projected that the global population above the age of 65 will be considerably larger than the population below the age of 15,” Wilmoth has said.

    By 2050, the number of persons 65 years and above are expected to be more than double that of 5-year-olds and the same as 12-year-olds.

    The report predicts that India’s fertility rate is expected to dip to 1.78 from the current 2.01 by 2050 and 1.69 in 2100, compared to the global average of 2.3.

    Globally, life expectancy reached 72.8 years in 2019, an increase of almost nine years since 1990. Further reductions in mortality are projected to result in average longevity of around 77.2 years globally in 2050. The global population aged 65 years or above is projected to rise from 10 per cent in 2022 to 16 per cent in 2050.

  • IIT Madras – JK Fenner developing biodegradable alternative to rubber

    IIT Madras – JK Fenner developing biodegradable alternative to rubber

    Biodegradable rubber to be developed by IIT Madras – JK Fenner will help boost sustainability and environmental degradation

    Indian Institue of Technology (IIT) Madras and JK Fenner (India) Limited have partnered to develop a biodegradable alternative to rubber. As part of its CSR initiative, JK Fenner would fund the project.

    The objective is to make the finished rubber product biodegradable quicker. Synthetic rubbers are also not biodegradable due to their structural feature, which consists of carbon-carbon single bonds in the backbone.

    An IIT Madras research team headed by Prof R Dhamodharan, Department of Chemistry, IIT Madras, will research and develop practical, biodegradable molecular bridges as an alternative. Speaking about this CSR Partnership with IIT Madras, Nagaraju Srirama, President and Director, JK Fenner (India) Limited, said, “JK Fenner India Limited is happy to partner with IIT Madras, the premier research institute in the country for developing the next generation rubber which is going to be biodegradable and the environment- friendly. This research will set a new direction in the rubber industry (belts/hoses), which will be environmentally friendly and support our initiative towards a sustainable future.”

    Elaborating on the scope of their research, Principal Investigator Prof R Dhamodharan, Department of Chemistry, IIT Madras, said, “The structure of the polymer to address these issues should be amenable to the ‘standard curing procedure’ established in the rubber industry. The polymer and the ‘crosslinker’ or the ‘bridge molecule’ used in the curing should also be designed with structural features that would make it suitable for biodegradation.”