Category: News

Boeing will support ‘Room to Read’, a globally renowned not-for-profit organization, to implement the literacy program in 60 select primary schools for the next four years in Amethi.

Union Minister for Women and Child Development Smriti Irani, today announced the launch of Boeing’s ‘Room to Read literacy program’ and a ‘Doctors for You (DFY)’ medical diagnostic center in the Amethi district of Uttar Pradesh.

As part of the programs, Boeing will support ‘Room to Read’, a globally renowned not-for-profit organization, to implement the literacy program in 60 select primary schools for the next four years in Amethi to help nurture independent readers and lifelong learners, Boeing said in a statement.

The Boeing-funded medical diagnostic center will feature advanced medical equipment including CT scan, digital X-ray, and ultrasound machines that will enable DFY to offer free medical tests to those in need for the next three years. In addition, the center will also offer training to medical technicians and paramedics.

Irani was accompanied by senior government and district officials, Boeing India’s Chief of Staff and Boeing Global Engagement lead Praveena Yagnambhat, Room to Read India’s Country Director Poornima Garg.

“It is the prime focus of the government to provide access to quality education and healthcare facilities to the people at the grassroots level in Amethi. Boeing’s community engagement initiatives in partnership with Room to Read and Doctors For You will make a remarkable contribution to the lives of the people of Amethi both in primary education and in providing them access to quality healthcare. I applaud Boeing’s commitment to partnering with the people of Amethi to help build a better future for all,” Irani said.

Boeing India President Salil Gupte said, “Our longstanding partnerships with Room to Read and Doctors for You, underscore our continued commitment to provide resources that make literacy, education, and healthcare available to all.”

As part of the Room to Read program, the library rooms will be set up in the selected 60 schools and will offer modern amenities and resources including books, reading tables, open bookshelves, display units, and other educational materials.

In addition, the program will drive family and community engagement and awareness through community meetings, events, summer camps, parental orientation, school management committee training, and reading campaigns.

The program will also enable professional development training for educators and faculty. The initiatives will help create awareness among families, communities, and educators about the right ways to support children at home and in school.

Geetha Murali, CEO of Room to Read, shared, “When children learn, they create waves of change that extend throughout their families, communities, and future generations. The strong partnership between Boeing and Room to Read exemplifies the power of collaboration in addressing childhood illiteracy and creating positive change.”

Founded in 2000 on the belief that World Change Starts with Educated Children, Room to Read’s innovative model focuses on deep, systemic transformation within schools during two critical time periods – early primary school and secondary school.

The organization helps develop literacy skills and a habit of reading among primary school children and ensures girls can complete secondary school with the necessary life skills. Across 49,000 plus communities in 23 countries, Room to Read has benefited more than 39 million children.

Inaugurating the Boeing-funded DFY medical diagnostic center, Dr. Ravikant Singh, Founder, Doctors for You said, “It’s a proud moment to extend our partnership with Boeing on the milestone project in Amethi today. We continue to bring quality, free healthcare services to the people of the district, providing access to cutting-edge diagnostic services to the communities.”

DFY is a pan-Indian humanitarian organization that was established in 2007 by doctors, medical students, and like-minded people with a vision of “Health for all”. The organization has been demonstrating pioneering work in community-based disaster risk reduction, public health, training, and disaster emergency response, and has been involved extensively with vulnerable communities in the six states of India providing an efficient, effective, and equitable distribution of health care for all.

As a socially responsible business leader, Boeing is committed to improving the quality of life in the communities among which it operates. Through focused programs in skilling, education and nutrition, healthcare and sanitation, workforce development, and veterans’ welfare, Boeing has positively impacted more than 5 lakh lives in India over the years.

The restoration include the renovation of bathing ghats and toilets, the establishment of food kiosks, drinking water points, rest areas, rain shelters along pathways, and the creation of other necessary infrastructure and facilities.

Jammu and Kashmir, Lt Governor Manoj Sinha today virtually inaugurated the foundation stone laying ceremony for the restoration of the Shri Shiv Khori shrine, a famous cave shrine of Hindus devoted to lord Shiva, situated in the Reasi district.

“Laid e-foundation stone for the restoration of the Holy Shrine of Shiv Khori by JSW Foundation. I am glad Shri Sajjan Jindal Ji, Chairman and MD of JSW Group, also joined us on this auspicious occasion. New facilities will ease the pilgrimage & increase the influx of devotees,” the LG tweeted.

Shiv Khori is one of the most important religious sites of the country. Restoration, upgradation and new infra facilities will ensure unique spiritual tourism circuit to devotees. It will provide major fillip to economy and create large employment opportunities for local population, he added.

The Shiv Khori Shrine will be restored as part of the JSW Group’s CSR initiative. JSW Foundation has signed an MoU with Chairman of Shri Shiv Khori Shrine Board (SSKSB) in this regard.

As part of the restoration project, the JSW team, alongside a group of experts, conducted a comprehensive scientific survey. The survey identified several key areas for improvement, including the renovation of bathing ghats and toilets, the establishment of food kiosks, drinking water points, rest areas, rain shelters along pathways, installation of benches, dustbins, and the creation of other necessary infrastructure and facilities.

The foundation will provide necessary funds under its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) corpus for the development of facilities and support the Shiv Khori Shrine Board in ensuring public convenience.

This project will be implemented in 85 villages of Valsad district of Gujarat in collaboration with NUTRIHUB, ICAR-Indian Institute of Millets Research, and MAMTA Health Institute for Mother and Child.

Diversified conglomerate ITC Limited today announced the second phase of its CSR project “Balposhal” in order to address child malnutrition in India with a special focus on children below five years.

This project will be implemented in 85 villages of Valsad district of Gujarat in collaboration with NUTRIHUB, ICAR-Indian Institute of Millets Research, and MAMTA Health Institute for Mother and Child, the company said in a statement.

The cornerstone of this effort is the Community-based Management of Acute Malnutrition (CMAM) model, a proven approach that empowers community volunteers to identify and treat malnourished children before their conditions worsen, it said.

By integrating treatment with comprehensive long-term interventions, Balposhan aims to not only alleviate acute malnutrition but also improve overall public health and food security sustainably. The comprehensive strategy encompasses community mobilisation, nutritional rehabilitation, structured maternal education and innovative tools like ‘Balvikas kits’ for early childhood development.

The NutriHub team has developed nutrient-dense, millet-based supplementary foods such as Millet Nutri Bar, Millet Khakra Cookies and Millet Khichdi Mix tailored to the specific needs of malnourished children as part of the food-based nutritional intervention. These innovative products will play a crucial role in the holistic approach adopted by Balposhan.

 “We are indeed delighted to launch Phase 2 of Balposhan, our CSR initiative dedicated to combatting child malnutrition. As we celebrate International Year of Millets 2023, we are committed to drive impactful change in the nutritional landscape of the nation in collaboration with NUTRIHUB, ICAR-IIMR and MAMTA,” said Hemant Malik, Divisional Chief Executive – Foods, ITC Ltd.

In the first phase of Balposhan project, ITC engaged with 1,000 beneficiaries including children under five years, their mothers, as well as pregnant women in Valsad district, Gujarat. The initiative helped raise awareness about the negative impact of malnutrition’s on children under five years of age, particularly within the crucial first 1,000 days of their lives.

 This initiative is a part of ITC’s Mission Millet campaign aimed at contributing to various on-going government initiatives of reducing the risks of nutritional deficiencies and also by encouraging the cultivation and consumption of millets, in India.

HCLFoundation has planted over 1.45 million saplings to date across the country in collaboration with various stakeholders and local communities.

HCLFoundation has planted more than 47,000 saplings of different native species across India to mark the 47th anniversary of the HCL Group.

The mega plantation drive was organized in Chennai, Madurai, Bengaluru, Coimbatore, Lucknow, Vijayawada, Nagpur, Hyderabad, Hardoi, Thoothukudi, North and South 24 Paraganas and Noida, the company said in a statement.

“We are committed to supercharging progress towards climate action. We are proud of the active participation from our employees, partners, women groups, students and community members, whose support has been instrumental in making this plantation drive a grand success,” HCLFoundation Vice President (Global CSR) Nidhi Pundhir said.

HCLTech employees, their family members, NGO partners, community volunteers, school students and women’s groups participated in the planting activities at government schools, forested areas, HCLTech campuses and designated lands dedicated to mass afforestation.

HCLFoundation has planted over 1.45 million saplings to date across the country in collaboration with various stakeholders and local communities.

This is in line with HCLTech’s overall CSR objectives of contributing to socio-economic and environmental advancement while adhering to the central government’s National Action Plan for Climate Change and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

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.

The CSR spending on the senior citizens’ welfare rose by 46 per cent to Rs 76.23 crore in the 2021-22 fiscal from Rs 52.33 crore in the 2019-20 fiscal, as per the government data.

Under the the Companies Act, 2013, the CSR is a Board driven process and the government does not issue any specific direction to the companies to spend in any particularl activity, Minister of State for Corporate Affairs Rao Inderjit Singh had said in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha last week.

 Schedule VII of the Act indicates the eligible list of activities that can be undertaken by the companies as CSR. Item No. (iii) of Schedule VII of the Act includes setting up old age home, day care centres and such other facilities for senior citizens.

 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.

NSNIS Patiala looking to get CSR partners for its coaching and sports science education program.

Sports Authority of India (SAI) has approved a proposal to expand the current Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative to SAI’s Academics and Coach Training Programs to further strengthen and support the growing demand from the sports environment in the country.

The proposal was approved during its 57th Governing Body Meeting (GBM), an official statement said.

Under the new initiative, Netaji Subhas National Institute Of Sports (NSNIS) Patiala intends to enter into CSR partnerships with organizations of repute for obtaining financial or operational support on various areas in academics.

CSR initiatives at NSNIS Patiala will aim towards offering courses in coach education, development of sports academics infrastructure, equipment for academic purposes and sports science equipment for labs, research in sports soaching and sports sciences (technical, tactical, and skill development aspects of coaching and training of athletes), capacity building for faculty, coaches and sports scientist.

NSNIS Patiala through CSR wants to focus on international faculty exchange/exposure (including travel arrangements), student internship programs.

It also wants to get other services in support of academics such as buses for transportation of the trainees of the institute; providing books for library, publication, Wi-Fi/technical support; providing manpower in terms of professionals/faculty/technical expertise; and any other facilities related to coach education and development program to develop quality manpower in the sports sector through its academic programs.

The above-mentioned support will also extend to SAI’s Regional Academic Centres at Bangalore, Kolkata, and Thiruvananthapuram, the statement said.

Focus of the fest is to motivate teachers by integrating ‘Theatre & Storytelling in education’. This will contribute to the country’s mission towards foundational literacy and numeracy (FNL), as well as building learning levels post-Covid.

Bharti Foundation will organise a 10-day long virtual “Teachers’ Summer Fest’ starting from June 21 across the country.

 The fest will be conducted on TheTeacherApp, a new tech-initiative by the Foundation. Over 4500 teachers have already downloaded the app from across the country, the Foundation said in a statement.

 The focus of the fest is to motivate teachers by integrating ‘Theatre and storytelling in education’. This will contribute to the country’s mission towards foundational literacy and numeracy as well as building learning levels post-Covid.

 Bharti Foundation CEO Mamta Saikia said, “Bharti Foundation has been relentlessly working towards making quality education available to the underprivileged children, especially girls. With many flagship programs, TheTeacherApp’s Summer Fest is another initiative towards our goal of ensuring quality education by empowering school learners, teachers and educationists. We aim to target 10,000 plus teachers across India.”

The government’s NIPUN (National Initiative for Proficiency in Reading with Understanding and Numeracy) Bharat Mission, launched in July 2021, aims to create an enabling environment to ensure the universal acquisition of foundational literacy and numeracy (FNL), so that every child achieves the desired learning competencies in reading, writing, and numeracy by the end of Grade 3, by 2026-27.

Bharti Foundation encourages teachers nationwide to seize this opportunity for personal and professional growth. By participating in Teachers’ Summer Fest, educators can engage in stimulating discussions, gain fresh insights, and contribute to a nationwide movement for transformative education.

The company plans to organise 100 camps throughout the country in a span of 6-8 weeks.

LG Electronics India today announced a nationwide mega blood donation drive throughout the country as part of its CSR initiative.

In a span of six to eight weeks, the drive will encompass 51 LG offices and aims to organize 100 camps throughout India in collaboration with various blood banks and various state & district hospitals, the company said in a statement.

The blood donation drive was inaguared by Shakti Mohan Awasthi, Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police, Noida, along with LG Electronics India Managing Director Hong Ju Jeon.

“In 2019 alone, we witnessed the remarkable response from over 5700 blood donors across India. We firmly believe that by coming together to donate blood, we have the power to make a life-saving impact on countless lives. Every drop of blood counts, and through this initiative, we are determined to inspire individuals to join us in this noble cause,” Jeon said.

The company will continue to drive this initiative in coming years by sensitising people. “Together, we can create a powerful ripple effect of compassion, unity, and hope for a healthier future.”

Under the core theme of “LIFE’S GOOD WHEN LIFE’S SHARED,” LG Electronics India plans to commemorate its 26 years of successful operations in India by executing meaningful interventions.

In 2019, LG Electronics India launched the blood donation drive across India at 71 locations, which garnered a remarkable response with over 5700 blood donors.

Building upon the achievements of the previous campaign, LG now aims to amplify its efforts this year by organizing 100 camps across the country. Through this mega blood donation drive, LG Electronics India seeks to raise awareness about the significance of blood donation and inspire individuals to actively participate in this noble cause.

The initiative will cover across 20 cities including Mumbai, Bangalore, Kochi, Chennai, Hyderabad, Lucknow, Varanasi, Patna, etc.

Private lender Axis Bank has kick started Clean-A-thon, a pan–India cleanliness drive across 25 plus beaches and water bodies and will continue till June 11.

 The initiative will cover across 20 cities including Mumbai, Bangalore, Kochi, Chennai, Hyderabad, Lucknow, Varanasi, Patna, etc., in collaboration with local NGOs, the bank said in a statement.

The aim to to emphasize the urgency of combating plastic pollution and promoting responsible waste management practices.

 The cleanliness drive will witness participation from Bank’s branch employees, local communities, environmental activists/influencers, local authorities and volunteers who will be collecting and disposing plastic waste from beaches and water bodies.

These volunteers will also educate the local people about the harmful effects of plastic pollution and how they can reduce the use of single-use plastics.

Speaking about the initiative Ravi Narayanan, Group Executive – Branch Banking, Retail Liabilities & Product, Axis Bank said, “We firmly believe that the responsibility to protect our planet lies with each one of us, and through this initiative, we aim to instill a sense of environmental consciousness and responsibility amongst fellow citizens.”

This initiative will add to several ongoing global efforts for a greener and more sustainable future, re-affirming our commitment to build a safe and healthier planet that we owe to the generations which follow us, he added.

rPET bottles are made from food grade recycled polyethylene terephthalate (PET). The use of rPET bottles not only conserves natural resources but also reduces the amount of plastic waste that ends up in the larger ecosystem.

Coca-Cola India today launched new bottles made from 100 percent recycled PET plastic material (rPET) in Andhra Pradesh. This is the first time in India that any bottle made with 100 percent rPET is being used for food/beverage.

 “The new rPET packaging is available for the company’s packaged drinking water brand, Kinley, in 1 litre bottles,” the company said in a statement.

The new bottle features a unique label displaying “100% made from recycled food grade plastic”, marking a major milestone for Coca-Cola in India in realizing its circular economy endeavours, it said.

This was possible only after the Food Safety Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) approved the use of recycled PET in food packaging, subject to adherence to their guidelines, after a thorough review of food safety, it added.

Enrique Ackermann, Vice President, Technical and Innovation, Coca-Cola India and Southwest Asia said, “We are proud to be the first beverage company in India to offer our consumers a sustainable choice of packaging, by launching Kinley bottles made from 100% recycled PET.”

In December 2022, Coca-Cola Bangladesh launched 100 per cent rPET bottles, making it the first market in the Southwest Asia (SWA) region to introduce Kinley water bottles in 2-liter packages. The Coca-Cola company now offers 100 percent rPET bottles in more than about 40 markets.

Aligned with its global commitment of creating a ‘World Without Waste’, the company has set a goal of using at least 50 percent recycled content in its packaging by 2030; working towards using more recycled content in its packaging.

The company has been working towards this goal for years and has made consistent progress in reducing the use of virgin plastic across its value chain globally.

Currently, 90 percent of the company’s packaging is recyclable while 15 per cent of PET used is recycled (rPET) across the globe. rPET bottles are made from food grade recycled polyethylene terephthalate (PET).

 When PET bottles are recycled, the plastic is recycled as per the technologies that are approved by US FDA and European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) for food grade recycled material, and reformed into new PET bottles, reducing the need for virgin plastic for producing PET Bottles.

The use of rPET bottles not only conserves natural resources but also reduces the amount of plastic waste that ends up in the larger ecosystem, the company added.