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Category: Education

  • Adani Foundation empowers Gangavaram youth through sports initiative

    Adani Foundation empowers Gangavaram youth through sports initiative

    The Adani Foundation is empowering youth in Gangavaram, Andhra Pradesh, by nurturing sporting talent via the Adani Coaching & Fitness Centre, a transformative initiative launched in 2022.

    The centre offers structured training in Kabaddi, Kho-Kho, Shuttle Badminton, and fitness programmes, enabling aspiring athletes from fisher folk communities to pursue sports ambitions alongside education.

    Success stories highlight the programme’s impact. Sixteen-year-old Yeripalli Komali and Badi Divya, both from fisher folk families, have progressed from school-level to representing Andhra Pradesh in national Kabaddi tournaments. Similarly, 20-year-old Perla Divya has competed for Andhra University in the All-India Kabaddi tournament and now serves as a Physical Education teacher, earning ₹7,000 monthly.

    The Adani Foundation provides professional kits, mentorship, and competitive exposure. Leading the centre is 23-year-old Nolli Theja, a national-level Kabaddi player from Gangavaram who has participated in 14 national tournaments. Having overcome financial challenges himself, Theja now coaches and inspires the next generation.

    To date, the centre has trained over 72 players, including 30 girls, turning sports into a pathway for empowerment, confidence, and community pride in Gangavaram.

  • HDFC Bank boosts Parivartan Startup Grants with Rs 20 crore

    HDFC Bank boosts Parivartan Startup Grants with Rs 20 crore

    HDFC Bank, India’s largest private sector lender, on Monday announced the launch of the FY26 edition of its Parivartan Startup Grants programme, committing Rs 20 crore in non-dilutive grants to boost social impact-driven innovations.

    The initiative will support 10 strategic programmes across key sectors including climate innovation, agriculture and sustainable livelihoods, manufacturing and MSME innovation, financial inclusion, gender diversity and inclusion, as well as emerging fields such as AI and deep technology.

    Grants will primarily fund pilots, validation and early-stage scale-up for selected startups.

    The programme operates on an incubator-led model, with partners handling outreach, evaluation, mentoring and impact reporting. FY26 emphasises deeper sector focus, with collaborations including IIT Madras Incubation Cell for deep-tech, IIM Bangalore-NSRCEL for financial inclusion, and BITS Pilani for climate innovation.

    It also includes ecosystem-building efforts in Punjab and a nationwide incubator capacity programme in partnership with the Indian STEP and Business Incubator Association (ISBA).

    “Parivartan Startup Grants has evolved as a benchmark in the industry that works closely with institutions to support innovation addressing clearly identified social and environmental challenges,” said Kaizad Bharucha, Deputy Managing Director, HDFC Bank.

    Arup Rakshit, Group Head – Treasury, added that the programme provides structured institutional support through leading incubators.

    Since 2017, Parivartan Startup Grants has backed over 500 startups via more than 130 incubators, deploying over Rs 85 crore. Nearly 40% of supported startups are from Tier II and III cities, with supported ventures raising over Rs 900 crore externally.

    Applications will be handled through partner incubators.

  • Mankind Pharma unveils Digital Smart Classrooms in Ghaziabad

    Mankind Pharma unveils Digital Smart Classrooms in Ghaziabad

    Mankind Pharma Limited has launched transformative digital smart classrooms in Ghaziabad as part of its flagship CSR platform KindCare, underscoring its dedication to empowering technology-driven education in government schools.

    The initiative, implemented in partnership with SEEDS Impact, was inaugurated by Sunil Kumar Sharma, Uttar Pradesh Cabinet Minister for Information Technology and Electronics, alongside Sheetal Arora, Promoter and CEO of Mankind Pharma Limited.

    This marks a significant step in Mankind Pharma’s Digital Smart Classroom Initiative, which aims to enhance access to quality education via interactive digital environments. With a community-first strategy, the program targets district-level rollout for lasting grassroots impact.

    The broader effort covers 400 schools in Uttar Pradesh, with 460 digital smart classrooms now operational. These use tools like the K-Yan device for audio-visual teaching, boosting student engagement in resource-limited settings.

    Teacher empowerment is central to sustainability. Over 2,400 educators have received training, including hands-on sessions, simulations, and ongoing support via helplines and digital networks.

    Sharma praised the effort: “Mankind Pharma’s Digital Smart Classroom Initiative addresses key gaps in digital literacy and access, with a sustainable focus on teacher empowerment.”

    Arora added: “Through KindCare, we adopt a community-first approach to empowering underserved students and teachers in a digital world, ensuring dignity and opportunity.”

    R Purushotham, CEO of SEEDS Impact, said the partnership nurtures India’s youth and could scale further with continued commitment.

    The Digital Smart Classroom Initiative anchors KindCare’s focus on education, alongside health, hygiene, environment, and livelihoods.

    Mankind Pharma, a leading Indian pharmaceutical firm, emphasizes affordable quality products across formulations and consumer healthcare.

    SEEDS is a non-profit advancing inclusive development in education, skills, farming, and health.

  • Empowering Youth: ACC’s skill development transforms lives

    Empowering Youth: ACC’s skill development transforms lives

    In the rural hamlet of Gagal in Himachal Pradesh, ACC, a unit of the Adani Group’s diversified portfolio and India’s fastest-growing building materials firm, is bolstering youth livelihoods via targeted, community-driven skill development programs.

    Sakshi, 22, hails from a humble family in Gagal village, where early tragedy struck: her father died young, leaving her mother and elder brother to shoulder the financial load. Her sibling, a heavy machinery operator, toiled long hours to fund the household and Sakshi’s schooling amid mounting pressures.

    Eager to ease the strain, Sakshi turned to the Adani Skill Development Centre (ASDC), a joint initiative of ACC and the Adani Foundation. She joined the Retail Sales Associate program, honing key competencies in communication, customer interaction and sales techniques. The rigorous curriculum fortified her self-assurance and primed her for the competitive retail job market.

    Upon graduation, Sakshi landed a position at Royal Signet, a Bhatinda-based retailer, drawing a monthly salary of Rs 12,000 plus meals and lodging. Her ascent underscores the potent ripple effects of ACC‘s skill development efforts, which arm disadvantaged youth with tools to surmount barriers and forge stable prospects.

  • Amara Raja Skill Centre in Mahabubnagar achieves 98.85% placement rate for first batch

    Amara Raja Skill Centre in Mahabubnagar achieves 98.85% placement rate for first batch

    The Amara Raja Skill Development Centre (ARSDC), a joint initiative of Amara Raja Advanced Cell Technologies and the Rajanna Foundation, marked a significant achievement on Tuesday with the valedictory of its inaugural batch, where 98 trainees from local villages secured placements in key industries at a near-perfect rate of 98.85%.

    Inaugurated on August 10 this year in partnership with the Electronics Sector Skills Council of India (ESSCI), the centre targeted underprivileged youth who had completed Class 10 or 12, selecting the cohort through a competitive screening process.

    The three-month programme offered free vocational training in high-growth areas such as heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC), domestic and industrial electricals, electric vehicle service and repair (EVSR), and EV battery pack assembly. It combined theoretical classes, lab sessions and on-site practicals, culminating in NCVET-recognised certifications that enhance employability.

    The event drew prominent attendees, including Devarakadra MLA Madhusudan Reddy, District Collector Viziendira Boyi and TGIIC Vice-Chairman and Managing Director K Shashanka, alongside Amara Raja Group’s senior leadership.

    For many graduates from low-income families, the placements—offering stable salaries in leading firms—represent their first formal jobs, alleviating economic distress and stemming rural-to-urban migration.

    The centre’s model, which included complimentary transport and meals, addressed longstanding barriers to skill acquisition in Mahabubnagar, a district poised for industrial expansion with the upcoming Giga Corridor. Officials highlighted how such interventions could catalyse local development, with the second batch slated to commence on December 15.

    As India’s push for skilling gains momentum amid the green energy transition, ARSDC exemplifies the potential of targeted CSR efforts to build a resilient workforce, one certification at a time.

  • Rural Skill India Centre unveiled in UP to boost electronics, IT skilling

    Rural Skill India Centre unveiled in UP to boost electronics, IT skilling

    Union Minister for Electronics and Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnaw and Minister of State for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Jayant Chaudhary on Monday inaugurated a new Skill India Centre (SIC) in Baraut, Baghpat district, Uttar Pradesh, targeting rural youth and women with training in electronics and IT-ITeS sectors.

    The centre, set up by the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) in partnership with Redington Foundation, aims to train around 600 candidates from the underprivileged sections of Baraut and neighbouring Chhaprauli blocks.

    A hub-and-spoke model will operate with the main facility in Baraut and a spoke centre in Chhaprauli to extend last-mile access.

    “This initiative strengthens the government’s mission of building a technologically empowered workforce that can support India’s expanding digital and electronics ecosystem,” Vaishnaw said at the inauguration.

    “When quality skilling reaches rural districts, it unlocks aspirations and accelerates social transformation.”

    Jayant Chaudhary highlighted the broader socio-economic impact, stating, “Skilling is not just about employment—it is about dignity, mobility, and confidence. This centre will become a gateway of new possibilities for young people in the region.”

    The curriculum focuses on high-demand areas in electronics manufacturing and IT-enabled services, aligning with national priorities under the Skill India and Digital India programmes.

    Redington Foundation’s Global Chief Sustainability Officer R. Venkatesh said the partnership “reaffirms our commitment to unlock impact by equipping rural and underprivileged youth with future-ready, job-oriented skills” in advanced electronics and IT domains.

    Early results from the collaboration are encouraging: 72 candidates from Baghpat trained under Redington Foundation’s CSR programme have already secured placements in reputed organisations.

    The Baraut centre is part of a wider push to expand skilling infrastructure in rural Uttar Pradesh and bridge the urban-rural digital divide through industry-aligned training and employment linkages.

  • HCLFoundation-TNSDC partnership to deliver digital skills training to 2,500 rural youth

    HCLFoundation-TNSDC partnership to deliver digital skills training to 2,500 rural youth

    HCLFoundation, the corporate social responsibility arm of HCLTech, has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Tamil Nadu Skill Development Corporation to deliver digital skills training to 2,500 rural youth over the next three years.

    The digital skills training programme targets youth in the Vilathikulam and Pudur blocks of Thoothukudi district, covering 95 village panchayats. It includes setting up micro workspaces at block headquarters to support remote jobs in information technology and IT-enabled services, with a placement tracking system to monitor outcomes.

    The initiative falls under TNSDC’s “Vetri Nichayam” scheme, which offers digital skills training and job placement for unemployed people aged 18-35.

    “This MoU with HCLFoundation is a proactive step to equip local youth with the digital skills training needed to participate meaningfully in the district’s evolving economic landscape,” Kranthi Kumar Pati, TNSDC managing director, said in a statement.

    The digital skills training programme aims to curb rural-to-urban migration by creating local employment and to boost women’s participation in sectors including IT, logistics and finance, officials said.

    Thoothukudi is developing as an industrial centre in Tamil Nadu, and the digital skills training addresses educated unemployment in rural areas, said Alok Varma, HCLFoundation project director.

    HCLTech is a global technology services firm based in Noida, India.

  • Indus Towers Digital Van trains 136,525 in seven states

    Indus Towers, one of the world’s largest telecom infrastructure companies, said its Digital Transformation Van (DTV) has provided digital literacy training to 136,525 people from underserved communities across seven states as the country marks 10 years of its Digital India initiative.

    The mobile Digital Transformation Van, part of Indus Towers’ flagship Corporate Social Responsibility program ‘Saksham’, has reached rural and urban slum communities in Delhi, Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Odisha, the company said in a statement.

    Launched in 2018 as the DigiShiksha initiative, the Digital Transformation Van program empowers youth, women, senior citizens and farmers with digital literacy, IT skills, cybersecurity awareness and financial education, aligning with the government’s Digital India Mission, according to the announcement.

    “Indus Towers’ DTV is a commitment to inclusive growth and a belief that technology can be a powerful equalizer,” said Neeti Wahi, Chief Digital and Information Officer at Indus Towers. “It is heartening to see over half of our beneficiaries are women.”

    The solar-powered Digital Transformation Van provides free doorstep digital education and public services through a 21-seater mobile classroom equipped with high-speed internet, modern computers, printers and e-learning tools, the company said.

    The Digital Transformation Van initiative is implemented by NIIT Foundation, with expert trainers conducting community awareness sessions on digital safety, environmental conservation and waste management for school children aged 12 and above, women, farmers and senior citizens, according to the statement.

    The Digital Transformation Van program represents Indus Towers’ approach to reaching communities where digital infrastructure and literacy gaps are most pronounced, customizing offerings based on local needs rather than relying on static training centers, the company said.

    Indus Towers operates 256,074 telecom towers across all 22 telecom circles in India, making it one of the country’s largest tower infrastructure providers, according to company information.

  • Bharti Airtel Foundation launches multi-year scholarship program at Indian School of Business

    Bharti Airtel Foundation launches multi-year scholarship program at Indian School of Business

    The Bharti Airtel Foundation has established a multi-year scholarship initiative with the Indian School of Business (ISB), offering financial support to students in the institution’s Post Graduate Programme in Management for Young Leaders, the foundation announced.

    The program will provide five students from each cohort with full or partial waivers covering tuition, accommodation and meal expenses through a need-cum-merit based selection process, the foundation said in a statement.

    The scholarship recipients, designated as “Bharti Scholars,” will be chosen based on both financial need and academic merit, according to the announcement.

    “Education is the cornerstone of progress and empowerment,” said Rakesh Bharti Mittal, Co-Chairman of the Bharti Airtel Foundation and Vice Chairman of Bharti Enterprises. “When talent meets opportunity, extraordinary things happen.”

    The memorandum of understanding was signed in the presence of Mittal, Madan Pillutla, Dean of ISB, and DNV Kumara Guru, Senior Director of Advancement, Alumni Engagement and External Relations at ISB.

    The foundation has supported over 2,000 scholars since its inception, with 44% of recipients being female students, according to the statement. The initiative focuses on creating higher education opportunities for children from underserved communities.

    ISB said the partnership advances its commitment to ensuring financial constraints do not limit access to management education for qualified candidates.
    The Post Graduate Programme in Management for Young Leaders is designed for early-career professionals seeking business education.

  • Automated Driving Test Tracks: Maruti Suzuki signs MoA in Tamil Nadu

    Automated Driving Test Tracks: Maruti Suzuki signs MoA in Tamil Nadu

    Maruti Suzuki India has signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) with the Transport Department, Government of Tamil Nadu, to establish 10 Automated Driving Test Tracks (ADTTs) across the state, reinforcing its commitment to road safety.

    The initiative, formalized in a ceremony attended by Transport and Electricity Minister S S Sivasankar and Home Secretary Dheeraj Kumar, aims to revolutionize driving license testing with cutting-edge technology.

    The ADTTs, to be set up in Marthandam, Tirunelveli, Coimbatore (Central), Madurai (North), Tuticorin, Krishnagiri, Dindigul, Tiruvannamalai, Sivagangai, and Trichy (West), were strategically chosen based on high license issuance volumes and connectivity to nearby cities.

    These tracks will leverage video analytics, Radio Frequency Identification (RFID), and Harnessing Automobiles for Safety (HAMS) technologies to ensure a transparent, standardized, and objective testing process with zero human intervention, aligning with Central Motor Vehicle Rules.

    Maruti Suzuki’s road safety initiatives span the 5Es: Education, Evaluation, Enforcement, Engineering, and Emergency Care.

    “Maruti Suzuki’s commitment to road safety is commendable,” said Minister S S Sivasankar. “This collaboration to establish automated driving test tracks will promote disciplined driving and elevate road safety standards across Tamil Nadu.”

    Rahul Bharti, Senior Executive Officer, Corporate Affairs at Maruti Suzuki, added, “Automated driving test tracks ensure a rigorous and transparent assessment of driver skills. This initiative is a significant step toward safer roads in Tamil Nadu.”

    Maruti Suzuki’s road safety initiatives span the 5Es: Education, Evaluation, Enforcement, Engineering, and Emergency Care.

    The company has already established 45 ADTTs nationwide, including 17 in Uttar Pradesh, 14 in Delhi, 7 in Bihar, 4 in Uttarakhand, 2 in Haryana, and 1 in Jammu & Kashmir. With a recent MoA for 21 ADTTs in Rajasthan and the new Tamil Nadu project, the total will reach 76 ADTTs across India.

    Additionally, Maruti Suzuki operates 8 Institutes of Driving and Traffic Research (IDTRs) and 23 Road Safety Knowledge Centres (RSKCs) to enhance driver education. Its Integrated Traffic Safety Management System (ITMS) supports real-time monitoring, while First Responder training strengthens emergency care.

    The MoA was signed by R Gajalakshmi, Transport and Road Safety Commissioner, and Tarun Agarwal, Senior Vice President, CSR, Maruti Suzuki, marking a milestone in the company’s mission to foster safer roads through innovation and collaboration.