Category: Sectors

HCL Foundation jointly with UP govt launches training center for farmers
HCL Foundation on Tuesday said in a joint initiative with the Uttar Pradesh government it has launched a “Center for Agriculture and Technology Transfer (CATT)” for training and income augmentation of farmers in Hardoi district. This initiative is part of HCL Samuday

HCL Foundation on Tuesday said in a joint initiative with the Uttar Pradesh government it has launched a “Center for Agriculture and Technology Transfer (CATT)” for training and income augmentation of farmers in Hardoi district.

This initiative is part of HCL Samuday – an ambitious program of HCL Foundation working towards creating a scalable and replicable development model for rural India.

The CATT will provide training to farmers on modern farming techniques and technologies, to help improve crop yield, eventually supporting their income augmentation, HCL Foundation said in a statement.

The Center was inaugurated by Manoj Kumar Singh, Additional Chief Secretary, Rural Development, Uttar Pradesh, and Nand Kishore, Deputy Director Agriculture, Hardoi, UP, along with Alok Varma, Project Director, HCL Foundation.

The CATT, spread across five acres of land, has been established on the basis an MoU signed by HCL Foundation and the Hardoi District Agriculture Department, Uttar Pradesh in 2020.

HCL Foundation will manage the CATT till 2023, and thereafter, it will be operated by the Agriculture Department of the Uttar Pradesh government.

Currently, nearly 6,000 farmers from 11 blocks of Hardoi district have been selected for the various training sessions. The program will be expanded further to include all farmers of the district.

The Center will offer:
- A fully functional soil-testing laboratory cum crop protection advisory center with the capacity to test more than 30,000 samples per year.
- Effective management and utilization of farm machinery at a nominal price
- Classroom training modules about modern crop practices, pesticides and insect management, and usage of new farm machinery for land development
- Other services including farmers’ training center, customized farm machinery bank, solar-based drip irrigation system, low tunnel polyhouse, and green shade net, herbal garden, and integrated nutrient and pest management
Speaking on the occasion, Manoj Kumar Singh, Additional Chief Secretary, Rural Development, UP said the practice of traditional cropping has a long history in the region. But HCL Foundation has played a role in providing the latest agricultural technologies to farmers in the project area. The newly established CATT can help improve the lives of farmers.

“I do hope that many farmers are able to utilize its services to the fullest. I would like to thank the HCL Foundation and Deputy Director of Agriculture for transforming an under-utilized land as a training and knowledge dissemination center,” he added.

HCL Foundation Project Director Alok Varma said, “The way farming is done directly impacts the nutrition of the food we consume. Therefore, it is essential that farmers receive education around modern farm technologies and innovative techniques.”

HCL Samuday has been working since 2015 towards implementing various innovative programs in this direction. Some of these include sensitizing farmers about scientific farming practices, modern farming equipment and institutionalization of farmer clubs to make agriculture less burdensome and more market-linked.

“As a result of our efforts, marginal farmers (from the group that we have worked with) have been able to enhance their farm income by up to 25 percent,” he said and added that the CATT is another step in our overall efforts to transform the agriculture sector in this region.

The HCL Samuday team will scale up the Center as the focal point of training a group of selected farmers, who will become the anchor for further proliferation of agricultural practices in their respective villages and Gram Panchayats.

HCL Samuday has been supporting farmers with sustainable, innovative, and cost-effective farming techniques. So far, over 66,000 farmers have benefited from HCL Samuday’s efforts in improving agricultural practices.

In 2017, Samuday helped set-up Hardoi Kisan Producer Company Limited (HKPCL), a farmer producer organization which has 2,350 shareholders and a turnover of over ₹7.6 crores for 2020-21 financial year. All farming related activities like input distribution, farm mechanization, food processing etc., are being done by the farmers (members of HKPCL) with support of HCL Samuday.

To help marginal farmers further enhance their income, HCL Samuday has helped set-up 3400 nutrition gardens within the farmers’ homes. These have helped more than 18,000 villagers help realize savings given that they are now able to use fresh and nutritious produce from their own backyards.

So far, HCL Samuday has positively impacted over 9 lakh individuals in more than 165,000 households from 284 Gram Panchayats in Hardoi district of Uttar Pradesh, it added.
January 17, 2022
STFC ties up with Skill India to train 1000 drivers for transporting oxygen tankers

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

January 17, 2022
DBS Bank India extends support towards environmental sustainability initiatives

Amid climate change concerns, private lender DBS Bank India has tied up with two NGOs to pilot a food forest project and as well as extend support to mitigate human-wildlife conflict in Maharashtra. A pilot project to develop food forest in rural Maharashtra has been collaborated

Amid climate change concerns, private lender DBS Bank India has tied up with two NGOs to pilot a food forest project and as well as extend support to mitigate human-wildlife conflict in Maharashtra.

A pilot project to develop food forest in rural Maharashtra has been collaborated with Raah Foundation, while a grant is being extended to the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) to support its ongoing endeavour to mitigate human-wildlife conflict in Mumbai’s Sanjay Gandhi National Park.

According to DBS Bank, the pilot food project aims to establish a prototype of long-term carbon sinks through a scientifically designed forestry consisting of several seasonal fruit and vegetable plants.

This approach can provide various benefits and deliver long-term social, economic and environmental value, it said in a statement.

Separately, the bank has extended a grant to the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) to support its ongoing endeavor to mitigate human-wildlife conflict in Mumbai’s Sanjay Gandhi National Park.

WCS’ initiative aims to engage local communities and conduct awareness and rescue training programmes, reducing the risk of such conflicts and providing a safer habitat for leopards and other wild animals.

Speaking about these partnerships, DBS Bank India Executive Director, Group Strategic Marketing and Communications, Shoma Narayanan said: “We understand our role as a financial institution in nurturing social, economic and environmental sustainability. These initiatives are crucial in the broader context of climate change and sustainable development.”

“We are confident that our partnership with the Raah Foundation and Wildlife Conservation Society will result in long-term environmental and social impact,” she added.

Raah Foundation Founder Sarika Kulkarni said”With the support from DBS Bank, we are creating a food forest which will have 200 species of trees/shrubs/grasses/tubers/climbers for the tribals living in Jawhar, in the Palghar district of Maharashtra. We have ambitious plans to create 1,000 acres of food forests in the years to come. We are truly in gratitude to DBS Bank for their immense support.”

Studies have revealed that climate change poses a severe threat to the food security of vulnerable communities. Multi-tiered food forests are a low-maintenance, sustainable, plant-based food production system that yields direct uses to humans.

DBS Bank India’s contribution to Raah Foundation will be utilised towards the installation of a solar pump, drip irrigation, procurement of saplings, organic manure and geo-tagging the trees. Additionally, the funds will also help in conducting a baseline biodiversity assessment and hydrogeology assessment.

Growing food forests will address a variety of issues in terms of reducing vulnerability to climate change impact while safeguarding essential ecosystem services such as air and water purification, pollination, providing nutrition, controlling soil erosion and carbon sequestration, the bank said.

Wildlife Conservation Society-India Country Director Dr Vidya Athreya said,”The project to study the Mumbai leopards is extremely important to address the issue of human leopard conflict. The generous support of DBS Bank has been crucial in the success of our work.”

DBS Bank has been committed to conducting business more sustainably and managing its environmental footprint. The bank has undertaken several initiatives to support and address crucial environmental, social, and governance (ESG) challenges through strategic partnerships.

The bank firmly believes in the need to change the way we approach food production and consumption. With this as the mission, DBS Bank introduced a Towards Zero Food Waste (TZFW) initiative in 2020.

DBS also advocates the scaling up of transition finance and supporting like-minded clients and their ecosystem of supply chain partners to adopt sustainable business practices.

January 17, 2022
Nand Ghar: transforming lives of women and children

Nand Ghar project has achieved the important milestone of completing 3000 Nand Ghars across 12 states in India providing nutrition and early education to children and skill development to women. Vedanta Chairman, Anil Agarwal’s dream – Project Nand Ghar is the flagship

Nand Ghar project has achieved the important milestone of completing 3000 Nand Ghars across 12 states in India providing nutrition and early education to children and skill development to women.

Vedanta Chairman, Anil Agarwal’s dream – Project Nand Ghar is the flagship CSR project under the aegis of the Anil Agarwal Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Vedanta Group, one of the world’s leading metals and mining conglomerates.

Set up in collaboration with the Union Ministry of Women and Child Development, Nand Ghars are modernized “Anganwadis” working around nutrition, early childhood education, primary healthcare & skill development for women. Vedanta has committed to develop 4000 Nand Ghars across India. The project aims to transform the lives of 7 crore children and 2 crore women in the 13.7 lakh Anganwadis in India.

With Nand Ghar, Vedanta is bridging the urban and rural divide by leveraging technology, upgrading to state-of-the-art infrastructure, capacity building of front-line functionaries, digital real time monitoring making significant improvements in the overall service delivery of anganwadi ecosystem.

Agarwal himself says, “Nand Ghar is the closest to my heart. It gives me immense joy to see the project achieving the milestone of 3000 across 12 states in India and making a significant impact at the grassroots, strengthening the foundation of our nation that are rural women and children. With this important milestone, we are marching towards realizing Hon’ble Prime Minister’s vision of eradicating malnutrition, providing healthcare services, education and skill development for rural women, becoming an imperative project for social development.”

In the last 20 months of the pandemic, Nand Ghars ensured the last mile delivery of services to beneficiaries, repurposing itself for creating greater impact. With regular activities making a paradigm shift, Nand Ghar molded its service delivery method accordingly. With education moving from classroom to home-based learning, Nand Ghar swiftly rolled out alternative learning methods through WhatsApp and IVRS for continuous education.

Nand Ghar has ensured doorstep delivery of Dry and Take-home rations for its beneficiaries. Additionally, more than 3300 nutrition gardens were developed in Nand Ghar premises and community areas to ensure steady supply of nourishment to the community members.

It has also generated local employment by training women to stitch masks and prepare items of local needs, significantly raising their household income by ₹4000.

With the pandemic, healthcare became a key priority. To ensure wellness of the community members, Nand Ghar deployed an integrated healthcare model which comprised of Mobile Health Vans, Telemedicine facilities and paramedic on wheels for preventive and curative care providing the consultation of MBBS/Specialist doctors, dispensing medicines and conducting non-invasive tests, all free of cost.

January 15, 2022
MG India and ACMA to boost electric vehicle development

To educate and foster skill development in the Electric Vehicles (EV) component industry, MG Motor India and the Automotive Component Manufacturers Association of India (ACMA) have come together to boost the development of the EV ecosystem. The two work in tandem with the IIT Delhi campus

To educate and foster skill development in the Electric Vehicles (EV) component industry, MG Motor India and the Automotive Component Manufacturers Association of India (ACMA) have come together to boost the development of the EV ecosystem. The two work in tandem with the IIT Delhi campus at Sonipat in Haryana for research on the deployment of electric vehicles in urban India.

Rajeev Chaba, President and MD MG Motor India has said “MG Motor and ACMA will collaboratively add value to the EV component industry by imparting education and skill development to create a future-ready workforce.

The alliance is also aligned with MG’s vision of CASE mobility, learning & skill development, and overall commitment to strengthening the EV ecosystem.”

The ACMA President Sunjay J Kapur while appreciating the gesture said “We are grateful to MG Motor for providing us with this opportunity. A future-ready workforce for manufacturing electric vehicles is the need of the hour and this collaboration will help the auto component makers in upskilling themselves and remaining relevant.”

The association is in line with MG’s vision to support and develop the ecosystem for the electric vehicle. Previously, MG had formed an alliance with IIT Delhi – Centre for Automotive Research and Tribology (CART) for similar research.

Founded in the UK in 1924, Morris Garages vehicles were world-famous for their sports cars, roadsters, and cabriolet series. MG vehicles were much sought after by many celebrities, including the British Prime Ministers and even the British Royal Family, for their styling, elegance, and spirited performance.

The MG Car Club, set up in 1930 at Abingdon in the UK, has thousands of loyal fans, making it one of the world’s largest clubs for a car brand. MG has evolved into a modern, futuristic, and innovative brand over the last 96 years.

Its state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Halol, Gujarat, has an annual production capacity of 80,000 vehicles and employs nearly 2,500 workers. Driven by its vision of CASE (Connected, Autonomous, Shared, and Electric) mobility, the cutting-edge automaker has augmented across-the-board ‘experiences’ within the automobile segment today.

It has introduced several ‘firsts’ in India, including India’s first Internet SUV – MG Hector, India’s first Pure Electric Internet SUV – MG ZS EV, India’s first Autonomous (Level 1) Premium SUV – MG Gloster and MG Astor- India’s first SUV with personal AI assistant and Autonomous (Level 2) technology.

January 14, 2022
Crypto Relief joins had with DFY to handle third wave

Doctors For You (DFY) has established 5 COVID hospitals across India to help deal with the third wave of COVID-19. As part of what is being termed as the Crypto Relief initiative, 1000 beds, with 70 ICU beds and 130 pediatrics beds, have been put in place

Doctors For You (DFY) has established 5 COVID hospitals across India to help deal with the third wave of COVID-19. As part of what is being termed as the Crypto Relief initiative, 1000 beds, with 70 ICU beds and 130 pediatrics beds, have been put in place.

A collaboration has been formed with the district administration in Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Maharashtra and Karnataka. The doctors who would help treat patients at these designated locations are Tau Devilal Stadium, Gurugram, Public Hospital, Lucknow, Patliputra Stadium, Patna, SRA, Mumbai and KPCL Hospital, Bangalore.

The intervention encompasses strengthening the health institutions with the required infrastructure, expert workforce, and other essential resources. This includes providing health establishments with necessary facilities, including HDU and oxygen beds. The current staffing is equipped to handle Pediatric cases, which are the critical concern under Omicron pandemic spread.

Talking about this initiative, Sandeep Nailwal, Founder of Crypto Relief, said, “Amid 3rd wave of COVID, we are closely working with the group of health institutions to provide healthcare needs during this surge. The infrastructure provided by CRF will help with quality healthcare services and aid relief from the major health crisis.”

In addition, Nailwal’s Crypto Relief fund was instrumental in building rural and tribal district’s capacity in 6 districts for the COVID current wave, where far-flung communities such as Pulwama, tribal areas such as Lasadiya and aspirational districts such as Nuh have been provided necessary medical capital equipment, medical personnel and capacity building to support healthcare services to impact health outcomes directly and additionally adding 500 more COVID beds in remote Areas.

January 14, 2022
Metropolis announces MedEngage for medical students

MedEngage Scholarship program has been announced by Metropolis Healthcare, India’s leading diagnostics service provider. Aimed to nurture medical students and help them contribute to healthcare research, the service provider helps medical students financially

MedEngage Scholarship program has been announced by Metropolis Healthcare, India’s leading diagnostics service provider. Aimed to nurture medical students and help them contribute to healthcare research, the service provider helps medical students financially.

Dr Sushil Shah, Metropolis Chairman, had floated the idea in 2018 and is aimed to be a holistic academic program for medical students that includes Scholarship, Observership, Academic Research discounts, and certificate courses.

Since its inception, over 500 institutes have reached and registered with the MedEngage program for several of its initiatives. More than 5000 students registered for Observership, academic research, and several courses that MedEngage offers.

Metropolis has successfully conducted the scholarship program for two consecutive years and has awarded more than100 students with scholarships worth up to 50 lakhs. This year 2022, it intends to reward 150 students from across India through this scholarship program.

The students can log on to www.med-engage.com to register and apply for the program. The applications will be checked by an eminent panel of jury members, predominantly from the healthcare fraternity and external bodies. The winners will be announced in February 2022, followed by a felicitation ceremony held in April 2022.

January 14, 2022
Ambuja Cement saves 70 mln litres water at construction sites with water conservation efforts

Taking a lead in the industry’s efforts to tackle the effects of climate change, Ambuja Cement Ltd on Wednesday said it has saved 70 million litres of water at its construction sites with focus on water conservation efforts

Taking a lead in the industry’s efforts to tackle the effects of climate change, Ambuja Cement Ltd on Wednesday said it has saved 70 million litres of water at its construction sites with focus on water conservation efforts.

In 2020, Ambuja facilitated the installation of Rooftop Rain Water Harvesting systems at 268 construction sites, Modular Curing at 2391 construction sites and Concrete Mix Proportion services at 14271 construction sites, the company said in a statement.

“These initiatives (Concrete Mix proportions, Modular Curing, and Rainwater Harvesting) have helped Ambuja in saving 70 million litres of water,” it added.

Ambuja Cements Managing Director and CEO Neeraj Akhoury said: “The scope and opportunities for creating a sustainable future are immense. ….I am pleased with the progress that we have made through our efforts, and we will continue to put into action the bolder plans for emission reduction, resource optimisation and water conservation to build a sustainable future of India.”

As part of the global organisation, Holcim, Ambuja Cement’s ambition is to be a part of the solution to the sustainability challenges faced today, he said.

In 2020, Ambuja Cement also developed and revived 83 water harvesting and recharging structures and 14 dams for the benefit of the community, amounting to a storage capacity of 600 million litres, taking the total count to 14060 water harvesting and recharge structures, 458 check dams and 59240 million litres, respectively.

Last year, Ambuja Cement reduced its carbon footprint to 531 kg CO2/tonne of cement and reused 8.2 million tonne of waste in cement production. Furthermore, it also reduced the freshwater withdrawal up to 77 litres/tonne of cementitious material, and added 3 lakh new beneficiaries under its community outreach programmes.

Green energy is another focus area for Ambuja as the company has invested Rs 525 crores towards Waste Heat Recovery Systems (WHRS), which reduces its conventional fuel consumption.

Ambuja Cements is a member of Holcim, the global leader in innovative and sustainable building solutions.

Among the leading cement companies in India with a capacity of 29.65 million tonne, Ambuja Cement has five integrated cement manufacturing plants and eight cement grinding units across the country.

September 1, 2021
Aster Volunteers donate 75 tonnes of food to 1500 underprivileged families in Yemen

As Yemen continues to grapple with one of the world’s worst humanitarian crisis, Aster Volunteers – the global CSR arm of Aster DM Healthcare along with supporting NGOs like Dar Al Shifa Establishment and Governor of Seiyun- Hadramout region

As Yemen continues to grapple with one of the world’s worst humanitarian crisis, Aster Volunteers – the global CSR arm of Aster DM Healthcare along with supporting NGOs like Dar Al Shifa Establishment and Governor of Seiyun- Hadramout region, launched a relief mission to distribute ration kits to the people of Yemen.

“Around 1500 families received a ration kit weighing 50 kg each, providing for around 360,000 meals,” Aster DM Healthcare said in a statement.

The dry ration kit included rice, wheat flour, sugar, cooking oil, beans, milk powder, pulses and other essential food items to provide a balanced diet for entire families of young children, lactating mothers and other adults.

The on-ground mission was led by Jaleel PA, Head – CSR at Aster DM Healthcare and external volunteers who distributed the ration kits in remote communities of Hadramout region near Seiyun International Airport, where Yemenis continue to suffer due to food insecurity, malnutrition, healthcare gaps, lockdown impact of the Covid-19 crisis and a recent sudden flash flood which led to the destruction of homes and livelihoods.

Through this mission, Aster Volunteers were able to support about 5,000 individuals who received food kits from distribution centres set up in Seiyun, Tarim and Shibam towns from August 15.

The food items were procured locally with the help of funds donated by Aster employees and with a matching donation from Aster DM Healthcare.

Aster DM Healthcare CSR Head Jaleel PA (extreme left) along with external volunteers donated 75 tonne of food to underpriveleged families in Yemen.

Speaking on the relief mission Azad Moopen, Founder Chairman and Managing Director of Aster DM Healthcare said: “Yemen continues to suffer from years of civil war which has resulted in huge devastation — unfortunately, the human disaster is humongous leading to loss of life of civilians through conflict, starvation and death.

“In fact, Yemen is on the brink of one of the worst famines in history affecting millions including children. The programme by Aster Volunteers is our effort to help the population of Yemen in whatever little way that we can,” he said.

According to the latest figures from the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) Acute Malnutrition Report, nearly 2.3 million children under the age of 5 are expected to suffer from acute malnutrition this year in Yemen. Out of these, up to 400,000 are expected to suffer from severe acute malnutrition and could die if they do not receive urgent treatment.

Aster Volunteers also plan to organise medical education, training and capacity building sessions for local doctors of Yemen that would equip them with the latest information required to meet the healthcare needs of the local population.

During the four-day mission, a delegation of Aster Volunteers met senior government officials, academics, students and members of business community to understand the challenges faced by people of this region.

In the coming months, Aster Volunteers will engage with local charity organizations and government departments to provide support in several areas, including primary healthcare, health awareness among remote communities and in the education sector.

The food relief mission is a part of Aster Volunteers’ natural disaster support and relief aid programme which has previously supported Kerala flood victims, famine struck Somalians, Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh, Syrian refugees in Jordan’s Zaatari camp among others, which has benefitted 288,158 people till date.

August 31, 2021
PepsciCo launches rejuvenated wastewater pond, impacting 2,000 people in Punjab

A rejuvenated wastewater pond in Sangrur, Punjab was launched by PepsiCo India and Alternative Development Initiatives (ADI), marking the culmination of World Water Week 2021. This project has led to positively impacting the lives of over 2000 people

A rejuvenated wastewater pond in Sangrur, Punjab was launched by PepsiCo India and Alternative Development Initiatives (ADI), marking the culmination of World Water Week 2021.

This project has led to positively impacting the lives of over 2000 people in Bijalpur in Sangrur, PespiCo India said in a statement.

The rejuvenated wastewater pond was inaugurated by Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) Chairman Prof Adarsh Pal Vig, Bijalpur Sarpanch S Ranjeet and ADI’s Rajinder Nijjar and PepsiCo India Head of Sustainability Juhi Gupta.

PPCB Chairman Prof Adarsh Pal Vig said disposal of wastewater in the ponds is a major public health concern as the stagnant water leads to bad smell and spread of many diseases.

“There is an emerging need for water restoration and preservation leading to multiple benefits including ground water recharging, environment regeneration, and livelihood and the local level,” he said.

To take this initiative forward, PepsiCo India in partnership with ADI came forward to help the state government in their efforts to rejuvenate water bodies for daily household and irrigation purposes, he said.

“I would like to congratulate the team of PepsiCo India and ADI for coming forward to start an initiative of taking up the village ponds for in-site remediation through use mix of cost effective and indigenous biotechnologies-based techniques so that wastewater could be treated,” he said.

PPCB will always support and facilitate more of such water conservation projects with help of villagers and local communities to restore the ecology of Punjab, he added.

The program complements the effort of the Punjab government in cleaning the community ponds collecting household wastewater, and using the treated wastewater for irrigation purposes, reducing the burden of depleting fresh water sources.

This initiative will bring in more area under agriculture, as the wastewater pond will have water available round the year irrespective of climatic variability.

August 27, 2021