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  • Metropolis announces MedEngage for medical students

    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.

  • Ambuja Cement saves 70 mln litres water at construction sites with water conservation efforts

    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.

  • Aster Volunteers donate 75 tonnes of food to 1500 underprivileged families in Yemen

    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 Volunteers donate 75 tonnes of food to 1500 underprivileged families in YemenAster 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.

  • PepsciCo launches rejuvenated wastewater pond, impacting 2,000 people in Punjab

    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.

  • Coke and Rajahmundry MC launch Swatchata Hero

    Coke and Rajahmundry MC launch Swatchata Hero

    Sri Sarvaraya Sugars Ltd., the bottling arm of Coca-Cola in India, along with Rajahmundry Municipal Corporation (RMC) jointly launched a citizenship movement, to drive awareness on plastic waste management. Aligned to the Government of India priorities under

    Sri Sarvaraya Sugars Ltd., the bottling arm of Coca-Cola in India, along with Rajahmundry Municipal Corporation (RMC) jointly launched a citizenship movement, to drive awareness on plastic waste management. Aligned to the Government of India priorities under the ‘Swachh Bharat Mission, the Swatchata Hero Initiative is a step towards strengthening the national agenda of responsible waste segregation and management through citizen involvement. The initiative, presently spanning across Rajahmundry and Kakinada in Andhra Pradesh, additionally aims at improving socio-economic conditions of the informal waste sector, raising awareness on waste segregation, influencing attitudinal changes amongst citizens and protecting natural habitats.

    With changing consumption patterns and rapid economic growth, there is an ever-emerging need to formalize and strengthen sustainable waste management through meaningful initiatives that not just engage with the citizens but mobilize them to action. To create awareness around plastic circular economy and responsible waste management, Rajahmundry Municipal Corporation (RMC) partnered with Sri Sarvaraya Sugars Ltd., bottling partner of Coca-Cola to launch a holistic cleanliness drive across the state.

    Under the initiative, several branded kiosks and selfie booths have been set up along with collection vans in 50 wards of Rajamahendravaram. In the first phase which spanned over 35 days, the initiative successfully collected 5 tons (150 kgs per day) of plastic waste from both residential and slum areas. It has garnered active participation from Andhra Pradesh citizens and also gained momentum on social media with participants posting pictures on Facebook, Twitter to further create awareness and engagement.

    Dr. A Vinuthna, Health Officer, Municipal Corporation Rajamahendravaram, said, “Cleanliness and responsible waste disposal is a discipline that we should imbibe in our day-to-day lives. To steer through the challenges around waste management, we need to make simple yet significant commitment to this cause at an individual level. Swatchata Hero Initiative is a right step in that direction to call citizens to action and drive an attitudinal change at large. I would like to extend my heartfelt gratitude to Coca-Cola India for supporting us in our Swatchata Hero Initiative and helping us spread the message of cleanliness and hygiene amongst the citizens of Andhra Pradesh.”

    Commenting on the partnership, Dr. S.B.P.P. Rammohan, Managing Director, Sri Sarvaraya Sugars Ltd, said “The Coca-Cola ecosystem, is driven by the vision of creating a ‘World Without Waste’ and remains committed to its three-pronged strategy – Design, Collect & Partner. We are really proud to liaise with Rajahmundry Municipal Corporation (RMC) to drive, create and accelerate waste collection program in major cities of Andhra Pradesh. The amount of waste being generated today and its subsequent ramifications are alarming, the onus is on each one of us to inculcate a behavioural change at the individual level. Swatchata Hero Initiative will not only contribute towards the Indian government’s Swachh Bharat Mission but also towards creating a green, clean, healthy, safe and sustainable environment.”

    Encouraged by the success of the first phase, Swatchata Hero Initiative has been extended to another 60 days to spread across 4 major cities in Andhra Pradesh. The second phase of the campaign aims at the collection of an additional 10 tons of plastic waste by citizenship movements across Andhra Pradesh. To mobilize citizen participation, Coca-Cola products and merchandise are being distributed on the collection and deposition of plastic waste. The collected waste is being sent to a local recycling partner – Shakti Plastic Industries.

  • Amway celebrates World Health Day

    Amway celebrates World Health Day

    Building on its global expertise in the nutrition and wellness domain, Amway India, one of the country’s leading FMCG direct selling companies, celebrated World Health Day with a national webinar on building a better tomorrow with a focus on nutrition in children

    Building on its global expertise in the nutrition and wellness domain, Amway India, one of the country’s leading FMCG direct selling companies, celebrated World Health Day with a national webinar on building a better tomorrow with a focus on nutrition in children. Organized in association with its NGO partner SRF Foundation, the virtual platform brought together policy experts, subject-matter experts, and industry leaders to discuss current challenges and opportunities in improving nutrition and health amongst children, especially those under 5.

    As per the latest National Family Health Survey (NHFS), 18 of the 22 states and Union Territories (UTs) have recorded an alarming rise in the malnutrition condition of children under five. While each of the surveyed states and UTs reported 22 per cent or more stunted children, at least eight out of 342 surveyed districts registered more than 50 per cent prevalence of child stunting. Deliberating on such critical issues and the need to address inequities in access to health and nutrition, present at the conference were Ms Jyotika Kalra, Member, National Human Rights Commission, Mrs Rajbala Kataria, Joint Director, Women and Child Development Department, Haryana, Dr Sujeet Ranjan, Executive Director, The Coalition for Food and Nutrition Security (CFNS), Mr Ajay Khanna, Chief Marketing Officer, Amway India Enterprises Pvt. Ltd, Dr Sirimavo Nair, Professor in Foods and Nutrition, Faculty of Family and Community Sciences, The Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda, Mr Basant Kumar Dube, District Immunization and Child Health Officer, Nuh and Dr Y. Suresh Reddy, Director, SRF Foundation.

    Speaking at the conference, Ajay Khanna, Chief Marketing Officer Amway India said, “The WHO theme* of World Health Day 2021 of building a fairer, healthier world is a clarion call to strengthen action in the best possible way to make lives healthier and better for every child in the country. Amway India is one of the foremost proponents of holistic nutrition and wellness. With our vision of helping people live better, healthier lives, we endeavour to make a tangible societal impact through multiple social initiatives. Aligned with the Government of India’s National Nutrition Mission, Amway had introduced its globally acclaimed campaign, ‘Power of 5’ aimed to raise awareness on the issue of childhood malnutrition and bring in the much-needed behavioural shift among mothers and communities at large. Leveraging the success of our pilot project in Kirari Village, New Delhi, we are launching the second phase of this project with SRF Foundation in Nuh district, Haryana. Under this two-year program, we intend to benefit over 51,000 people including 15,000 children in the age group of 0-8 years. I truly believe that with similar meaningful partnerships and collaborations, we can achieve the vision of a healthy India.”

  • Samsung phones used in eye care

    Samsung phones used in eye care

    Samsung Electronics is repurposing older smartphones to enable greater access to ophthalmic health care in underserved communities around the world. Samsung partnered with the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB) and Yonsei University

    Samsung Electronics is repurposing older smartphones to enable greater access to ophthalmic health care in underserved communities around the world. Samsung partnered with the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB) and Yonsei University Health System (YUHS) in Korea to create medical devices that screen for eye disease by upcycling Galaxy smartphones that are no longer of use. This Galaxy Upcycling program is helping to address approximately 1 billion global cases of vision impairment that are preventable with a proper diagnosis.

    According to the World Health Organization (WHO), at least 2.2 billion people have a form of vision impairment and almost half of these cases were preventable or have yet to be addressed. There is a large disparity in the prevalence of vision impairment depending on the affordability and availability of eye care services. This is estimated to be four times more common in low- and middle-income regions as compared to high-income regions.

    “People around the globe face barriers to accessing fundamental health care, and we saw an opportunity to engineer smart, innovative solutions that reuse products to drive more sustainable practices and make a positive impact in our communities,” said Sung-Koo Kim, VP of Sustainability Management Office, Mobile Communications Business at Samsung Electronics. “This program embodies Samsung’s belief that technology can enrich people’s lives and help us build a more equitable and sustainable future for all.”

    In 2017, Samsung created the Galaxy Upcycling program to introduce innovative ways that Galaxy devices can make a positive impact. Through the program, an older Galaxy smartphone can become the brain of the EYELIKE™ handheld fundus camera, which connects to a lens attachment for enhanced fundus diagnosis, while the smartphone is used to capture images. The Galaxy device then utilizes an artificial intelligence algorithm to analyze and diagnose the images for ophthalmic diseases and connects to an app that accurately captures patient data and suggests a treatment regimen at a fraction of the cost of commercial instruments. The unique and affordable diagnosis camera can screen patients for conditions that may lead to blindness, including diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma, and age-related macular degeneration.

    “We were looking for an eye health diagnosis solution that was cost-effective to reach as many people as possible, and when we saw the performance of Samsung’s Galaxy smartphones, we wanted to integrate their upcycling efforts into our research,” said Dr Sangchul Yoon of Yonsei University Health System. “The combination of using multiple optical technologies and artificial intelligence, coupled with camera performance of a Galaxy smartphone, created an affordable medical device that was just as capable as a fundus camera used by medical professionals. This not only solved a health issue but a growing environmental concern as well.”

    Since 2018, Samsung has partnered with IAPB and Yonsei University Health System to benefit the lives and vision of more than 19,000 residents in Vietnam with its portable retinal camera. In 2019 alone, it supplied 90 portable ophthalmoscopes to health professionals operating in remote regions of the country without access to walk-in clinics. Now, Samsung has expanded the program to India, Morocco and Papua New Guinea. Samsung is also broadening its capabilities to new screening areas, including using upcycled Galaxy devices to create smartphone-based portable colposcopes to screen for cervical cancer and improve women’s access to quality health care.

  • SBI Insurance provides sanitation facilities for girl students

    SBI Insurance provides sanitation facilities for girl students

    SBI General Insurance, one of the leading General Insurance companies in India, has enabled the construction of 15 sanitation facilities for girl students in Wada and Chimur talukas in Palghar district of Maharashtra, thereby impacting lives

    SBI General Insurance, one of the leading General Insurance companies in India, has enabled the construction of 15 sanitation facilities for girl students in Wada and Chimur talukas in Palghar district of Maharashtra, thereby impacting lives of thousands of girl students.

    Under the CSR project, SBI General has funded the construction of 15‘safe space’ restrooms for girls around schools in rural districts of Maharashtra. These restrooms along with the 5 built last year will be used by over 10,000 girls in the coming five years. This will have a two-fold impact: not only will it create a sense of ownership and qualitative change in their hygiene habits, but also increase the attendance of girls at the schools thereby enabling them to complete their education. In addition to this, special workshops on hygiene and sanitation were also conducted for the girls. Going forward, the goal for SBI General and Learning Space Foundation is to ensure that every school in rural Maharashtra has a safe space restroom. SBI General Insurance has partnered with Palghar based NGO, Learning Space Foundation (LSF) for this project.

    Shefali Khalsa, Head – Brand & Corporate Communication, SBI General Insurance said, “At SBIG, we follow a defined CSR strategy which focuses on various areas and segments. One of the key focus areas is education for the underprivileged. Contributing to this area aiming at girl students’ education, hygiene and wellbeing, we had initiated this project. In this region, what really stood out to us was the very high school drop-out rates of adolescent girls from agricultural and tribal communities. One of the main reasons for drop-out was the lack of sanitation facilities at Zilla Parishad Schools”.

    She added, “We are hopeful that our contribution and this CSR initiative will support some bit of drop-outs and will enable girl students to continue their education.”

    Besides giving access to sanitation facilities, through partnership, the girl students were also trained and encouraged to embrace menstrual hygiene practices.

  • SOS Village come to aid of women in need

    SOS Village come to aid of women in need

    A five-year-long women empowerment and livelihood intervention from SOS Children’s Villages of India tripled the monthly income and the social status of several Extremely Backward Caste and Scheduled Caste women of Kamruddinpur, a village in Begusarai District of Bihar

    A five-year-long women empowerment and livelihood intervention from SOS Children’s Villages of India tripled the monthly income and the social status of several Extremely Backward Caste and Scheduled Caste women of Kamruddinpur, a village in Begusarai District of Bihar. The case story titled, ‘Empowering women leading to economic development – Alleviating poverty through collective effort capturing this outcome has been adjudged among the top 10 livelihood development case stories in India by the prestigious ‘Sitaram Rao Livelihoods India Case Study Competition 2021’, a national-level initiative to collate the best models of livelihoods’ promotion in the country.

    Conceived under the SOS Children’s Villages’ flagship Family Strengthening Programme, a community outreach model to build the capacity of vulnerable families in order to uphold quality childcare for their children, the Kamruddinpur project consisted of providing livelihood training, forming self-help group (christened as Dhanwanti), and facilitating the reach of welfare schemes of the government to the villagers.

    The highlights of the programme were: an increase in the monthly income of women from Rs 2,500-Rs 3,000 in 2013, prior to the launch of the programme, to Rs. 9,700 at present; access to microcredit at low interest; improved social participation and recognition; access to various welfare schemes from the Central and State governments, and better nutrition and education of children, who belong to these families, among others.

    Commenting about the recognition of the Kamruddinpur case story, Sumanta Kar, Senior National Deputy Director, SOS Children’s Villages of India, said, “It gives us immense satisfaction to know that impact of our intervention in Begusarai, as part of the Family Strengthening Programme is getting recognized as one of the top 10 case stories in developing livelihood opportunities for the vulnerable communities. Since our programme is something that can – and should – be replicated in many disadvantaged communities in the country. I hope the case story inspires civil society, government and the private sector for coming together to transform lives of weaker sections of the society by strengthening the smallest unit- family through empowering women as primary caregivers and preventing their children from losing parental care.”

    He said that the beneficiaries were illiterate women from the Below Poverty Line families living in a village known for its feudalist ideology and patriarchal dominance, and more importantly, their children, who were deprived of quality care and upbringing. We believe that empowering women in households heralds quality childcare and upbringing for their children and hence we work towards their upliftment.

    These women were working in agriculture farms for meagre daily wages. Our intervention involved training them to gain basic literacy and awareness. We organised activities for them to open up and discuss their issues and challenges. These interactions enabled them to learn the importance of savings, education, health, hygiene, and nutrition of their children. It also led to the formation of the Dhanwanti Self Help Group in 2013 with 13 women who chipped in Rs 50 each. SOS Children’s Villages made a small contribution by creating a fund that can be used for extending microcredit to the members of the SHG at a low rate of interest. Within about a year and a half, the corpus of the revolving fund increased enough to fund income-generating activities such as cow rearing.

    “We trained them in bookkeeping, maintaining ledger and other ways of managing finance on one hand, and in communication and conflict management on the other hand. On the livelihood front, the women enhanced their understanding of raising livestock, an area they already had some amount of exposure. But more importantly, they were taught how to assess the fat content of the milk, and how to fix price based on fat content. We also facilitated market linkages for selling their milk. All these sustained efforts on women empowerment and livelihood training helped them more than triple their monthly income – from Rs 2,500- Rs 3,000 in 2013 to Rs.8,000 – Rs 10,000 today. Thanks to the regular inter-loaning and prompt repayment, the corpus of their SHG has increased to Rs 2.66 lakhs now – from about Rs. 650 in 2013.”

    The SHG is currently linked with National Urban Livelihood Mission, and the members now make use of various social security schemes such as Rajiv Gandhi Urban Electrification Scheme, Swachh Bharat Mission and UjjawalaYojna that improve the overall living conditions of their families.

    He further added, “SOS CV India we will be supporting 8000 more children under this programme in 2021 and the caregivers will be getting support for various Income Generating activities. This will help many families, who have lost livelihood due to COVID-19 to build sustainable livelihoods and prevent the abandonment of children.”

  • Women artisans get American Express grant

    Women artisans get American Express grant

    American Express, the credit card major has announced a grant of Rs 1 crore to support women artisans across India. The grant will be disbursed through Dastkar, a society that will use the funds to support over 12,000 women artisans from 19 states

    American Express, the credit card major has announced a grant of Rs 1 crore to support women artisans across India. The grant will be disbursed through Dastkar, a society that will use the funds to support over 12,000 women artisans from 19 states, financially impacted due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

    As part of the company’s CSR initiative, the grant to Dastkar’s Artisan Support Fund will take care of financial needs towards wages and raw materials along with marketing assistance to craftswomen involved in varied arts and crafts, including mirror-work embroiderers, weavers, basket makers, fibre craft artisans, block printers, among others, it said.

    American Express said in a statement that craftswomen from Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Assam, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal, Maharashtra, Jammu and Kashmir, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Odisha, Jharkhand, Manipur, Telangana and Bihar will be covered for assistance.

    Speaking about the initiative, American Express Banking Corp India Senior Vice President and CEO Manoj Adlakha said: “Through our funding to Dastkar, we will support the sustenance of India’s craft community in the wake of the pandemic. We are proud to contribute towards mitigating the impact and conserving the country’s diverse cultural heritage…”

    Dastkar Chairperson and Founder member Laila Tyabji said, “Locked out of earnings and employment, these craftswomen require assistance – both financial and marketing. The corporate sector has a crucial role to play here. We thank American Express for recognizing the urgency of the situation and providing much-needed capital to help our women artisans recover from the devastating impacts of the pandemic and rebuild their livelihood.”