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  • Indian Hotels Company installs 224 EV charging stations at 92 properties

    Indian Hotels Company installs 224 EV charging stations at 92 properties

    These EV charging points are installed at across various Taj, SeleQtions, Vivanta, Ginger and amã Stays and Trails properties across the country.

    Hospitality firm Indian Hotels Company (IHCL), in collaboration with Tata Power, has installed 224 electric vehicle (EV) charging stations at 92 of its properties, a move that will give driving vacations in electric vehicles more accessible for guests.

      These EV charging points are installed at across various Taj, SeleQtions, Vivanta, Ginger and amã Stays and Trails properties across the country, an official statement said.

      These chargers can be accessed by the guests staying at various IHCL properties, allowing them to experience the reliability and worry-free facility, while discovering breath-taking destinations across the country.

      Speaking about the initiative, IHCL Executive Vice President (Human Resource) Gaurav Pokhariyal said, “Today, we are seeing a major paradigm shift across the globe as an increasing number of people are gravitating towards alternative or less energy-intensive options of transport. At IHCL, we will continue our endeavour to embrace green sources of energy while making sustainability measures easily accessible for our customers.”

      The move is aligned with IHCL’s commitment to cater to the evolving needs of its environmentally conscious customers by reducing their carbon footprint in travel and assisting in the further adaptation of sustainable means of living.

      With a long term vision of driving responsible tourism, IHCL has announced its sustainability commitments for the year 2030 under Paathya. IHCL will continue to pioneer sustainable practices in its pursuit towards excellence and creating benchmark in the tourism industry.

  • Tata Chemicals’ initiative saves over 850 whale shark in Gujarat

    Tata Chemicals’ initiative saves over 850 whale shark in Gujarat

    The initiative has garnered extensive support from the fishing communities of Gujarat resulting in a decline in cases of poaching from around 600 in 1999-2000 to zero in 2021.

    Tata Chemicals through its ‘Save Whale Shark Campaign’ has saved over 850 of these endangered species till date in the Saurashtra region along the coastline of Gujarat.

      This initiative of Tata Chemicals, Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) and the Gujarat Forest Department has garnered extensive support from the fishing communities of Gujarat resulting in a decline in cases of poaching from around 600 in 1999-2000 to zero in 2021.

      For effective implementation of this project, migration research studies of Whale Sharks from Gujarat Waters have been conducted. So far eight satellite transmitters on rescued Whale Sharks have been deployed. The results were analysed in collaboration with the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS) and published in the International Journal of Frontiers in Marine Science.

      About 18 Genetic study samples have been collected and analysed from rescued Whale Sharks in Gujarat waters.

      Talking about this initiative, Tata Chemicals Head HR and CSR R Nanda said, “Corporates through CSR can do a lot for our environment. This campaign is a reflection of Tata Chemicals’ commitment to environmental conservation. Designed to make the community a stakeholder in our endeavor to save this Whale Shark, this initiative has ushered a significant behavioral change.”

      The concerted efforts of the company and the partners have resulted in the whale shark becoming the second wildlife pride in Gujarat, after the Asiatic lions and seven coastal cities in Gujarat, including a non-coastal city, Ahmedabad, have adopted the whale shark as their city mascot.

      The Whale Shark conservation project has sensitized over 50,000 fishers and 100,000 coastal students through campaign awareness drive to inculcate the message of conservation.

      The project has been represented in the International Whale Shark conferences held globally, including the ones in Doha in 2016 and Australia in 2019. It has won the India Biodiversity Award by UNDP for the conservation of the whale shark, under the co-management category in 2014; the Green Governance Award by BNHS in 2005.

  • Happiest Minds deploys solar plant at its Bengaluru campus

    Happiest Minds deploys solar plant at its Bengaluru campus

    The new solar power plant will generate 256 MWh of electricity per year and is estimated to reduce 210 tonne of carbon emissions annually.

    Happiest Minds Technologies today announced commissioning of a 183kWp solar power plant at its ‘Smiles 2’ campus at Madivala, Bengaluru.

      The new solar power plant will generate 256 MWh of electricity per year and is estimated to reduce 210 tonne of carbon emissions annually and 5200 tonne over its lifecycle, the company said in a statement.

      Happiest Minds aims to achieve carbon neutrality in its operations by 2030 and aspires to be known for its high levels of ESG standards.

      Commenting on the development, the company’s Managing Director and CFO Venkatraman Narayanan said the company is consciously embedding sustainability in every aspect of its business by striving for more mindful ways to reduce the impact on the planet, whilst providing digital, agile, and sustainable solutions to the customers.

      India’s Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs) target is to achieve about 40 per cent cumulative electric power installed capacity from non-fossil fuel-based energy resources and to reduce the emission intensity of its GDP by 33 per cent to 35 per cent from 2005 level by 2030.

  • Reliance Industries spends Rs 813 crore on CSR activities in 2021-22 fiscal

    Reliance Industries spends Rs 813 crore on CSR activities in 2021-22 fiscal

    Of which, about Rs 222 crore was spent on the Mission Covid Suraksha.

    Reliance Industries spent Rs 813 crore on corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities during the 2021-22 financial year, with maximum funds for promoting health and medical relief initiatives.

    Of which, about Rs 222 crore was spent on the Mission Covid Suraksha. About Rs 114 crore was spent on preventive and public healthcare initiatives in Maharasthra, and Rs 109 crore on medical relief in Gujarat and Maharasthra. It also spent Rs 142 crore on promotion of education in Maharasthra.

    “During the year under review, the company spent Rs 813 crore (around 2.21 percent of the average net profits of last three financial years) on CSR activities,” the company said in its annual report.

    Reliance Industries said the three core commitments of ‘Scale, Impact and Sustainability’ formed the bed-rock of the company’s philosophy on CSR initiatives.

    CSR initiatives are being focused in the areas of Rural Transformation, Health, Education, Environment, Arts, Heritage & Culture and Disaster Response.

    The company supported national initiatives like Gram Uday Se Bharat Uday Abhiyan, Unnat Bharat Abhiyan, Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, Poshan Abhiyan, Jal Shakti Abhiyan, Sabki Yojana Sabka Vikas, Skill India Mission, Digital India and Doubling Farmers’ Income.

    The company further said it adopted a multi-pronged approach to address the COVID-19 pandemic. The company supported initiatives on healthcare, medical oxygen supply, emergency meal distribution, supply of free fuel, masks and awareness creation.

    Over 8.5 crore meals provided under Mission Anna Sewa; over 1.4 crore masks were distributed under Mission COVID-19 Suraksha and free fuel support was provided to over 70,000 emergency vehicles.

    Medical oxygen production was ramped up from zero to 11 percent of India’s treatment needs for meeting the requirement of over one lakh patients every day. This was supplied free to several state governments.

    Over the past decade, the company has focused on several CSR programs. The CSR initiatives under the leadership of Nita M. Ambani, Founder and Chairperson, Reliance Foundation, have touched the lives of more than 5.75 crore people covering more than 50,600 villages and several urban locations across India.

    The CSR initiatives of the company have won several awards including Golden Peacock Award for Corporate Social Responsibility 2021, CII DX Award 2021 under ‘Innovation in CSR through Digital Transformation,’ Award for Corporate Leadership in ESG (Environmental, Social & Governance) from The CSR Journal- Excellence Awards 2021, World Summit Awards 2021 for providing digital solutions through its Machli App and the Best Vaccine Programme by a Private Hospital at the India Today Healthgiri awards among others.

  • Piramal Foundation to bet on six areas to accelerate change in India

    Piramal Foundation to bet on six areas to accelerate change in India

    Piramal Group Chairman Ajay Piramal said, “We remain committed to our goal of ‘leaving no one behind”.

    On completion of 15 years of its establishment, Piramala Foundation today announced that its CSR activities will focus on six areas through partnership approach to accelerate change in India.

    These six areas are:

    1. Anamaya, The Tribal Health Collaborative aims to end preventable deaths in tribal communities by enabling over 100 mn tribal people with the lowest Human Development Index bridge access to health by strengthening communities and public delivery systems alike. Partnerships include Ministry of Tribal Affairs, National TB Elimination Program, USAID, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Centre for Policy Research and Ekjut Foundation.

    2. Aspirational Districts Collaborative aims to uplift the lives of 100 million people living in abject poverty in 112 Aspirational Districts by 2030 through hyperlocal collaboration and last mile convergence.

    Key Partners are NITI Aayog, District Governments of 112 Aspirational Districts, Edelgive Foundation, Tata Communications Limited and Deloitte.

    3. Digital Bharat Collaborative aims to transform the healthcare system by building a Robust Digital Public Health Delivery Platform. National Aids Control Organisation, 5 State Governments, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Rockefeller Foundation, CISCO, Genpact, Wipro are key partners.

    4. Piramal University builds future-ready and ‘Sewa-Bhaav’ oriented public system leaders who drive innovation and learning. It also strengthens institutional processes, practices & governance averting delays, inaccuracies and wasteful expenditure of government time. Strategic partnerships are with 7 State governments, Harvard University, Emory University, Boston Consulting Group, UNICEF, Google, Genpact, Porticus, Sofina and Children’s Investment Fund Foundation.

      5. The Piramal Academy of Sewa leverages the power of youth and builds future leaders engaged in nation building through a full time immersive, experiential fellowship with self-transformation at the core. Partnerships have been forged with leading academic institutions across the country, Edelgive Foundation, Children’s Investment Fund Foundation and Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

      6. Piramal Centre for Children with Special Needs addresses wide structural gaps and absence of adequate, quality care for children with special needs by building a lighthouse of excellence with state-of-the-art design and amenities, world class curriculum, specialised applications and tools to accelerate learning, skill building for employability for persons with disabilities. Collaborations have been forged with experts on PwDs (persons with disabilities) Curriculum development, and government.

      Piramal Group Chairman Ajay Piramal said, “The journey thus far has been enriching as well as inspiring. Our efforts to touch the lives of the most underserved Indian citizens is guided by our spirit of Sewa Bhaav. We believe in doing well and doing good, which essentially means that our success is intrinsically connected to society also doing well.”

    The real transformation of Bharat will happen when we are able to reach millions of Indians and include them as a part of India’s growth journey, he said, and added, “We remain committed to our goal of ‘leaving no one behind’ and are confident that this will be achieved through greater collaboration between Government, civil society and NGO partners.”

      The Foundation said its initiatives have reached the most underserved people across India and has impacted 113 million lives in last 15 years. The CSR initiatives were taken in the field of education, health, water and the social sector ecosystem.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    Schedule VII pertains to CSR activities.

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

    The Companies Act, 2013 is implemented by the ministry.

  • Karnataka companies increase CSR spending on Health and Education

    Karnataka companies increase CSR spending on Health and Education

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

  • Walmart-Flipkart help with Assam Flood relief

    Walmart-Flipkart help with Assam Flood relief

    Walmart and Flipkart give Rs 2 crore for Assam flood relief

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

  • ACC’s DISHA trains 200 Jharkhand youth for employment

    ACC’s DISHA trains 200 Jharkhand youth for employment

    ACC trains 200 rural youth to become employable

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

  • Aequs Foundation launches Hamara Gaon Project

    Aequs Foundation launches Hamara Gaon Project

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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