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May 22, 2025
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CSR: Why Women In India Should Carry Pepper Spray

By
Hency Thacker
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pepper spray

“I was just walking on the beach, minding my own business. I wouldn’t have even noticed him if he hadn’t called out to me to make a lewd comment,” said a woman who was eve teased on a popular beach in Goa. The woman (who prefers to remain anonymous) was on a weekend trip with her husband, who was only 50 meters away from her when this gentle man happened to pass by her.

The husband ran behind the teaser only to find him heavily intoxicated. The person who was escorting the teaser away from the beach apologised profusely for the man’s behaviour, but what was done, was done. The woman was mentally scarred. Sure, it wasn’t the first time she faced a situation like this and it certainly was not the worst that has happened to her. However, that doesn’t make it any less painful.

Drinking alcohol on beaches and in public places was banned in Goa in August 2018. But there is no regulation in the country for being present in public when intoxicated. And most of the times, no action is taken when there is no physical harm caused by an intoxicated person.

“Instead of a ban on drinking, we need to have a device that would detect the level of intoxication in a person, and ban him from entering a public place in that state. It is not okay to get away with things using intoxication as an excuse,” her husband said.

In order to save themselves from such incidents, feel confident and safe, women in India are turning to self defence lessons. Public authorities are also facilitating them. However, the availability of these lessons is scarce in small towns and rural areas.

Women in the smaller towns still find themselves vulnerable to these attacks. Women trained in self defence do not feel confident all the time either, because defending yourself from an expected attack is different from getting caught by surprise. At times like these, pepper sprays can come in handy.

Pepper spray contains a chemical called capsaicin, derived from the capsicum or chilli plants. When it is sprayed on a person’s face, the chemical immediately causes his/her eyes to close, obstructs breathing, causes runny nose and coughing. Capsaicin is insoluble in water so washing the eyes or face after the attack does not help. The effects wear off in an hour or two.

According to the European Parliament Scientific and Technological Options Assessment Report, published in 1998, the spray can cause upper body spasms for three to 15 minutes and temporary blindness for 15 to 30 minutes.

Pepper spray is banned in many countries. However, the use of these sprays for self defence is legal in India. A can of spray that costs around INR 200-300 can save a life and make women feel more relaxed outdoors, till the time regulations are strong enough to protect them from these attacks.

Thank you for reading the story until the very end. We appreciate the time you have given us. In addition, your thoughts and inputs will genuinely make a difference to us. Please do drop in a line and help us do better.

Regards,
The CSR Journal Team

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Sun Group donates 2 crores for Gaja cyclone relief work

By
The CSR Journal
-
Sun Group

K. Shanmugam, Group CEO, Sun Group alongwith SL Narayanan, Group CFO, SUN Group handed over a cheque for INR 2 crore to Honourable Chief Minister Shri Thiru Edappadi Palaniswami towards the relief efforts currently underway in the cyclone affected districts of Tamil Nadu. SL Narayanan, Group CFO, Sun Group said, “We at the Sun Group are saddened by the trail of destruction caused by the calamitous event. We hope the situation returns to normalcy at the earliest. The Sun Group stands by the State Government and extends its condolences to the families impacted by the cyclone. “

How storytelling can help achieve SDGs

By
Namita Vikas, Group President & Global Head, Climate Strategy & Responsible Banking, YES Bank
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United Nations Virtual Reality Series to inculcate compassion, generate advocacy, and mobilise resources and volunteers towards distressed communities around the world.

The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), which expired in 2015, had little impact in accelerating global development efforts. The slow progress of the MDGs, was in large part due to low awareness amongst the general public on what the goals meant and what action needed to be taken. Effective communication, hence, will be a critical factor in driving meaningful action towards the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), launched in 2015.

Storytelling for social impact

Human beings have always been creatures intrigued by stories and narratives. Storytelling shapes the way a community receives information, understands issues and responds to them. Using stories to spread awareness about SDGs can enable individuals and communities to identify closely with local developmental issues and instigate them to come together to take necessary action.

A good story is characterised by the ‘participation’ that it spurs. According to Waggener Edstrom, a Communications and PR firm, 56% of individuals that support non-profits and their work on the social web, attribute compelling storytelling as the motivating factor behind taking action. Mediums such as animated cartoons, creative illustrations, games and comics are increasingly being used to convey stories and messages of social change to the young generation.

Frieda and the Sustainable Development GoalsThe children’s book, Frieda and the Sustainable Development Goals, featuring Freida, a young girl who goes on an exciting adventure learning about SDGs, is a great example of how children can be imbued with the knowledge of key global issues, through simple stories.

The social sector has combined the power of stories and digital media to expand the reach and impact of their work. A great example is the M.I.S.S.I.N.G campaign app – Game for a Cause, which allows a player to help Champa, the main character of the game, fight against traps of prostitution and human trafficking by signing current petitions, strengthening laws, and by contacting local non-profits. The game has over half a million organic downloads in over 70 countries.

Newer innovations in storytelling can enhance empathy and understanding of critical issues and conditions. The United Nation’s SDG Action Campaign uses virtual reality to enable thought leaders from around the world gain first-hand understanding of vulnerable situations by virtually immersing themselves in them. UN has leveraged the United Nations Virtual Reality Series to inculcate compassion, generate advocacy, and mobilise resources and volunteers towards distressed communities around the world.

Today’s developmental challenges call for communities to keep aside their differences and pull together to drive social change. Nothing binds people together more than a common narrative. Stories have the power to move people and create movements. Driving cohesive community action towards achieving global goals, requires the development sector to become better storytellers and to chart out a description of a sustainable future for all.

Namita VikasNamita Vikas is Group President & Global Head, Climate Strategy & Responsible Banking at YES BANK. She was recently voted amongst Asia’s 26 Top Sustainability Superwomen. As the Chief Sustainability Officer of the Bank, she spearheads Sustainable Development and CSR, thus driving sustainability principles within its core operations and its value chain towards creating stakeholder value. Namita has an Advanced Management Degree in CSR and Leadership from the Swenska Institute, Sweden.

Views of the author are personal and do not necessarily represent the website’s views.

Thank you for reading the column until the very end. We appreciate the time you have given us. In addition, your thoughts and inputs will genuinely make a difference to us. Please do drop in a line and help us do better.

Regards,
The CSR Journal Team

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‘Govt. of India is key player to drive clean energy’: Gaganjot Kaur, swissnex India

By
Kasmin Fernandes
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To many Fortune 500 companies announcing aggressive goals relating to their clean energy usage, transitioning their energy usage into renewable energy sources plays an integral part in their sustainability goals. Offsetting energy costs through increased use of renewables is not only cost-effective, but such practices allow for CSR success, which has a profound impact on consumers.
While the rapid expansion into renewables as a means of CSR can be easily explained by the positive tangible benefits it brings to local communities (like clean air and water), it also doesn’t hurt that often times wind and solar energy represents a cost savings to the business by avoiding more expensive utility-fed power.
Over 20 companies and startups from Switzerland are set to visit Bengaluru, Pune and Mumbai this month as part of Cleantech Week India 2018. The event facilitated by swissnex India, will encourage knowledge sharing between India and Swiss experts, clean energy enterprises and academics to help identify gaps in the Indian clean energy sector and to create a sustainable model of growth for the future. It is an opportunity for swiss clean energy players to explore India from a new perspective for manufacturing, sourcing, and technical collaborations, and also to rethink ways they could engage with the dynamic market which is set out to achieve 175 GW renewable energy generation capacity target by 2022.
We met Gaganjot Kaur, who leads the Clean Energy Initiatives, and is the Manager of University Partnerships at swissnex India. She has also curated Cleantech Week. At swissnex, Kaur facilitates technology and knowledge exchange partnerships between Swiss and Indian clean energy players and also enables mutually-beneficial partnerships between Indian and Swiss academia, start-ups, industry experts and innovative companies.
Excerpts from an interview:

Tell us about your journey so far, especially in clean energy.

swissnex’s foray into enabling clean technology collaborations between Switzerland and India is a fairly recent initiative. We have ventured into this segment because it is the need of the hour. Switzerland is one of the leading innovators in this segment, and India is a thriving market.
The opportunity to head swissnex India’s cleantech initiatives enabled me to work on bringing the stakeholders from two countries together for innovation exchange and technology collaborations, and also gave me the opportunity to learn about the importance of sustainable energy sources.

Switzerland is a world leader in clean technology. What learnings could Indian companies, public enterprises and the government take from the Swiss?

Switzerland is ONE of the leading innovators in this segment. What is unique about Switzerland is the academia-industry connect which has led to the creation of cutting-edge technologies. Switzerland is well on its way to conceptualising future technologies, as is clearly evident from their Energy strategy 2050. Keeping in mind the economic, political and technological developments at home and abroad that could have repercussions on the energy markets, the strategy helps Switzerland prepare for the future. Energy security is the key to innovation in this segment in Switzerland, which could be a source of inspiration for India.
India too has set very high targets in the adoption of renewable energy sources. Hence, the potential for collaboration between the two countries is tremendous.
To quote, Doris Leuthard, President of Switzerland: “With its aim to be one of the frontrunners in shaping a greener future, India has become an important partner for Switzerland in the field of energy and climate policy.”

Name the key clean energy players in India.

The government of India would be the key player to drive this segment in association with think tanks, industry players, academia and entrepreneurs to achieve its high targets.

What were the outcomes of Solartech Industry Connect held in January 2018?

Solartech Industry Connect was an opportunity for us to learn the intricacies, challenges and opportunities of the renewable energy domain. It helped us in formulating a long term engagement plan to support Swiss startups and academicians to explore partnerships in India.

You’ve curated Cleantech Week. How did this plan come to fruition?

The first step was to identify emerging areas within the energy segment, such as energy efficiency, storage, mobility, etc, where Switzerland could add value to the innovation already underway in India. The next step was to identify institutions and individuals who are the front runners of the Indian ecosystem. And finally, it was a matter of matching the Swiss and Indian experts and institutions to one another to create the best possible outcomes. We are hoping to achieve excellent synergies through Cleantech Week India 2018.

What are your expectations from Cleantech Week?

Cleantech Week India 2018 was curated to provide a roadmap to Swiss researchers, startups and companies for setting up their long term strategy in India, and showing them how to engage with the market and with government, industry and other key stakeholders.

My journey to the interiors of Maharashtra

By
Dr. Anantpal Singh, healthcare expert
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After his experiences facilitating healthcare in the villages of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, Dr Anantpal Singh writes about Maharashtra in his series.

Maharashtra is India’s second-most populous state and third-largest state by area. It is one of the few states which gave a very hard time to the Mughal invaders. It was always an important hotspot during India’s freedom struggle including the first and second uprising against the British empire, with the likes of Veer Savarkar, Bal Gangadhar Tilak and the great social reformer Jyotirao Phule hailing from here.

Maharashtra is the wealthiest state by all major economic parameters and also the most industrialized state in India. It continues to be the single largest contributor to the national economy with a share of approx. 15% to the country’s gross domestic product.

Healthcare infrastructure in Maharashtra consisted of 363 rural government hospitals, 23 district hospitals (with 7,561 beds), 4 general hospitals (with 714 beds) mostly under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, and 380 private medical establishments. These establishments provide the state with more than 30,000 hospital beds.

Maharashtra has a life expectancy at birth of 67.2 years according  to Census 2011, ranking it third among 29 Indian states. The fertility rate is 1.9 while the infant mortality rate is 28 and the maternal mortality ratio is 104 (2012–2013), which are lower than the national averages.

Since Maharashtra is a large state, it is difficult to identify the location of the clinics. So my team started from the nearest possible location where we can set up the clinics. We planned to visit Raigad district by road. The administrative headquarter of the Raigad district is in Alibaug.  After going through all the details, we identified that Roha would be the ideal location for setting up the clinics.

Roha is a small taluka in Raigad, located between the banks of the Kundalika River and the hills of Kailasagiri. It is located 120 km southeast of Mumbai. It is the starting point of the Konkan railway and end point of central railways (Mumbai). Many chemical industries have opened their manufacturing units in Roha.

There are total 168 small villages in Roha taluka. Out of the population of 1,75,000, the urban  population is merely 49,000, which implies that most people are villagers.

We zeroed in on Ambewadi in Roha located 53 km East from Alibag. The total population is approx. 5,000 and the female population is 47.4%.

Ground water is the major source of drinking water. There was a high presence of chloride, possible due to discharge of sewage, industrial water in the water body. Higher concentrations of TDS was found which may cause heart and kidney diseases.

Most of the villagers are suffering from water-borne diseases, and had to travel to Penn city for treatment, as far as 50 km from Ambewadi. Surprisingly, even a taluka like Raigad with chemical factories nearby does not have proper healthcare facilities. People have respiratory issues, acute diarrheal disease due to unhygienic conditions. The situation wasn’t much different in the nearby villages of Sambe, Pui, Bhuvan and Killa.

The pressing need in the interiors of Maharashtra is for the villagers to have safe drinking water, to be educated in hygienic practices and for sanitation measures.

Dr Anantpal SinghDr Anantpal Singh is a leading physician, entrepreneur and health researcher from Spectrum Health Solutions Pvt. Ltd. Dr Singh envisions a global community with healthcare solutions which are simple to use and deliver better results than conventional methods.

Views of the author are personal and do not necessarily represent the website’s views.

Thank you for reading the column until the very end. We appreciate the time you have given us. In addition, your thoughts and inputs will genuinely make a difference to us. Please do drop in a line and help us do better.

Regards,
The CSR Journal Team

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RBL Bank and IIMA Alumni flags off the 5th edition of ‘Umeed 1000’ Cyclothon

By
The CSR Journal
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Umeed 1000 cyclothon
In a step towards promoting education for underprivileged girls, RBL Bank flagged off the fifth edition of ‘Umeed 1000’ – a 1000 km Cyclothon in Mumbai. The team will ride from Mumbai to Bengaluru to raise awareness and funds for the education of less privileged girl children. The Cyclothon was flagged off by Prof. Srinath Jagannathan from IIM Indore today and will conclude on December 10th.
The Cyclothon will be covering Pune, Satara, Kolhapur, Belagavi, Hubli, Ranebennuru, Chitradurga and Tumkur. This initiative is being led by Jasmeet S. Gandhi, a cycling enthusiast, who is passionate contributing towards girl education, along with 30 RBL Bank employees. These cyclists will be joined by 50 women police officers of Karnataka Police who will cycle the entire Karnataka stretch to raise awareness and funds for this cause. The Karnataka Police and Maharashtra Police are actively supporting Umeed 1000 Cyclothon throughout the course of 10 days.
Commenting on this event, Shanta Vallury Gandhi, Head, HR, CSR and Internal Branding at RBL Bank said, “As an organisation, we are deep rooted in our belief to strive for greater good and give back to the society. For us at the Bank, CSR is not just a mandate but it is a way of life and we are committed to create a positive impact in the lives of many through collaboration and coalition with our partners. The 5th edition of Umeed 1000 Cyclothon is a testimony of our commitment towards our mission community as the cause.”
Commenting on the occasion, H. Sitaram, Correspondent, Udbhav School (beneficiary) run by IIM Ahmedabad Alumni Association Hyderabad Chapter Charitable Trust (IIMAAA HCCT) said “IIM Ahmedabad Alumni would like to provide every child with the same opportunity that they got when they were young.  We are very delighted that RBL Bank Ltd has chosen IIMAAA as a partner and Udbhav school as the beneficiary”.
This year RBL Bank is going to support IIMAAA Hyderabad Chapter Charitable Trust to build and support another underprivileged school in Fathehnagar that has been catering to the education needs of students coming from urban slums in the vicinity. This is the first time that three IIMA Alumni Chapters are coming together to partner with RBL Bank for this initiative.
So far, RBL Bank’s Umeed 1000 Cyclothon has raised in excess of INR 4 Crores for the benefit NGOs such as Iksha Foundation, IIMPACT and Udbhav School.
Disclaimer: This media release is auto-generated. The CSR Journal is not responsible for the content.

CSR: The Rise Of Voluntourism

By
Hency Thacker
-

According to Stephen Wearing, Volunteer Tourists are defined as “those tourists who, for various reasons, volunteer in an organised way to undertake holidays that might involve aiding or alleviating the material poverty of some groups in society, the restoration of certain environments, or research into aspects of society or environment”. According to the UNWTO definition (1995), Voluntourism, can be domestic or international, from any originating market and up to one consecutive year.

Volunteer Tourism has been growing exponentially over the last two decades but the absence of an exact definition exhibits an industry or practice which has difficulties in regulation. It is promoted by offering you an authentic experience of a new country and its culture and creating a positive impact on the local society. Tour operators also christen it as Sustainable Tourism.

The three main pillars of Voluntourism are Volunteer Tourists, Volunteer Tourism organisations and the host communities. The most important stakeholder, host community, is often ignored in order to make the experience worthwhile for the tourist and profitable to the organisation. There have been cases wherein children have been kidnapped from neighbouring villages to fill the orphanages so that volunteer tourists can come and help out.  This type of “adventure tourism” has become infamous for creating one-off projects with little long-term impact. It has become more of a glamorous line in the CV without any regards for the local community at all.

There are positive impacts of Voluntourism as well but the volunteer needs to choose the right program to make a long term impact on the local community. The motives of the volunteer need to be clearly defined and should be different than mainstream tourists. If the end goal of the person is to create a positive impact on the local community, then they should engage in Voluntourism and not look at it as a cheap and authentic way of experiencing a new culture in a new country. The volunteer needs to do a lot of research before embarking on a Voluntourism project with a company to ensure that the commercial interests of the company are positively aligned with the benefit of the local community.

Voluntourism is a great opportunity to serve the needy and get a new perspective on life. It must be ensured that, your new perspective is sustainable to the local community and creates an impact that you desired in the first place.

Is social media stressing you out? Enter Social Media Wellbeing

By
Kasmin Fernandes
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The conversation around social media’s negative impact on mental health has been public speculation. Over the past few years, high-profile celebrities have spoken out about the growing pressures caused by using social media.
Is social media stressing us out? According to research, it appears that the mental strain social media can have on consumers can encompass unhappiness, anxiety and even depression. Facebook’s own research team admitted in a December 2017 release that “when people spend a lot of time passively consuming information—reading but not interacting with people—they report feeling worse afterward.”
In addition, an Origin study released in March 2018 revealed that 34% of generation Z were quitting social media permanently, with 35% saying there’s too much negativity and 29% stating that it “tears apart their self-esteem.” Sick of the barrage, I myself deleted my Facebook account permanently and quit a host of other social media platforms over the past two years.
Social media companies are attempting to regain trust by putting consumer wellbeing first, says a special report by JWT Intelligence. Facebook has an “online wellbeing” section on its site which includes a Youth Portal, helping young people use the platform in moderation and appropriately.
Instagram debuted a Wellbeing division in April 2018, a team dedicated to making the social media platform a healthier space to visit. One of the first tasks was to filter bullying comments to “foster kindness within the community.” Remember the #ChooseKindness campaign we ran in October? It was part of the global campaign that went viral.
Google launched a new Digital Wellbeing initiative in May 2018 aiming to help users find the “right balance” by monitoring habits. As part of the program, YouTube introduced its Take a Break feature, which allows viewers to install custom reminders to take a breather from any online bingeing. Similarly, Facebook and Instagram have introduced time management features to prevent overusage.
But is this enough? Probably not, but it’s the start of finding a measured way to use social media before the next generation bails on it.

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CSR: Corporate Ethics In India

By
Hency Thacker
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Corporate Ethics

In today’s scandal ridden world, ethical businesses have an upper hand in terms of customer retention and brand image. Over the coming decade, the importance of corporate ethics is only going to increase, according to a study.

Currently, the investments in corporate compliance programs is at all time high in the Asia Pacific region. According to a survey from EY, a partner firm of Ernst and Young Global limited, on corporate ethics and governance, the unethical practices in India’s business community is rife. In fact, India was ranked the most unethical of 13 major economies in the 2016 Global Business Ethics Survey.

As per the survey, while 60 per cent of the respondents believed that corporate ethics had improved in the country over the last couple of years, 78 per cent of them said that corruption and favouritism still widely prevails in the country. 48 per cent of them said that it was common to accept briberies in exchange for contracts.

The unethical culture seems to be perpetuating from the top of hierarchy. About 57 per cent of employees replied that the managers would often overlook unethical behaviour in favour of corporate targets and growth. About 50 per cent of employees confessed that they felt external pressure to often withhold information about misconduct.

The government of India is certainly taking measures to curb the corruption by passing legislations such as Companies Amendment Bill. This has had a significant impact on the India Inc. However, stricter rules and regulations and better policing of businesses are no solution.

An economy cannot perform at a high level without integrity. This kind of pervasive unethical behaviour existing in India causes destruction of trust. This leads to soaring of the cost of doing business in turn affecting India’s competitiveness and attractiveness as an investment destination in the international market.

Thank you for reading the story until the very end. We appreciate the time you have given us. In addition, your thoughts and inputs will genuinely make a difference to us. Please do drop in a line and help us do better.

Regards,
The CSR Journal Team

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Samsung’s MyDream Project with UNESCO MGIEP and Navodaya Schools

By
The CSR Journal
-

Samsung India has announced the MyDream project, a research study in collaboration with UNESCO MGIEP (Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Education for Peace and Sustainable Development) and Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti to find out how to enhance learning outcomes for middle school students in India and how their stress levels can be reduced.

In a separate partnership with the Andhra Pradesh Government, Samsung announced setting up of Samsung Smart Class at 14 government colleges across Andhra Pradesh which offer Bachelors of Education (B.Ed) and Diploma in Education (D.Ed) courses.

The 14 Samsung Smart Class will deliver 200 hours of course curriculum that is being developed for the Andhra Pradesh Government under the UNESCO MGIEP initiative ‘Teaching Teachers for Technology’. The course is been developed by UNESCO MGIEP so that future teachers can be effectively trained to teach students with the help of the latest technology using digital pedagogies.

Under the MyDream project, Samsung and UNESCO MGIEP will conduct a two-year research study at Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya (JNV) schools across India. This study is designed to understand how project-based and socio-emotional learning (SEL) can be used to drive learning outcomes of students as defined by their Mathematics and Science scores measured by Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya and also to reduce their stress levels.

“Through the My Dream project, UNESCO MGIEP wants to build intellectually and emotionally resilient young people. We seek to make learning fun and stress free, and training young people to be mindful, empathetic and compassionate. This research project will help us understand how learning outcomes for students can be improved and how their stress levels can be mitigated,” said Dr. Anantha K Duraiappah, Director, UNESCO MGIEP.

At the end of the study, a comprehensive report and recommendations will be submitted to the Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India.

The partnership with Andhra Pradesh government for setting up Samsung Smart Class at 14 B.Ed and D.Ed government colleges across Andhra Pradesh seeks to help teachers adapt transmissive teaching that digital technologies have to offer and bring in behavioural and attitudinal shift towards integrating these new educational possibilities offered by technology with curricula and lessons in focus.

“AP Government is going to introduce digital instruction design and training as part of the B.Ed course with 200 hours of curriculum developed by UNESCO MGIEP. Samsung has been an enabler in this endeavour by equipping all government B.Ed and D.Ed colleges with Samsung Smart Class,” said Adityanath Das, Additional Chief Secretary, Education, Andhra Pradesh Government.

Samsung Smart Class is currently available at 652 Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya schools, 28 Government schools in Tamil Nadu and three Delhi Police Public Schools, taking the total number of Samsung Smart Class in India to 683.

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