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May 6, 2025
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Episode 15 – Safar Kamyabi Ka | The Life Journey of Kamruddin H., Servokon Systems Limited

By
The CSR Journal
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In Episode 15 of Safar Kamyabi Ka Season 1, we look back at the story of Kamruddin H., Managing Director, Servokon Systems Limited.

Safar Kamyabi Ka is an ode to felicitate and give recognition to the endless efforts and unmatched spirits of enterprising men and women who have left no stones unturned to achieve enviable success. The show explores various stories of individuals and their professional journeys of success.

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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Mumbai Youth Draft State Charter On Gender Transformative Changes To Empower Girls

By
Neha Bilandani
-

In line with the global commitments to leave no one behind while advancing the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) agenda, as well as the Government of India’s focus on inclusion and ‘putting the last child first’, Plan India is supporting children’s rights with a special emphasis on equality for girls, through its campaign – Plan For Every Child (P4EC), launched in 2016.

As part of this year’s efforts, Plan India organised state-level debatathons, where youth from various parts of the country will discuss gender issues and challenges, ideas for bringing about gender transformative changes and debate on possible solutions to address the issues. Suggestions and deliberations from these state level youth debates will be translated into state youth charters, which will be presented at the National P4EC Conference, to be held from November 1- 3, 2017 at the India Habitat Centre, New Delhi, where the winners will come together to debate on the solutions at the grand finale.

The first edition of this state debatathon was organised in Mumbai from October 3-5, 2017, where 23 participants in the age group of 18-24 from various colleges and universities, engaged in the debatathons to discuss on the prioritised issues with a focus on possible solutions. At the end of the debate, the participants put together a state youth charter with recommendations for empowering girls and improving their safety, which was presented to Vijay Jadhav, Member- Maharashtra State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (SCPCR), Ministry of Women & Child Development, Government of Maharashtra.

To ensure that No Girl is Left Behind, the Mumbai chapter of the charter made the following recommendations:

  • Invest in empowering young girlsby creating comprehensive awareness programmes about girl rights, institutionalise and strengthen support mechanisms and groups, appoint councillors to advise girls on health-related issues, use technology to reach the excluded girls and use engagement activities such as plays for information sharing and discussion.
  • Include boys and men in the discussion by implementing community based gender sensitisation programmes, and facilitate open dialogues on the issues of sexual offences.
  • Educate and empower families byorganising counselling sessions on their role in the protection and empowerment of girls, impart knowledge about the available schemes for women and their associated benefits, and organise parent-teacher meetings to discuss the issues faced by girls.
  • Modify the existing education curriculum to incorporate gender specific issues, awareness about girls in difficult circumstances, life skills for sustainable livelihood, and make education accessible through mobile schools.
  • Decrease student dropout rates by introducing flexible timings for girls and appointing designated officials for reporting issues faced by girls.
  • Develop infrastructure and facilities such as hostels, health centres, adequate toilets, CCTV and other facilities, to ensure the health and safety of girls, and monitor the progress through regular audits.

Commenting on this initiative, Bhagyashri Dengle, Executive Director Plan India, said, “For nearly four decades, Plan India has provided spaces for youth to continuously engage, inform and govern programmes implemented in their communities. They raise their voice to influence different stakeholders on issues that affect them and the lives of children. This initiative aims to also engage youth outside our programme areas, so that they participate in larger discourse, raise awareness and advocate for girls’ rights.”

Subsequent editions of the debatathons will be organised in others states including Bihar and Jharkhand, Assam, Guwahati, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, Delhi, covering the states adjoining the National Capital Region.

The state debatathons will culminate into the National P4EC Conference, which will bring forth voices of 200 youth from across the country. The focus specifically is on girls in marginalised, excluded and vulnerable situations, and will present the interface of inclusion, access and opportunities for girls within the marginalised groups.

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.

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The CSR Journal Team
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Scientists To Work On Zero Pollution Firecrackers

By
Vaibhavi Khanwalkar
-

Every year Diwali, the festival of lights is celebrated with great pomp show nation wide. An additional concern that has entered the festive scenario is the environmental setbacks faced due to it. The smog in metropolitan cities due to air pollution is a statement on what our atmosphere is treated like. It also endangers the health of the citizens. Thinking along these lines, Supreme Court has banned the sale of firecrackers in New Delhi and NCR, to curb air pollution. The national capital and surrounding regions made headlines with the thick smog in their air, reason being extensive pollution. This move by the SC had faced a lot of backlash from industries and sellers of firecrackers. There is no denying the urgent need to solve the problem in New Delhi regarding the deteriorating climate condition. It is being pondered over whether this is really the solution that will work.

The Union Environment Minister Harsh Vardhan said that scientists have been asked to develop zero-pollution firecrackers that do not cause health hazards to children. The minister launched the ‘Run for Clean Air’ campaign as part of ‘Clean Air Campaign’. He added that the after effects of pollution can harm children and their health severely. Other than government led campaigns, some corporate houses have taken up pollution control as their CSR project. Jindal Steel, Mitsubishi, ANA group and many more giants are involved in curbing environmental degradation through several projects.

The main challenge is to fight the mentality around ‘just one day’. Many people think that firing crackers on the day of the festival will not do any harm, but it makes a huge difference. Not only does it impact our own health, but stray animals and birds are impacted by the noise of the crackers.

In the past few decades, campaigns against a ‘crackers free’ Diwali have been around, and for good reason. Greenpeace published a report early in 2017, stating that as many as 1.2 million deaths occur due to air pollution every year. It also said that Delhi is the most polluted city in the country. The number of deaths in India caused by air pollution is only a “fraction less” than the number of deaths caused by tobacco usage. This adds to the 3% of the GDP, lost due to air pollution. It is everyone’s responsibility to be careful, even in the wake of a festival, towards the environment. At the end, it comes to impact our own health.

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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DPS Students Raise Funds To Provide Sight To Elderly People

By
Neha Bilandani
-

What can be a bigger gift than the gift of sight? Unfortunately, millions of elderly people lose this precious gift due to a lack of funds to do a simple cataract surgery. Cataract operations performed in cities like Bangalore typically cost between INR 8,000 to 12,000 depending on the case and complexity (with Indian lenses being used). With foreign lenses, the cost zooms to INR 40,000.

Anupama Principal of the DPS E City school says, “The biggest take away for the school was that there could be no better, more effective and worthwhile involvement, without encroaching on active school or study hours, to instil the value of empathy in the younger generation.”

However, with the help of charitable organisations such as Rotary Bangalore Indiranagar (RBI) and Globe Eye Foundation these surgeries are available at a much lower cost of close to INR 3800. Of the INR 3800, government subsidies and revenue from other surgeries take care of approximately INR 2800. The balance 1000 INR is being raised by the students from 2 schools – DPS East and DPS E-City. Each student is raising INR 20,000 in a bid to fuel the surgeries of 20 elderly poor in villages in Hoskote, Kolar & Chintamani. These students are as young as 12 years and some have even raised in excess of INR 1 Lakh.

Ranganath Thota, Founder & CEO, FuelADream.com says, “In this rapidly evolving world, the need to sensitise students to the world around them is a necessity. These kids are helping make a difference at such a young age, which shall help lay the foundation for socially responsible adults. They will grow up to be change agents.”

The DPS E-City campaign collected 8.24L and is completed, while the DPS East campaign has raised INR 16.1L. The initiative leverages the power of crowdfunding with partners coming on-board – schools, charity-focused organisations and hospitals. It’s the largest ever crowdfunding campaign done by students in India and reflects the will to embrace crowdfunding and get kids who wanted to help others come on-board.

Manila Carvalho, Principal, DPS East says, “We were very pleasantly surprised with how our students used crowdfunding on the Fueladream platform to make such a significant social impact. This initiative will help them be future-ready as they have learned how to use technology, social media, storytelling & relationships to transform the lives of so many needy elderly citizens. In the process, they have also evolved to become more humane, compassionate and empathetic individuals”.

Dr. Sundar Raj Shetty of Globe Eye Foundation remarked “Globe Eye Foundation salutes the new bunch of young warriors who have joined us in the fight against avoidable blindness. The scourge of cataract blindness in India is huge & there is a need for support from everyone to bring this menace under control. We are moved by the way these young students went around raising funds to treat the elderly poor people & in the process raises awareness too for this cause.”

The partnership model teaches kids in school the power of giving at an early age exposes them to crowdfunding and technology and gives them learning as to how to manage such campaigns. It gets them to interact with parents too as there is the responsibility shared amongst them when it comes to raising funds.

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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How Corporates Can Help Clean The Ganga

By
Vaibhavi Khanwalkar
-

In a bid to engage corporates in the rejuvenation of the Ganga river, the Union Water Resources Ministry has set up an interactive web page on the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) online platform.The aim of this page is to facilitate corporate houses to undertake various activities related to the Ganga cleaning project. The exclusive web page, launched by Union water resources minister Nitin Gadkari, carries all details of projects and activities. The union minister claimed that such a massive project can be completed only with help from all stakeholders.

As reported by the Economic Times, once a private company applies for works online under CSR policy, the NMCG will consider and approve the activities which contribute to cleaning and rejuvenation of the river Ganga and its tributaries. Corporate houses may select one or more of these project activities by clicking on the appropriate tab provided on the web page. Companies may also select other project activities of their choice if such projects contribute to the objectives of the ‘Namami Gange’ programme.

The mighty river Ganga is the holiest river to the Hindus, and millions worship her. The river provides for industrial activities, domestic uses, and agriculture in the northern plains. It is one of the most polluted rivers in the world because being holy does not protect it from human-caused pollution. Over three-quarters of the sewage generated in the towns and cities of India’s crowded northern plains flows untreated into the 1,570-mile Ganges, according to the presentation, which has not been made public.

When the government launched the Clean Ganga project, it was a step in the right direction to save one of India’s prime rivers. A $3 billion project, it aimed to clean the river of all the sewage and toxic industrial waste. But it was reported later that the money was not spent properly and that the project was falling behind schedule. The government could not comply with simple processes like cleaning of the ghats by the river. A 2018 deadline has been announced by the government, but it does not seem likely that it will be attained.

The corporate intervention might, hence, help speed the project along. The rivers of the country badly need saving. The Rally for Rivers project, while a cause for the rivers, deals with a different aspect of the problem. It talks about curbing deforestation, while the Clean Ganga project is for the pollution. River pollution is an enormous challenge faced by many important rivers of the country, solely due to ignorance on the part of citizens and authorities.

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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Natural Disasters To Become More Destructive, Without Action: UN Report

By
The CSR Journal
-

Natural disasters are becoming more frequent and intense and disaster risk is outpacing resilience in Asia-Pacific, the most disaster-prone region in the world, according to the latest report by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP).

In recent months, the region has seen Typhoon Hato unleash large scale damage in Hong Kong, and Macau, that stretched all the way to Vietnam, along with torrential monsoon rains in Bangladesh, India and Nepal that claimed more than 900 lives and affected another 41 million people.

Asia-Pacific Disaster Report 2017 shows that the greatest impacts of disasters are in countries which have the least capacity to prepare or respond to these events. Between 2000 and 2015, the low- and lower middle-income countries in the region experienced almost 15 times more disaster deaths than the region’s high-income countries.

United Nations Under-Secretary-General and Executive Secretary of ESCAP Dr. Shamshad Akhtar underlined that action on early warning systems is critical, and called for more innovative sources of disaster risk financing to protect people’s livelihoods.

“Disasters can very quickly strip poor people of their livelihoods bringing deeply disruptive impacts that push them back into absolute poverty or trap them in an intergenerational transmission of poverty. Developing cost-effective financing is needed to decrease the existing resilience gaps,” said Dr. Akhtar.

“The absence of an institutionalised insurance culture and adequate post disaster financing threaten our extraordinary economic and developmental achievements. Promoting more, and deeper, collaboration among countries in the region on disaster risk financing will be a priority. We have the opportunity to get it right and we cannot fail as millions of peoples’ lives and livelihoods depend on it,” she added.

Beyond the human costs, the research indicates that between 2015 and 2030, 40 per cent of global economic losses from disasters will be in Asia and the Pacific, while the region accounts for around 36 per cent of global GDP. It also shows that future natural disasters may have greater destructive potential. The greatest burden of the losses as a proportion of GDP will be borne by Small Island Developing States with average annual losses close to 4 per cent of their GDP while the least developed countries will have annual losses of around 2.5 per cent of GDP.

The report examines the relationship between the impact of disasters, poverty and inequality, highlighting a 0.13-point increase in the Gini coefficient per disaster incidence in the region, and points out the scientific and technical advances in forecasting that can identify new risks and vulnerabilities, and anticipate extreme events.

The report argues that measures for disaster risk reduction should take account of the shifting risks associated with climate change, especially in risk hotspots where a greater likelihood of change coincides with a higher concentration of poor, vulnerable or marginalised people. Although interventions to reduce disaster risk cannot alone prevent conflict, they should be part of an integrated approach to conflict prevention and peace-building.

The Asia-Pacific Disaster Report aims to assist policymakers, in both public and private sectors, to better understand disaster risk and resilience and take the many opportunities for action.

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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Incentives For Firms Doing CSR Activities

By
The CSR Journal
-

Businesses in Dubai are being urged to step up their social services activities in exchange for special incentives, such as considerable discounts on government fees.

During a roundtable discussion on Wednesday, Ahmad Abdul Kareem Julfar, director-general of the Community Development Authority (CDA) said these fees could be slashed by “up to 50 percent” in the future. The incentive options are currently in discussion.

Before the year-end, the CDA will also launch an online portal where businesses can choose from a list of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) opportunities available, and pick and choose what they want to be involved in.

Although the Ministry of Economy (MoE) clarified earlier this year that CSR is “voluntary for companies” here, Julfar said the mandatory practice is something the CDA would like to encourage in the long-term.

“We are working with the ministry to update the laws on CSR. To avoid putting people off setting up businesses here, it is unlikely it will make CSR participation mandatory straight away. It will be more an advisory approach, with rewards being offered.”

However, from the CDA’s perspective, Julfar did say it has “recommended that companies do contribute to CSR automatically”; a practice which is seen all throughout India.

“Indian law requires companies to give two per cent of profits to charity. With the UAE a tax haven, I think introducing this kind of law here will be a beneficial way of paying back something to the country and community.”

At present, the CDA is working with the MoE to update these laws. Once they are finalised, the authority will play a big role in the implementation process, from measuring the quality of the initiatives to establishing clear criteria for companies looking at CSR options.

Although monetary contributions are encouraged and welcome from companies, Julfar said: “we want them to be active in this space too”. “Money is good but participation is even better.”

Speaking about the online portal which will act as a platform for companies looking to take their CSR participation forward, Julfar said once it is up and running, the portal will be regularly updated, offering new initiatives for companies to support.

“We have created this portal to allow for complete transparency. It will also allow us to monitor what companies are doing in the realm of social services.”

And for those interested now, his recommendation is that you focus on supporting “people of determination and people from low-income families”.

(Khaleej Times)

 

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.

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The CSR Journal Team
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Mandate Provides An Added Impetus To Attain A Goal: N.S.Kannan, Executive Director, ICICI Bank Ltd

By
Neha Bilandani
-

” The cornerstone of our CSR philosophy has always been to promote inclusive growth. The leadership resource we have can be deployed on field,” says N.S.Kannan, Executive Director, ICICI Bank, while in conversation with The CSR Journal. As the mandate provideds an added push, it is important to track employability as well as income generation growth; as part of the social ROI. Although small CSR spends are becoming like an asset management company, for any activity to be sustainable, it has to come from within.

Thank you for watching the interview 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

South Asia Sluggish on CSR: ILO study

By
The CSR Journal
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There is a sharp discrepancy between the allocated or committed corporate social responsibility (CSR) funds and actual spending by multinational enterprises (MNEs) on labour and employment-oriented initiatives in South Asia, an International Labour Organisation (ILO) report has noted.

According to the report titled ‘World Employment and Social Outlook 2017 – Sustainable Enterprises and Jobs,’ released on 9 October, the level of commitment and implementation to CSR is the highest in Western Europe. East Asia and Arab states are at the bottom.

South Asian states show relatively better CSR commitment than Central/Western Asia, Eastern Europe and North America regions, but fare poorly compared to African states.

The ILO report noted that the MNEs give maximum priority to labour-oriented CSR initiatives that focus on non-discrimination in the workplace, followed by improvement of health and safety and the integration of social factors in the monitoring of the supply chain.

“Private commitment (and implementation) regarding freedom of association is globally very low, meaning that very few companies worldwide see this issue as a priority of self-regulation,” it said.

The study, which did not name any organisations, added that the top scorers in terms of freedom of association also have better commitment scores than average on other parameters such as human rights, environment and corporate governance

The study is based on multiple and complex dimensions of CSRs recorded in a database compiled by VigeoEiris, a European CSR rating agency, which covered more than 3,000 MNEs and measured the levels of voluntary commitment and means of implementation on parameters including non-discrimination, health and safety, freedom of association and social criteria in the supply chain.

“The levels of commitment and implementation towards CSR are relatively high in Western Europe as compared to East Asia, Arab States and the South Asian States because the European society is more powerful and demanding as compared to the latter,” said Abhishek Tripathi, director (responsible business advisory), PwC India.

He added that the needs of the community drove the CSR activities of MNEs in the West.

In terms of sectors, the ILO said financial and information technology services companies are “reluctant” to commit to freedom of association, while companies in the luxury goods and cosmetics, electric components and equipment and beverage sectors are more committed, “possibly because of the critical importance of brand reputation for these types of products.”

(Livemint)

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.

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Episode 14 – Safar Kamyabi Ka | The Life Journey of Maneesh Verma, Dream World Resort

By
The CSR Journal
-

In Episode 14 of Safar Kamyabi Ka Season 1, we look back at the story of Maneesh Verma, Managing Director of Dream World Resort.

Safar Kamyabi Ka is an ode to felicitate and give recognition to the endless efforts and unmatched spirits of enterprising men and women who have left no stones unturned to achieve enviable success. The show explores various stories of individuals and their professional journeys of success.

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
Subscribe

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