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May 21, 2025
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Gati-KWE wins ‘Best wp Project’ Award at National wp Awards

GATI-KWE (subsidiary of Gati Ltd) the leader in Express Distribution and Supply Chain Management won an award in the category of ‘Best wp Project for Sustainable Development’ at the 36th edition of All India Public Relations Conference, National wp Awards 2014.

The award was given by Kailash Chandra Meghwal, the Speaker of Rajasthan Legislative Assembly, in a glittering function held in Jaipur on 19th Dec 2014. This award is the testimony to one of the many sustainable wp activities carried out by GATI-KWE in providing livelihoods to the weaver community in Rajoli village.

Rajouli village, known for its famous Gadwal sarees was among one of the worst affected villages in Mahabubnagar district, Andhra Pradesh that was hit by the floods in the first week of October 2009. The floods shattered the lives of the weavers who lost their looms as well as their houses.

Gati took up the responsibility to revive the handloom weavers’ community of Rajouli village and acquired 2 acres of land in that village to construct worksheds. Proper arrangements in terms of water, lighting, ventilation and washrooms for the weavers were also done. The first workshed was inaugurated in Sept 2010 which could accommodate 40 weavers. After the success of the first shed and based on the demand for another shed by the weavers, Gati went ahead and constructed a second Work shed, which was inaugurated on 23rd Dec 2011.

Apart from constructing the worksheds, a yarn spinning machine was also provided to the weavers. With the aim of helping the weavers further, an NGO has also been appointed to train them with improved techniques of weaving which would lead to increased output both in terms of Quantity and quality. The NGO would further help the weavers in developing links with the market for selling their products, getting support from the Banks and keeping them up to date with the market trends.

Gati-Kintetsu Express Private Limited (GATI-KWE) is a joint venture company between Gati – India’s pioneer and leader in Express Distribution and Supply Chain Solutions and Kintetsu World Express Japan’s leading logistics provider

Allcargo Conducts Free Medical Check-up, Blood Donation Camp

Allcargo recently organized a free Medical Check-Up and Blood Donation Camp at its Transindia Logistics park CFS near JNPT in Mumbai. The camp was open to all residents in and around the JNPT region especially for Khopta, Koproli and Bhendkal villages. Dy. Commissioner of Police, Navi Mumbai, Sanjay Singh Yenpure, inaugurated the camp.
Over 400 residents participated in the camp, which included medical tests for haemoglobin to detect anaemia, blood sugar diabetes detection, vision tests, ENT check-up, dental screening including detection for oral cancer and bone mineral density check-up. A team over 30 doctors and paramedics from Guru Krupa hospital led the camp. The blood donation drive was conducted with the support of Wamanrao Oak Raktapedhi based in Thane.
Dy. Commissioner of Police, Navi Mumbai, Sanjay Singh Yenpure, inaugurated the camp. Allcargo, through its CSR initiatives, has been spearheading various social programs of health care, education, natural disaster relief, women empowerment, sports and environmental sustainability across India. These initiatives are undertaken through the Avashya Foundation NGO of Allcargo.
A part of The Avvashya Group, Allcargo Logistics Ltd., is a multinational company providing integrated logistics solutions across Multimodal Transport Operations, Container Freight Station Operations and Project & Engineering Solutions. The company currently operates out of 200 offices in 90 countries and a network of franchisee offices across the world.

Infosys Expands CSR Activities To USA

Infosys has announced that it would expand its Corporate Social Responsibility (wp) activities in the Americas through its philanthropic arm, the Infosys foundation, USA. It would focus on making quality computer science education widely and easily accessible across communities in the Americas. The company also announced the appointment of Mrs. Sudha Murty, Mrs. Vandana Sikka and Mr. Sandeep Dadlani as the trustees of Infosys Foundation, USA. The initial outlay for Infosys Foundation, USA, would be USD 5 Million per annum. Commenting on the expansion of wp activities in the Americas, Mrs. Sudha Murty, Chairperson of Infosys Foundation, said, “I am delighted at the expansion of our wp initiatives in the Americas. Infosys Foundation has always supported the cause of promoting quality education and empowering individuals. I am confident that we will leverage Infosys Foundation’s experience in India of imparting technical education to enhance employability.”

infosys-foundation

Mrs. Vandana Sikka, Chairperson of Infosys Foundation, USA, said, “Every day we see how computing technology is reshaping the world around us. Computing literacy is becoming increasingly important for an average person to be more productive and valuable to the economy, while purposefully contributing to our future. Through Infosys Foundation, USA, we want to ensure that lack of resources, prior skills and STEM proficiency are no longer barriers for individuals, in the Americas, seeking to advance their computing skills. From enabling computer education in K-12, to supporting research in computer science and empowering adults with IT training that enhances their employability, we will help bring computing literacy to people of all ages, backgrounds and abilities.”

In India, Infosys Foundation supports several programs aimed at alleviating hunger, promoting education, improving health, assisting rural development, supporting arts and helping the destitute. For the fiscal year 2015, Infosys Foundation plans to deploy approximately USD 40 Million towards these initiatives in India.

CSR & You: CARE Rural Health Mission

CARE Rural Health Mission, Andhra Pradesh

Project by: CARE Foundation

CATEGORY: Eligible CSR Activity Under the Companies Act 2013 Schedule VII (i) ‘promoting preventive health care…’ (ii) ‘promoting education, including special education … and livelihood enhancement projects…’ Funding Required: INR 1 Crore (per year) The Organization: A registered non-profit society located at Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India- CARE Foundation was established in 1996 by a group of doctors and scientists with the stated mission of making advanced and comprehensive healthcare, affordable and accessible to all.

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Clean India Mission On Vajpayee Birthday

Maharashtra Minister of State Vidya Thakur inaugurated a Clean Indian campaign at the Goregaon Railway Station in Mumbai on December 25, on occasion of Bharat Ratna Shri. Atalbihari Vajpayee’s Birthday.
As part of the PM’s Swachch Bharat Abhiyan, Babul Suprio (State Minister, Government of India), Jaiprakash Thakur (Vice- President BJP, Maharashtra), Dilip Patel (Municipal Councillor), Vijay Gaikwad (President-Goregaon Vidhansabha), Ramakant Viradaar (Asst. Municipal Commisioner) and local citizens were present in large numbers (see photo).

Creating Sustainable Jobs For Rural India

A new partnership set up to help transform the lives of disadvantaged people in rural India was announced recently at the Oxford India Business Forum 2014.RuralShores Business Services and Inclusive Ventures Limited will work together on the project.A social venture working to address the large number of unemployed people in rural locations in India has proved the inspiration and business model for a new initiative set up by three Executive MBA students from Saïd Business School at the University of Oxford. Inclusive Ventures Limited (IVL) is creating sustainable jobs for underprivileged rural communities in a number of locations around the world and is already making a positive impact on the employment prospects of the first participants in the scheme.

The initiative is inspired by the experience and success of RuralShores, an Indian social venture which provides skills and employment to more than 5,000 people in 25 centres in India, servicing 30+ client firms and government departments.The partnership with IVL will follow the RuralShores’ model and invest in up to 5 centers across rural India. Both Companies will also explore opportunities for IVL to invest directly into RuralShores when such possibilities arise and to expand the model outside India.

SAID BUSINESS SCHOOL

The Oxford Executive MBA students visited RuralShores in March 2014 on an annual study trip to India as part of their EMBA programme.  The visit was led by Professor David Upton of Saïd Business School, a leading expert in international operations management and outsourcing.  ‘Businesses are keen to outsource many of their ‘back-room’ functions for greater cost efficiencies, and this demand for skilled, outsourced work can be utilised to create rewarding and sustainable jobs in remote locations’ said Professor Upton. ‘This new initiative is building upon the insights and experiences of RuralShores in India in creating rural jobs, and is applying their model in other settings, including rural locations in the UK. Initially small scale, this venture, and others like it, has the potential to be scalable and to have a significant impact on the employment prospects of rural communities, contributing positively to regional regeneration. This is a terrific example of how we can learn lessons from developing countries for application in the developed world.’

Mohamed Amersi, one of the founders and Chairman of IVL, said: ‘Our visit to RuralShores made a deep impression on a number of the group, and we were keen to establish an ongoing engagement with RuralShores both to help them with their own expansion plans in India, and to learn from their experiences in order to transport their model to other locations around the world. We are working on plans to extend our collaboration with RuralShores in India and are also exploring exporting their innovative model to locations selectively outside India.’

RuralShores is an Indian social venture which provides skills and employment to more than 5,000 people in 25 centres in India.

Kathy Harvey, Director of the Oxford Executive MBA programme said:  ‘All Executive MBA students at Oxford are expected to develop plans for entrepreneurial ventures as part of their assignments but in this instance the students have gone further, making the venture a reality, supporting it financially and seeking further funding partners to sustain it over the long term. Our recent class visit to RuralShores in India provided the inspiration for this innovative idea and I’m delighted that such an exciting opportunity has come about as a result and look forward to seeing the initiative develop over the coming months.  We are fortunate to have a wealth of commercial experience within the EMBA class and I’m not surprised that they are transforming their ideas into a business so quickly.  This venture is a clear example of how business schools can make a practical difference in addressing real world problems.  In addition, we are committed to communicating our insights, in this case developing and sharing a case study of RuralShores’ business model.’

TERI, UTC Set Up Centre Of Excellence For Energy Efficient Buildings

The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) and United Technologies Corporation (UTC) has launched the Center of Excellence for Energy Efficient Buildings in India. The Center has been establishled at a time when the Government of India has introduced the Smart City Programme to address the challenge of rapid urbanization and the efficient use of energy resources.

The Center of Excellence will work towards the development of an energy-use reporting framework for existing buildings, evaluation of the existing building energy rating systems, derivation of tool and techniques for energy management, real time reporting of consumption, and identification and cost benefit analysis of conservation measures.

Dr. R.K. Pachauri, Director General, TERI, in his video message, said“I am extremely happy that we are launching this initiative… We hope that this will be a model not only for this country but for other countries as well. With UTC, we can work together in bringing about a smarter world and a more sustainable world, particularly as it relates to buildings and habitat design.”

Mr. Zubin Irani, President, Building and Industrial Systems India, UTC, said:  “Given the energy challenges faced by the nation, energy efficiency in the buildings sector is an important priority. World over, there has been a rapid pace of innovation when it comes to technologies and systems that go into making a building more energy-efficient and environmentally friendly. It is important to note that not only do many of these technologies reduce the energy footprint of a building or infrastructure project but they also pay back for themselves in a matter of few years.”

“The Center of Excellence  shall have a core research agenda on enabling energy efficiency in existing buildings in India. The collaboration between TERI and UTC in this endeavour shall help  unlock the potential of energy saving in this sector,“ said Ms Mili Majumdar, Director, Sustainable Habitat, TERI.

Globally, buildings account for 40 per cent of the total energy consumption. By using energy efficient technologies, energy consumption could be reduced by up to 60 per cent. In India, the building sector accounts for approximately 35 per cent of the total energy consumption and is growing at a rate of eight percent annually.

“One of the primary objectives of the UTC- TERI Centre of Excellence is to evaluate energy efficiency and ascertain energy requirements in existing buildings. The findings of the study have the potential of facilitating the new government’s ambitious plan of building 100 smart cities as it will involve upgrading existing cities, expanding and building around them,“ Mr  Irani added.

The Center will first conduct a Pan-India study of 100 buildings and is scheduled  to  cover  a  wide  range  of  climatic zones, covering  cities such as Allahabad,  Ajmer,  Vishakhapatnam,  Varanasi,  Delhi-NCR, Mumbai, Chennai, Bengaluru, Kolkata,Hyderabad, Pune, Ahmedabad, Surat, Jaipur etc. These have been selected as per the Smart Cities Programme recently initiated by the Centre.

The study will include an  energy survey, derivation of tools and techniques for identification and cost benefit analysis of Energy Conservation Measures (ECMs), calibration and validation of simulation tools, development of Measurement and Verification (M&V) protocol for implementation of ECMs, development of financial mechanism, development of remote  monitoring protocol and review and revision of existing building energy standards/codes/rating systems. The initiative is expected to deliver the proposed results within the next five years.

Talking about the future plans of the Centre of Excellence, Mr Irani said: “The ultimate aim of the Centre of Excellence is to enhance the energy efficiency quotient in all buildings across the country. Staying true to this goal, the initial plan of the Centre of Excellence is to identify existing buildings and assess energy use and consumption patterns which would eventually help in base lining the energy performance of buildings with a solid roadmap to make them more energy-efficient.”

A FEW HIGHLIGHTS:

Government of India‘s emphasis on Urbanization and Energy Security:

  • The Union Budget of 2014 laid emphasis on infrastructure spending, and allocated $1.1 billion for the creation of 100 Smart Cities with a strong focus on renewable energy.

Smart Cities for an Efficient India:

  • In a developing nation like India, the share of energy consumed by buildings and transportation may be well over two-thirds of the country’s entire energy production.
  • Given the energy challenges in India, it is of paramount importance that the government relentlessly pursues energy efficiency in all infrastructures.
  • This could be accomplished systematically  through   four  key  measures:  1)  Invest  in energy-efficient   designs   and  adopt  the latest  innovations,  2)  Customize technology  according to Indian requirements, 3) Introduce energy-efficiency codes and  regulation,  and  4)  develop/ cultivate  talent  and  build capability in this domain.

Ratan Tata Brings XPRIZE To India

XPRIZE, a global leader in incentivized prize competition,announced a formal expansion into India today at an event in Mumbai attended by some of India’s most influential business leaders including Mr Ratan Tata among other business leaders.

XPRIZE announced plans to launch multiple prizes in India over the next few years in the areas of water, energy, waste management, and food & nutrition, with an anticipated first prize addressing water sustainability, to launch in 2015 with the support of Coca-Cola India.

Guests at the event participated in an XPRIZE “Visioneering” process, where corporate leaders, philanthropists, heads of innovation and XPRIZE Trustees worked together in an unique series of brainstorming sessions to identify which of India’s Grand Challenges can best be solved through incentivized prize competitions.

Ratan Tata, chairman emeritus, Tata Sons and trustee at XPRIZE, along with Naveen Jain, founder & CEO of Inome, and Paresh Ghelani, chairman, BPG Motors have been great supporters of XPRIZE and active in bringing XPRIZE to India.  Mr. Tata said, “ We are bringing XPRIZE to India with the belief that the next big innovations to solve some of the world’s Grand Challenges will come from India, directly impacting millions of people at the base of the pyramid. Through XPRIZE, we want to tap into this promise of potential and possibility.”

“We chose India as the first geographic location outside of the U.S. to launch our global development prizes because we believe India has a technological and entrepreneurial capacity like no other country in the world,” said Zenia Tata, program director, global expansion, XPRIZE.“India is also going to provide XPRIZE the platform to meet scale and we are very excited about our global expansion and the impact we believe we are going to create.”

“Coca-Cola India is pleased to support the first XPRIZE in India in the area of water, reflecting Coca-Cola’s overarching commitment to water sustainability,” said Venkatesh Kini, president of Coca-Cola India and South West Asia. “We are excited about this partnership and through it we hope to bring forth innovative solutions to the pressing issue of water sustainability to positively impact millions of lives in India and across the globe.”

Mr. Ratan Tata and Dr. Peter Diamandis at the launch of XPRIZE in India

Mr. Tata, Mr. Jain, and Mr. Ghelani are among a list of XPRIZE Trustees that includes Elon Musk, Larry Page, James Cameron, Arianna Huffington, Ali Velshi, Wendy Schmidt, Ray Kurzweil, and Anousheh Ansari. Deloitte is the knowledge partner for XPRIZE in India.

Founded in 1995, XPRIZE is the leading organization solving the world’s Grand Challenges by creating and managing large-scale, high-profile, incentivized prizes in five areas: Learning; Exploration; Energy & Environment; Global Development; and Life Sciences.  Active prizes include the $30M Google Lunar XPRIZE, the $15M Global Learning XPRIZE, the $10M Qualcomm Tricorder XPRIZE, and the $2M Wendy Schmidt Ocean Health XPRIZE.

Mumbai City Schools Turn Waste Into Wealth

Mumbai based Vivekanand Education Society (VES), which runs 26 institutions, has come up with novel ways to stand out in solid waste management. In a pioneering initiative, Zero Waste Campus Project was launched at VES recently, in association with the State Education Department and Stree Mukti Sanghatana, as part of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan. The stakeholders including the Education Department will now try to spread the drive further to other schools around. Besides putting in place this system for waste management, the project is also aimed at creating awareness among the students and staff on having a proper and responsible waste management mechanism (separating wet and dry waste). Four compost pits have been built in the campus to treat the green and kitchen waste on the sprawling campus. The campus houses 26 institutions with over 18,000 students.

NGO Stree Mukti Sanghatana is facilitating the implementation of the project. As part of this decentralized solid waste management, it has already held training programmes for housekeeping, garden and other staff on how to segregate waste and ensure zero waste. Rashmi Joshi, member of Stree Mukti Sanghatana said that the key component of the initiative is a plan to educate students about composting and recycling. “One person’s waste is another person’s wealth,” she added.

Inaugurating the compost pits, VES Secretary Amar Asrani said: “We live in a world where little should go to waste. It is hoped that this first step would be the beginning of a series of activities in the campuses by the Zero Waste Volunteers that would ultimately make sustainability a way of life”. The programme was attended by a good number of enthused NSS volunteers from the VES institutions. Mumbai University has approved a grant for NSS students and NSS volunteers involved in the project and they will be awarded hours under Area Base Project (up to 10 hrs), depending on the level of involvement and desirable result, as it is an in-campus project. Posters in the campus carry strong messages on waste segregation and its value, on stopping littering within the campus, the do’s and don’ts of Waste Management, etc.

“The training programme enlightened us on the best practices for reducing the waste brought on campus, effective strategies to reuse and recycle materials”, said Rebecca D’souza, a student. Education Inspector of South Zone BD Puri was also present along with VES office-bearers on the occasion.

The Vivekanand Education Society started its educational activities in 1962 with only 256 students in a High School. Today, the Society has over 18,000 students on the roll of Primary School, High School, Jr. College, Deg. College of Arts, Science and Commerce, Polytechnic & Engineering College, College for Management Studies, Law  College, and College of Pharmacy.

Blue Dart encourages ‘Shared Value’ through Employee Volunteerism

Living Responsibility or corporate responsibility is a core element of Deutsche Post DHL’s Strategy 2015 and is adopted by Blue Dart too. As a socially responsible corporate, Blue Dart’s commitment towards community causes has been unwavering since its inception in 1983. Blue Dart, as a responsible corporate citizen believes that giving back to society is not just ‘corporate social responsibility’, but a duty towards its communities and the environment from where it draws its resources. More than ‘responsibility’ it is ‘sustainability’ that is its cornerstone. The organisation believes in making a positive contribution to the world by using its knowledge and domestic/global presence in ways that benefit people and the planet and endeavors to maintain a delicate balance between economic, environmental and social interests.

In line with Deutsche Post DHL’s ‘Living Responsibility’, Blue Dart takes its responsibility to society, to the communities, to employees and to the environment seriously. Under this credo, Blue Dart (along with DP DHL) focuses its corporate responsibility on environmental protection (GoGreen), disaster management (GoHelp) and championing education (GoTeach).  Like every year, Blue Dart in collaboration with DHL celebratedGlobal Volunteer Day (GVD), its largest volunteering exercise conducted across the globe from 4th to 14th September 2014. Global Volunteer Day is a community outreach program focused on instilling among its employees the spirit of volunteerism and encouraging them to make a positive contribution to the world. The program enables employees in the various business units in each country to come together and collaborate on the volunteer activities for the community.

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All GVD activities are driven by employee volunteerism – the willingness of employees to volunteer of their own accord, their time, talent and expertise, on behalf of the organization to a worthy social cause that will deliver benefits to their local community, without expecting any rewards or tangible gains in return for their contribution. This year, over 7,500 volunteers across business units in India and over 100,000 globally, joined hands to make a difference during GVD 2014, showcasing exemplary unity in spirit, vision and purpose. Not just employees, but partners and customers also came together to give back to local communities and the local environment through wide ranging initiatives and campaigns.

Key Highlights of GVD 2014:

  • GoTeach – 430 volunteers across business units participated in activities likeorganizing drawing competitions, poster designing, conducted games and held a computer training workshop for underprivileged children across 13 locations in association with Teach for India. 

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  • GoGreen – 1700 X BU (cross business unit) volunteers in India supported a staggering 3,000 trees with Grow-Trees.com (official partner of the United Nations Environment Program’s Billion Tree Campaign and WWF’s Cities for Forests Campaign) in Koraput, Odisha to reverse the effects of soil erosion and regenerate degraded forests. Besides this, sapling plantations were also carried out in rural communities in Aurangabad, Satara etc.

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  • GoHelp – Blood Donation drives were conducted at several facilities across India. Besides this, volunteers also undertook visits to orphanages and old age homes and conducted material donation drives for Goonj. Volunteers also supported Government of India’s mid-day meal programme by donating over 10000 kgs of foodgrains under the ‘Dal by Dal’ campaign with Akshaya Patra and conducted newspaper donation drives with Dhanwantri Medical Trust to support children suffering from cancer.

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NGOs like Shop for Change and Multiple Sclerosis Society of India also put up their wares for sale to bring a change in the lives of small farmers/artisans and patients suffering from multiple sclerosis. In addition to this, volunteers conducted cleanliness drives at various locations following the ‘Swach Bharat Abhiyaan’ (Campaign Clean India) mandate by the Hon. Prime Minister of India.

Volunteers also celebrated with children from Sweekar Academy of Rehabilitation, a home that works for the rehabilitation of the physically challenged and hearing impaired children.

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