The city of Jodhpur is the administrative headquarters of Jodhpur district. A city replete with palaces and royal monuments from a more prosperous era of India, Jodhpur used to be the capital of the Marwar Kingdom.

Standing on the edge of the Thar desert, this marvellous city is the second-largest one in the state of Rajasthan. It’s also known as the Blue City, because most houses in the old city are shades of blue, making the aerial view a sight to behold.

The Indian Air Force, Indian Army, Indo-Tibetan Border Police and Border Security Force maintain training centres in the district.

Jodhpur is known for its solid wooden furniture market. After handicraft, tourism is another source of income for the local population. As for agriculture, farmers in Jodhpur district grow wheat and the famous Mathania red chillies.

In FY22, Jodhpur was the fifth largest recipient of CSR funds in the state of Rajasthan, at Rs. 25.41 Cr.

AkzoNobel’s Let’s Colour Jodhpur

Akzo Nobel India, the maker of Dulux paints, announced the completion of its latest ‘Let’s Colour’ initiative in Jodhpur.

In its new avatar, the historic Surya Colony is nothing short of a heritage walk of Jodhpur. For centuries, the colour blue has been intrinsic to the identity of Jodhpur. AkzoNobel’s latest Let’s Colour project has re-energized the timeless appeal of the city known as the ‘Blue City’ with a vivid blue colour repainted on the 250 homes in the foothills of five-centuries old Mehrangarh Fort.

At the same time, 20 colourful murals in the refreshed by-lanes leading up to the Fort have transformed this tourist area into an open-air art gallery that offers a slice-of-life of Rajasthan. The vibrant murals span a modern take on traditional art forms, share the joys of a train journey from Jodhpur Junction, from the long moustached man in Rajasthani attire to the blushing bride in the palanquin – a colourful surprize awaits on every turn as the walls are now a canvas showcasing Rajasthan’s unique art and culture.

Located on the edge of the Thar Desert, the peak summer months sees Jodhpur city’s maximum temperatures soar past 45^OC. To make a sustainable difference to the people living here, AkzoNobel has coated over 100 rooftops with Dulux Weathershield Protect. This high-quality exterior emulsion provides all-weather protection to homes and comes with the special Sunreflect Technology^TM that reduces the temperature of exterior surfaces by up to 5^OC. As a result, in its new avatar, the old town is literally cooler and more liveable too!

Elaborating on the Let’s Colour Jodhpur initiative, Rajiv Rajgopal, Managing Director, AkzoNobel India said, “The sheer joy that our “Let’s Colour” initiative is bringing to over 1,000 residents of the Surya Colony is a source of great pride for us. AkzoNobel’s efforts in this project go beyond preserving the heritage of the ‘Blue City’. We’re proud to support local artists with opportunities to showcase the art and culture of Rajasthan. We’re confident that with the magic of Dulux paint, this bright, blue hillside will not only bring cheer to the families living here; but also create new livelihood opportunities for the local community as the area becomes a must-see hotspot for tourists.”

The transformation which took over four months saw 15 AkzoNobel Paint Academy painters, 10 local artists, 50 local residents and AkzoNobel employee volunteers pool their creative talents. Over 5,600 liters of AkzoNobel’s range of Dulux decorative paints were applied to over 250,000 square feet of walls. While Dulux Promise Exterior paint with its special anti-peel properties now increases the durability of home facades; Dulux Gloss enamel paint has added an inviting sheen to the metal main doors of homes. But that’s not all – the transformation extends to the community walkways and staircases, which are now a rainbow of colours with Akzo Nobel India’s recently launched Dulux FloorPlus paint.

An integral part of ‘AkzoNobel Cares’ – AkzoNobel’s umbrella societal program, Let’s Colour community initiative is all about leveraging the transformative power of paint to inspire people, uplift communities, empower local youth with employable skills and making living spaces more fun, live-able, and enjoyable. A key component of AkzoNobel’s People. Planet. Paint. purpose, over 2,400 Let’s Colour projects globally have benefitted more than 82 million people in 46 countries.

Satya Bharti Schools

With a strong belief that education is critical to empower children, particularly in rural India, Bharti Foundation (the CSR arm of Bharti Enterprises) launched its flagship Satya Bharti School programme in 2006. The CSR programme imparts free, quality education to less privileged children of India. Currently, 28 schools are functioning in Jodhpur district, directly impacting the lives of over 170 teachers and 6,300 students with a 50-50 ratio of girls and boys and more than 75% being from disadvantaged communities.

All the schools provide free quality education to underprivileged children, with a special focus on the girl child. Specially designed girl-child policy, separate toilet for girls, one female teacher in each shift and special sensitization campaigns have been put in place to encourage parents to send their daughters to school. The curriculum followed in the schools are replete with the best practices from curricular structures followed in schools across the country and is in essence a child-centric, holistic, pragmatic, value-based academic program. It is also integrated with community campaigns, which helps children in developing life-skills as well as critical and creative thinking skills through hands-on experiences.

Orient Electric’s Ujjwal CSR initiative

Orient Electric Limited has rolled out ‘Ujjwal’, a comprehensive Electrician Upskilling Program as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) commitment, in association with DEE Foundation. The NSDC-certified program underscores the company’s dedication to empowering communities and bridging the skill gap in the industry.

Deepak Khetrapal, Vice Chairman & Managing Director, Orient Electric Limited said, “We believe that electricians are like everyday heroes, playing an important role in ensuring the seamless functioning of homes, businesses, and industries. Therefore, it’s imperative that we, as an industry, continue to uplift and empower them through upskilling initiatives. Our CSR initiative ‘Ujjwal’ is a step in the same direction, reinforcing our commitment to empowering communities. Our goal is clear – to upskill, train, and recognise the electrician community. This program not only aligns with our corporate values but also contributes to the larger goal of bridging the skills gap in the industry. With this program, we envision a brighter and happier future for electricians.”

The program’s reach is extensive, with training sessions being organised across locations in India, including Jodhpur.

Each session, facilitated by certified and experienced trainers, focuses on critical aspects of the electrical trade, interpersonal skills, and digital and financial literacy. By equipping electricians with a broader skill set, the CSR program aims to enhance their employability and empower them for long-term success. On successful completion of training, electricians receive ‘Skill India’ certification.

Vermi-composting by Nabcons

Nabcons is a wholly-owned subsidiary promoted by National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) and is engaged in providing consultancy in all spheres of agriculture, rural development and allied areas. Nabcons have setup 6 vermi composting units in Bhandu Kallan village of Jodhpur District of Rajasthan which would help in Capacity Building and demonstration to small and marginal farmers on vermi compost production. The use of vermi-compost fertilizers would increase the income of farmers.

The CSR project also aimed to provide alternative livelihood for members of the proponent. Other goals of NABCONS CSR in Jodhpur are to promote, propagate, develop further and implement the practice of organic agriculture that will cumulatively condition and enrich the fertility of the soil, increase farm productivity, reduce pollution and destruction of the environment, prevent the depletion of natural resources, further protect the health of farmers, consumers, and the general public.

Vedanta Nand Ghar

Vedanta Nand Ghar has won the award for the Best CSR Initiative under the ‘Indira Mahila Shakti Protsahan Evam Samman Yojana’ by the Women and Child Development Department in Jodhpur.
Nand Ghar has 200 centres across the Jodhpur district. The ICDS & WCD Department Jodhpur appreciated Nand Ghar for its contribution towards the development of the community and recognized its work towards the development and upliftment of children, women, and the community at the district level in Jodhpur as well as in the state of Rajasthan.

Nand Ghars are set up in a collaboration with the Union Ministry of Women and Child Development. A network of a model Anganwadi, Nand Ghar provides pre-school education through e-learning, BaLa designs, and smart kits. Nand Ghars are equipped with solar panels to ensure 24X7 electricity, water purifiers, clean toilets, and smart television sets and have become a model resource centre for the local communities. Pre-school education is provided to children in the age group of 3-6 years. Nutritious meals and take-home rations are being provided for children, pregnant and lactating women. Primary healthcare services are rendered through mobile health vans & telemedicine facilities and women are empowered through skilling, credit linkage, and enterprise development.

‘No Bag Day’ initiative for government school students

Rajasthan Education Department in association with Bharti Foundation has implemented a ‘No Bag Day’ initiative in the government schools of Jodhpur and five other districts in the state. The vision is to ensure joyful and meaningful learning, to bring out the creativity of every child in the school and decreasing the burden of school bags on them. In Jodhpur district, as a part of review and recognition, top performing blocks (Chamu, Lohawat, Dechu, Bapini and Aau) along with 131 best performing schools of Jodhpur were felicitated for their remarkable contribution towards the success of No Bag Day initiative.

The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 lays emphasis on the implementation of various activities in the schools for holistic development of the children. It also recommends reducing the weight of school bags on children and having bagless days in schools. Bharti Foundation has been involved in curation of variety of resources under different themes for No Bag Day in line with the guidelines of Rajasthan Education Department. Apart from Jodhpur, the initiative has been implemented in Barmer, Pali, Jaisalmer, Jalore and Sirohi.

World Braille Day celebration for the visually impaired

On World Braille Day on 4th January 2023, Cultivator Natural Products Pvt. Ltd. along with Association for Welfare of the Handicapped, Jodhpur organized a cultural event followed by dinner and gifts distribution for the visually impaired and blind. Visually impaired and blind people residing in remote areas of the Thar Region – Western Rajasthan actively participated in the event.