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May 24, 2025
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Hindustan Zinc kicks off massive Tree plantation drive “Van-Mahotsav”

By
The CSR Journal
-
In order to commemorate Van-Mahotsav with a difference, Hindustan Zinc’s Zinc Smelter Debari (ZSD) has started a campaign of intensive plantation in the surrounding villages wherein its community including women, farmers and self-help groups would plant more than 7500 plants under this drive.
Under ‘Van-Mahotsav’, more than 5000 women and 100+ farmers in 30 villages around Debari have committed to participate and plant at least 1-2 trees at their homes and farm land. In order to make this plantation drive unique and sustainable, the CSR team of Zinc Smelter Debari along with the Department of Social Forestry, Hanuman Van Vikas Samiti & BAIF are working with full zeal.
Based on a systematic response collection from rural women, self- help groups & farmers, desired varieties of plants had been successfully leveraged from the govt. department. The uniqueness of this campaign lies in the fact that with this initiative, the rural women and farmers will not only be able to revive their existing fruit orchards but will also be able to sustainably revitalize their land along with support to their conventional crop farming.
To grace the occasion, Zinc Smelter Debari’s environment heads- Ms. Sadhna Verma & Mr. Digambar Patil were present at one of the plantation sites.
Biodiversity has always been an important area for Hindustan Zinc, and all their locations take consistent efforts to develop and improve biodiversity. The company had recently celebrated World Environment Day with plantations across locations and also launched a virtual plantation drive, keeping in mind social distancing whilst not compromising on contributing to the environment.

What Will You Get on Surviving Term Plan Tenures?

By
The CSR Journal
-
Securing the future of the family or loved ones against eventualities of life have been everyone’s top priority. For the same reason, term insurance has become popular in the past few years, but many people are still not aware of another similar policy called term plan with return of premium.
Usually, basic term insurance only provides benefits after the demise of the policyholder. In scenarios where the policyholder survives the term, they do not receive any survival benefits. This is where term insurance with return of premium plans come into the picture here.
These plans offer substantial coverage and tax-saving benefits (under Section 80C of the Income Tax Act 1951) throughout the policy tenure. Alongside, they also offer to return the total amount of annualized premiums paid towards the plan.

What is a Term Insurance Plan with Return of Premium?

In pure life insurance, you pay premiums for a certain period where the policy covers you for a specific term and conditions. If any unfortunate event occurs and you succumb to death within the policy term, your family can claim to sum assured of your term policy from the insurer. However, if you survive the policy term, neither you nor your family gets any benefits.
Term plan with return of premium offers protection in dual scenarios – when you survive the policy term as well as upon uncertain demise. Apart from providing primary benefits of term insurance, term plan with return of premium also offers policy maturity benefits upon your survival.
Under this policy, if you succumb to any critical illness, accident, or similar other reasons, your beneficiary will get the lump sum amount you chose while buying the policy. However, if you survive the term, you can get back all the premium paid throughout the policy tenure.

Features and Benefits of Term Plan with Return of Premium:

1. Sum Assured

In term insurance with return of premium, the sum assured is the life insurance cover you have opted while purchasing the policy. It is given to your family or beneficiary during contingencies. The sum assured for such plans is lower than pure term plans as you get back the premium paid over the years.

2. Policy Maturity or Survival Benefits

Term insurance with return of premium is the only policy offering survival or policy maturity benefits. Unlike traditional term plans where your beneficiary gets the benefits only upon your demise, this plan provides benefits when you survive the term period. Upon your survival, you can get back the entire premium paid over the years towards your term insurance with return of the premium policy.

3. Death Benefits

In the case of an eventuality, this plan offers similar benefits to your family or loved ones in the form of a lumpsum amount. Usually, the features and process vary for every insurance company where payment also depends upon the mode of lumpsum payment opted while buying the policy.

4. Surrender Benefits

Surrender benefits are offered when you decide to discontinue premium payment towards your policy during its term period. The surrender value of your term insurance with return of premium varies as per your payment options. It is usually higher for a single premium plan, where you must pay the entire premium at once while buying the policy. However, it also depends upon your insurer and their policy terms. You should check surrender benefits while buying the policy to avoid any hassles later.
Max Life Insurance
Image Courtesy: Shutterstock

How Does Term Insurance with Return of Premium Benefit Works?

Let us understand the working of the policy with an example:
Suppose you are buying a term plan with return of premium option where you choose Rs20 lakhs as the lumpsum or sum assured. You take the cover for ten years for which you may have to pay Rs 2000 per year. If in case, any unfortunate event occurs and you don’t survive during the policy term, the total sum assured of Rs 20 lakhs will be given to your beneficiary. However, upon your survival of the policy term, you will get back the premium paid – Rs 20,000 (or 2000*10), which will be the survival or maturity benefit from the term plan.

Get the Best Term Plan with Return of Premium Policy

Every insurance company offering the plan has different terms. It is why you must do thorough research and only buy from reputable insurance companies. Term Plans with the return of premium benefit offer a variety of benefits along with other rider options such as waiver of premium, critical illness coverage, protection against accidental demise. Moreover, these plans provide comprehensive tax-saving benefits under Section 80C and 10(10D) of the Income Tax Act 1951.
Sources:
https://www.policybazaar.com/life-insurance/term-insurance-return-of-premium/
https://www.financialexpress.com/money/insurance/term-life-insurance-with-return-of-premium-money-back-plan-trop-rules-benefits-explained/1922149/
https://www.maxlifeinsurance.com/term-insurance-plans/term-plan-with-return-of-premium

Indian Oil CSR is Making India Future-Ready

By
Kasmin Fernandes
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PSUs, short for Public Sector Undertaking, give the impression of being hefty mammoths in size and spread (across topography) yet low-grade in the quality of the social welfare they dispense. Their development initiatives are notorious for being high in resources, manpower and most importantly funding but abysmal in the degree of visible change accomplished. The company we are delving into today, however, is far from archaic, whether in order of business or environmental stewardship. Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) is the first oil PSU to cross the 1,000-patent milestone; testament to this oil-and-gas company’s spirit of innovation. From what we can gauge of the resources dedicated to conducting business responsibly, Indian Oil CSR is a catalyst to India’s SDG targets for the year 2030.
The conglomerate has aligned many of its ESG targets with the Global Goals set by the United Nations in such a way that they meet the welfare objectives of government schemes like Skill India Mission and Swachh Bharat Abhiyan.
Indian Oil CSR spend
Indian Oil CSR spend for the last 5 years
The CSR spend has been increasing year-on-year, from Rs. 113.79 Crores five years ago to a generous Rs. 490.60 Crores in the financial year 2018-19. Actual amount spent on CSR funding was higher than the prescribed spend for the last four years in a row. Last year, there was 100% budget utilisation; the entire budget of Rs. 490.60 Crores allocated for social responsibility was spent on CSR projects.

1. About Indian Oil Corporation

Based out of the capital city of New Delhi, Indian Oil is easily among the biggest energy companies in our country. Known for distributing affordable energy, it has a palpable global presence as well. It stands at 137 in the prestigious Fortune Global 500 list of the biggest conglomerates in the world. With a combined staff strength of 33,000 employees and counting, it has a large enough workforce for effecting change through employee-driven initiatives.
Indian Oil took its initial shape from an oil refining company back in 1959. Over the last 60 years, it has grown into an integrated energy giant that deals in the exploration and production of crude oil and natural gas; refining, pipeline transportation of petroleum products and petrochemicals. 
The company has, like all forward-thinking organisations, understood that clean energy is the future. In the recent past, it has been making continuous efforts to be at the top of the game in renewable energy and natural gas. This justifies the vast extent of research work in solar, nanotechnology and other new forms of energy in the context of the ongoing energy transition.

1.1 Sustainability at Indian Oil

Being climate-positive is one of the major threads running through the sustainability initiatives driven by Indian Oil. Engineers are designing processes to meet future energy needs of our countrymen while simultaneously keeping climate priorities in perspective. There is a conscious effort to utilise renewable energy within the plants and in the supply chain spanning retailers and distributors. 
One breakthrough initiative that is successful in greening the supply chain is “retail outlet solarization”. Indian Oil has begun encouraging fuel stations in its network to use localised solar power rather than conventional energy sources. The positively aggressive push to solar meant that the number of solar-powered retail outlets went from 9,140 to 14,173 in a year. Most of these fuel stations are in villages or small towns. This number accounts for more than half of all the PSU’s retail outlets. Other unseen benefits from this clean energy initiative were that retailers were able to do business after daylight hours (since electricity is available throughout) and they made higher profits because of the costs saved in operating diesel gensets.

1.2 Appreciation for sustainability efforts

The efforts to rejig outdated modes are being noticed by watchdogs and industry bodies. The company won the Sustainability 4.0 Award 2018 by Frost & Sullivan and TERI as a ‘Leader in the Mega Large Business Process Sector’. Indian Oil shared the PETROTECH-2019 Special Technical Award for ‘Greening of the Oil & Gas Business and Sustainability’ with Engineers India Ltd. The award was conferred for BS-VI DHDT project at Haldia Refinery employing indeDiesel® technology developed by the company’s R&D.

2. Alignment of CSR with Government Schemes

The company has a pan-India presence, from Leh in North India to the Northeastern states, Kerala in the South and Gujarat in the west. The operations also run through aspirational districts and Naxal-hit areas, hence increasing the scope for making a difference in the lives of the most marginalised people through its CSR interventions. For this purpose, the CSR team takes conscious steps to stay abreast of government schemes at the national level.

2.1 Swachh Bharat

Swachhta Pakhwada
As part of Swachhta Pakhwada, Team Digboi Refinery and the Civil Township department, organised the cleaning of a rain harvested water body in Indian Oil (AOD) township in Assam.
CSR of Indian Oil is undertaking various cleanliness projects under the scheme, including putting up toilet infrastructure in schools, cleanliness drives at operating locations and retail outlets. The Company has 3 waste-to-energy plants in Varanasi to process the city’s solid waste.
Recently, it donated a vehicle fitted with a desilting machine Mysuru City Corporation (MCC) to clean underground drainage. The vehicle costs Rs. 30 lakhs and will be used to keep the city of Mysuru clean. The Indian Oil corporate social responsibility wing will be providing 12 RO drinking water units. It has constructed over 100 toilets in Mysuru itself as part of Swachh Bharat Abhiyan.

2.2 Digital India

It has developed a slew of digital applications and forums for ease of customers, business partners, employees and supply chain. From placing orders to communicate, to knowing more about the company’s products and services, raising complaints, undertaking digital payments, every service is available on the e-platform.

2.3 Startup India

The company invested a revolving corpus of Rs. 30 crores in Start Up Scheme to give a boost to start-ups innovating in the domestic hydrocarbons sector. Social or environmental relevance was a must to qualify. The scheme was driven by the company’s R&D centre in Faridabad.

2.4 Make in India

To promote the local energy industry, the conglomerate has given preference to indigenous manufacturers in its tenders. In 2018-19, 29.07% of all items procured (excluding procurement of crude oil, petroleum products and natural gas) was sourced from indigenous Micro-Small Enterprises (MSE).

2.5 Skill India

Indian Oil CSR has set up several new and old skill development centres across the country. Kaushal Vikas (Skill Development) initiatives have benefitted 15,000 unemployed youth. Assam School of Nursing, Skill Development Institute (Bhubaneshwar), Gyanodaya Scheme are all part of a skilling framework that has augmented the employability of India’s youth in their own way. 

3. Overview of Indian Oil CSR

The company proudly identifies itself as a “responsible public sector enterprise” and efforts to stay true to this self-imposed description are evident in the Indian Oil CSR strategy. Considering the size, scope and breadth of its operations, there are thousands of miles and dozens of sectors to cover. 
The CSR team has been working on a variety of social welfare and community interventions for decades. They follow a crisp and clear Sustainability and CSR Policy which you can access online. Various NGO partners and government bodies work closely on bringing to life the CSR programmes drawn out by the committee, on which the Chairman presides. The flagship programmes are longer in duration, spanning many years and various states where Indian Oil has a presence.

3.1 Key CSR thrust areas

It is a no-brainer that in a fuel-deficient rural economy, the company has been making essential fuels – kerosene, LPG, petrol and diesel – available in every corner. Besides this all-important exercise for food safety and mobility in the villages, there’s a gamut of key areas that get special attention in the strategising and social programming. Persons with Disabilities (PwDs) are the subject of some projects as are citizens belonging to scheduled castes and scheduled tribes. As a responsible corporate, it wants to lend a helping hand to the most vulnerable people in any walk of life. CSR thrust areas include:
a) Safe drinking water and protection of water resources,
b) Healthcare and sanitation,
c) Education and employment-enhancing vocational skills,
d) Empowerment of women
e) Empowerment of socially/ economically backward groups

3.2 Recognition and awards

Recognition is not the goal of social welfare yet when it is given, there is reason to mark the achievement. Awards in the CSR domain serve as reminders of the good that the private sector is carrying out despite thriving in a profit-hungry capitalist economy. 
A vegetable cellar project at Leh (J&K) won Indian Oil the 2019 Dainik Jagran CSR Award and the PSE Excellence Award (by the Indian Chamber of Commerce). Indian Oil CSR initiatives in Haryana are gathering steam; they ushered in the Diamond Haryana CSR Award among PSUs during the state government-organised Haryana CSR Summit two years ago. The company performed well during the Swachhta Pakhwada fortnight (July 1-15, 2018) and was the runner-up at Swachhta Pakhwada Awards-2018, an initiative by the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, Government of India.

4. Healthcare initiatives

Health and safety for all is the primary concern for this organisation, from its employees to the communities it works with. Over the past few months, since the pandemic gripped the nation, Indian Oil has been conducting COVID-19 awareness workshops for the benefit of the uneducated masses. Health programmes take place regularly throughout the year to sensitise people to safety measures and precautions.

4.1 Child and Maternity Health Centres

Child and maternity health centres address problems of anaemia in expectant mothers, malnourishment in babies, vaccination of children against polio. A happy mother means a carefree child and a peaceful household. Married women are given tutorials in nutrition and self-care for healthy deliveries and happy motherhood.

4.2 Indian Oil Aarogyam

Indian Oil CSR Project Aarogyam
CSR Project Aarogyam takes free healthcare to villages
Aarogyam is a flagship CSR project of Indian Oil. It was launched in the previous financial year and covers 140 villages in the catchment areas of three refineries. Aarogyam dispenses free medical care on-the-go in the form of Mobile Medical Units (MMU). MMUs are a boon for health interventions in hard-to-reach regions bereft of hospitals and clinics. They are becoming a standard fixture in rural healthcare. Each MMU rolls with a doctor, nurse, attendant and driver who doubles up as a Community Mobilizer.

4.3 Assam Oil Division Hospital

In the care of the CSR division is Assam Oil Division Hospital in Digboi. It caters to people in Digboi and surrounding areas of Assam. This 200-bed facility treats a whopping 1 lakh patients every year of which 15% aren’t employed with the company. It has a high footfall, with 2,000 operations being conducted in its premises every year. The CSR team and their partners regularly hold health camps and checkups for villagers who might not be able to afford treatment nor have access to a specialist.

4.4 Swarna Jayanti Samudayik Hospital

This hospital in Mathura (Uttar Pradesh) opened its doors to the public in 1999. It was launched on the golden jubilee of the Corporation, which explains the name ‘Swarna jayanti’. Residents near the Mathura Refinery benefit from the services of this 50-bed hospital facility. Treatments are subsidised for people in the region. The underprivileged living below-poverty-line are given medical treatment free of cost. Last year alone, 56,437 patients were treated at Swarna Jayanti Samudayik Hospital and surgeons conducted 727 operations.

5. Animal welfare

CSR initiatives for animal welfare in India don’t go beyond the standard farm animal management and vaccination. Few corporates have the vision to see the earth as an inclusive space for all sentient beings. Interestingly, this PSU does take note. Last year, Indian Oil donated more than one ambulance with a hydraulic system to NGO Blue Cross which rescues and shelters animals. Another unique CSR initiative is directed at “good health to all”.

5.1 Sarve Santu Niramaya

Sarve Santu Niramaya means “good health to all”. The programme considers the health of animals equally important to humans. This compassionate initiative started dispensing free consultation and medicines for humans and animals in December 2012. The biggest beneficiaries have been the livestock near Digboi Refinery. It has gone on to become a livelihood generator for the nearby villages since livestock is healthier. Sarve Santu Niramaya held 21 camps last year in which 2,507 human beings and 6,510 animals were vaccinated and given medical care.

6. Project to End Manual Scavenging

Despite the strides our nation has made in culture and the legal system, there are some things that continue to boggle common sense. How Indian law doesn’t recognise same-sex marriage, for instance. Or the continuation of the cringe-worthy practice of manual scavenging; it’s the worst blow to human dignity and a shameful remnant of the desi caste system. At least one Indian dies every 5 days while cleaning gutters. Inventors at Indian Oil have come up with a solution to end manual scavenging; it goes by the name Bandicoot!

Technically, it’s the Robotic Scavenging Machine and looks like a spider with four limbs. Bandicoot comes with multiple sensors and 7 cameras. It is lowered into the manholes for cleaning sewers. The “limbs” do the cleaning–efficiently and in less time–and deposit the debris to one side which is then lifted using a bucket and ropes.   

7. Indian Oil Vidushi

Educate a girl, you will educate a whole family, is a notion development experts swear by. Underprivileged girls may manage to get a school education but when they show aptitude for higher education in fields such as medicine or engineering, they have to step back since their family can’t afford the high college fees. 
Indian Oil CSR project Vidushi
Indian Oil CSR project Vidushi helps girls pursue higher education in engineering
Project Vidushi is working to change that by helping girls gain admission in prestigious engineering colleges like IIT, CET etc. The Bhubaneswar centre coaches scholastically bright girls in Odisha, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh while the Noida centre coaches female students from Jammu & Kashmir, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh and Punjab.

3 NGOs in India educating kids online during COVID-19

By
The CSR Journal
-
Challenges to education have been exacerbated by restrictions due to COVID-19, especially for those from poorer backgrounds or in remote areas. It has become a challenge for government, caregivers, teachers and parents to ensure in providing quality education in the pandemic.

Educating kids online

The need for physical distancing has suddenly led to most schools resorting to online teaching, for which the country was absolutely unprepared. Several NGOs are taking care of vulnerable children who are unable to meet educational needs. These NGOs are helping them through every possible resource.
Here’s looking at some NGOs in India that are helping vulnerable children through online education:

1. Miracle Foundation

Miracle Foundation India, along with CCI (child care institution) teams, is educating kids at child care institutes since the lockdown started. Through Miracle’s support, all the CCIs have set up computer labs with internet connection and electricity back-up. Now, they are in the process of providing tablets and smartphones to children who have returned home their families and do not have access to any technology.
Miracle Foundation is ensuring connectivity and providing data support for these children. They are educating kids with the existing staff of CCI and remote learning to cover their syllabus.

2. E-Vidyaloka

The Bangalore-based NGO focuses on imparting education to students of rural government schools in India by crowdsourcing volunteer teachers and connecting them to the schools using the power of IT. During the pandemic, the foundation is focusing on provide education through remote learning with the access of internet and electronics. E-Vidyaloka believes educating kids online will be the way forward in the future.

3. Smile Foundation

Smile Foundation provides education to thousands of children from Class I to Class XII running across 23 states. The foundation found that about 56% of Indian children lack smartphones. In this scenario, amidst Covid-19, they are providing possible solutions to access education.

Nature Conservation Day: Why We Need to Conserve Nature

By
Hency Thacker
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The Dalai Lama has said, “Conservation is not merely a question of morality, but a question of our own survival.”
The message reflects the importance of conservation of nature. Humans today may consider themselves as superior beings. But in reality, they do not have the capacity to survive without nature. They rely on various resources and biodiversity for their energy and shelter requirements. Despite this, they exploit nature as if they can do without it.
Nature Conservation Day is therefore observed every year on July 28th to recognise that a healthy environment is a foundation for a stable and productive society. The day is celebrated to ensure the well-being of present and future generations.

History of Nature Conservation Day

The history and origin of the World Nature Conservation Day is not known. However, the main aim of celebrating it is to come together and support nature to stop its exploitation.

Nature Conservation Day 2020

World Nature Conservation Day 2020 is to be observed to raise awareness about the significance of natural resources and encourage people about the practices of protecting natural resources. Due to natural imbalance, several problems have arisen such as global warming, various diseases, natural disasters, increased temperature etc. Therefore, it is important to raise awareness among people all over the world to understand the importance of saving resources, recycle it, preserve it and also understand the consequences of damaging it.

Relevance of Nature Conservation Day Amid COVID-19 Outbreak

Conservation of nature and biodiversity is highly relevant in the contemporary world considering the rising number of Zoonoses diseases such as COVID-19, Swine Flu, Nipah Virus, etc. These diseases have emerged as a result of man-animal conflict and excessive interference of humans in the natural ecosystem. According to scientists at Conservation International, there’s a direct link between the destruction of nature and disease outbreaks.
Scientists have said that ecosystems are at their healthiest when they have diverse species in them with well-developed food chains. However, with persisting global wildlife trade and encroachment of humans into forests, the habitats of the wild animals are shrinking, compelling them to stay confined in smaller areas. This, in turn, restricts them from free movement and exposes them to human waste, making them sick. When these sick animals come in direct contact with humans or their environment, the diseases get transmitted to them, leading to devastating pandemics.

What can be done to create healthier ecosystems?

The prevalence of Pandemics and the recent reclassification of NYC into a subtropical climatic zone has made it clear that the impact of reckless exploitation of earth’s resources will have to be borne by us today itself. And in order to avoid paying the price that might result in premature extinction of human life, we need to step back and restructure our lifestyles to accommodate nature in it. In order to do this, the following are some of the points that governments may consider to plan a healthier ecosystem.
1. The cities that are constantly expanding, must ensure that existing green spaces in the city are protected and also prioritise building new ones within the city boundaries in order to establish a co-existence of man and wild in an area.
2. The governments must ensure that environmental regulations are strengthened and are strictly enforced to protect or restore biodiverse areas.
3. The COVID-19 pandemic and resultant economic crisis because of lockdowns have provided the world with an opportunity to start all over again. This time around, the governments can ensure that the exploitative methods are done away with and that the strategies that help build the world back revolve around sustainable development to ensure multiple global goals, such as combating climate change and reducing natural hazard risks.
4. Nature Conservation: Ecosystems are built to maintain a balance between species and diseases in a very natural way. Thus, animals must be allowed to dwell in their natural habitat.
5. Stopping the illegal wildlife trade.
It is for the benefit of humanity that humans embrace nature and lead a sustainable and minimalist lifestyle. After all, Mahatama Gandhi has rightly said, “Earth provides enough to satisfy every man’s need but not every man’s greed.”

Alliance launches project Aviral to cut plastic waste in Ganga river

By
The CSR Journal
-
In recent years, the amount of plastic waste has drastically increased in India. More specifically, this increase is affecting the two cities of Haridwar and Rishikesh. The boom in visitor numbers (before the pandemic) was increasingly leading to unmanageable amounts of plastic waste. Coinciding with Conservation Day 2020, the Alliance to End Plastic Waste (the Alliance) and Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), launched the Aviral – Reducing Plastic Waste in the Ganga pilot project. This CSR initiative aims to reduce the amount of plastic waste entering the environment in the northern Indian cities of Haridwar and Rishikesh.
Aviral seeks to pilot an approach to address waste management challenges. In particular, it will focus on strengthening an integrated plastic waste management system. Following the two-year pilot in the two cities, the partnership aims to scale this initiative across partnering cities in India.
“We want a world where every community can have universal access to an environment where their plastic waste is managed. This partnership marries the ambition of both the Alliance and GIZ where we reduce plastic waste and help improve the livelihoods of communities dependent on the Ganges, India’s lifeline and one of the world’s most important rivers,” said Jacob Duer, President and CEO of the Alliance to End Plastic Waste.
Alliance to End Plastic Waste is an international non-profit organisation partnering with government, environmental and economic development NGOs and communities around the world to address the challenge to end plastic waste in the environment. As of July 2020, the Alliance has nearly 50 member companies and supporters representing global companies and organisations across the plastic value chain.
“With Aviral – Reducing Plastic Waste in the Ganga, we are building on the existing flagship programmes of the National Mission for Clean Ganga (Namami Gange) and the Clean India Mission (Swachh Bharat Mission). As its own name indicates, Aviral, means “continuous” in Hindi, the overall objective is to continue strengthening our contribution to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals,” said Carsten Schmitz-Hoffmann, Director General of GIZ International Services.
This privately financed project contributes to the achievement of the SDGs, notably focusing on clean water and sanitation, sustainable cities and communities, climate action and revitalising the global partnership for sustainable development.
Disclaimer: This media release is auto-generated. The CSR Journal is not responsible for the content

Kamdhenu Group donates Rs. 71 Lakhs to PM-CARES Fund for COVID-19

By
The CSR Journal
-
Kamdhenu Group has donated Rs. 71 lakhs to the Prime Minister-CARES Fund to support the on-going relief efforts being undertaken in the current COVID-19 pandemic situation. The Company, Kamdhenu Limited, undertook this initiative under its CSR wing, Kamdhenu Jeevandhara Foundation.
The Company had also appealed to its employees, dealers and distributors to donate to the PM-CARES Fund to support the current social cause. It undertook various initiatives during the current COVID-19 pandemic situation such as financial aid & free ration distribution to the masons/ painters. In addition, it donated sanitizing tunnels to the government authorities and also distributed free masks and sanitizers among the needy public at large through the dealers & distributors to tackle the spread of the disease.
Satish Kumar Agarwal, Chairman and Managing Director of the Kamdhenu Group, said, “As a group, we are always committed to stand with our workers, associates and people, especially during this tough time of an outbreak. In the current crisis, we are continuously making our best efforts to give full support to the public at large.” 
‘Kamdhenu Jeevandhara Foundationhas organized various blood donation camps across the country and has also educated people on the benefits of donating blood regularly. It also organizes various welfare camps for handicaps wherein, they are provided with free artificial limbs, wheelchairs, walkers, polio calipers and other body-aid instruments. Medicines and counseling to the patients and their families are delivered free of charge. The Foundation has associated itself with NGOs and autonomous bodies to help the differently-abled through different means of relief. The Company donated various medical equipment for testing in laboratories to hospitals who are providing free healthcare services to the public. It recently donated an ambulance to Rotary Club Bhiwadi to help augment the healthcare services in the district.
Disclaimer: This media release is auto-generated. The CSR Journal is not responsible for the content

 

IDFC FIRST Bank announces MBA Scholarships for students who can’t afford higher education

By
The CSR Journal
-
IDFC FIRST Bank has announced the opening of its MBA Scholarship programme for the batch of 2020-2022, as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). As its flagship CSR programme, the scholarship is available to MBA aspirants across the country. It aims to financially support students from weaker social economic backgrounds, enabling them to pursue a management degree from a B-school of their choice.
Varun Ganatra, a recipient of the MBA scholarship for 2019-21 batch, studying at TA Pai Management Institute, Manipal, said, “I started selling SIM cards at age of 16 to support my family. I worked part-time and tutored students on weekends to fund my graduation expenses. My father (now retired) sold our property to offset business losses. Due to our financial condition, I was not eligible for an educational loan. IDFC FIRST Bank’s MBA scholarship helped me access funds needed for higher education. I am today a proud ambassador of this scholarship.”
The MBA Scholarship programme was instituted as a CSR initiative by erstwhile Capital First in 2016 and continued after the merger which resulted in the formation of IDFC FIRST Bank. So far, 530 students from both urban and rural India have benefitted from this programme. These students belong to diverse family backgrounds with parents being retired lower-income scale government employees, auto-rickshaw drivers, farmers and other such backgrounds.
To qualify for the MBA scholarship, the candidate needs to secure admission into a two-year full-time MBA programme and the family income has to be less than Rs. 6 lakhs per annum. The initiative provides financial assistance to students so as to ease the burden of fees payable by them and to make admission to the best colleges and universities accessible to economically weaker students. About 150 scholarships will be granted by the Bank this year.
Rachana Iyer, Head – Corporate Social Responsibility, IDFC FIRST Bank said, “We believe expenses of an MBA are rather high and even meritorious students often drop out from pursuing their careers because of financial difficulties. Through this initiative, we aim to lend a shoulder with Rs. 2 lakh per student for two years, to students from vulnerable communities, to pursue higher education and to attain a higher standard of living.”
The MBA scholarship supports students from over 150 B-Schools all across India. Since the number of applications far exceeds the number of scholarships, the Bank prioritises and rank-orders the applications for scholarships based on criticality of need, which may involve factors such as family income, socio-economic background and other such criteria. The application for scholarship can be accessed on https://www.idfcfirstbank.com/csr-new/mba-scholarship.html.  The last date for applying for this scholarship is July 31, 2020.
As an extension of this programme, IDFC FIRST Bank also provides scholarships to students pursuing higher education or teaching in the mental health space, students with autism, students enrolled in the Young India Fellowship programme of Ashoka university, and to youth from shelter homes and underprivileged backgrounds.
Disclaimer: This media release is auto-generated. The CSR Journal is not responsible for the content 

Climate Change Impact: New York City Classified as Sub Tropical Climate Zone

By
Hency Thacker
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The classification of climatic zones generally relies on geographic conditions of the area. This is because the location and its environment play a major role in the determination of its climate. In lieu of this, New York City has always been classified as a humid continental climatic zone. However, climate change, human activities and excessive use of fossil fuel have led to its re-classification as humid subtropical climate zone as per National Climate Assessment of USA.
To be classified as humid subtropical climate zone, it requires for the summer temperature to average above 72 degrees Fahrenheit — which New York’s have had since 1927 — and for winter temperatures to stay above 27 degrees Fahrenheit, on average. The city has met that requirement for the last five years. And the winters are only getting warmer each year.

Impact of rising temperatures in New York

Change in Biodiversity

Change in climatic conditions lead to change in biodiversity. According to faculty at Urban Horticulture Institute at Cornell University, many varieties of southern oak are moving north with increasing temperatures for its suitability to colder climate. But native birch trees and sugar maples are starting to have trouble because of summer heat and drought. This may eventually make them less prevalent in near future.
Trees that are native to warmer climates of Southeast Asia, India and parts of the Central and South Pacific such as Crepe myrtles are taking root in New York. Until recently, crepe myrtles in New York City would grow no larger than a shrub; gardeners would cut them down to the root for winter. Now the Brooklyn Botanic Garden grows several varieties year-round, and some have grown into 20-foot trees. They can be found throughout the city and the northern suburbs.
The botanic garden also grows the endangered monkey puzzle tree, from South America, outdoors in pots, year-round, whereas it used to only survive inside the conservatory.

Prevalence of Invasive Weeds

It has been observed that the weeds that were a minor problem earlier has started taking up lot more prevalence with change in biodiversity and climate. In fact, Japanese knotweed and porcelain berry that are known to be fast-growing weeds that attack trees and bushes, and which thrive in the warmer climate have taken up the botanical gardens and Central Park in NYC, increasing the work of gardeners’ manifold.

Pest Infestation

Bugs and pests that used to die off in winter are now surviving and have the chance to multiply. For instance, the hemlock woolly adelgid is a bug that attacks hemlock trees, native to New York area for thousands of years. Hemlocks provide cool, shaded areas north of the city which is favoured by black bears and migrating birds. Once the adelgids hit these trees, they cannot survive.
Climate change has always been seen as a phenomena of the future. A phenomenon, that will affect the future population far from now. However, these observations are contradictory to the belief. It is high time for us to understand that Climate change is real and it is already here and we need to take steps to combat it now.

World Conservation Day 2020: Global Corporate Stewardship

By
Kasmin Fernandes
-
Corporate stewardship is as much part of global conservation of nature as environmental organisations, the UNEP and governments. As World Conservation Day 2020 approaches, we shine the lights on corporate social responsibility (CSR) efforts of global companies like the De Beers Group, HP, Intel and L’Oréal in protecting forests and wildlife.
World Conservation Day is dedicated to protecting forests, conserving biodiversity and finding ways to source raw materials sustainably.

1. Forevermark and De Beers Group

Forevermark, a diamond brand from De Beers Group, is committed to the protection of the environment with their numerous CSR initiatives that run deep connection between diamonds and the earth.
For every hectare of land affected by the Group’s mining activity, 6 hectares are set aside for conservation, equating to approximately 200,000 hectares, 2.5 times the area of New York City. De Beers Group has been active in rhino conservation for many years, including conservation, breeding and relocation programmes. Its joint venture with the Government of Botswana, support a significant proportion of Botswana’s white rhino population through initiatives that conserve and grow the population before releasing individual rhinos back into the wild.
The elephant conservation programme at the Venetia Limpopo Nature Reserve in South Africa has been so successful that the number of elephants now exceeds the park’s carrying capacity. DeBeers’s is therefore moving 200 elephants more than 1,000 miles to Mozambique, where there is a need for re-population. De Beers Group is running a ground-breaking, multimillion-dollar research programme focused on using kimberlite rock to capture carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and establish a carbon-neutral mine. 83% of the water used for diamond mining by De Beers Group and other natural diamond companies is recycled.

2. Hewlett-Packard Company

Today, nearly 50% of global forests are under threat due to deforestation and forest degradation. According to WWF, the planet is losing 18.7 million acres of forest each year—the equivalent of 27 football fields per minute. In November 2019, Hewlett-Packard Company— or HP as it’s come to be known—launched the HP Sustainable Forests Collaborative initiative, realizing the value to business and nature of accelerating forest and biodiversity protection. The Collaborative’s objectives are to:
– Maintain HP’s long-standing commitment to sustainable fibre sourcing through supply chain management.
– Support the development of science based targets for forests, which includes estimating carbon and nature co-benefits of forest restoration and improved forest management.
– Protect, restore, and improve the responsible management of forests.
– Collaborate across HP and with our industry, partners, and customers, using collective influence to inspire action.
– Drive the development of innovative printing technologies that reduce paper waste and improve the efficiency of paper consumption.
In partnership with WWF, the first projects of the Sustainable Forests Collaborative will focus on restoring and improving the management of nearly 200,000 acres (over 80,000 hectares) of forests in Brazil and China by the end of the calendar year 2024. The area of forest that will be under these projects would produce enough paper to run through all HP consumer printers over four years.
The first phase of work includes outreach and consultation with local communities, landowners, government authorities, NGOs, academia, and other stakeholders to support these forest conservation actions on the ground. As part of this process, over 1,200 acres (500 hectares) of native forest lands in the Upper Parana and/or Serra do Mar areas of Brazil’s Atlantic Forest will be mapped for on-the-ground forest restoration activities over the next five years, with the first round of forest restoration planting planned for the end of the calendar year 2020.
In addition to these activities, HP is supporting the development of a Forest Stewardship Council Consumer Marketplace. This will give consumers an easy-to-use, comprehensive way to find all FSC retail partners and FSC-certified brands as well as a means to purchase certified products. This project will build awareness about the importance of responsibly managed forests and generate demand for FSC-certified products.

3. L’Oréal

Early on, L’Oréal became aware of the urgent need to address the challenges arising from the global environmental crisis. The company launched the programme ‘Sharing Beauty with All’. While continuing to reduce the environmental footprint of production, it addressed the core of activity: the development of beauty products. From 2013 to 2020, L’Oréal reinvented its way of doing business, transitioning to a more sustainable business model, mitigating its environmental impact and maximizing positive contribution to society at large. By the end of 2019, it had already reduced the CO2 emissions of its factories and distribution centres by 78% compared to 2005, while the volume of production increased by 37% over the same period.
Through the social inclusion programmes, including the Solidarity Sourcing programme, it had also helped 90,635 people from disadvantaged communities gain access to employment. L’Oréal was then recognized by experts, organizations such as the CDP, and by our suppliers and peers, as a leader in sustainability.
In addition to its ongoing long-term efforts to reduce its environmental impact as part of the ‘Sharing Beauty with All’ sustainable development programme, the L’Oréal Group has decided to engage €100 million into impact investing, in order to act upon two key environmental challenges:
Regenerating damaged natural ecosystems: €50 million will be used to finance marine and forest ecosystem restoration projects that also create new social and economic development opportunities for the populations that depend on these ecosystems (developing sustainable agriculture and fishing, eco-tourism, sale of carbon credits). The fund, the L’Oréal Fund for Nature Regeneration, aims to restore one million hectares of degraded ecosystems, capture 15 to 20 million tonnes of CO2 and create hundreds of job opportunities by 2030.
Preventing climate change: €50 million will be directed to financing for projects linked to the circular economy. With this fund, the L’Oréal Group aims to contribute to the quest for solutions and the creation of business models that support the development of a circular economy, particularly in terms of recycling and management of plastic waste.

4. Intel

During 2019, Intel made significant progress in the construction and operation of on-site water reclaim facilities. Eureka Ditch is one of eight earthen irrigation ditches that supply water from the Verde River in Arizona to over 200 property owners. Seepage and evaporation resulted in the loss of an estimated 12% of the water transported through the ditch. This project will enclose a half-mile stretch of the ditch in pipes to reduce water loss and, consequently, the amount of water drawn from the river. The project is expected to restore an estimated 107 million gallons of water to the Verde River each year while reducing maintenance costs, providing more reliable water delivery, building resilience for local farmers.

5. Mitsubishi Corporation

The shrinking of the world’s tropical forests has had a major impact on the global environment, including the effect on the conservation of natural ecosystems and the reduction in the absorption of CO2 which contributes to global warming. Loss of tropical forests is also blamed for causing abnormal weather conditions. Mitsubishi Corporation, in understanding the important role played by tropical forests, has been contributing to their regeneration since 1990.
The company promotes initiatives to achieve rapid regeneration through afforestation methods which are accomplished by the dense planting of native as well as mixed plants. The Malaysian project is based on research by Dr. Akira Miyawaki (of the famous Miyawaki technique). The CSR project’s aim is to demonstrate the feasibility of restoring degraded forest land to conditions that closely resemble a natural forested ecosystem within 40 to 50 years, by intensive mixed planting of native tree species.
The project began with backing provided by Mitsubishi for collaborative research by the Agricultural University of Malaysia and the Yokohama National University. The site is being conducted on land remaining after being cleared, burnt, and used for agriculture near Bintulu in Sarawak, Malaysia. 300,000 seedlings were planted on about 50 hectares. After just 10 years, some of the tallest trees have reached heights of more than 20 meters, and the site is taking on the appearance of a luxuriant forest. In addition, ecotours from Japan bring participants, who work with local people to continue the work of tree planting.
In 1992, the corporation started the Brazilian Project in Tropical Forest Regeneration near Belem at the mouth of the Amazon, in the state of Para, Brazil. This is a collaborative project with the Para Agricultural University and other organizations. With help from local students from primary, middle, and trade schools, more than 400,000 trees of about 100 species have been planted to date.
The challenge there was to plant trees on severely degraded land that had become devoid of vegetation, due to runoff carrying away soil nutrients during the rainy season and severe aridity during the dry season. The project involved covering the ground with mounds made from waste wood and soil, and then planting a mix of fast-growing tree species to promote afforestation under these harsh conditions. 10 years after the project began, some of the pioneer trees are over 20 meters tall and growing at a surprising speed. Mitsubishi provides support for these projects, from planning to management and funding.
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