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May 5, 2025
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LANXESS India adds to employability through its vocational skill centre

By
The CSR Journal
-

LANXESS India Private Limited has established a skill development centre in Thane as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility programme to provide training to aspiring candidates looking for suitable employability. The LANXESS  B-ABLE SKILL CENTRE in Thane has been set up in association with BASIX Academy for Building Lifelong Employability Limited (B-ABLE) who is the implementation partner for the project.

The project which started in January 2019 is focused on providing skill development training for the youth who are unskilled, semi-skilled, school dropouts and come from the underprivileged sections living in the periphery of Thane.  LANXESS India has funded the project to skill youth, especially unemployed youth from marginalized communities. The candidates who are from BPL (Below Poverty Line) families have been targeted under this training program. The training skills the youth and provides a sustainable livelihood.

This program has been designed for 3 years starting from Thane in the first year, Jhagadia in the second and Nagda in the third year with nearly 125 candidates being trained each year. The project is being implemented by BASIX Academy for Building Lifelong Employability Limited (B-ABLE).

After an on-ground survey in Bhiwandi in Thane, it was found that the two most popular employability choices for the local youth with lower academic qualification were that of call centre executives and sewing machine operators. Taking a lead from the survey conducted by B-ABLE, the company financially supported the project.

The first batch of 56 candidates has successfully completed its course and a total of 24 candidates have been placed with different companies while 18 candidates from the sewing machine course have set up their own tailoring jobs.

Commenting on the project, Neelanjan Banerjee, Vice Chairman and Managing Director, LANXESS India said, “Lack of higher education due to any reason should not be a hindrance in employability opportunities for the underprivileged youth of our nation. Through this project, we have attempted to provide skills to such youth that will help them sustain a decent livelihood. We see this project as a small gesture in contributing positively to the country’s skill development goals.”

For the Jhagadia and Nagda projects, surveys will be conducted to ascertain the type of training required in the selected areas and suitable courses will be designed for the same.

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CSR: Plogging – An Altruistic Fitness Trend

By
Hency Thacker
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Waking up early and stepping out to jog in the fresh morning air, but getting irritated instead for having to navigate your way through littered waste, is a story of every jogger in the world. We all get disappointed in such a situation. Many of us often end up changing the fitness routine. But few of us take action to change the situation. Swedes are among the latter, for initiating Plogging.

Plogging is a new altruistic health trend which has been picked up globally by several environmental and fitness activists. The trend has taken up social media by the storm with several influencers and millennials promoting it.

The word plogging comes from the words “plocka up” which means pick up in Swedish and Jogging. Plogging focuses on picking up garbage that you see on a run, thus incorporating squats into your workout and environmental benefits. It also has physical benefits, since it adds variation to a run and actually burns more calories. As reported by the Washington Post, “the Swedish-based fitness app Lifesum, which earlier this month made it possible for users to track plogging activity, a half-hour of jogging plus picking up trash will burn 288 calories for the average person, compared with the 235 burned by jogging alone.”

Plogging can help bring a new routine to a daily workout and gives runners (especially novices) the opportunity to take breaks while running.

While the term plogging was coined only in 2016 and has been an idea by the Swedish, a company in India has already been doing something similar. Indiahikes has been cleaning mountains while trekking and hiking for more than five years. The company takes people hiking and trekking in the mountains. The participants are provided with an eco bag on the trek which they tie on their waist to pick up the non-biodegradable trash on the way, which the company later collects, segregates and manages to dispose off in an appropriate manner.

Apart from this, Plogging has been picked up by citizens of over 20 cities in the country. With social media groups dedicated to this activity, people gather from time to time to work out while cleaning up the place in various cities of the country.

Plogging can be a perfect activity for an employee volunteer program and team building activity for a corporate. Such corporate participation and celebrity endorsement along with integration with the Swachh Bharat Mission can prove to be a revolutionary cleanliness drive for our country.

Thank you for reading. In addition, your thoughts and inputs will genuinely make a difference to us. Please drop a line and help us do better.

Regards,
The CSR Journal Team

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This ultra-marathoner is running for a hunger-free India

By
Kasmin Fernandes
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Renowned ultra-marathoner Dharmendra Kumar aka Dharma is on a cross-country charity run to promote the cause of Hunger-Free India and spread smiles of nourishment. A passionate runner, he is the co-founder of Bengaluru-based running club Proton Sports.

Dream of a hunger-free India

Dharma will be running across India on the route followed by Shri Guru Nanak Devji when he toured the country for his missionary journeys (Udasiya). He said, “As a part of the 550th birth anniversary celebration of Shri Guru Nanak Dev Ji, I am running his 2 udasis across India. Inspired by Guru Nanak Dev Ji’s message Kirat karo, Naam japo, and Vand Chhako (meaning do your sincere labour, pray to God, and share among needy), I have taken up the cause of Hunger-Free India.”
As of today, Dharma has covered a distance of 2,500 km on foot, alternating between running and walking covering close to 75 km a day. He began his run on Sunday, 17th March 2019, from Sultanpur Lodhi in Punjab.

Two phases

The run is planned in two phases. In the first phase, he has covered major towns of Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Assam, Meghalaya, Bengal, and Odisha. Through this charity run, Dharma has so far raised funds to feed 1 lakh meals. He aims to feed 5 lakh meals to Akshaya Patra beneficiaries in 15,024 schools across 12 States in India.
The second phase will start on June 3, 2019, passing through the major towns of South India, covering more than 5,000 km over a period of 3 months. On his way back to Punjab, Dharma passed through Delhi on the eve of the World Hunger Day to engage with supporters of Akshaya Patra Foundation’s cause.
Dharma added, “I aim to raise funds to feed 1 million children supported by Akshaya Patra. I was surprised at the severity of the hunger crisis in India. With so many people unable to afford a square meal, I think this is one problem that needs immediate attention. Gurudwaras are known for langars and how they feed so many people every day. Drawing parallels from this, I thought a hunger-free India would be an apt cause to associate with. I hope people across the world and especially India will donate generously to this cause.”

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डॉ. पायल तड़वी आत्महत्या: जातिवाद ने ली प्रतिभाशाली डॉक्टर की जान

By
Rahuldeo Sharma
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पायल तड़वी महाराष्ट्र के जलगांव आदिवासी इलाके से निकल कर आई और सपनों की नगरी मुंबई में अपना मुकाम बनाने की जद्दोजहद में लग गयी, आखों में बड़ा डॉक्टर बनने के सपने थे, कुछ कर गुजरने की चाहत थी, दिन रात मेहनत कर अपने बलबूते पूरे गांव, पूरे समाज, माँ बाप का नाम रौशन करना चाहती थी, लेकिन नियति को ये मंजूर नही था, समाज के कुछ ठेकेदारों ने पायल से रैगिंग करना शुरू कर दिया, पायल का पीजी के लिए एडमिशन आदिवासी कोटे से हुआ था और यही बात कुछ डॉक्टरों को खलने लगी। पायल को जातिगत टिप्पणियों से टॉर्चर किया जाने लगा, सिर से पानी ऊपर हो गया और पायल थकहार कर, आहत होकर 22 मई को अपने कमरें में फांसी से झूल गयी।
चूंकि पायल आदिवासी थी लिहाजा जमकर राजनीति भी होनी शुरू हो गयी, मामले में अखिलेश यादव, जिग्नेश मेवानी के अलावा जेएनयू के पूर्व छात्रसंघ अध्यक्ष कन्हैया कुमार ने भी ट्वीट कर रोष जाहिर किया है। कन्हैया ने अपने ट्वीट में लिखा कि जातिवाद ने पायल जैसी प्रतिभाशाली डॉक्टर की जान ले ली। यहां तक कि मामले को रोहित वेमुला से भी जोड़ा गया। राजनीतिक रूप अख्तियार होते देख बीएमसी के नायर अस्पताल और मेडिकल कॉलेज में कार्रवाई शुरू हो गई है। सोमवार को प्रशासन ने पायल को परेशान करने और उन पर जातिगत टिप्पणियां करने के आरोप में अस्पताल की चार डॉक्टरों को सस्पेंड कर दिया। बता दें कि मामले की सभी आरोपी फिलहाल फरार हैं।
पायल तड़वी के पति डॉक्‍टर सलमान चाहते हैं कि सरकार इस मामले में दखल दे। डॉक्टर पायल नायर अस्पताल में पीजी कर रही थी और नायर अस्पताल बीएमसी के अधीन आता है और बीएमसी में शिवसेना बीजेपी की सत्ता है, ऐसे में विपक्ष इस मामले में जांच की मांग कर रहा है। पायल की आत्महत्या के मामले की आंतरिक जांच के लिए नायर अस्पताल ने 6 सदस्यों की जांच समिति बनाई गई थी। समिति ने जांच करके सोमवार को रिपोर्ट आला अधिकारियों को सौंपी थी। इसके आधार पर नायर अस्पताल के प्रसूति विभाग की प्रमुख डॉ. यी चिंग लिंग, वरिष्ठ रेजिडेंट डॉक्टर हेमा आहुजा, डॉ. भक्ति महिरे और डॉ. अंकिता खंडेलवाल को अगले आदेश तक सस्पेंड कर दिया गया है। इस दौरान वे बीएमसी के किसी भी अस्पताल में काम नहीं कर सकेंगी।
इस मामले में महाराष्ट्र महिला आयोग ने नायर अस्पताल को नोटिस भेजकर मामले की पूरी जानकारी मांगी है। राज्य महिला आयोग ने भी नोटिस भेजा और पूछा है कि अस्पताल से रैगिंग रोकने के लिए अब तक उठाए गए कदमों का विवरण दें साथ ही यह जानकारी भी मांगी है कि भविष्य में ऐसी घटनाएं न होने के लिए अस्पताल ने किया कदम उठाए हैं।
बहरहाल एक होनहार डॉक्टर का इस हद तक शोषण होना बेहद दुर्भाग्यपूर्ण है कि वह आात्महत्या करने को मजबूर हो जाए। हम समाज, अनेकता में एकता की बातें तो करते है लेकिन जब जाति और धर्म की बात आती है तो हमारी मानसिकता ऐसे कैसे हो जाती है कि हम जान लेने देने पर उतारू हो जाते है।

Asia-Pacific not on track to achieve any Sustainable Development Goal by 2030

By
The CSR Journal
-

On its current trajectory, Asia and the Pacific will not achieve any of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030, according to a new report by the United Nations’ regional arm.

Findings by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) show that for more than half the SDGs, progress has stagnated or headed in the wrong direction. The situation is deteriorating when it comes to providing clean water and sanitation (SDG6), ensuring decent work and economic growth (SDG8) and supporting responsible consumption and production (SDG12).

The region has made progress towards ending poverty (SDG1) and ensuring all have access to quality education and lifelong learning (SDG4). Measures are also underway to achieve affordable and clean energy (SDG7). Yet even where good progress has been made, reveals the report, it is too slow for these goals to be met by 2030.

Launching the Asia and the Pacific SDG Progress Report 2019 at the 75th Commission session in Bangkok yesterday, United Nations Under-Secretary-General and Executive Secretary of ESCAP Armida Alisjahbana called for urgent action to reverse these negative trends. “I hope this report will contribute to targeting our efforts to accelerate progress towards all Goals and to strengthen the region’s commitment to improving the quality of data and statistics essential to measuring progress,” she said.

Many SDG targets related to the environment and natural resources are registering negative trends.  Hazardous waste generation, the reduction in forest areas and the permanent water body extent are the three SDG indicators which are predicted to regress the most by 2030, compared to 2015.

The SDG Progress Report shows major differences in progress between the subregions of Asia and the Pacific which have recorded different successes and face different challenges. Each subregion needs to reverse existing trends for at least three Goals. For example, East and North-East Asia are regressing in sustainable cities and communities (SDG11), climate action (SDG13) and life on land (SDG15). South-East Asia has moved backwards on SDG8, SDG13 and peace, justice and strong institutions (SDG16).

Meanwhile, South and South-West Asia are moving in the wrong direction on SDG6, SDG12 and SDG13. Since 2000, there has been a decline on gender equality (SDG5), SDG8 and SDG11 in North and Central Asia. The Pacific subregion has regressed on zero hunger (SDG2), SDG8, life below water (SDG14) and SDG16.

The lack of reliable data across all Goals and in all subregions is one of the Asia and the Pacific’s biggest challenges. Despite a significant increase in the availability of SDG indicators since 2017, data gaps remain for two-thirds of the global SDG indicators. Nearly one-quarter of all SDG targets lacking evidence relate to the environment.

According to the report, there is scope for the region to make greater use of alternative data sources to complement traditional sources such as surveys and build a more accurate picture of progress towards the SDGs. It also calls for Asia and the Pacific to strengthen its global partnerships and means of implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (SDG17). Progress towards this Goal is necessary to ensure the region has the means to finance, target and implement policy solutions. Failing to do so could jeopardise the achievement of all other Goals.

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Whisper pledges to educate 5 crore adolescent girls about menstrual hygiene in India by 2022

By
The CSR Journal
-

Whisper today pledged to reach out and extend the impact of its flagship ‘Mother Daughter Menstrual Health & Hygiene Program’ to 5 Crore girls by the end of 2022.

As part of its commitment to increase menstrual hygiene in the country, Whisper will reach out to more than 40,000 schools across India. The pledge was made by Whisper at the ‘Need to Break Silence and Build Awareness’ event organized by ASSOCHAM to mark the occasion of ‘World Menstrual Hygiene Day’. Till last year, Whisper’s Mother Daughter Menstrual Health & Hygiene Program has already educated more than 2.5 crore girls about menstrual hygiene, since its inception in 1995.

Vandana Gurnani, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare was the Chief Guest at the event, which was also attended by Padma Shri awardee, classical dancer and activist, Geeta Chandran and Foroogh Foyouzat from UNICEF India among other senior representatives from the government, industry and social organizations working towards menstrual hygiene education.

Suman and Sneha, whose true story about a quiet revolution against the stigma of menstruation was featured in the Oscar winning documentary, ‘Period: End of Sentence’, were also present at the event as special guests.

Chetna Soni, Associate Director & Country Leader, Feminine Care, P&G said, “As an industry, our focus should be to increase awareness and adoption of good quality and safe menstrual hygiene. Our pledge to extend the reach of our Menstrual Health & Hygiene Program to educate over 5 crore adolescent girls about menstrual hygiene by 2022 is in line with this vision. We invite relevant stakeholders across the board – government, social institutions and corporates – to come together and partner with us on this initiative.”

Chetna also highlighted the importance of tackling period taboos head-on. “Till date, we continue to fight taboos and societal restrictions relating to periods, that girls face and lend our voice to empower them to be unstoppable, even during their periods. The conversations that we witness on periods, that appear so obvious today, were a huge challenge not so long ago. A monumental change has taken shape, starting with Whisper’s Cannes Glass Lion Winning campaign – Whisper ‘Touch the Pickle’ in 2014, where we first encouraged & enabled women to talk about and confront period taboos in society.”

Whisper began the journey to normalize menstruation about 3 decades back; it was the first brand to show a sanitary pad, and the first to mention the word ‘periods’ in advertising. At that time, when the brand wanted to advertise on prime time, TV channels thought it was an inappropriate product to advertise. Whisper then got special permission, in order to be the first sanitary pad brand to advertise on prime time Indian Television.

CSR: Talking It Out – Menstrual Hygiene Day

By
Hency Thacker
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Conversation on menstruation has been a taboo for decades in India. In the last few years, with Sabarimala judgement and the film Padman, the topic has been part of debates and conversations quite frequently. To ease these conversations further across the globe, WHO has announced 28th May as Annual Menstrual Hygiene Day, in 2014.
A clear conversation and education on menstrual hygiene is a must for every adolescent girl. With heavy hormonal activity and puberty, the young girls are often vulnerable and impressionable. As a result, they hesitate to talk openly about the issue and end up using unhygienic methods during their menstrual cycles, making them highly prone to infections and diseases. Apart from the physical harm, they also go through mental strain by thinking themselves to be dirty and undeserving while on period.
Understanding the sensitivity of the situation, the state of Bihar has initiated a project the Bihar State Project Education Council and Sarv Siksha Abhiyan, where the schools will have weekly classes on menstruation. The project is a part of Mukhyamantri Kishori Yojana, in which each institute will have a class every Saturday on periods where students will be taught about correct ways to use sanitary napkins, hygiene, reproductive health, etc.
These classes, in the first phase of the project, will be conducted only for the female students in the senior secondary classes but in later phases, the project is expected to rope-in younger girls and moving on the plan of the Department of Education, Bihar is also to sensitise boys about puberty-related issues.
The scheme is expected to affect over 6000 schools. For the execution of it, at least one female teacher from every school is being trained by master trainers. Four teachers from each district were chosen as a master trainer who will further train teachers in their districts.
The unique initiative will not only provide the girls with required training on menstrual hygiene but also serve as a platform for adolescent girls and boys to talk about the challenges they face during a difficult time of puberty. The initiative needs to be replicated by the educational institutions across the country, in order to spread awareness about the issue, and in turn protecting the women of the society from infections and diseases.

Why MBA students should get serious about CSR

By
Kasmin Fernandes
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Business leaders and governments are increasingly identifying environmental issues and social changes as the biggest risks to global business.
For one thing, the depletion of natural resources and the rising costs of scarce resources means businesses need to think about how they can continue to compete while making a positive impact.
It is far easier for a business to manage itself for all its stakeholders than to continuously have to defend itself due to being found out for poor practices.
Good CSR often translates into good economic growth for a company as well, as it becomes easier for firms to attract investment because the company is more transparent, reducing the perceived risk.
Business schools need to prepare MBAs for this reality, and global b-school rankings have started to respond to this increased engagement with social issues, with the Financial Times Global MBA Ranking debuting CSR as a metric in its evaluation this year.
The role of CSR on MBA programmes is rapidly evolving as a result of the economic difficulties over the past five years. After the global recession at the end of the last decade, some, rightly or wrongly, placed blame at the doors of business schools for failing to ingrain the importance of CSR values on their alumni.
Further, protests around the world against the perceived greed fostered in some industries shows a global population becoming increasingly frustrated with a lack of consideration of CSR in business.
An MBA in CSR is the perfect specialization for those interested in working in sustainability roles, including in CSR departments and strategic functions of companies dedicated to improving stakeholder engagement and social/environmental footprint.
By choosing a specialized MBA program in sustainability, you’ll be able to explore business ideas from a different perspective. For example, the ‘triple bottom line,’ which deems a business successful not only by profit, but how it effects humanity and the planet.

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Tata Power curbs the prevalence of Tobacco consumption amongst 1800 children

By
The CSR Journal
-

Adolescence is one of the most important phases of a child’s life. The experiences that children undergo during this phase have a long-lasting impact on them and play an important role in shaping up their future. Keeping this in mind, Tata Power sensitised over 1800 children under its ‘ARPAN’ initiative on the ill effects of consuming Tobacco. The company also educated and trained over 100 migrant workers and 50 Anganwadi workers regarding it during the Tata Volunteering Week II.

Mr Ashish Bhat (Head Performance and Efficiency) and Mr Kaushik Ranjan (Head -Coal Logistic and Plant) conducted 15 Behavioural Communication Change Sessions across 10 schools and communities in the vicinity. They also empowered around 50 Anganwadi workers with knowledge and skills to sensitise children in their surrounding areas.

Since a large number of these individuals belong to the lower socio-economic background residing in slum clusters/rehabilitation settlements, they are highly susceptible to being exposed to tobacco chewing or smoking through family members and/or peer groups.

Speaking on this occasion, Mr Praveer Sinha, CEO & MD, Tata Power said, “Well-being of our operational communities has always been at the heart of Tata Power. These children are the future of our country and as a responsible corporate, we consider it as our responsibility to sensitise them about the ill-effects of a serious issue like Tobacco consumption. Through this initiative, we aim to materialise Tata Power’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of ensuring good health and wellbeing amongst children.”

The organisation is known for using innovative methods such as Pictorial presentations, Documentary films, Q&A sessions, Group discussions, Counselling sessions etc. to address the most pressing issues like these in an effective manner.

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CSR: Addressing Fire Safety In India

By
Hency Thacker
-

A massive fire broke out in Takshashila Complex in Sarthana of Surat district in Gujarat on Friday, 24 May 2019. The accident cost 22 students of a coaching institute being conducted on the roof of the complex, with their lives. The video of the incident with students jumping out of the window from the building in an attempt to save their lives has been in discussion in the country over the weekend.

Reportedly, the fire was a result of a short circuit. It spread heavily because of the presence of highly inflammable materials such as tyres instead of seats and tin roof. Absence of any fire safety equipment and fire exit caused many students to panic and lose their lives.

The Gujarat government has ordered an investigation into the incident. Two fire officers have been suspended for granting a safety clearance to the building. The police have arrested the Bhargav Bhutani, who ran the coaching centre, and have also registered a case against owners of the building – Harshal Vekaria and Jignesh Padgal.

After such fire incidents, the government insists on investigation, which always highlights issues such as non-compliant construction; lack of precautionary maintenance like the upkeep of extinguishers, fire doors, fire exits and their markings and assembly areas; gross overlook of safety procedures such as evacuation drills; and lack of recording of significant consideration for better response towards flammable materials, and their use in cladding and partitions walls. City-wide physical changes like the densification of areas, non-compliant use of properties, and change in their use — which leads to local traffic congestion or on-street parking that constricts fire tender movement or delays their access to the affected area — are also blamed. The pattern that the action is taken only after facing a disaster highlights the indifferent attitude among us.

The laws for governing fire safety are clearly defined in the National Building Code of India, 2016. Part 4 of the code is titled ‘Fire and Life Safety’ which covers the requirements for fire prevention, life safety in relation to fire and fire protection of buildings. The code specifies occupancy-wise classification, constructional aspects, egress requirements and protection features that are necessary to minimise danger to life and property from fire. It specifies the demarcations of fire zones, restrictions on constructions of buildings in each fire zone, classifications of buildings based on occupancy, types of building construction according to fire resistance of the structural and non-structural components and other restrictions and requirements necessary to minimise danger of life from fire, smoke, fumes or panic before the buildings can be evacuated. Despite the well-defined code, the attitude of the engineers, builders, people as well as the inspectors is so indifferent that fire safety is often neglected in the building.

The attitude needs to change immediately. Apart from this, citizens should be educated on what to do if they are stuck in a fire incident. With Corporates and SMEs being more vigil about the fire standards of their office buildings and corporates doing their bit to impart education on fire safety through CSR, this is easily achievable.

Thank you for reading. In addition, your thoughts and inputs will genuinely make a difference to us. Please drop a line and help us do better.

Regards,
The CSR Journal Team

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