HCL Foundation, a CSR arm of HCL Technologies Ltd, spent Rs 216 crore during the 2021-22 fiscal on several initiatives across urban and rural development besides environmental action, up by 10.76 per cent from over the year. About Rs 195 crore was the CSR investment made during the 2020-21 financial year, the foundation said.
“HCL Foundation and its partners worked tirelessly with communities to multiply our programme reach by over 12 times since 2016. Our projects are aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals… We remain committed to the long road ahead,” said HCL Technologies CEO and Managing Director C Vijayakumar.
Since 2016, the Foundation has spent Rs 900 crore on CSR programmes that span healthcare, sanitation, poverty eradication, education, skilling and livelihoods, environment and disaster risk reduction, the Foundation said in a statement.
Speaking to PTI, HCL Foundation Vice President and Director Nidhi Pundhir said CSR programmes were implemented during the pandemic unhindered. All planned initiatives were rolled out with a network of partners and staff.
“Over and above the CSR fund spent in 2021-22, the company contributed separately huge funds for addressing the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic,” she said, releasing the Foundation’s annual report for FY22.
1. CSR at HCL Technologies
In India, HCL Technologies implements its Corporate Social Responsibility agenda through its CSR arm, the HCL Foundation. Today, the HCL Foundation drives five flagship programs – HCL Samuday for integrated rural development; HCL Grant to empower non-profits for community-led rural upliftment; HCL Uday to address developmental issues in urban areas; Clean Noida to transform into one of the cleanest cities in India; and HCL Harit for environmental action. In addition, various other special initiatives are undertaken by the HCL Foundation. These include – Power of One, Sports for Change, the HCL Foundation Academy, My E-Haat, and response to humanitarian crises and disaster mitigation. These programs are designed to bring about lasting positive impact on people and the planet through long-term sustainable programs that focus on education, health and sanitation, skill development and livelihood, environment, and disaster risk reduction and response. Child protective strategies, inclusion, and gender diversity remain central in all initiatives of the HCL Foundation, ensuring equitable development and opportunities for all.
2. Rural Programs of HCL Foundation
Driven by a commitment to create self-reliant villages, HCL Samuday and HCL Grant work with local communities to seed sustainable, transformative models and solutions, and create a source code for rural transformation.
HCL Samuday, implemented in Hardoi district in Uttar Pradesh, takes an immersive approach, engaging deeply into the rural communities to build the most needed assets and infrastructure, and then galvanizing the local communities to take charge.
During FY22:
104,072 students and 33,981 neo-literates accessed and benefitted from education initiatives
49,812 outpatient department clinics and diagnostic services were made available through telemedicine, and 40,895 people received mobile health clinic services
5,040 women across 720 self-help groups were trained in financial management
Reliable green electricity from 32 solar mini-grids made available to 4,000 households
370 acres of land reclaimed under the VASUNDRA Program by applying gypsum in land with high pH for 1,848 farmers
2,083 farmers trained at the CATT center in advanced agriculture practices
1,688 households connected with a regular piped water supply through tap connection
3,814 tons of solid waste were managed and 675 garbage vulnerable points eliminated
HCL Grant takes an expansive approach to achieving sustainable rural development by supporting non-governmental organizations (NGOs) involved in path-breaking work across three thematic categories of environment, education, and health. HCL Grant has committed ₹ 95.75 crore with an aim to reach 2.3 million people. So far, more than 844,000 lives have already been touched. As part of the environmental initiatives, more than 65,000 acres of land have been brought under sustainable community governance. The partnerships across various remote corners of the country have ushered in the emergence of innovative community-led solutions and enabled the delivery of solutions at scale.
3. Urban Programs of HCL Foundation
With a bold vision to create a future in which cities embrace their most vulnerable citizens and services converge to offer a life of dignity and self-respect, the HCL Foundation is creating a model for urban socio-economic and environmental development.
HCL Uday leverages the scale of the government, the expertise of NGO partners and the volunteering spirit of its employees to bridge the access gap and reach the city’s poorest residents with quality services. It works through an integrated community development approach using a convergence approach to create a comprehensive and holistic model of urban development.
In FY22, HCL Uday continued its efforts to enable and empower communities to realize their full potential. Reaching out to more than 560,000 (60% women) people in 11 Indian cities, HCL Uday works toward providing comprehensive care and services across various verticals, including early childhood care and development, education, skill development and livelihoods, and health, water, sanitation and hygiene. Programs provide holistic health care and development, mainstreaming children into schools, training, public health improvements, and support of collectives.
Clean Noida is implemented in full partnership with its citizens and the Noida Development Authority. The program works toward creating awareness about proper waste management practices and evolving structured, technology-driven systems and practices for efficient management of waste in the city. Clean Noida is HCL’s commitment to transform Noida into one of the cleanest cities in the world. Clean Noida programme has been appreciated by Noida Authority, for the project’s immense contribution, which has helped Noida to become;
(i) India’s cleanest medium city (3-10 lac population),
(ii) 4th cleanest city (1-10 lac population) and
(iii) awarded 5-Star Garbage Free City (GFC) rating, in Swachh Survekshan 2021.
4. Environment Conservation by HCL Foundation
HCL Harit The green initiative aims to conserve, restore, and enhance indigenous environmental systems and respond to climate change in a sustainable manner through community engagement. HCL Harit is operational in nine states of India. Key achievements during FY22:
Afforestation and Habitat Restoration: 180,984 saplings were planted, taking the total sapling count to 467,240
Water Conservation: 25 waterbodies rejuvenated, taking the cumulative count to 78
Animal Welfare: 29,512 animals were treated and protected, taking the cumulative count to 50,982
Environment Education: 4,001 people benefitted, taking the total reach to 7,515
Coastal & Marine Conservation: ~290,000 mangrove saplings raised for plantation; ~20,500 kgs ghost nets collected and ~4,000 Olive Ridley eggs relocated to the hatchery
In Conclusion
HCL Technologies has been spending over Rs. 100 Crores on CSR consistently for many years. With a cumulative investment of more than ₹ 900 Cr so far, HCL Foundation has impacted more than 3.7 million lives across 22 states and three union territories of India.
