CSR News: Deutsche Bank and Swades Foundation to plant 40,000 fruit trees in Raigad

Deutsche Bank and Swades Foundation today announced a CSR initiative by which 40,000 fruit-bearing trees will be planted in the Raigad district of Maharashtra, impacting the lives of over 4,000 people living there.

The initiative marks 40 years since Deutsche Bank opened its first branch in India (in Mumbai) and also four years of a successful corporate social responsibility (CSR) partnership with Swades Foundation in Raigad district. The trees, which will begin bearing fruit in 3-4 years, are expected to generate an annual income of INR 6 crores for the beneficiaries.

“Supporting small-scale agriculture has a significant impact on reducing rural poverty as it offers the most direct route for people in rural areas to benefit from land and labour – their principal assets,” said Kaushik Shaparia, Chief Country Officer, Deutsche Bank India. “We’re confident that our partnership with Swades Foundation will meaningfully transform the lives of people in Raigad district.”

“Deutsche Bank’s relentless efforts towards rural upliftment in India are noteworthy and we are happy to be part of the shared vision to transform and empower India at a grassroots level. Deutsche Bank has been one of our biggest supporters in rural transformation in the last four years and we look forward to celebrating many more exciting milestones together,” said Ronnie Screwvala, Founder, Swades Foundation.

Deutsche Bank’s CSR partnership with Swades Foundation, now in its fourth year, has impacted the lives of 43,500 people in the Raigad district of Maharashtra so far and has involved the bank’s employees volunteering over 2,500 hours since April 2018. Through its ‘In the Community’ programme, Deutsche Bank has worked with Swades Foundation to touch the lives of over 10,000 rural families, providing sustainable access to clean water in homes as well as in the fields to promote agri-based livelihoods.

Following the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, Deutsche Bank and Swades Foundation have together distributed over 11,000 grocery and daily essentials kits in rural homes in Raigad since April. In Mumbai, the bank has also supported Swades Foundation in providing nine ventilators and 14 oxygen concentrators to Dr R N Cooper Municipal General Hospital and HBT Trauma Care Hospital.

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