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The Complete CSR Report of HCL Technologies, Building Strong Communities
HCL Technologies is a next-generation global technology company that helps enterprises reimagine their businesses for the digital age. The company builds sustainability principles and actions into its strategy, culture and day-to-day operations. HCL CSR aims to improve the lives of people around the planet, engaging our employees, clients, stakeholders and the communities we live in, to a higher purpose.
In order to make the most difference in a way that it can do the best for the society, the company focuses its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives on health, education, technology, jobs and people who are denied the benefits and access afforded by science, technology and innovation.
In the FY 2023-24, the company spent INR 291.21 crores under its CSR spending, which is more than the prescribed 260 crores as per the Section 135 of the Companies Act, 2013. With this year’s investment, the company’s cumulative CSR spending reached INR 1400 crores in India, which helped to transform the lives of over 6.5 million people.
The below video highlights the CSR initiatives of HCL Technologies:
Keyphrase: HCL CSR
1. CSR at HCL Technologies
HCL Technologies conducts its CSR initiatives through its CSR arm, HCL Foundation. HCL CSR concentrates its efforts to transform the lives of vulnerable communities in India and around the world.
The company through its flagship CSR initiatives HCL Samuday, HCL Grant and HCL Uday, has impacted the lives of more than 6.5 million people in India. HCL Foundation has been creating opportunities to break the cycle of poverty through its initiatives pertaining to Early Childhood Care and Development (ECCD), Education, Health, Livelihoods, Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH), and Disaster Risk Reduction and Response (DRR) verticals in rural and urban communities. The Foundation has also worked to address environmental poverty through mass plantation, water conservation and rejuvenation, and animal welfare initiatives.
However, the company defines the spirit of its CSR by its “Power of One” initiative which consists of the company’s employee volunteers and contributors who offer their personal time and commitment toward social upliftment.
2. CSR Policy
The objective of the CSR policy of the Company is to lay down guidelines for proper execution of CSR activities of the Company so as to support the sustainable development of the society. The Company has set up HCL Foundation to focus on the CSR activities of the Company. The CSR activities, projects and programmes undertaken by the Company shall be those as approved by the CSR committee and are covered under the areas set out in Schedule VII of the Companies Act, 2013. The Company is doing CSR expenditure in Education, Infrastructure, Women Development, Health, Environment Sustainability, Promoting Gender Equality and Disaster Management.
2.1 CSR Committee
The CSR Committee of HCL Technologies comprises of Ms Roshni Nadar Malhotra, the Chairperson of the company, Mr S. Madhavan, and Dr. Mohan Chellappa.
The CSR activities, projects and programmes to be undertaken by the Company are to be approved by the CSR committee. The CSR Committee is responsible for the approval of undertaking of such activities, projects and programs as are covered in Schedule VII of the Companies Act, 2013. It is also responsible for determining whether the CSR activities, projects and programmes are to be carried out by the company directly, through the trust established by the company (HCL Foundation), or through any other registered trust qualified to take up CSR activities.
It is the CSR Committee’s prerogative to direct the foundation or executive partner of the company for the particular CSR project about the specific activities, projects or programs that are to be undertaken, the modalities for utilization of funds on such projects and programs and the monitoring and reporting mechanisms to be followed in that regard.
3. Power of One – Heart and Soul of HCL CSR
Power of One (Po1) is the backbone for the HCL CSR. The employee-led program is one of the key initiatives of the HCL Foundation. Power of One was introduced with the idea that a small contribution can make a huge difference in people’s lives and can go a long way in making a significant impact in society. HCL Community Champions have shown great commitment toward all volunteer-based activities of HCL Foundation and continue to support our mission of transforming lives and spreading goodwill
Under the program, the HCL Community Champions have shown great commitment towards all volunteer-based activities of HCL Foundation and have clocked over 13,800 volunteer hours this year.
The funds collected through the program are used to support meritorious students through long term scholarships for excellence in academics and sports. These students belong to disadvantaged backgrounds and are family members of HCL’s support staff or part of HCL Foundation supported schools and communities.
Through this initiative, scholars get an opportunity to develop leadership skills, get mentoring and coaching for their subjects and career counselling.
4. HCL Uday
With a vision of clean, green, healthy and empowered communities, HCL Foundation works to break the cycle of urban poverty through its integrated urban development program – HCL Uday. The approach of the programme is based on the intrinsic belief that the urban poor aspire to a life of dignity and self respect. Through this program, HCL Foundation creates opportunities through carefully designed strategies that speak both to their environment and to the ambitions of the community in 11 cities.
The programme is an umbrella initiative under which following projects are being implemented:
4.1 My Community
HCL Foundation’s endeavours in the urban slum communities are grouped under the ‘My Community’ rubric. Through this unique model, HCL Foundation addresses diverse social issues for the same vulnerable population in an integrated manner. The model also involves improving access of existing government service delivery points, by entering into strategic MoUs with relevant government departments. The model is designed in a way to ensure that the target population experiences holistic development, and is educated, healthy, adequately skilled and lives in a healthy environment.
4.2 My School
My School is a State School Quality upgradation project under the ambit of Right to Education. It is aimed at achieving improvement in enrolment, attendance and learning outcomes of students. This is achieved through a participatory model of school development which includes building capacities of all relevant stakeholders in the school’s ecosystem.
4.3 My Scholar
My Scholar is a sustainable career development project for students from weaker economic backgrounds. Under this project, HCL Foundation provides long-term scholarship and mentoring support to meritorious and talented students from HCL project locations and children of HCL’s support staff. The scholarship is funded through Power of One – HCL’s payroll giving program and driven by HCL employees who provide mentoring support to the scholars.
4.4 My Worth
My Worth program uses a self-efficacy model to empower and enable young girls and boys towards self-reliance through a gender transformative approach.
Since inception, Uday has cumulatively reached through NGO partners over 1 million participants, of which 57% are female, and about 2,200 persons with disability, across 92 slums.
Under the Environment pillar of HCL Uday, the foundation managed to cumulatively plant 822,574 saplings. In addition to this the foundation took up 3027 acres of water bodies for restoration and rejuvenation. The Environment vertical is now known as ‘Harit- the Green Spaces Initiative’.
5. HCL Grant
HCL Grant is one of the biggest and most coveted institutionalised CSR grants in India that aims to recognise the rise of the Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) and support their breakthrough projects reaching out to the rural communities in the country.
HCLTech Grant is transforming rural India through grants of ₹5 crores each to three winning NGOs in the environment, health and education categories. The Corbett Foundation (environment), Sangath (health) and Makkala Jagriti (education) were the winners for FY24. A cumulative ₹146.95 crores ($18 million) has been committed to 49 NGOs so far, positively impacting lives of 2 million+ individuals. A total of 20 projects are active across 16 states and 2 Union Territories.
6. HCL Samuday
HCL Samuday is a rural development initiative launched in 2015 with an aim to develop a sustainable, scalable, and replicable model for economic and social development of rural areas. The program covers 619 Gram Panchayats in Hardoi, Uttar Pradesh and in Thoothukudi, Tamil Nadu, positively impacting the lives of over 2.4 million people.
HCL Samuday, has interventions across six verticals for holistic rural development – agriculture, education, health, infrastructure, livelihood, and WASH (Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene).
