Chennai, formerly known as Madras, is one of the major cities of India in the state of Tamil Nadu. The city is nicknamed the ‘Detroit of India’ as it houses more than one-third of India’s automobile industry. The city is also home to the Tamil film industry, making it a major film production centre. The presence of such economic centres has also made Chennai a favourable destination for CSR initiatives.
In FY 2022-23, Chennai was the top recipient of CSR funds in Tamil Nadu. The district received a total of Rs. 649.87 Cr. from 1247 companies in the last fiscal year. The top three sectors of focus for CSR initiatives in the district were Education, Health and Environment. The top three spenders in the district were Shriram Finance Limited (Rs 56.63 Cr.), Infosys Limited (Rs. 24.82 Cr.), and Sundaram Finance Limited (Rs. 20.29 Cr.).
Top CSR initiatives in Chennai
CSR support for children with special needs in Chennai
Defence and Aerospace electronics solution provider company Data Patterns (India) Limited has supported in the construction of a new building for Jayam Special School, a school for children with Autism, ADHD, Intellectual Disability, slow learning and learning Disability.
The new building of Jayam Special School was inaugurated at Ayapakkam, Chennai in May this year. The company has contributed Rs. 29 Lakhs for construction of four classrooms in the new building.
Jayam Special School has 174 children enrolled, with hostel facility and follows State Board syllabus for education. This new building will help in improving the quality of life for the children while also supporting their educational and vocational needs.
Mammogram machine donated to Cancer Institute Adyar
Kotak Securities Limited has partnered with Cancer Institute Adyar, Chennai, through its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative and presented the medical institute with a mammogram machine for early detection and treatment of breast cancer.
Through this CSR collaboration, Kotak Securities aims to cater to a large women population of Tamil Nadu and other areas. The state-of-the-art mammogram machine installed has cutting-edge capabilities to identify early signs of breast cancer, enabling timely and effective medical treatment.
This is expected to play a pivotal role in ensuring effective diagnosis to approximately 30-35 patients per day, prioritising enhanced treatment outcomes through a smooth and fast process. Being a public charitable institute, the hospital will provide the diagnostic services either for free or at an affordable rate depending on the socio-economic status of the patient. The machine can radiologically penetrate through the layers of the breast, detect any lump or tumour and help fast-track the course of treatment.
Mammogram machine – image used for representation
Scholarship Program for children of Auto and Cab Drivers
Open mobility app Namma Yatri announce a new initiative in August to support the education of children of auto and cab drivers in Chennai and Bengaluru. This scholarship program, called the “Namma Yatri Rising Stars”, provides financial assistance to 10th and 12th-grade students, recognizing their academic achievements and helping them pursue higher education.
The Namma Yatri Rising Stars program aims to uplift over 500 students each year, offering essential support to those who excel academically despite challenging circumstances. Scholarships were awarded at events held in Bengaluru and Chennai. The Chennai event was presided over by Mr. T. Abraham IAS, Commissioner of Technical Education, Mr. M. Arun Prakash, Founder & CEO of Guvi and leaders of driver unions. In both cities, students were selected through a rigorous screening process to ensure that the most deserving and meritorious candidates received the scholarships.
Looking ahead, Namma Yatri plans to expand the scholarship program to more cities and develop additional welfare schemes for the betterment of drivers and their families.
Computer Lab in Chennai for underprivileged students
Digital transformation company Orion Innovation announced the launch of a new corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiative in July which is aimed at empowering underprivileged students through technological education. This initiative will benefit students from the TV Nagar High School Ambattur in Chennai, which is a government-aided school and supported by the Rotary Club of Ambattur.
The computer lab, funded by Orion Innovation, features desktop computers, smartboards, and enhanced learning facilities, including air-conditioning units. This marks a significant upgrade from the school’s previous setup, which consisted of a basic chair and table and five desktop computers.
OI Empower, Orion’s flagship CSR initiative, aims to provide underprivileged communities with access to quality education and technological resources, fostering growth and development. This initiative will include a series of projects designed to enhance learning environments and equip students with the necessary skills to thrive in the digital age.
Orion Senior leaders with students at Computer Lab
CSR of REC Limited
REC Limited, a Central Public Sector Enterprise under the Ministry of Power and a leading NBFC has installed a 2 MW rooftop solar plant at IIT Madras. The solar plant generates around 3.15 million units of clean energy every year, thus helping IIT Madras reduce its carbon footprint. For this initiative, REC Limited was honoured with the ‘Innovative Technology Development Award’ at the ‘Building India 2047: Technology for Better Tomorrow’, an IIT Madras Corporate Social Responsibility Summit in February, 2024.
REC Limited, through its CSR arm, REC Foundation, maintains a strong commitment to CSR and prioritizes projects that have a profound impact on society, with an impetus on sustainable development goals and national priorities.
CSR of ITC
With the aim of supporting India’s commitments towards a cleaner, greener, and healthier tomorrow; and as outlined in UN SDG #12, Sunfeast YiPPee! is creating awareness amongst school children on plastic waste management in line with its Brand mission of creating ‘A Better World’. Through the ‘YiPPee! Better World Programme’, 2.5 lakh students across 400 schools in Chennai have been educated on plastic waste management practices, as per an announcement by ITC.
This initiative is designed to bring behavioural change in students across Chennai through on-the-ground awareness programmes in schools about plastic waste, its impact on the environment, and strategies to reduce, reuse, and recycle plastic waste. Students are encouraged to collect household plastic waste and to deposit it at designated collection points in schools. The plastic waste collected contributed towards the creation of benches and desks made from recycled plastic. These benches are being deployed in schools that need this infrastructure. One such school is Rani Meyyammai Girls Higher Secondary School in Chennai, where 100 benches and desks made from upcycled plastic waste have been deployed.
CSR of Thryve Digital Health
Community dogs, often referred to as stray dogs, are a major part of every Indian city’s ecosystem. However, with the passage of time, there is a decreasing attention toward the welfare of these canine neighbours who voluntarily and selflessly guard the cities, especially the residential areas.
Thryve Digital Health recently set a new World Record for vaccinating the largest number of community dogs in a single day. Organized in partnership with Heaven for Animals – a Chennai-based NGO focused on animal welfare, the company undertook the vaccination of about 1111 dogs as a part of Canvax 2023 on 8th October 2023 at Crescent Ground, Shenoy Nagar, Chennai, as per an announcement.
As a part of its TALL (Thryve Animal Lifeline League) initiative, “Thryve For Good”, Thryve’s CSR arm supports the care of community animals with such interventions including smaller activities like the installation of water bowls across the city of Chennai. As part of this drive, over 1000 community dogs were vaccinated with a 9-in-1 vaccine that included anti-Rabies, DHPPI (7-in-1) and deworming.
CSR of HCL
HCL Foundation (HCLF), the CSR arm of HCL Technologies, has collaborated with the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) and Environmentalist Foundation of India (EFI) to launch the ‘Revive Chennai’s Coasts’ initiative. The campaign aims to sensitise the resident population along the coast about the hazardous impact of ocean pollution and initiate localised community-based solutions through a participatory model for behavioural change.
The year-long campaign that started on World Oceans Day 2020 consists of coastal clean-up and bringing about awareness in Chennai, which is home to the world’s second-longest beach. In the first phase of the campaign, HCLF, GCC, and EFI will kick start clean-up and sensitisation activities in and around the 5-km beach stretch between Ashtalakshmi Temple in Besant Nagar and Kottivakkam in Chennai, India.
Further, as part of its commitment to help improve the coastal ecosystem in 25% of Chennai’s coastline by 2025, HCL Foundation will create ‘Young Community Leaders’ in the form of ‘Ocean Fellows’ as an innovative and sustainable solution to ensure the prevention of waste accumulation. The role of Ocean Fellows’ is to become a role model among the local communities to ensure the prevention of waste accumulation and to improve the coastal & marine ecosystem. The ‘Ocean Fellows’ will undergo rigorous training by EFI in the areas of Leadership, Management and Social Innovation. Post-training, the fellows will join in various activities like community volunteering efforts such as adoption and maintenance of a beach stretch, sensitizing visitors on the use of plastic, introducing ocean-friendly fishing practices, enhanced management of harbours and fish landing sites, eco-sensitization amongst fishing villages etc.
