Faridabad is a major industrial and residential city in the State of Haryana. It falls in the National Capital Region (NCR), and has grown enormously during the last couple of decades, particularly because a large number of industries have come up in the town. The city was founded back in 1607 by Shaikh Farid, treasurer of Jahangir, with the object of protecting the highway which passed through the town. Faridabad district became the 12th district of Haryana on 15th August 1979. Faridabad is famous for producing henna, while tractors, motorcycles, switch gears, refrigerators, footwear and tyre-making are other famous industries there.
CSR in Faridabad is witnessing more funding in the recent past because of its proximity to the fast-developing cities of Delhi and Gurugram. Here are some of the highest-rated corporate social responsibility initiatives in this flourishing town
Faridabad was the third largest recipient of CSR funds in FY 2020-21 in Haryana. The district received Rs. 42.89 Cr. in CSR funds in FY 2020-21 from 123 companies. The top three contributors in Faridabad include Escorts Limited, Goodyear India Limited, and L&T – Mhi Power Boilers Private Limited, spending Rs. 10.64 Cr., Rs. 3.12 Cr., and Rs. 2.43 Cr. respectively through CSR. The top three areas of focus of CSR initiatives in the district were Education, Health, and Environment, which received Rs. 22.33 Cr., Rs.13.77 Cr., and Rs. 3.72 Cr, respectively.
AkzoNobel
AkzoNobel is a Dutch multinational company known for creating paints and consumer coating for both industry and consumers worldwide. You will probably the luxury paint brand Dulux, which falls under its stable. The company has rolled out a paints training project for the inmates of Faridabad district jail as a part of its rehabilitation programme for prison inmates. Under this project, 125 inmates were trained in the professional skills of decorative painting. Some of them were employed after the completion of their prison term.
AkzoNobel also partnered with Faridabad Observation Home for young offenders to provide formal training in decorative painting to its inmates. The objective of the project is to equip the youth with vocational skills, making them job-ready as painters once they make their way into the world. This new division of the CSR project was kickstarted with the launch of the first batch comprising 15 students between the age group of 17-18 years at the Observation Home.
In the wake of COVID-19, AkzoNobel India partnered with Faridabad District Prison to make three-layered face masks for frontline health workers, daily wage labourers and their families in Gurgaon.
BLEAP scholarship for girls – Microsoft
On the occasion of Women’s Day 2021, Ed4All – a digital formal education platform – joined hands with Microsoft to roll out 400 scholarships for girl students across eight districts of India, starting with Faridabad. The BLEAP Scholarship for Women of Tomorrow will enable girls to study from Class 9 to 12 on NIOS and Microsoft Learn curriculum. In addition, BLEAP-Microsoft CoNE will help students who can’t afford to purchase the device for e-learning to borrow them and accelerate their learning capacities.
Both are transformational initiatives to support girls to successfully complete their school education by enabling them to be job-ready. Besides access to cutting-edge technology such as AI and Azure, the CSR initiative is also set to provide access to a wide selection of certified technology courses by Microsoft and Pearson’s Certiport and fully prepare them to be inducted into the workforce. Shafi Mohammed, Chairman of Iqraa Public School in Faridabad, who has gender and social equality at the heart of his values, is hopeful this CSR partnership will make Faridabad a 21st-century beacon.
Sai Dham Vocational Training Centre
Shirdi Sai Baba Vocational Training Centre – popularly known as Sai Dham – in Faridabad provides free vocational training to women and youth. Real estate firm Shiv Sai Infrastructure, BHEL, Honda and ONGC are among the many CSR partners of this NGO that has been alleviating poverty since 1988.
Hundreds of women have benefitted from the vocational courses in computers, industrial sewing, elderly healthcare, beauty and wellness, logistics. Take the case of Preeti from Faridabad. Daughter of a mechanic, Preeti was living in a makeshift jhopadi when she joined the Beauty & Wellness training programme at Sai Dham. She acquired the requisite skills and successfully bagged the certificate of Assistant Beautician under National Skill Qualification Framework. The talented young girl went on to become a trainer herself. Thanks to her income, her family was able to build a pucca house for themselves. Preeti is a source of inspiration for other young girls in her community.
Toyota Driving School
The Toyota Driving School in Faridabad was the first one in the Delhi/NCR region. Auto company Toyota’s mission behind this road safety initiative is to have ‘Safest Cars with Safest Drivers’. The NCRB (National Crime Records Bureau) report has revealed that an average of 17 people are killed in road accidents each and every hour, and the primary reason for road accidents is poor road safety practices.
This facility is equipped with driving simulators so that the new driver can learn in a safe and controlled environment. The simulator is based on the cabin of Toyota Etios. This system is said to train the learner about fine control of brake, accelerator, and steering. Moreover, the simulator can also replicate tricky driving situations like fog, rain, low light, driving uphill, and driving downhill. The students are trained to handle basic diagnostics, maintenance and repair of the car. So, it’s not “just another driving school” for getting a driving license, but more of a place that follows a comprehensive approach ensuring that every single student becomes a responsible driver and a safety ambassador in creating a safe road for everyone to use.
