Ludhiana is often dubbed as the Manchester of India for its prominent textile industry. The city famous for its shawls and stoles satisfies the demands of major domestic as well as international brands. The city’s role in the supply chain of many companies makes it a desirable location for CSR investments.
Top CSR projects in Ludhiana
Ludhiana Police goes green with CSR support
In a first in the state, Ludhiana Police commissionerate in Punjab decided to turn their police stations into Green Police Stations. The project was implemented in May, 2023 with CSR support. Ludhiana Police opted for renewable energy as a means to make a green move for conserving our environment. Out of 28 police stations falling under the Ludhiana Police commissionerate, 13 have been equipped with 120-KW rooftop solar power plants which will generate energy. The initiative has been supported by Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) funding from ICICI foundation, Hero Cycles, Ganga Acrowools Limited, Findoc Group and Oswal Group.
Police stations which got solar rooftop include Jamalpur, Moti Nagar, PAU, Division number 1, 2, 5, 6, & 8, Sadar, Dugri, Model Town, Sahnewal and Shimlapuri. The solar power plants were inaugurated by Punjab Director General of Police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav in May 2023. Efforts are on to install rooftop solar power plants at the rest of the police stations under the commissionerate as well as at nearly 400 police stations of Punjab.
This initiative makes Ludhiana the first city in the state to be equipped with solar powered technology under ‘Ujaala – Ek Changi Shuruat’ scheme. Installation of 120-KW solar power plants in police stations is expected to reduce carbon emissions up to 180 metric tonnes annually. This will also save power and cut down electricity bills, expected up to Rs 12 lakh per year. Power generated through these solar panels is expected to replace conventional sources of energy.
Transport Aarogyam Kendra for Truck Drivers in Ludhiana
After Delhi, Mumbai, Namakkal, and Ranchi HDB Financial Services (HDBFS) inaugurated its fifth Transport Aarogyam Centre (TAK) in Ludhiana in September 2023. This initiative is a part of HDB’s CSR programme aiming to address the health issues faced by the highway heroes who are an essential part of the economy.
Strategically located within the transport hub of Heeranagar, Ludhiana’s TAK Centre is equipped with the necessary physiotherapy equipment and has a specialized team of experts proficient in addressing distinct musculoskeletal concerns prevalent among truck drivers. TAK provides free physiotherapy counselling sessions including sensitizing the drivers on the right postures while driving, exercises they can perform while on the move for hours together and other required treatments, promoting a holistic approach to their health and well-being.
Doctors and paramedical staff will also conduct regular visits to truck driver rest areas, petrol stations, and transport nagars within 30 kms radius of the Ludhiana centre, thus ensuring a wider outreach, as per an announcement made by the company.
Doctor treating a truck driver at TAK Centre in Ludhiana
Tree plantation for a greener Ludhiana through CSR
The Chamber of Industrial & Commercial Undertaking (CICU) and EcoSikh, an NGO working for environmental conservation achieved planting 139 Guru Nanak Sacred Forests in November 2023. The forests with at least 60 species of native trees have been planted within a period of one year and six months, the initiative being launched jointly in March 2022 by EcoSikh and Ludhiana industry. This initiative is part of the ‘Lungs of Ludhiana’ programme which aims to plant one million trees in the district in 10 years. A total of 76,000 trees have been planted under this programme till date.
These forests have been planted with Miyawaki methodology on industrial lands, religious grounds, educational institutions, panchayati lands and other government departments. The project aims to restore the biodiversity of Punjab; revive the air quality of Ludhiana and create secure habitats for birds and pollinators.
The project has received CSR support from Prime Steels Processors, which planted the largest forest of 8,200 trees in 0.85 acres of land adjacent to their industrial complex. Other companies supporting the green initiative include Ralson, Sajjan, TK Steel, Weltech, Yodha, Kangaroo, Vikas Ganga Agro, New Swan Group, Dream City, Bajajsons, Ryan School, DPS, and PSP.
CSR of PepsiCo India
PepsiCo India announced last week that the company has extended its Biochar Initiative, a pilot crop residue management program, to the Fatehgarh Sahib and Ludhiana districts of Punjab as a potential solution to address the pressing issue of stubble burning in the northern states of India. This initiative works with farmers in Punjab to better manage harvest residue by using furnaces known as retort kilns to produce biochar fertilizer through a process called pyrolysis.
According to Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), stubble burning in Punjab released 6.8 million tonnes of greenhouse gases and particulate matter between September 15 and November 2, 2022. Biochar production and usage has the potential to reduce GHG emissions significantly compared to other forms of disposal such as heaping while improving soil health and water retention, claims PepsiCo India.
PepsiCo further shared that their Biochar Initiative aligns with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 13 (Climate Action) and SDG 2 (Zero Hunger). Through these efforts, the company also aims to improve the per hectare crop yields for small and marginal farmers while contributing to global efforts to mitigate climate change.
BPCL signs MoU with Tata Memorial Centre
Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL), a ‘Maharatna’ and a Fortune Global 500 Company, announced earlier this month that it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Tata Memorial Centre to provide CSR aid to Homi Baba Cancer Hospital, Sangrur and Homi Baba Cancer Hospital & Research Centre, Mullanpur a unit of Tata Memorial Centre in Punjab.
The MoU signing ceremony took place at an event in Ludhiana in the presence of Shri Sukhmal Jain, Director Marketing of Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited and Doctors of Homi Baba Cancer Research Hospital.
In an effort towards improving health and community development, BPCL announced that they will be funding and investing INR 1,84,87,300/- towards the hospitals to procure hi-tech surgical equipment to enable advance cancer treatments which will be made readily available to the underprivileged population at low costs.
Bharti Foundation
Bharti foundation, the philanthropic arm of Bharti Enterprises, commissioned Sattva to conduct an Impact Assessment Study of its ‘Satya Bharti Abhiyan’ program based in Amritsar and Ludhiana districts of Punjab. Launched in August 2014, the program contributed to the Government of India’s National Mission of ‘Swachh Bharat.’ 32,149 households and institutions were provided toilets free of cost, benefitting over 2,19,872 people. Separate toilets for girls in 14 government schools in rural Ludhiana and 37 separate ladies’ toilets in police stations in the districts were also constructed. The project was completed in December 2021.
The impact assessment study covered a sample size of 1,014 toilets and was undertaken during 2021-22. Mamta Saikia, CEO Bharti Foundation handed, over the Impact evaluation report of the Satya Bharti Abhiyan, to Sh. Vipul Ujwal, Special Secretary, Department of Water Supply and Sanitation, Government of Punjab.
Key findings of the Impact assessment report are:
>98% of the respondents saved time as they did not have to travel to far distances anymore for the purpose of relieving themselves.
>39% of the respondents used the extra time to help with household work whereas 48% of the respondents engaged in productive work.
>84% of the respondents said that the initiative benefitted women. It helps them feel safer and assists in utilizing the saved time in productive activities.
>93% of the respondents believed that the program helped with children’s safety.
>78% households noticed a decrease in the frequency of them falling sick after construction of the toilets.
>32% fall in health expenditure due to improved sanitation and hygiene practices, from an average of Rs. 4,788 to Rs. 3,249 a year.
CSR of ReNew Power
In order to help tackle air pollution in the national capital caused because of Stubble burning in the neighbouring states, ReNew Power joined hands with CII Foundation in 2018-19, to work with around 1000 farmers in 7 villages, covering 7000 acres of farmland in Raikot block, Ludhiana district in Punjab.
Key components of the project included behaviour change interventions involving village-level community interactions and campaigning for farmer awareness; building, developing and implementing a participatory village-level action plan.
Supporting the adoption of tools and technologies and entrepreneurial ventures for in-situ and ex-situ processing of farm straw was another aspect. A total of 24 machines like happy seeder, rotavator with a seed drill, cutter cum spreader were provided as part of the project. These machines were handed over to the local farmer producer organization (FPO) for operation and maintenance.
The FPO will collect a nominal hiring charge (as decided in consultation with farmers, and considering the market rate) that will be used for the repair and maintenance of these machines. The creation of farmers’ knowledge and capacity on sustainable cropping systems involved farm level demonstrations and training. Village Nigrani Committee is a team of volunteers established to monitor the cases of stubble burning, if any, and undertake immediate community level remedial measures to stop it.
