Visakhapatnam, also known as Vizag is a port city in the state of Andhra Pradesh. The city is blessed for its natural harbour, attracting a flourishing shipping industry within its borders. In order to further promote the industries, the government has set up special economic zones in the port city, which attracts a lot of business investment, which further inspires CSR investment in Vizag.

In FY2022-23, Vishakhapatnam was the fourth highest recipient of CSR funds in Andhra Pradesh. The district received Rs 119.39 crore through various CSR initiatives in the given financial year. The top three areas of focus for the CSR programs were: health, education and environment with respective spending of Rs 45.87 crore, Rs 33.08 crore, and Rs 26.66 crore.

Top Companies for CSR in Visakhapatnam

WNS Holdings Limited

WNS (Holdings) Limited, a leading provider of global Business Process Management (BPM) services, through its corporate social responsibility (CSR) arm, WNS Cares Foundation (WCF) has launched mobile libraries in various cities including Vizag. With a fleet of eight vans now, WCF will reach out to over 8,000 children through the mobile libraries in underserved areas across Mumbai, Chennai, Nashik, Pune and Vizag.

“Despite all the progress the countryhas made, there are still areas where children are unable to attend school for various reasons. To help these children, we introduced the concept of mobile library in 2014, and I am delighted to see that it is creating a huge impact, and now reaching out to over 8,000 children in 5 cities. At WCF, our mission is to revolutionize the concept of holistic learning across the globe and eliminate the divide that exists,” said Keshav R. Murugesh, Group CEO, WNS.

WCF refurbishes old vans and converts them into ‘libraries on wheels’. Each van is stationed at an underserved location in the city carrying over 2,500 books in different languages. A teacher travels with each mobile library to teach the basic academic concepts to children. The mobile libraries are equipped with a solar inverter, a water dispenser and an umbrella for the kids to spread out. In addition to this, the van also has a computer-supported by a 4G internet dongle with the purpose to expose the children to the world of technology and give access to more reading material. WCF volunteers also travel with the mobile library and conduct other WCF programs for these children.

Asian Paints

Safar is a healthcare initiative directed towards improving health awareness and correcting the lifestyle habits of truckers. They also get medical care facilities that is both consultative and curative in nature. The project uses mass communication techniques like nukkad natak (street plays), games, interpersonal communication sessions and films to spread awareness on various health issues like ergonomic illnesses, skin diseases and gastritis, among others targeting truck drivers. The initiative is running across seven manufacturing locations including Vizag.

Ola

As part of its nationwide CSR initiative, ‘Drive the Driver’ Fund, Ola Foundation, the social arm of Ola, has partnered with Robin Hood Army to deliver over 25 lakh free meals to driver-partners and their families across 20 cities, including Visakhapatnam. The meal distribution drive has so far provided 1 crore meals for this community thereby benefiting thousands of households across the country. A volunteer-based organisation committed to eradicating hunger, the Robin Hood Army will collaborate with Ola for the on-ground implementation of this activity. The non-profit through its self-sustained network of chapters are in charge of distributing the meals to the driver-partner and their families.

GAIL

Enabling and empowering the marginalized, so that they become agents of change lies at the very heart of GAIL’s Skill development centric initiatives. The PSU is currently supporting the establishment and operation of 6 Skill development Institutes in Raebareli (UP), Bhubaneswar (Odisha), Kochi (Kerala), Vizag (Andhra Pradesh), Ahmedabad (Gujarat) and Guwahati (Assam), jointly promoting it with other PSUs. A total of 2322 candidates have been trained in the 06 SDIs through GAIL’s proportional contribution of Rs. 23 crores in FY 2019-20.