India is the first country in the world to make corporate social responsibility (CSR) mandatory, following an amendment to the Companies Act, 2013 in April 2014. Businesses can invest their profits in areas such as education, poverty, gender equality, and hunger as part of any CSR compliance. Yet, regardless of the rule, a lot of companies try to get away from doing CSR and others do a rushed donation before the end of the year just so it can reflect on their books.
But there are some incredible companies out there that focus a lot of time, effort and energy on fulfilling their CSR. The work that they do has far-reaching impact and pave the way for smaller companies to get inspired and follow suit. Here are the top three CSR stories for 2020!
Chicco Many children in India and across the world are fighting against cancer, which is one of the deadliest diseases. These patients need every bit of support, not only from their family members and friends but also from dedicated organizations. This is exactly what Chicco India is doing by joining hands with Chennai-based NGO Sankalp Beautiful World.
Chicco is contributing to free toys and wearables to pediatric cancer patients. The kits are being delivered to the residence of patients by Sankalp Staff, even amidst the crisis situation caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.
“Kids with cancer are already dealing with a lot in their life and giving them relief and sense of normalcy, even for a moment is very important,” said Rajesh Vohra, CEO Chicco India.
Infosys Having carried out an array of CSR activities especially amid the pandemic, Infosys is among the top companies that have initiated a maximum number of CSR works, next to the companies like Tata Chemicals, Mahindra & Mahindra and ITC. Among its recent contributions is the donation of around Rs 20 lakh made by the Chairperson Sudha Murthy to the Mysuru Zoo, on September 25, 2020. This is her second time making similar donations this year. Earlier in May, she pitched in Rs 20 lakh for the zoo’s maintenance.
Ajit Kulkarni, Executive Director of the zoo, said that the donation has been invaluable considering the difficult time they have been going through amid the pandemic. Because of the lockdown, Mysuru Zoo has been shut down for more than three months due to which its revenue has starkly fallen. Even after it has been reopened, the footfall is not anywhere close to the pre-pandemic time.
Amid the pandemic, Sudha Murthy has emerged as a hope for many and a source of inspiration for thousands of others. Under her leadership, Infosys has spent nearly Rs 360 crore in various CSR activities this year including relief works for Covid-19 hit victims with education and health-related programmes. The foundation has launched a 100-bed quarantine set up in
Bangalore in partnership with Narayana Health city and another 182-bedded quarantine facility for covid-19 patients at Bowring and Lady Curzon Medical College & Research Institute.
Sudha Murthy has been independently carrying out social works as well. Recently, upon learning about the hardships of two students who have been climbing a hillock with a table and a car battery for attending online classes, the Chairperson of Infosys Foundation gifted the sibling duo with laptops, internet dongle, subscription fee along with a UPS.
Samsung India As part of the Samsung Star Scholar program, Samsung India has granted scholarships to around 517 meritorious students to study at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) and National Institute of Technology (NIT). The scholarships are offered every year to the less privileged students from JNV (Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas) to encourage these young talents. Currently, SSSP is in its fifth year and has so far helped over 650 students.
Covering expenses related to tuition fee, examination, hostel and mess worth up to 2 lakhs for each student, the scholarships are offered only to those pursuing full-term B.Tech/Dual Degree (B.Tech + M.Tech) course at any IIT or NIT. The scholarships are granted on an annual basis and can be renewed every year for up to five years.
In addition to the Star Scholar Program, Samsung India, in partnership with Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti, has also been striving to provide quality education for rural children under Samsung Smart Class program. So far, more than 430,000 students have been benefitted from this program and over 8000 teachers have been trained as well on the usage of technology.
While these are all of course huge organisations and can afford to do all the work they’ve been doing, we believe each organisation, irrespective of its size, can help someone in the community. The beauty of helping is that the scale doesn’t matter, what matters is if one person has a better future because of you and your help.
This Diwali, dig deep into yourself. Call a meeting of the top leaders in your organisation. Talk about where and how you’d like to help – it could be in your field of business or a field you’ve always wanted to explore. It could be giving a little bit each to a lot of people or a lot to a few people. Pick your cause. Pick your method. It doesn’t matter what you pick. It matters that you do it.
Share the joy. Let’s make the world a kinder place.
