Over the past few years, corporate world has understood
that performing socially relevant activities is equally important to gain
positive attention of your target market. Corporate Social Responsibility or Cause Related Marketing (CSR), the term is gaining immense acceptance in the
current business scenario. As per the Wikipedia, CSR refers to the strategy of
managing business to bring about overall positive impact on the communities,
cultures, societies and environments in which they function. Corporate giants
like TCS, Coca Cola, Wipro, Tata Motors and Wipro have undertaken projects that
focus on the development of rural and backward areas and the best part is that government
too exhibiting interest by investing lump sum money in these proposals. Here I
have enlisted the names of Indian CSR champs and the positive outcomes of their
social endeavors.
Project
Care by Gitanjali Gems
In association with Social Service League, a voluntarily
organization running within St. Xavier’s College Mumbai, the CSR division of the
jewelry giant ‘Sambhav’ aimed at upliftment of underprivileged children with
the involvement of student volunteers. Their activities involved socially
relevant projects such as exhibitions, rural camps and blood drives to avail
these kinds with education and create a friendly bond with the help of NGO’s. Winner
of Aaj Tak award in Empowerment and Livelihood category
Project
Jyoti by Microsoft
The project aimed at “bridging the digital divide in the
country by making unprivileged sections computer savvy.” As per the program, CTCL’s
(Community Technology
Learning Centre) were established across 27 states in India too allow
people of all ages to learn computer operation, usage of internet and explore
careers in this zone. The impact was phenomenal as 4, 30,000 people have been
trained in IT skills under this program through 1425 CTCL’s.
Support My School Campaign by Coca Cola & Sachin
It aimed at promoting sanitation
and health related activities in government schools across the country and were
extremely successful. It touched the lives of 43,000 children across 10 states
in India with its target of renovating 100 schools across the country to
increase enrollments and decrease dropouts. The campaign met its target on June
1st. Winner of Gold Standard Award for Public Private Relation
