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CSR: Most effective & standard business practice of the modern retail era

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Sandeep Kumar
Sandeep Kumar
A multimedia journalist with over eleven years of experience in print and digital media, Sandeep Kumar is assistant editor with Images Group. Books, retail, sports and cinema are an inextricable part of his life.

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is an expansive term used to describe a company or an organization’s efforts to improve society in some way. It doesn’t matter then whether the company is private or government, a shopping mall or a retail store, a bank an NGO or even a multinational company. CSR efforts can range from donating money to non-profit groups to implementing environment-friendly policies in the workplace.

With the introduction of mandatory spending on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) brought on by the Companies Act 2013, companies in India and across the world have shifted focus from anticipating change and understanding the impact of this change to actually being the change.

Firms have started gauging the ramifications of their decisions and activities on society and the environment, some even going the extra mile to give back to their employees, their valued patrons, the community and the world at large. CSR activities by malls and brands today is helping scale customer engagement and brand popularity.

A handful of international and national companies have developed solid reputations for being do-goodersand turning their success into an opportunity to help others.

Abhishek Bansal, Executive Director of Pacific India Group, highlights the importance of CSR activities saying, “Social responsibility is important to a business because it demonstrates to consumers that the company takes an interest in wider social issues that have no direct impact on profit margins. These issues may be local, national or global, but a concern for the health and wellness of others that does not involve sales can be seen as commendable, if handled well.”

Harshvardhan Singh Chauhan, Central Marketing Head at DLF Shopping Malls, adds, “We at DLF Shopping Malls believe that the awareness levels around social responsibility within the corporate sector need to be taken a notch higher. Large corporate must undertake dedicated, mission-mode philanthropic activities in a targeted and result-oriented manner, in order to make a lasting difference. As a responsible corporate, we have been continuously evolving at the CSR front and devising action-based solutions to help and support the society and fulfill their unrealized aspirations for a better life. Our interventions in the areas of health, education, and employment linked skill development are playing its part in this endeavour to create sustainable economies and transform stagnant lives into active partnerships.”

Says Mukesh Kumar, Senior Vice President – Infiniti Mall, “It is the pathway to everything good that a business could want like customer loyalty, brand awareness, and buying experience.”

Why CSR: The Benefits

CSR has become one of the standard business practices of the modern retail era. For shopping malls and retail brands, being committed to CSR means stature and an enhanced overall reputation – a powerful statement of what they stand for in an often-cynical business world. The aim is to achieve a positive impact on society as a whole while maximising the creation of shared value for the owners of the business, its employees, shareholders and stakeholders and consumers.

Improves Public Image: Brands and malls that demonstrate their commitment to various causes are considered more philanthropic and generous than those whose CSR endeavors are pretty much non-existent. Public image improves due to its interactive programs which increase footfall. It is a known fact that consumers feel good shopping at institutions that help the community. Usually malls conduct events and support nonprofits through monetary donations, volunteerism, in-kind donations of products and services, and strong partnerships.

 It doesn’t matter if a brand is doing a lot to save the environment and give back to society if nobody hears about it. The amount of good work a company can do in its local communities as part of CSR gets the maximum reach and benefits only if it gets coverage by the media. It helps in building the brand and also makes it popular among the target audience. It also develops a healthy relationship with the media. Media visibility is only so useful in that it sheds a positive light on the shopping mall and brands.

Boosts Employee Engagement: “CSR activities strengthen the bond among employees. People develop a habit of working together as a single unit to help others. In fact, they start enjoying work together and also become good friends in due course of time. They also develop a sense of loyalty and attachment towards their organization which is at least thinking for the society. Corporate social responsibility also goes a long way in building a positive image of the brand,” says Bansal.

Happy employees always equal better output. Employees like working for a shopping mall that has a good public image and is constantly in the media for positive reasons. When brands and malls show that they are dedicated to improving their communities through corporate giving programs (like matching gifts and volunteer grants) they are more likely to attract and retain valuable, hardworking, and engaged employees.

Attracts & Retains Investors: Investors who pour huge capital into malls and brands want to know that their funds are being used properly. Not only does this mean that corporations must have sound business plans and budgets, but it also means that they should have a strong sense of corporate social responsibility. When companies donate money to nonprofit organizations and encourage their employees to volunteer their time, they demonstrate to investors that they don’t just care about profits. Instead, they show that they have an interest in the local and global community. Investors are more likely to be attracted to and continue to support companies that demonstrate a commitment not only to employees and customers but also to causes and organizations that impact the lives of others.

Encourages Professional & Personal Growth: Brands and malls with an active CSR culture can easily promote volunteerism among employees and encourage them to donate to nonprofits. When employees contribute their time and money to worthy causes, they develop professionally and personally. By helping those in need and volunteering as teams, employees learn to work better together on important projects. Employees also experience a sense of pride when they know that they work for a company that cares about the community and encourages them to be passionate about worthy causes.

CSR activities at the MNCs/Corporate/ Brands

Landmark Group

Landmark group have always believed in creating exceptional values for all the lives they touch. From supporting initiatives that make a difference to where it counts most including diabetes researchand creating much-needed awareness among 100 million people to empowering 1.5 million children through school outreach program as well as improving the quality of education in developing countries. The group has passionately created over 23 initiatives reaching over 332 million people through their wonderful family of brands. With an aim to build a happy and healthier society for all including our 98 million customers and 58,000 employees across 20 countries. They also believe that making a positive change in individual life will ultimately touch the lives of the millions.

Beat Diabetes: Launched in 2009, the Beat Diabetes initiative focuses on spreading awareness about the prevention and management of diabetes across the GCC and India. The initiative conducts year-round programmes, community events and media campaigns, to help manage and prevent diabetes. It has reached over 100 million people to date, covering around 20 million people each year, with over half a million benefitting from the free blood glucose tests alone. Key yearly activities include ‘Take the Test’ or free blood glucose testing; ‘Get Active community-centric fitness events; Eat Healthy cooking sessions and the Super Kidz programme, to name a few. The initiative’s activities culminate with the Beat Diabetes Walk organized across five territories every November, to mark the World Diabetes Month.

Safe H20: Access to clean drinking water is necessary for health and to reduce waterborne fatalities across communities. The Safe H2O programme was initiated and implemented by the employees of the Landmark Group in Bangalore, India. Under the programme, employees help identify government schools and anganwadis close to Landmark stores that need access to pure and safe drinking water. Water filters are then installed in these areas and monitored every month by the employees. The programme has helped provide 250 maintenance-free water filters to over to 113 government schools and anganwadis in 18 cities across India, thus giving31,000 children access to safe drinking water.

Mid Day Meals: Through the mid-day meal programme, Landmark Group attempts to provide better nourishment to children in school across India. By offering one wholesome meal a day, we strive to give children the motivation and sustenance they need to pursue their education and enjoy a better future. The Group supports Akshaya Patra Foundation, a non-profit organization based in India, and provides meals to more than 15,000 children everyday across 49 schools in Bangalore, Hubli, Guntur and Visakhapatnam.

Social Health Education: Social Health Education, popularly known as SHE, promotes awareness of women’s healthcare and hygiene in the low-income neighborhoods of Bangalore, Chennai and Delhi in India. The initiative conducts healthcare sessions covering subjects such as basic hygiene, reproductive health and childcare. In the last two years, over 5,700 women have benefitted from the initiative.

 Major Brands

The main goal is to aid institutions which work towards the betterment of the underprivileged or specially-abled. Subsequently to enhance their quality of life and mainstream them into the corporate workforce. Currently, Major Brand is working on two themes our association with some these organizations consists of two themes, mainly Child betterment and Women’s Emancipation through Skill Development. For child betterment & education, Major Brands partnered with Karuna Sharan Welfare, a non-profit organization that strives for the relief and development of destitute, abandoned, orphaned, underprivileged and abused children without any caste or religious discrimination with an aim to shelter, educate and equip them for a brighter and independent life. Presently Karuna Sharan provides a home for 50 boys, a KG-10th-grade education in a quality English Medium School and a sports Program. The brand is also partnered with Muskaan Foundation, an organization that works with children with Multiple Disabilities and Visual Impairment (MDVI). MDVI children require a variety of services, other than schooling, such as physiotherapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, sensory integration therapy and vision rehabilitation program.

Patanjali

Patanjali personifies the essence of Corporate Social Responsibility because they believe profits of Patanjali Ayurved Ltd are not for any individual but are for the betterment of the society. The main area of CSR activities are education and health. Patanjali provides modern education through Gurukul system for girl child and poor students.  The major activities include Acharyakulam, Kushthrogi and Patanjali Gramodyog.

Sri Sri Tattva

Sri Sri Ravishankar Vidya Mandir Trust, with coordination with Art of Living Foundation, generously contributes towards the welfare of society. They regularly hold medical camps in rural areas, especially in villages that are homes to our workers. They also support various educational programs in the urban, slums and selected tribal belt.

The main projects include Capgemini SSRVM CSR Connect Project, Capgemini SSRVM – Project Akshara,  Capgemini & SSRVM session for menstual cycle awareness.

Capgemini SSRVM CSR Connect Project: The School Adoption Program is a CSR initiative of Capgemini, the global leader in consulting, technology and outsourcing services, in association with Sri Sri Ravishankar Vidya Mandir Trust of The Art of Living. The project commenced in 2014 and 30 Municipal/ZillaParishad schools have been adopted in Thane, Navi Mumbai and Pimpri/Chinchwad in the state of Maharashtra.  The project aims at enhancing the learning environment of these schools at the physical as well as psychological level. The physical environment and availability of basic amenities like sanitation, safe drinking water and a safe setting (internal as well as external) is one of the most vital factors that impact the ability to teach and hence learn in a school.  The list of activities undertaken by this project includes Provision of proper sanitation facilities, minor civil works, provision of Water Filters, benches, e-learning facilities,  Computer Lab and Training, Library books, First Aid kits etc.

Capgemini SSRVM – Project Akshara: Under the Akshara Project notebooks are being distributed to over 40 TMC schools covering over 9,000 students. The project on an all India basis is covering over 400 schools in 9 cities.

Nestle

The focus area of Nestle is firmly embedded in their purpose. The three main ambitions include Individuals and families, communities and the planet as a whole, and the efforts in each of these areas are supported through their public commitments. The commitments are:

Nutrition, health and wellness
– Launch more nutritious foods and beverages, especially for mothers-to-be, new mothers and children
– Further decrease sugars, sodium and saturated fat
– Increase vegetables, fibre-rich grains, pulses, nuts and seeds in our foods and beverages
– Address under-nutrition through micronutrient fortification
– Simplify our ingredients list and remove artificial colours
– Support breastfeeding and protect it by continuing to implement an industry-leading policy to market breast-milk substitutes responsibly

Rural development
– Roll out of rural development baseline assessments to understand the needs of farmers
– Improve farm economics among the farmers
– Improve food availability and dietary diversity among the farmers

Water
– Work to achieve water efficiency and sustainability across our operations
– Advocate for effective water policies and stewardship
– Treat the water we discharge effectively

Environmental sustainability
– Provide climate change leadership
– Reduce food loss and waste
– Preserve natural capital, including forests

Employees
– Enhance gender balance in our workforce and empower women across the entire value chain
– Roll out the Global Youth Initiative across all our operations
– Provide training on Corporate Business Principles, Nutrition and Environmental Sustainability
– Advocate for healthy workplaces and healthier employees

P&G

P&G’s flagship Corporate Social Responsibility Program Shiksha- Padhega India, BadhegaIndia,  is an integral part of our global philanthropy program – Live, Learn & Thrive. Shiksha has till date helped 280,000 underprivileged children access their right to education. The program has built & supported over 140 schools across India, in partnership with NGOs like Round Table India (RTI), Save the Children (STC), Army Wives Welfare Association (AWWA) and Navy Wives Welfare Association (NWWA), amongst others. Shiksha’s vision is to help India get to 100 percent Shiksha someday, and it is working towards this vision in partnership with these NGOs. Another initiative Parivartan – The Whisper School Program has been protecting millions of adolescent girls in India from getting trapped in traditional practices of using unhygienic cloth for sanitary protection, by providing timely menstrual education. The program has been improving the lives of over 2 Million girls annually across 15,000 schools in India. The objective of the program is to help adolescent girls embrace womanhood positively and enable them to adopt the right feminine hygiene practices to stay healthy and stay in school. Parivartan ensures that adolescent girls do not miss school on account of periods and initiates a series of cascading effects leading to an equal gender status in the state.

Raymond

The Raymond group has always strived to contribute to different sections of the society. Beyond business, the objective of Raymond’s social initiatives are conceptualized to create inclusive growth for the lesser privileged sections of the society. The major activities include:-

JK Trust Gram Vikas Yojana: The mission of is to significantly improve the quality of life in rural areas through a Cattle Breed Improvement Programme (CBIP). The surplus milk production achieved through this programme has helped to reduce infant mortality and malnutrition amongst children, creating employment and thus alleviating poverty in 11 states of India.

JK BovaGenix: This first-of-its-kind breeding program utilizing in-vitro fertilization of selected indigenous cattle breeds was launched on 20th July, 2016. JK BovaGenix aims to achieve 1,000 IVF pregnancies within a year of its commissioning and scale it to 10,000 by 2020. This pioneering initiative is conceptualized to produce genetically superior cattle breeds at a rapid pace, thereby enhancing the milk yield in a short period of time.

Community Initiatives Skilled Tailoring Institute: A unique employment linked CSR initiative of Raymond is the Skilled Tailoring Institute by Raymond (STIR) conceptualised to train unemployed youth, women, minority community and lesser privileged sections of the society in the art and science of tailoring. It has three centres situated in Kolkata, Jaipur and Lucknow.

Raymond Rehabilitation Centre: The centre focuses on welfare of underprivileged children over the age of 16. The three-month vocational courses comprise of basic training in electrical, air-conditioning and refrigeration repair, tire puncture and repair, plumbing etc which enables students to be independent and financially self-sufficient.

Aditya Birla Retail Limited

The Aditya Birla Group is working in 5,000 villages, reaching out to 7.5 million people annually through the Aditya Birla Centre for Community Initiatives and Rural Development focusing on Health-Care, Education, The Girl Child, Sustainable Livelihood, Women Empowerment, Infrastructure and Espousing Social Causes. ABRL CSR activities are spread across 17 states pan India.

Healthcare
– Over a million patients treated at 5,000 medical camps and our 20 hospitals annually.
– More than 1,200 children underwent cleft lip surgery.
– 50 deaf and mute children (0-5 years) underwent the cochlear implant surgery. This was a life-changing experience for the children as they can now speak and hear.
– Over 5,000 physically challenged persons have been provided with artificial limbs making them self-reliant in Karnataka (Harihar – 3,000 persons) and at Lucknow (Jagdishpur). This is done in collaboration with Bhagwan Mahavir ViklangSahayata Samiti.
– Helped immunise 70 million children against polio over the last 7 years. For the last 3 years, they have been working with Rotary International on non-resurgence of polio.
– Mother and Child Healthcare projects serve 1 lakh women and their children every year.
– Village Social Entrepreneurs Project in healthcare covers around 3 lakh people at 100 locations in 4 states (Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh).
– Across the group, under the Revised National Tuberculosis Control Program (RNTCP), ABRL caters to 5,000 patients and administer the drugs under DOT (Directly Observed Treatment).
– HIV Aids Awareness programmes have reached out to 30,000 people annually.
– Installed 50 Reverse Osmosis Plants (RO) which provide drinking water to villagers near our units.
– In their endeavors towards open defecation-free villages, ABRL has helped set up over 22,000 toilets, partly leveraging Government schemes for the social sector. In 50 villages, spanning over 2,000 households in Jammu & Kashmir, they have provided 2,010 toilets.

Sustainable Livelihood programmes
– Vocational Training Centres and the Aditya Birla Rural Technology Park accord training in sustainable livelihood projects to 95,000 people.
– Through the Aditya Birla Skills Foundation, 5 large Multi Skill Multi Sector Training Centres have been set up in Raipur, Udaipur, Vadodara, Bhopal and Nagpur, creating an annual capacity of approx. 2,000 urban poor (18 – 30 years). Short term (2 to 3 months) different skills training programmes are being offered to the youngsters at these Centres ranging from hospitality to computers to electronic and electrical repair to cosmetology.
– Established Applicators Training Programme in Rajasthan, which provides special training to masons and others in the construction sector. So far, over 8,000 people of which 2,000 are women have been trained. Every person trained as an applicator earns between Rs.10,000 to Rs.15,000 a month.
– In a collaborative project with CII and Sector Skills Council – Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY), the group runs 6 centres. Up until now 2,200 youngsters (college dropouts and unemployed youngsters) have benefited. Through this project, these youngsters are trained in automobile repairing, electrical services, IT-enabled services, beauty and wellness, BPO, retail sales, garment designing, courier services and logistics.

Model villages
– Aditya Birla has been engaged in creating model villages in rural India. This is game-changing transformative project. 300 villages have been chosen for this transformation – whereby, in a five-year timeframe, the villages will be self-reliant in every aspect, moving out of the “below the poverty line” status. So far, more than 90 villages in India’s hinterland have already reached the level of model villages. These are located in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, Gujarat, MP and Rajasthan.

SSIPL

The SSIPL Foundation is an independent entity working in India to affect positive social change through targeted corporate philanthropy. Though still in its nascent stage, it has been contributing to welfare and development activities in the fields of Education, Health, Safe Drinking Water, Empowerment of the Physically Challenged, Neighborhood Community Development and Environment by donating, in cash or kind, to various charitable trusts like Pall Can Care, Heartcare Foundation of India, Shri Niwas Sewarth Nyasa and Guru VishramVriddh Ashram (Sheows), Sagroli Sunrise, In Rio, letsenable.com, ShradhanandSewa Singh.

Shoppers Stop

Shoppers Stop have been commencing eco- friendly Initiatives since 2007 with the mission to conserve energy and formulated ‘Energy Management Policy’. The evaluated opportunities available is to advocate 3 R mainly Reduce-Reuse-Recycle. Solar Pipe system was installed at the Mumbai Store to maximizes the concept of Renewable Energy by reflecting, intensifying sunlight & even normal daylight, down through a pure silver base mirror-finish aluminum tube.

Waste and leftover materials post project execution were reutilized for creating infrastructure at government schools of underprivileged children. Wastage Reduction in Landfills was made that created facility for students. Introduction of ‘Back To Earth’ merchandise range in home products made of eco-friendly material, chemically untreated cotton, bamboo, jute & dead wood. Each vendor provides certification for using dead wood to manufacture goods and also plants trees maintaining nature.

Colgate-Palmolive

Colgate-Palmolive long-term sustainability strategy is focused on three areas: People, Performance and Planet. Colgate has programs in place to promote oral health in communities, to reduce energy use and to increase efficiency.

People
– Continuously improve employee health and reduce health risks by 15 pc
– Encourage healthier living for Colgate People and their families
– Ensure a safe and healthy work environment with a goal of zero lost-time incidents
– Expand ‘Colgate Bright Smiles, Bright Futures’ program to reach 1.3 billion children
– Partner with animal shelters to help over 2 million dogs and cats find a home. Learn more about Hill’s Food, Shelter & Love program.
– Reach 60 million people annually with handwashing education
– Expand “Colgate Cares Day” globally to be a leader in volunteerism

Performance
– Reduce our manufacturing water intensity by half compared to 2002
– Replenish water withdrawn in highly stressed regions
– Increase supplier participation in our water stewardship program
– Partner with local and global organizations to bring clean water to underserved areas of the world
– Promote water conservation awareness to all our global consumers. Learn more about our commitment to saving water
– Responsibly source forest commodities to reach zero net deforestation. Learn more about our policy on no deforestation.
– Promote the use of renewable energy and reduce absolutely greenhouse gas emissions from manufacturing by 25 percent
– Partner with key suppliers, customers and consumers to reduce energy, greenhouse gas emissions and waste

CSR Activities By Premium Malls

Viviana Mall

Pankh-Wings of Destiny: The mall launched ‘PANKH’- Wings of Destiny (a joint initiative with TRRAIN and Youth4Jobs Foundation) center for training and shaping careers of Persons with Disabilities (PwD’s) within the premises of the mall. PwD’s are employed through the mall’s and Pankh’s strong network of retailers driving inclusion in their organizations. The Pankh centre is the mall’s second initiative inside the mall premises to support equal access & opportunities for persons with disabilities to further empower them and give direction to their career.

Training for visually impaired: Viviana Mall in association with XRCVC assist visually impaired persons to learn, understand and use New Technology. Special training workshops are arranged to enhance skill sets suitable for banking and government jobs. This year, the mall had arranged a special training for visually impaired persons so that they even try and use to the online transaction that has suddenly become the wave in order to go cashless. Special trainers gave hands-on training to visually impaired persons regarding UPI digital payment channels at the mall.

World Disabled Day:  Viviana – XRCVC Resource Centre felicitated achievements of differently abled on the World Disabled day. The mall organized a fun evening for differently-abled kids and provided them a platform to showcase their dancing, singing and other hidden talents on the world disabled day to spread the message that ‘They are not disabled but they are specially abled’.

Independence Day: To make the Independence Day special, Viviana Mall organized a bouquet of events – blood donation camp, cancer awareness drive and paint the wall contests to make this Independence Day more noble and expressive.

On the occasion of Women’s week in March 2018, Viviana invited Women Acid Attack survivors to create awareness and campaign of stopping acid sale and acid attacks. Laxmi Agarwal, the Indian campaigner with Stop Acid Attacks and a TV host, who is also a survivor of acid attack was the guest of honor for the event at the mall. Acid attack survivors from NGO Acid Survivors & Women Welfare Foundation (ASWWF) not only walked the ramp with confidence and style but their fighting spirit struck emotional chords of everyone at the ExtraordiNAARI event.

On the occasion of Women’s week in March 2017, Viviana invited Ms. HemanginiPatil, Deputy RTO of Thane to felicitate women achievers. Ms. Belinda Pereira, an inspiration for serving the under-privileged bagged the coveted ‘ExtraordiNAARI’ 2018 title.

Pacific Mall

During their summer festival event, special celebrations we arrange special sessions for children who are a part of some of the NGO’s and Schools that we regularly partner with. In our last summer camp, around 45 Kids from ‘Chahat Special School’ who came to the mall to inaugurate the event and spend the entire day learning and doing fun activities at the mall. Pacific regularly provided space to NGO’s and another special group at the Mall to conduct awareness campaigns and other initiatives, like blood donation camps, health camps to name a few.  Among others, they partner with Tihar Jail to sell products manufactured by in-house prisoners and with Goonj to donate clothes and other essential items. They also conduct periodically Disaster Management Drills involving all concerned authorities i.e. Police, Fire, traffic, MCD. Hospitals etc. and also frequently work with the Police and Traffic teams to conduct various awareness campaigns.  At Children Day, Pacific Mall celebrated by inviting 35 Children aged 7 – 15 yrs from NGO Khushiyan were invited to be a part of their special day. As part of on-going annual reach-out campaigns on New Year celebrations, Pacific Mall spreads joy by visiting the nearby slum areas to distribute food packets to the needy.

Pacific Development Corporation Limited with its motive ‘PACIFIC- Let’s Create Together’ believes in the involvement of the society at large to create and build future India and deliver the quality services to the countrymen. We strive to take care of the interest of all the stakeholders of the company, whether it is regulatory authority or customers or shareholders or the locality or environment where it operates or residents. Pacific partners with non-government organizations (NGOs) and various societies to make a difference among local communities where it operates and works towards removing malnutrition, improving healthcare infrastructure, supporting primary education, rehabilitating abandoned women and children, and preserving Indian art and culture.

Infiniti Mall

Infiniti Malad held anti-drug awareness program in association with Mindspace and Mumbai Antinarcotic Department. The program was a much needed ‘wake-up call’ to warn people about the harmful effects of drug abuse. The program also had a focus on parents as a way of preventing children from resorting to the use of drugs. The mall along with Mumbai Traffic Police organized awareness program about Traffic Rules and regulations for the citizen.

Ambience Mall

Mend a Heart – a CSR initiative by the Ambience malls to help the unprivileged by raising funds for them; On Independence Day 2016, Ambience Malls, Gurgaon and Vasant Kunj, along with Smile Foundation, initiated a CSR campaign called ‘AuctionAtAmbience’ for the welfare of deprived children. The money made from this activity was given to the Smile Foundation.

LuLu Shopping Mall

Under LuLu Smiles, has been doing a lot of CSR activities on health awareness and social campaigns, mainly blood donation camps, eye check up, vaccination camps, BMD screening and diabetes check-up and consultation on World Diabetes Day.

Inorbit Mall

Inorbit conducted ‘The Tree of Smiles’ campaign at all the five locations. In this campaign, Inorbit gives its shoppers an opportunity to play Santa for underprivileged kids. Through this campaign, patrons can buy gifts like stationery; toys etc. and drop it in the giant stocking set up at the mall. Once the collection drive is over the gifts are handed over to an NGO.

High Street Phoenix

The mall hosted Palladium Anniversary in September, wherein they portioned out 5 percent of Palladium brand sales on that particular day and the proceeds are then handed over to an NGO’s like Light of Life Trust that works towards the betterment and transforming the lives of the underprivileged kids. Similarly, for all the kid’s related events and parties such at the time of Christmas, Halloween and Easter that we host at Palladium, the tickets sales proceeds are donated to such NGOs.

PhoenixMarket City

The CSR activities for 2017 were:
– Phoenix Festival of Giving organized by Smile Foundation.
– Green Peace – Environment Day
– Cook for a Smile – In association with Smile Foundation
– UNICEF Awareness Drive
– Green Peace – Waste to Food
– World Yoga Day – In association with Reebok

Nexus Mall

The key activities conducted by Nexus Mall were:
– Celebrated World Autism Awareness Day which comprises of skits, awareness talks & performances by special kids. Ahmedabad One, in association with ‘Saransh Foundation’ utilized the day for spreading awareness amongst its customer range & showcasing some performances by the talented special kids
– Summer Workshop for Underprivileged children at Ahmedabad One
– Cleanliness Awareness Day at Ahmedabad One
– Distributing clothes to Underprivileged children by Elante Mall in association with NGO Serve Humanity, Serve God
– ‘World Environment Day Awareness Drive’ by Ahmedabad One
– ‘No Tobacco Day Awareness Drive’ by Ahmedabad One
– ‘World Deaf Day Awareness Drive’ by Ahmedabad One
– Westend Tiger Trail: One of its first kind initiatives to promote & support Tiger conservation in India by bringing together Wildlife Photographers, Wildlife Conservation Activities, Kids & Customers together under one activity
– ‘International Day’ of  for disable people by Ahmedabad One
– ‘Rural Women Empowerment’ by Ahmedabad One in association with Samvedana, to showcase and educate the women on how the products reach the customers through a retail format
– Seawoods Grand Central Mall to open art gallery- Part of ‘Nexus One’ community initiative programme to promote local talent.

DLF Malls

Aravalli Utsav at DLF CyberHub: A ten day long initiative by DLF to spread awareness on the importance of Aravalli Ranges was organized in the month of February 2018. One of its kind documentation to build awareness among the citizens from all walks of life such as students, photographers, birders, environmentalists, conservationists, researchers and policy makers, as well as the general public on the significance of Aravallis in their life.

Aravalliscapes-Photo exhibition: A photo exhibition of over 130 unframed images was curated by renowned Indian photographer Aditya Arya. This is a documentation of the landscape over a period of one year by eight photographers: Ankur Dutta, Aoun Hasan Naqvi, Bhavesh Bhati, Manu Yadav, Mohit Agrawal, Prakhar Pant, Srishti Bhardwaj,and Sandeep Biswas. It is a tribute to the Aravallis that have withstood the onslaught of nature’s own extremities and is an initiative carried out under the aegis of the India Photo Archive Foundation.

3D Experiential Zone: Aravalli Utsav also provided an experiential zone that will take people through the world of Aravallis. A first of its kind setup, in Gurugram, was displayed throughout the event wherein the public gets a chance to explore the three-dimensional environment of the Aravallis.

Walk and Talk at the Aravalli Biodiversity Park (February 24, 2018): The visitors registered for a free walk through the Aravalli Biodiversity Park to explore the flora and fauna in their natural surroundings.

Pledge Wall: A unique pledge wall was installed for visitors to pledge about one thing they would change their lifestyle to protect the environment.

Protecting our shared environment is of fundamental importance to all of us at DLF. Aravalli Utsav is not merely an exhibition of photographs, but photography as a means of social change, of spreading climate and ecological awareness. DLF has taken this initiative as a part of our social responsibility towards the younger generation we cater to. The need of the hour is to encourage dialogue and discussions so that people own up to their responsibilities towards the environment,” said Sriram Khattar, CEO, DLF.

National Girl Child Day Week Celebrations 2018: To counter the decline in the sex ratio, programs and campaigns aimed at the empowerment of women and girls were initiated by the government across the country. In one such measure, January 24, 2008 was declared as the National Day of the Girl Child to celebrate and honour girls across the nation. A series of program was conducted under the banner of ‘The Vanishing Girl Campaign’ in Delhi for the week of January 18-24 to celebrate the National Day of Girl Child and raise awareness about the practice of gender-biased sex selection. The objective was to raise awareness of the practice of gender-biased sex selection and invite one million people to pledge to stop sex selective abortions and discrimination of girls in their families. A  kiosk tentatively planned at the DLF Shopping Mall throughout the week (18-24  Jan) between 12- 5 pm. People were asked to sign the pledge to save the girl child. People were encouraged to participate in a social media campaign with selfies with their daughter or taking the pledge. The team members spoke with the individuals on topics related to rising in gender discrimination and sex-selective abortions, lack of equal opportunities for women and girls.

Garden Galleria Mall

Tree Plantation Initiative: Gardens Galleria Mall as the name suggests, is themed around the concept of planting mini garden all over the place where people can rejuvenate themselves & connect with nature at the same time. The concept in itself is an innovative approach & a world-class initiative that needs attention.

Robinhood NGO Activity: This Independence Day, Gardens Galleria stretched a hand towards the underprivileged segment of the society by distributing food & sweets to the people, in association with Robinhood NGO.

Rally for Rivers: In support of the global initiative, Rally for Rivers launched by Isha Foundation, Gardens Galleria came forward by creating awareness among people about the issue. From broadcasting the informative videos on main screens of the mall to engaging people & educating them about the same by different activities, the mall did its bit.

Pink Prabhat: Gardens Galleria stood tall, supporting the fight against Breast Cancer through an awareness initiative, Pink Prabhat, by Bliss Foundation & supported by Max Hospital. The programme included many activities like yoga, zumba, aerobics, skipping, painting & interaction sessions that helped people know about symptoms of Breast Cancer & how can it be prevented. Many Breast Cancer survivors also participated in the activity & showed their support.

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