‘CSR should enrich a corporation’

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: We in Voltas regard participation in social development as a whole-hearted preoccupation that enriches the corporation itself. Our corporate sustainability programme has two components: A programme around our core competency — air conditioning. Another is volunteering. Employees are encouraged to contribute their talents, skills, core strengths by picking out their areas of preferences from a volunteering matrix. Core teams function in major locations of Voltas and every community development project is spearheaded by two project leaders. We have designed an online system for logging in volunteering hours and there is a formal recognition system in place.

In consultation with the Tata Council for Community Initiatives, Voltas has partnered with the Joseph Cardijn Technical Institute, Dadar. Here we have identified hands-on technical education of children who are not academically inclined. This blends with the need of the community and of the air conditioning industry for high calibre technicians. Our engineers designed the syllabus, donated equipment to set up an AC&R laboratory in the school, contributed financially and made available to the school a full time instructor.

We have several initiatives. To mention a few — we have organised income generation programmes for ANZA school for the mentally and physically challenged children, Byculla, in our premises at Chinchpokli. At Our Lady's Home, Dadar, which is an orphanage for boys, our EM&R BG Division donated a LCD projector and the division has contributed over Rs 5 lakh. Regular entertainment programmes and lunches are organised by our volunteers along with study classes in mathematics.

Since 2004, over 60 volunteers have been participating in the Dream Run in the Mumbai marathon. Our Mumbai volunteers now participate in the marathon for the cause of the Voltas Organization of Women (VOW). So far they have raised over Rs 4 lakh. VOW, a registered public charitable trust run by women, assists the needy in the fields of health, education, career and vocational guidance. It also provides financial assistance for education and medical relief.

During the Mumbai floods, for five consecutive days our volunteers took part in the relief operations for flood victims at Mumbra. At Vatsalaya, an NGO for street children, we put together their library, by putting in place a system of documentation and also organised cricket matches with lunch.