Corporate Social Responsibility

At Aswani, though we’re still a young organization, we’re outlining a road map for CSR activities. The canvas for CSR is so large, it is sometimes difficult to find focus areas and starting points. Initially we plan to look at opportunities in and around our project locations.

Here’s a diary of events :

• Active Citizens programme at project locations

  We have recently launched an Active Citizens initiative that aims to educate, orient, guide and inform customers and residents at project locations about caring for the community and the environment. This includes the prescribed ways to segregate and dispose kitchen waste and household garbage, and preventive measures to keep littering in check. As this initiative grows it will encourage self-help communities to evolve at project locations, with support inputs from Aswani.

• Rejuvenation of lake near Aswani Sitara

  There is a beautiful lake skirting our project, Aswani Sitara in Ramakrishnapura, Chandapura. This lake adds a cooling effect to the residential areas nearby and is home to migratory birds during the monsoon season. But the lake does run through dry spells, and we’re looking at options to sustain adequate water levels right through the year. To start with we have already constructed a 1000 metre water canal that guides rain water from the surrounding areas directly into the lake. Other ideas include basic landscaping around this water body and the planting of fruit-bearing trees.

• Child literacy programs for women & children linked to our workforce

  Schools are difficult to build and even more difficult to run if education is not your core model. To reach a mid-way objective, we plan to organize literacy programs for women and children linked to our work force at project sites. What we have in mind is first-rung experience that opens their eyes to the need and importance of literacy and learning. This will be a first-step to larger models that could have a long term perspective.

• Lunch at subsidized prices at project sites

  Under this initiative we plan to identify and encourage small entrepreneurs who are part of the food chain within worker communities. These entrepreneurs would be provided space near the site and basic facilities to run their business, with the objective of providing food to both men and women workers, at subsidized rates. These entrepreneurs could also be provided seed capital to start these ventures and the necessary assistance in obtaining clearances from the health department. This project idea is still on the drawing board and we’re looking at a workable model to take things to the next stage.