“India First,” the theme of the third edition of CSR Journal Excellence awards which was organized on July 22 at the Vigyan Bhavan in New Delhi, mainly centred on women empowerment.
Across six categories, 18 corporate houses will be recognized for their excellence in Corporate Social Responsibility. “Here, at The CSR Journal, through fair and responsible reporting [in digital, broadcast and now print format] and initiatives such as ‘Social Welfare & Growth Awards’ and ‘Excellence Awards’, we are trying to fulfil our role as individuals and as a team. Our core vision is of ‘Making Corporate Social Responsibility every Individual’s Social Responsibility,” said Amit Upadhyay, Editor-in-Chief and Director, The CSR Journal.
The main guests of the event were some of the chief dignitaries such as Narendra Singh Tomar, Union Cabinet Minister of Agriculture and Farmer Welfare, Rural Development and Panchayat Raj, Government of India, Harsimrat Kaur Badal, Union Cabinet Minister of Food Processing, Government of India and G. Kishan Reddy, Minister of State for Home Affairs, Government of India.
In association with Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Assessment and Empanelment Standards for Development Institutions in India (TISS AESDII) as ‘Knowledge Partners’, the CSR Journal Excellence Awards shortlisted the CSR projects that held the most credibility. The awards gathered hundreds of nominations from corporate houses and the top projects from categories such as – education and skill training, women empowerment and child welfare, health and sanitation, environment, agriculture and rural development and sports.
The projects were shortlisted on the personal assessment of the jurors, following a live Q&A round with the representatives in the respective award categories. The projects that made the most impact based on sustainability and scalability were shortlisted.
Some CSR projects that made it to the cut were Ambuja Cement, Godrej Properties, Hindustan Zinc, Mahindra & Mahindra (Auto, Farm Equipment and Agri Sector), Societe Generale, Tata Power, Tech Mahindra, Aditya Birla Capital and YES Bank.
The CSR Journal Excellence Awards is an annually held multi-category awards instituted by The CSR Journal, starting in 2017, for recognition initiatives taken-up by India Inc. under their Corporate Social Responsibility mandate. The awards honor projects and Corporate Social Responsibility foundations for their impact, scalability and sustainability.