EIL embracing the role of CSR in Business Ethics

The concept of ‘corporate social responsibility’ has ushered in a social revolution. The companies are recognising the role of CSR in business ethics and are aligning their activities with the objective of achieving sustainable economic development. Today, firms are not only driven by profit motives but are also equally concerned about the social and environmental consequences of their development activities.

Engineer’s India Limited, a Navratna company, was established in the year 1965 with the vision “to be a world-class globally competitive EPC and total solutions Consultancy Organization.” The core business operations of the company have been harmoniously linked with the wider interests of the community. EIL has a well-defined CSR policy in place which is representative of their sound business ethics. The policy emphasizes upon creating community assets for the overall development of rural/urban society. This document strongly reinforces the social and environmental conscience of the company.

Over the years, EIL has acquired a strong sense of ownership in what they do. This is prominently visible in the commendable initiatives that they have taken up to implement their CSR strategy. Let’s have a look at their major CSR projects:

1. Education: Educational programs have been supported with great fervour. The company created a platform for basic education. Formal education was provided to 60 children belonging to underprivileged communities in Delhi/NCR and informal education was extended to around 300 migrant children who are working at construction sites in Gurugram, Haryana. A project entitled ‘Computer Literacy to 136 Underprivileged Children’ was taken up which proffered fundamental computer literacy to children residing in underdeveloped areas in Delhi/NCR.
2. Health Care: A landmark project titled ‘Breaking the barriers of poverty through reduction of disease burden’ was commenced for the disadvantaged people in the slums of Delhi whereby, efficient medical equipments were installed. Mobile Medical Care Units were provided for standard and affordable health care services in the villages of Odisha.
3. Drinking water/Sanitation: Clean drinking water is a basic necessity and EIL has avidly assisted the construction and maintenance of sanitation facilities in the schools of Assam, Bihar, Odisha and Tamil Nadu under the ‘Swaccha Vidyalaya Project’. The Company also aided installation of RO plants at 6 locations of Kakinada, Andhra Pradesh and construction of 20 RO Plants in Dharwad District, Karnataka.
4. Rural Electrification: Undoubtedly, energy has the power to transform the lives of people, not just socially but also economically. Acquiring the role of the guiding ‘light’, EIL supported installation of more than 100 Solar Photovoltaic based LED Street Lighting Systems each in Bhadohi and Shrawasti Districts of Uttar Pradesh.
5. Women Empowerment: Economic empowerment of women forms the core of social uprising. The company headed a functional literacy program for economic emancipation of 120 tribal women of Bolangir District, Odisha and undertook a skill training program for 49 women inmates of District Jail, Gautam Buddh Nagar at Kasna, Greater Noida in Tailoring, Dress Making and Beautician trades.
6. Upliftment of Underprivileged: For the upliftment of disenfranchised communities, following CSR activities were taken up:

• Construction of first floor of ‘NAB Home for the Aged Blind’ at Dwarka.
• Installation of Solar PV Plant at Ram Krishna Ashram, New Delhi.
• Distribution of adult diapers among bedridden and elderly patients across 30 slums of Delhi.
• Camps for distribution of assistive aids and appliances to the poor and deprived Persons with Disabilities(PwD) in the districts of Odisha and Assam.
• Aid for establishment of Vivekananda Centre for yoga, naturopathy and research at Delhi which is under progress

7. Community Development: The Company supported the construction of RCC retaining wall, road side drains and compound wall at Yanam.
8. Vocational training/Skill Centres: With the country experiencing the phenomenon of ‘jobless growth’, employment remains a major concern. Employment generation and skill development training was encouraged at Bharuch, Gujarat. The Company led skill development training for 1600 candidates belonging to SC/ST/OBC Women and EWS of society in Assam, Andhra Pradesh, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Jharkhand. Similar skill training programs were conducted for 300 Persons with Disabilities (PwDs) in Assam, Gujarat, Haryana, Karnataka, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu and Telangana. EIL vigorously supported the establishment of Skill Development Institutes at Kochi and Visakhapatnam.

These wonderful CSR initiatives establish the sincerity of the company in the cause of community development along with their own growth and prosperity. In consonance and consultation with the state and local government, these projects reflect that the company is deeply sensitive towards the enhancement of the quality and standard of life and economic well-being of the community.