New Delhi : IFCCI CSR Conclave and Awards

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Indo-French Chamber of Commerce and Industry (IFCCI) launched the maiden edition of the IFCCI CSR Conclave and Awards on Thursday, 21st November 2019 at the Ibis Aerocity, New Delhi.

The event was graced by the presence of Mr. Ajit Pai, Officer on Special Duty, NITI Aayog along with CSR heads, policy makers, decision makers, business leaders, CSR foundations and non-profit organizations, that are at the forefront of sustainability to share and explore synergies.

Initiated by the CSR committee of the Chamber, the Conclave showcased CSR projects of top French companies in India and recognized how these companies have linked their CSR activities with the Sustainable Development Goals or SDGs. The Chamber presented four awards for the Best CSR Projects with a focus on four categories. Pernod Ricard India Foundation won the Best CSR Project Award in Community, Dassault Systèmes Foundation won the Best CSR Project in Education & Skill Development, Schneider Electric India Foundation got awarded for the Best CSR Project in Environment. The Best CSR Project in Healthcare went to NAOS Skin Care India Private Limited. The Patrick Rousseau Jury Special Award was given to Legrand.

The Conclave comprised of a Panel Discussion on "Are Indo French companies leveraging partnerships effectively in pursuit of CSR Programs" followed by a Q&A session with the participants. The Panel Discussion was moderated by Ms. Sumana Das Gupta Bhasin, Director - Corporate Partnerships, HelpAge India and the panellists were Ms. Meenakshi Batra, CEO, Charities Aid Foundation (CAF) India, Mr. Anurag Pratap, Digital Inclusion & Sustainability Leader, Capgemini India, Mr. Sunil Duggal, Whole Time Director-Corporate Affairs, S&R and Corporate Communication, Pernod Ricard India and Mr. Rajiv ARAMADAKA, CATIA Brand Leader, Dassault Systèmes INDIA.

Ms. Payal S. Kanwar, Director General of IFCCI highlighted that IFCCI received an overwhelming response with 66 awards applications from Indo-French companies contributing to various programs in India and the jury – industry specialists from various fields – had shortlisted about 11 companies across four award categories for the Best CSR Project Award: Community, Education & Skill Development, Environment and Healthcare. French companies lead many CSR projects in India and the companies that participated in the CSR Awards have already invested more than INR 150Cr in CSR activities in India for FY19-20. She mentioned that in view of IFCCI’s continuous efforts to promote Indo-French relationships, the awards felicitated and honoured those Indian and French companies who with their unprecedented efforts have made a significant impact in the community, healthcare, education and skill development.

Ms. Nivedita Vermani, Co-Chairperson, IFCCI CSR Committee, while welcoming the participants, enlightened them about the IFCCI CSR Committee and the idea behind curating this event. Ms. Rinika Grover, Member-IFCCI CSR Committee gave a vote of thanks on the occasion, thanking the Chief Guest Mr. Ajit Pai, Officer on Special Duty, NITI Aayog, Panellists, Nominees, Winners, Sponsors and other Partners for associating with the event.

Show around of NGO Kiosks was a key highlight of the event with the following NGOs being associated with the event as NGO Partners - Action Against Hunger, Civilian Welfare Foundation, Piramal Swasthya Management & Research Institute, Score Livelihood Foundation, TARA Child Protection & Empowerment and Tomorrow's Foundation. Sponsors for the event included La Fondation Dassault Systèmes (Title Sponsor), Charities Aid Foundation (CAF) India (Gold Sponsor), BlueSky Sustainable Business LLP (Supporting Partner), CSR Times (Media Partner) and Green Crayon (Gift Partner).