Paul A. Netzel, Rotary Foundation Trustee Chair, and Ex-Mayor of Culver City, California was the Chief Guest at Rotary District Karnataka CSR Conference 2018 held in Bangalore. While addressing Paul said that partnering with corporates as part of their CSR efforts has been an integral part of how we are forging ahead towards Sustainable Development Goals 2030 (SDG 2030).
He said, “India is the second largest country in the Rotary world by number of memberships. Our members here have done some stellar work towards building a better tomorrow for future generations.”
“The campaign for polio eradication is just a case in point. It has been wonderful getting to know more about some of the tremendous work happening here in Karnataka, and how corporates are playing their part in giving back to the society.”, he further added.
The conference deep dived into discussions regarding the contribution made by corporate stakeholders towards community service in Karnataka across varied areas, to drive the socio-economic development of the state. The conference was powered by STEM Learning Pvt Ltd and supported by TSMT. India CSR Network supported the forum as knowledge partner.
The discussions at the forum ranged in topics such as education, skills development, health & sanitation, green Karnataka, and rural development. The varied panels that covered these topics included C-level representatives and CSR leaders from various foundations and companies such as Azim Premji Foundation, Philips, UB, IDFC Bank, Embassy, NALCO, Capgemini, India CSR Network, Mindtree Foundation, JSW Foundation, STEM Learning, Tesco Bengaluru, Bosch India Foundation, Adobe, Brillio, Cognizant, ANZ, etc. Some of the points covered during the various discussions tracks include:
- Education: Findings of a survey conducted by Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) for 2017 reveal that 8000 children are out of school across Karnataka. What can be done towards improving this?
- Skill Development & Entrepreneurship: How corporates are partnering with NGO and mobilizing employee volunteerism towards driving skill development initiatives.
- Rural Development & Environment: Under this track, significant initiatives towards water management and conservation, as well as on improving the green and forest coverage were highlighted by the various panellists.
- Health & Sanitation: As part of this discussion track, panellists shared examples on specific initiatives being undertaken towards improving healthcare access, especially in the area of maternal and child care.
There was of course discussion across tracks on how technology can be leveraged in each of the areas to catalyse and pace-up the forward movement towards SDG 2030.
Asha Prasanna Kumar, District Governor, Rotary District 3190, says, “Moving forward towards the SDG 2030 needs a multi-dimensional approach to development, which covers varied aspects such as economic growth, education, health and sanitation services, technology permeation, women empowerment, housing, etc. It is heartening to note that as part of their CSR initiatives, corporates from across industries in Karnataka are touching upon each of these aspects. The progress being made is significant, and the plans and ideas discussed at the event are exciting.”
The following companies were awarded for the contributions:
- ADC Commscope
- Bosch India Foundation
- Bhagirathi Travels
- Cognizant Foundation
- Dynafusion
- Goldman Sachs
- Intel India Pvt. Ltd.
- Jeep
- Karnataka State Electronics Development Corporation
- Oracle India Pvt. Ltd.
- SABIC
- Sansera Engineering Pvt. Ltd.
- Tata Consultancy Services
- Tesco Bengaluru
- Thomson Reuters
- United Healthcare
Jothish R, President of the host club, Rotary Bangalore Jeevanbimanagar, says, “Their contributions towards building a better tomorrow for Karnataka is hugely appreciated.”
