Welcome, India CSR enthusiasts! We are thrilled to bring to you a stimulating interview today with Sampath Kumar Pallerlamudi, Company Secretary, Gland Pharma and a Trustee of the Gland Fosun Foundation, a public charitable trust of Gland Pharma that truly embodies the spirit of corporate responsibility and community empowerment.
Gland Pharma has carved out a significant role in shaping India’s socio-economic landscape, with special emphasis on education for underprivileged communities. The company’s work represents a deep commitment to social equality, transformation, and the inclusive growth of our nation.
In this interview, we delve into Gland Pharma’s various CSR initiatives that aim to make education accessible, primarily focusing on underprivileged children. We also explore their commitment to addressing health-related issues through comprehensive plans, renovation of educational infrastructure, and empowering teaching staff across the country.
Join us as we unravel Sampath’s perspectives on the significant role of CSR in shaping a better future for India’s marginalized communities. This conversation offers deep insights into the driving force behind Gland Pharma’s CSR initiatives, their impact so far, and their ambitious plans for the future.
Q1. One of Gland Pharma’s main focuses in your CSR programs is making education accessible for children from underprivileged communities. Can you elaborate on the vision behind this?
At Gland, we believe that it is our responsibility to give back to the communities that we serve. One of the key areas of focus for our CSR initiatives is education, specifically in making education accessible for children from underprivileged communities.
Education is a powerful tool that can help transform lives. However, for many children from underprivileged communities, access to quality education is limited due to various factors such as lack of resources, inadequate infrastructure, and socio-economic barriers.
Through our CSR initiatives, we aim to bridge this gap and provide opportunities for these children to receive a quality education. By investing in education, we can help create a more equitable and sustainable future for all.
Our vision is to empower these children with the skills and knowledge they need to achieve their full potential and contribute to society in meaningful ways. We believe that education is the key to unlocking their potential and helping them build a brighter future for themselves, their families, and our community.
Our CSR initiatives focused on education are driven by our commitment to create an equitable society, where every child has the opportunity to receive a quality education, regardless of their socio-economic background.
Q2. Please highlight the various CSR activities that Gland Pharma is undertaking for making education more accessible.
Our flagship initiative is the ‘Free Breakfast’ program, which we have implemented in association with the Akshaya Patra Foundation to provide free breakfast-cum-health support to children studying in Government schools. The program has been expanded to nearby Anganwadi centres to provide breakfast to preschool children, pregnant women and lactating mothers.
We have also implemented a ‘Comprehensive Health Plan’ to provide health support services such as regular health check-ups, nutritional supplementation and counselling to school children.
We also undertake renovation, redevelopment, or expansion projects for government schools. This includes the construction of additional classrooms, labs, dining hall and kitchen-cum-store, washrooms, etc. The gland also sponsors teachers and non-teaching staff in multiple government schools and orphanages that are facing a shortage of them.
Q3. Most states already provide a mid-day meal to students under the POSHAN program. What led Gland Pharma to start breakfast meals for students?
When we initially started supporting schools with midday meals, we observed that most students do not receive breakfast, which results in low energy levels in the morning. Our Free Breakfast program is designed to complement and enhance the nutritional support of the government’s mid-day meals to these growing children. The additional meal helps ensure that they receive a balanced diet and the required nutrients to support their growth and development.
Our program also extends to lactating and expectant mothers, who may not have access to regular and nutritious meals. By providing a healthy breakfast to these mothers, we aim to support their health and well-being, which can positively impact the health of their new-borns as well.
The objective of the Free Breakfast program is to promote a healthy and nourishing start to the day for underprivileged children and mothers, who may not have access to regular and nutritious meals. A healthy start to the day can positively impact their overall health and well-being and contribute to their long-term development and success.
Q4. Can you share some highlights of the program? Has there also been any qualitative improvement in the educational performance of the children on account of the breakfast scheme?
The program was flagged off on 14 November 2019. We were serving close to 7000 children then. At present, the program is catering to more than 16,800 children from 84 government schools in Hyderabad and Vishakhapatnam.
We provide funding support to the Akshaya Patra Foundation, who is our implementing partner. They have a strong network of community kitchens in Hyderabad and Vishakhapatnam and also specialised vehicles which deliver these meals in hot and hygienic condition to the beneficiaries.
The children begin their day on a bright note with a hot and nutritious meal. We endeavour to provide a variety of options to the children including idli-sambar-chutney, pongal-sambar, upma-chutney-pickle, tomato rice-raita, khichri-mixture, bisibele baath, pulihora-chutney-mixture, etc.
The program has been designed to address the issue of malnutrition and poor health among these vulnerable groups. We believe that providing a nutritious breakfast to these children can go a long way in improving their health and overall wellbeing.
We have seen a positive impact on the attendance and performance of students since the implementation of our Free Breakfast program. The provision of a healthy breakfast has encouraged more children to attend school regularly. A nutritious meal has a positive impact on the physical and cognitive development of children. It provides the necessary energy and nutrients for children to stay focused and attentive in class, which has helped improve their academic performance.
Q5. Can you also elaborate on the ‘Comprehensive Health Plan’ for students? How does it work?
We introduced the ‘Comprehensive Health Plan’ in February 2021, in association with a healthcare provider. Under the program, we conduct health check-ups for students from government schools / hostels, tribal welfare hostels and orphanages, to help diagnose and address any medical conditions that they may have to help them grow to their full potential.
The children are screened using diagnostic tests and also provided counselling by health professionals on nutritional aspects and treated with suitable supplements, where needed. To date, over 4600 children from various government schools/hostels, tribal welfare hostels and orphanages in Hyderabad have benefited from the program.
Q6. You mentioned that Gland is also undertaking the construction and renovation of infrastructure for some schools. Can you elaborate on the same?
Under our focus on Education, we take up projects to improve the infrastructure and facilities in government schools, which can have a positive impact on the learning outcomes of students. By creating a positive and conducive learning environment for students we hope to inspire them to learn and achieve their full potential.
We identify schools in the nearby areas that require renovation, expansion or repair work. Our team works closely with the school authorities to assess their specific requirements and then develops an action plan accordingly.
We focus on improving the basic infrastructure and facilities in the school, such as classrooms, washrooms, playgrounds, and water supply. We also aim to create a conducive learning environment for students by providing essential amenities such as furniture, books, and learning aids. Our efforts complement the government’s goal of improving the quality of education in government schools.
We have undertaken comprehensive renovation (including additional classrooms, staff rooms, labs, dining halls, kitchens, drinking water facilities, separate washrooms for boys and girls, stage for school assemblies, compound walls for improved security, etc.) of government schools at Narsapur, Saregudem, Dommarapochampally, Nadergul, Indrakaran, Pashamylaram, Patancheru, Gajularamaram, Ghanapur, Mallampet, Suraram Colony, Bolarum, Parklane and Dattatreyanagar.
Q7. The availability of good teachers in the country’s remote areas is a challenge. Are there any measures Gland is undertaking to address this issue?
A shortage of qualified teachers and non-teaching staff is one of the most critical challenges faced by government schools. It can have a significant impact on the quality of education provided to students and the overall functioning of the school.
We identified government schools in nearby areas that are facing this challenge and have taken up the responsibility of sponsoring teachers and non-teaching staff. We provide the schools with financial assistance to hire additional teachers and non-teaching staff such as helpers, security staff, etc. Our objective is to ensure that the schools have adequate staff to provide quality education and create a positive and conducive learning environment for students.
Q8. Are there any institutions besides schools where Gland is providing a similar kind of support as well?
We support Sannihita, an NGO that runs four orphanages (three for girls and one for boys), looking after nearly 400 destitute orphans from vulnerable communities. These children are given shelter, food, education, healthcare and protection at these institutes. We have undertaken projects to renovate these orphanages, in order to improve the living conditions of these children. We are also providing funding support to help meet their personnel and administrative expenses.
We also support Aadarana, an NGO that cares for neglected / underprivileged sections of society by providing them with food, clothes and education. It runs a boys’ home, a girls’ home and an old age home. It also runs ‘Amithabha Aadarana Vidyalaya’, a school with classes from Nursery to Class X.
Another NGO that we support is Asha Kuteer Foundation, which runs a home for orphaned children, creating an atmosphere for them to learn, improve and break free from discrimination and deprivation. It provides them with education, food, clothing, shelter and healthcare, and engages them in various activities, projects, hobbies, recreational activities and life skills. It also runs homes for visually impaired people and the elderly poor.
Q9. Are there any other initiatives that Gland is undertaking to benefit children or pre-preliminary students before they start going to school?
We have expanded our ‘Free Breakfast’ program to provide free breakfast to 370 beneficiaries at 10 Anganwadi centres in Hyderabad. Pre-school children aged between 3-6 years, pregnant women and lactating mothers are the beneficiaries at these Anganwadi centres. Providing adequate nutrition to children in their formative years can help build a solid foundation of cognitive skills and intellectual growth.
Q10. What was the impact of Covid-19 on your various CSR programs? Did it lead you to change your approach to some of these interventions?
Due to the abrupt onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, most of our programs were interrupted due to the closure of schools and lockdowns. In order to reach the children, we devised ‘Happiness Boxes’, each of which contained a Nutritional component (biscuits, wheat flour, fortified salt, whole green mung, desi chana, sambar masala powder, turmeric powder, cinnamon sticks, jaggery, peanuts), an Education component (notebooks, activity workbook, pencils/pens) and a Hygiene component (toothpaste, toothbrush, soap, sanitizer bottle).
These were provided to the teaching/support staff at schools who handed them over to the students. We distributed over 41,000 ‘Happiness Boxes’ during the year. The initiative drew appreciation from the Governments of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, as well as from the Central Government.
When we were at the unlock phase, and the government was cautiously reopening schools, we distributed ‘Sanitisation kits’ to schools. Each kit comprised one non-invasive thermometer per school, two wall-mounted solution dispensers per school, two facemasks and one-liter plastic water bottles per child, and gloves and caps for personnel serving meals. We distributed over 16,500 Sanitisation kits at 110 government schools of Medchal-Malkajgiri District (Telangana), to help the children observe adequate sanitary precautions. Our aim was to minimize the spread of Covid-19 and help keep the children safe.
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