By Rusen Kumar
Building better businesses is synonymous with building a better world. Extensive knowledge and robust leadership help build an ethical business to contribute to a sustainable world. Alembic CSR Foundation is the CSR arm for Alembic Pharmaceuticals Limited, based in Vadodara and with a legacy of over 114 years. India CSR Editor Rusen Kumar spoke with Sanjay Bhattacharya, Head CSR at Alembic CSR Foundation to understand how India’s oldest pharmaceutical company has given back to the community since the 1970s and continues to sustain its social impact momentum. Education, healthcare, skill development, women empowerment, sanitation, and environmental conservation are at the helm of the efforts taken by the team led by Bhattacharya that has impacted over 2.5 lakh lives so far.
Tell us about the journey of Alembic Pharma’s CSR Foundation and their area of work.
Alembic Pharma has been a leader in creating a greater impact through its dedicated interventions for the community and social development, which have been a part of Alembic’s culture for the last 40 years. It was way back in 1979, that the first formal rural development initiative was launched to address the development needs of host community villages, long before the CSR law was enacted.
To structure our efforts better and integrate various other charitable initiatives by the company, Alembic CSR Foundation (ACSRF) was established in May 2015. Over the years, the selection of projects has been made with a vision to improve the quality of life and strive for holistic development and meaningful impact in the community.
What has been the vision and mission of Alembic CSR Foundation?
Our vision is a world that promotes human well-being, upholds social justice, ensures equitable resources and enables sustainable development. Our mission is to enhance lives by working with marginalised communities. In unison, we catalyse positive change through active intervention in the areas of health, education, livelihood, environment, water & sanitation. We build scalable and inclusive models of social development that empower people to create a better future for all.
Alembic CSR Foundation caters to which cities/districts in India?
The Alembic CSR Foundation carries out comprehensive work in the districts of Panchmahals, Chhota Udepur and Vadodara in the state of Gujarat.
What have Alembic CSR Foundation’s various CSR initiatives been in the past, before the arrival of COVID-19?
The Foundation has been working on health, education, livelihood, sanitation and community infrastructure projects before the arrival of the pandemic, Some of the major flagship initiatives are – Vikas School Program: Responding to the local need, ACSRF had initiated a higher secondary school with a residential facility for the children of the adjacent villages. Education is provided completely free of cost and since its inception in the year 2002, the school has benefitted more than 1900 students till date. The school focuses on the holistic development of children through academics, sports, co-curricular activities, and personality development. Swasthya Setu Project: It is a 360-degree health care initiative that reaches out to communities of 24 villages at their doorstep. It is a comprehensive health programme that includes free health check-ups, consultations, medications, and lab tests. Patients with critical problems or needing surgeries are taken for tertiary care to Bhailal Amin General Hospital, Vadodara. Here specialist consultation, diagnosis and required medical care including surgery, accommodation and food are provided at no charge. Over 15,000 people have benefited from this project so far. Sanitation for all: ACSRF took up the challenge of Swacch Bharat Abhiyan and initiated its sanitation project in host community villages in January 2016. Over five years, the Foundation has built 2300 toilets in 15 villages of seven panchayats located near the company’s operations in Vadodara and Panchmahal. It has brought a change in the lives of more than 11,000 people directly and benefitted indirectly the complete population of the intervened villages.
What initiatives has Alembic CSR Foundation undertaken since the COVID-19 pandemic began? What has been the overall reach of COVID-related initiatives? Please brief us an update on how these initiatives have impacted you.
Alembic CSR Foundation has committed 100 million towards the fight against the pandemic impacting more than 200,000 lives. The foundation showed its dedication by establishing a fee-waiver scheme worth Rs 46 lakhs for students facing financial stress due to COVID-19. Additionally, 100,000 PPE kits were produced, generating livelihood worth Rs 34 lakhs for rural women and men and therefore creating job opportunities during a time of crisis. In 17 villages, the foundation offered 43,000 hot-cooked meals and 740 survival ration kits to stranded migrant workers, as well as generated COVID-19 awareness and orientation training for the livelihood initiative.
In Vadodara, patients hospitalised due to COVID-19 received free counselling services through video calls and in-home visits, as well as psycho-social support. The foundation established a 50 bed COVID ward at Bhailal Amin General Hospital, Vadodara and gave 30 medical-grade oxygen concentrators and 9 ventilators to community health centres in Gujarat to boost the community’s healthcare system.
What are the other areas of CSR that Alembic CSR Foundation focuses on regularly?
Apart from the development pillars, the Foundation also focuses on child-centric initiatives, provision of drinking water, community livelihood and infrastructure.
Some of the highlights are – Specialised Adoption Agency: Intending to work for the betterment of underprivileged children, the Foundation has partnered with the Government of Gujarat to provide technical and managerial support for efficient and effective service delivery. The Foundation works to provide a safe and nurturing environment to children who have lost their biological parent(s) until a loving family adopts them, keeping all due legal processes in mind. ACSRF facilitates the adoption of the children, their immunisation and health check-ups, education and holistic development needs being taken care of as well as capacity building of staff and workshops for adoptive parents.
Water ATMs: Installation of 7 Water ATMs took place in 7 villages facing issues of water scarcity and impure water. These ATMs deliver pure and chilled water in one litre and twenty litre bottles on accepting a token amount of Rs 1 and Rs 5 respectively. The ATMs have been handed over to the local panchayat and the funds collected through these ATMs are used by the Panchayat for maintenance of the systems. Over 15,000 people have benefited from this initiative.
Stitching factory: The project aims at generating livelihood for rural women. A group of 30 women were trained on industrial stitching and were formed into a self-help group to set up a microenterprise unit for supporting livelihood generation for these women. The group completed the stitching of 3000 uniforms for staff members of Bhailal Amin General Hospital and earned an adequate monthly income. Currently, the group is getting orders from other organisations and managing the end-to-end process for running an industrial stitching unit.
Does Alembic CSR Foundation have any partners that they have collaborated with?
Alembic CSR Foundation has been constantly working with the Government of Gujarat, Municipal Corporation of Vadodara and Bhailal Amin General Hospital to carry out its community CSR interventions.
What are the major milestones that ACSRF has achieved through its CSR initiatives?
Since its inception, ACSRF has achieved some significant milestones. ACSRF recently demonstrated its potential by declaring 12 villages open defecation-free (ODF) after constructing over 2000 toilets. Furthermore, our main education initiatives have benefited over 1900 rural children. During COVID-19, the foundation effectively impacted 200,000 lives and ensured healthy lives through initiatives such as Swasthya Setu and others.
How has CSR evolved Alembic Pharmaceuticals as an organisation?
At the Alembic Group of Companies, building better businesses has always been synonymous with building a better world. With the guidance and vision of astute leaders, Alembic has come a long way and grown as a front-runner in a variety of sectors to serve mankind. The group has developed an extensive and mature understanding of building an ethical and inclusive business to contribute towards developing a sustainable world.
What is Alembic Pharma’s overall goal in terms of sustainability and corporate responsibility?
In terms of sustainability and corporate responsibility, the ultimate goal is to continue working towards human well-being and a brighter future. Our main goal would be to choose and initiate projects that have a significant impact and reach society. By leveraging key corporate capabilities, we hope to demonstrate inclusive and scalable models of success for wider replication and to contribute to addressing social issues. ACSRF also hopes to partner/collaborate with other institutions to expand its reach and influence.
About Author
Rusen Kumar is the founder and managing editor of India CSR – The CSR Informer of India. He writes on CSR, Sustainability and Environmental affairs. He brings an understanding of governance, leadership development, social development, human development, and strategic focus by serving for-profit and not-for-profit boards and as an advisor to chief executive officers and executive management members. His leadership accomplishments in social enterprise, planning, and governance range from viable achievements in knowledge forum initiatives to advancement of corporate social responsibility issues in India. He can be reached at editor@indiacsr.in
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