In the last two years, the world’s leading technology solutions company, Trimble has engaged with many NGOs across India and has funded some of their key projects in different areas. Talking of the current day, Trimble Cares has partnered with leading NGOs, who are actively involved in supporting the current COVID-19 crisis.
Sangeetha Balachandar, HR Director, Trimble, SAARC & Middle East talked to India CSR on recent social work conducted during the Covid-19. Excerpts of an interview:
Please share a brief about the company and key CSR programs.
Nasdaq-listed and US-headquartered Trimble Inc. is the world’s leading technology solutions company for sectors as diverse as construction industry, railways, agriculture, transportation and logistics. Trimble is transforming the way the world works by delivering products and services that connect the physical and digital worlds from purpose-built products to enterprise lifecycle solutions.
Trimble’s CSR mission is guided by its goal to ‘Transform the world for the better’. In India, we carry out our social responsibility through Trimble Cares, a regional wing under the umbrella of Trimble Foundation (Responsible Corporate Citizen Initiative). We believe that as a purpose-driven, ethical company, we need to contribute significantly towards the betterment of the society.
The primary focus of our global CSR program has been education for women and natural disaster relief and rehabilitation. In the past, Trimble has contributed to Cyclone Fan 2019, Kerala Flood relief 2018, Gaja Cyclone relief 2018 and other causes across India. Our endeavor has always been to reach out to the marginalized communities and ensure that we enable a better life for them. At present, we are dedicated to tackle the Covid-19 pandemic which is affecting the lives of people across the nation.
The role that your company is playing during Covid-19 and lockdown.
The impact of COVID-19 and the subsequent lockdown has been extremely difficult for many hundreds of thousands of people. A lot of poor families are struggling with hunger due to the lock-down, with many having to reduce their food intake to just ‘rice-kanji-(water)’.
Furthermore, the daily wage workers and the people working in the unorganized sector have been severely impacted by the restrictions. Many are stuck in cities with hardly any money left. They are unemployed, often homeless and yet unable to go back to their villages. With the loss of livelihoods, a large number of them are struggling to support their families.
To do our bit in aiding the society, Trimble Cares in India has partnered with reputed NGOs like AID India and Goonj, who are actively involved in the ongoing pandemic relief work. These organizations are working to support the poorest and the most marginalized to sustain with food and other essentials through these tough times. Together with AID India, Trimble is arranging food support for Rural and tribal communities in Tamil Nadu and Orissa, along with securing N-95 masks and other protective equipment to the relief workers in the area.
In partnership with Goonj, Trimble is aiding the migrant and daily wage workers. In addition to immediate support, we are also gearing up for the aftermath of this pandemic, through the ‘Vaapsi’ initiative. The ‘Vaapsi’ initiative aims to address the material needs of these families through RAHAT kits. Through this initiative, we intend to aid 10,000 families in Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Karnataka and Jharkhand, among others, and provide them with kits that take care of their immediate material needs. These RAHAT kits will include items like dry ration, dairy, cleaning agents, toiletries, other household material, essential clothing etc. and address the material needs of these needy families.
