Pandemic has spurred corporates to protect lives, livelihoods and the environment: Pooja Thakran, Honeywell India

By Rusen Kumar

An interview with Pooja Thakran, Senior Director, Corporate Communications, Honeywell India, and Director, Honeywell Hometown Solutions India Foundation.

Honeywell Hometown Solutions India Foundation (HHSIF), the philanthropic arm of Honeywell, has been conferred the Mahatma Award 2021 for its humanitarian efforts during COVID-19, and in supporting various communities recover from the challenging times. HHSIF won the award for supporting the Government, NGOs and industry partners in a number of critical areas as a part of its COVID-19 response. In an interaction with  Rusen Kumar, Editor, India CSR; Pooja Thakran, Senior Director, Corporate Communications, Honeywell India, and Director, Honeywell Hometown Solutions India Foundation. Excerpts:

Please give us a brief about HHISF’s CSR priorities and initiatives.

Honeywell Hometown Solutions India Foundation (HHISF), is a not-for-profit organization that deploys Honeywell’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) efforts in five critical areas: education and skill development, gender equality, natural resources and the environment, holistic rural development, and disaster management.

HHSIF’s programs and initiatives include – Honeywell Student Empowerment Program, an upskilling program in deep science subjects for women and youth to build a future-ready workforce. Honeywell Model Villages that promote holistic rural development. Honeywell Start-up Support Program to incubate and provide seed capital to startups in deep science. Honeywell Center for Advancing Girls in Science at Avasara Academy, Pune, to promote STEM education among girls from disadvantaged backgrounds. Honeywell COVID-19 relief program to strengthen healthcare infrastructure across multiple states

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Since the pandemic, how has HHISF changed its CSR programs to focus on covid 19 initiatives?

The pandemic required concerted efforts from all stakeholders, including government, private sector, public sector undertakings, and civil society to collaborate and solve the complex challenges that COVID brought with it.

Earlier this year, HHSIF committed US$ 3M to COVID relief. We worked closely with government and NGO partners to not only deal with the pandemic but also strengthen healthcare infrastructure across states to effectively deal with future eventualities. The pandemic prompted us to pivot and solve the current crisis. This meant realigning our priorities – closing some of our earlier CSR programs and building new ones that are more relevant to the current times.

HHSIF also donated 1,000 oxygen concentrators, 10 ventilators, 10,000 N95 respirators, and 2,500 personal protective equipment (PPE) kits to various government and private hospitals across the country. We also set up 5 Covid Care centres and 2 critical care centres or ICUs in states to strengthen the facilities on the ground.

Most recently, we began establishing 10 oxygen generation plants in government hospitals in far-flung areas in Maharashtra, and in Karnataka, Haryana and Uttarakhand. 

How is Honeywell include technology to create an impact?

Since the beginning of the outbreak, Honeywell engineers have been working on solutions that address challenges brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic. Early last year, we announced Fast Track Automation to expedite development and production of vaccines and medical therapies. In India, specifically, we developed BluTag 360, a shipment condition monitoring solution for tracking temperature- and pressure-sensitive cargo such as vaccines and pharmaceuticals.

We also launched Honeywell Healthy Buildings, which is designed to help building owners minimize potential risks of contamination and ensure business continuity by monitoring both the building environment and building occupants’ behaviors. We also announced our UV treatment system for aircraft and an upper air disinfectant solution – both of these use UV-C technology to reduce airborne pathogens and cross-infections. 

Importantly, as N95 masks became scarce during last year’s lockdown, Honeywell set up a manufacturing line in Pune for its world-class N95 respirators to equip frontline workers. The manufacturing setup was completed despite the lockdown and in challenging circumstances.

During the second wave, when the country was battling oxygen shortages, Honeywell tied up with DRDO and CSR-IIP to supply molecular sieve adsorbents (zeolites) to accelerate the setting up of Medical Oxygen Plants (MOP) in the country. Honeywell assured timely supply of adsorbents to enable the country to produce sufficient medical grade oxygen to meet the increased demand.

Honeywell builds upon its wide experience and core technical expertise to drive CSR efforts that have a real, measurable, and sustainable positive impact on the communities it serves.

HHSIF is collaborating with the Society for Innovation and Development (SID) to the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru, to support deep science startups with societal impact. Startups working in areas that are non-core to Honeywell are provided seed funding, access to the right technology, lab infrastructure, mentoring, and human capital. Some of these technologies are geared to solve COVID.

As technologies evolve, skilling will be key to employment and economic development. Honeywell has recently partnered with ICT Academy to create centres of excellence for skill development in 50 colleges across the country, offering certifications in Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning (ML), Big Data Analytics, and Nanotechnology. This upskilling program will empower 15,000 students – half of whom are women – through the project cycle and provide job placements. 

We will continue to look for opportunities to leverage our technical expertise to solve societal challenges.

HHISF has been setting up Covid care centres across the country. Share details.

Right through the second wave of the pandemic, HHSIF partnered with state and local governments to establish COVID care centers and critical care centers across the country. HHSIF set up 20-bed COVID care centers in Delhi, Pune, Gurugram, and Nainital. These COVID care centers are equipped with beds, oxygen supply, PPE kits, medical consumables, and basic medical infrastructure to treat non-critical patients. The Delhi center is located at the Aggarwal Dharmshala in Kirari. This center is affiliated with Sanjay Gandhi Hospital and managed by the New Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC).

The Pune center, managed by Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC), has been established at the Employees State Insurance Corporation Hospital in Bibwewadi. Another center is also planned at the Rajiv Gandhi Hospital in Yerawada. The Gurugram center at the Bharat Bhagya Vidhaata Hospital is managed by the city administration. In Nainital, the center is housed within the T.B. Sanatorium at Bhowali.

In partnership with state governments, HHSIF established COVID critical care centers (ICUs) in Bengaluru and Mumbai. These centers are equipped with Fowler beds, class I ventilators, defibrillators, multipara monitors, X-ray machines, bipap machines and all the equipment necessary to treat critical COVID-19 patients. The Bengaluru critical care center is located at Bowring Hospital, Shivaji Nagar. The Mumbai critical care center is located at the Jumbo Facility Hospital in Kandarpada, Dahisar West.

HHISF has recently announced its initiative to set up 10 oxygen plants across India. Share more detail.

Timely and adequate oxygen supply can help save lives and is an essential medical aid for COVID-19 patients. Honeywell has partnered with the government to assure uninterrupted oxygen supply as part of its CSR efforts to build healthcare capacities. 

To support healthcare infrastructure in preparation for an anticipated third wave, Honeywell is setting up 10 oxygen generation plants of 600 litres per minute (LPM) capacity in government hospitals under the supervision of Americares, in remote districts of Maharashtra, Karnataka, Haryana and Uttarakhand.

Each plant has enough capacity to cater to the needs of a hospital with more than 150 intensive care units (ICU) beds. The oxygen generated onsite will be directly supplied to hospital beds, including those in ICUs. HHSIF is also funding the annual maintenance contracts of these plants for two years to ensure they function smoothly after the one-year warranty period has lapsed. 

Conceptualized with an aim to enable inclusive and timely healthcare for all, these oxygen generation plants will continue to improve the quality of critical care in government hospitals for years to come.

What are your thoughts on companies stepping up their CSR efforts in the current situation to bring more inclusivity?

The pandemic is a challenge on a global scale and cannot be addressed till all stakeholders come together and align their objectives. Accessibility and affordability have always eluded the disadvantaged and vulnerable, which is further amplified in the current context. Consequently, the impact of the pandemic is not just on healthcare, but also on livelihoods, education, women’s safety, and societal concerns at large.

The pandemic has spurred corporates to protect lives, livelihoods and the environment. Today, firms are committed to promoting inclusive and sustainable development by empowering youth, women, and rural communities. The pandemic has given Corporate India a chance to reflect and realign priorities to help the underserved through CSR programs that have relevance, impact and scale. 

(India CSR)