Exide for Community Development

Healthcare and sanitation have been our core focus areas for social investment at the national level. Our long-standing projects that have been providing sustainable healthcare benefits to numerous beneficiaries were implemented through the following -

• Marrow Donor Registry (India)
• Diabetic Association of India
• Society for the Rehabilitation of Paraplegics

• WASH (Water, Sanitation & Health) programme The WASH (Water, Sanitation & Health) programme, effected in collaboration with UNICEF for the student population from primary to high-school levels, has been one of Exide's key initiatives in FY17-18 that has established diligent drinking water, sanitation and related healthcare models and procedures in the states of West Bengal, Bihar and Assam. The intervention was instrumental in developing the model for replication by UNICEF across schools at the national communities.
• Prime Minister's Relief Fund and Swachh Bharat Kosh Our contributions to Prime Minister's Relief Fund and Swachh Bharat Kosh have continued to provide support for wider social development related assignments and mediations at the national level.

• Support for basic education in schools formed the key CSR interventions for our manufacturing units at Haridwar and Roorkee.
• Few model projects initiated for the first time in healthcare delivered successful outcomes. These are now earmarked as replicable model projects for deployment at other locations in the forthcoming years.
• At the manufacturing unit in Taloja, the main thrust remained on healthcare and sanitation projects.
• At Ahmednagar, the core element of public sanitation facilities and health camps brought about significant difference in the lives of the neighbouring communities.
• The Chinchwad unit's projects focused on creating benefits for women empowerment through basic healthcare and public sanitation facilities.
• Regular health check-up camps are conducted to reach out to the beneficiary communities around all our operations.

Over the years, our teams have been relentlessly putting in their dynamic efforts to fructify the community's needs and aspirations in the sphere of education. Our main endeavor is to ensure every child in the communities neighbouring our manufacturing units has access to basic education and quality education infrastructure. This is a part of the larger objective of creating value through facilitating education in the society at large through extensive work and various collaborative projects.

• Partnership with India Sponsorship Committee Our partnership with India Sponsorship Committee enabled us to provide the required integrated educational and day-to-day life support systems for destitute children from across India, especially Maharashtra.
• School projects in association with YUVA Unstoppable The school projects developed in association with YUVA Unstoppable saw the creation of replicable models for integrated development of Government schools both at primary and high-school levels.
• Training Centre A unique battery related training centre has been instituted in association with the Savitribai Phule Pune University to provide battery-related training programmes to students aspiring for a career path in the allied industry.

• The plants in Shamnagar and Haldia mainly concentrated on school infrastructural development projects.
• Transformation and innovation were the two key elements that spearheaded successful implementation of projects on educational support, healthcare and skill development for alternative livelihood in and around Kolkata.
• The projects implemented in partnership with organisations like Haltu Arya Balika Vidyalaya, Calcutta Rescue, Young Men's Welfare Society, Cheshire Homes India Kolkata unit and South Gurukul Society delivered outstanding results to bring in transformational changes in the lives of the beneficiaries.
• Our team at Hosur planned and engaged in raising the level of basic education and healthcare in schools.

Girl child and women oriented projects remains at the core of our CSR interventions as gender parity takes the front stage when it comes to making provisions for any empowerment initiatives.

Hence, this year too we were extremely contended to continue with the livelihood and entrepreneurship enhancement programme for women from the tribal villages around our plant in Maharashtra which helps to usher in economic and social empowerment for the beneficiaries.

Free School Bus Project

Availing regular and safe transportation to schools and colleges are an ordeal for most of the girl children and young women from economically challenged background irrespective of where they are located. The challenging situation is an equal reality both in remote villages as well as in the suburban areas of larger cities.

The free School Bus project was an empowerment initiative that got introduced this year to ply girl children and young women from a few neighboring villages and sub urban locations at two of our operation areas. The project recuperated regular attendance for the students and also helped to revive a School which was almost on the verge of closing down due to lack of admissions.

Along with the investment and focused team efforts, our social commitment also extends deep into our corporate culture through employee volunteering programmes which embody our special legacy of service for the greater community.

The scope of individually touching lives of the less privileged ones and contribute towards their sustainable development is wholeheartedly recognized by our employees backed by our leadership team.

We strongly resonate with what Gandhi once said "The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others".

Our employee volunteers engaged in nurturing and empowerment sessions to boost up the morale of the differently abled female residents of Cheshire Home, Kolkata Unit and the girl students from our partnering Government School in south Kolkata. The engagement sessions generated heartwarming smiles along with a great sense of gratitude, inclusiveness and empowerment for all.