Corporate Social Responsibility
Corporate Social Responsibility has always been an integral part of the Mahindra Group's vision and the cornerstone of our Core Value of Good Corporate Citizenship.- Keshub Mahindra, ex-chairman. Over the years, Mahindra Group’s efforts in education, health, and environment have transformed the lives of thousands of people all over the world. For us at Club Mahindra, business is not just about profits, but also about conserving the environment, and empowering our stakeholders and communities to Rise. We have always been at the forefront of taking affirmative action and we aim to positively contribute towards the environmental and socio-economic well-being of communities through our CSR interventions. Over the years, our efforts in Education, Health, and Environment have transformed the lives of thousands of individuals around our resorts. Our aim is to enhance the quality of life and to enable a happier future by contributing to the development of thriving communities around our resorts.
Employee Volunteering
We are deeply rooted in all the communities we work with, through a variety of CSR programs and volunteering efforts by employees. We engage in community initiatives that are designed to ‘enrich lives and ‘protect nature’, through the domains of environment, education and skill building and healthcare. We encourage community service and give our employees the chance to give back to society by volunteering for social and environmental causes, through the ‘Employee Social Options Program’.
Sustainability
Sustainability is at the core of our business at Club Mahindra. We are committed to conserve the ecological integrity of our operating locations through responsible business practices and activities such as measurement of carbon footprint, conservation of biodiversity, energy conservation, use of renewable sources, water conservation and waste recycling. These green initiatives are aligned to our larger mission of ‘Good Living, Happy Families’. We also strive towards zero environmental impact in our operations. We have set clear commitments to use renewable resources, operate more efficiently, achieve zero waste for disposal and improve our water management.
Our Initiatives
Sustainability Commitments:
Mahindra Holidays has committed to become Carbon Neutral. We are India’s first hospitality company that has signed both RE100 (Renewable Energy) and EP100 (Energy Productivity), a global campaign led by The Climate Group, to achieve this. In doing so Mahindra Holidays has reinforced its commitment to achieve renewable energy and energy productivity targets i.e. run on 100% renewable energy by 2050 and to double the energy productivity by 2030.
The Company has also committed itself to the EP100 Cooling Challenge through which we will monitor the efficiencies of our current air conditioning systems and implement energy efficient solutions.
The Company has also committed itself to the Science Based Target Initiative, which requires it to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in line with targets necessary to limit global temperature rise to below 1.5 degrees Celsius.
Mahindra Holidays has also embarked on the ‘Zero Waste to Landfill’ program. Our Virajpet resort in Coorg, Karnataka became India’s first Zero Waste to Landfill resort.
The major focus areas of the Company’s CSR initiatives include: • Environmental Sustainability • Education • Healthcare • Protection of National Heritage, Art & Culture • Rural Development
Environmental Sustainability:
Under the Company’s Jal Jivan initiative, water conservation initiatives were rolled out to ensure the availability of water in communities identified as water stressed.
Rejuvenation of a water body in Puducherry
The Company partnered with the organisation Sri Aurobindo Society to raise awareness amongst the local community on water conservation in Bahour, Puducherry. The three main components of the project were to desilt Bahour Tank in order to enhance its water storage capacity, organize sensitization programs across local educational institutes on water conservation and also collaborate with the Bahour Commune Panchayat to organize awareness workshops in the community.
As a part of this, Sri Aurobindo Society through the Bahour Tank Association, carried out the Bahour tank desilting to the order of 15,000 cubic meter increasing the water holding capacity by that volume as well as carried out the strengthening of the Bahour tank bund using the desilted soil. As part of the school programme, extensive water-communication activities including installation of rain-gauges and recording rainfall by children as a routine activity during rainy seasons, installing roof top water harvesting systems, conducting competitions, activities based on experiential learning methods were carried out. Activities were also implemented for women SHGs in the Bahour Commune as part of community outreach activities.
Chlorination of drinking water sources in Wayanad District, Kerala
Excessive rainfall in Kerala in August 2019 led to flooding which caused contamination of a large number of water sources in Wayanad district, Kerala. As a major source of water for families in the district, cleaning and chlorination of wells became critical in order to provide access to clean drinking water free of contamination, thereby reducing and curbing outbreak of diseases. The Company partnered with SEEDS (Sustainable Environment and Ecological Development Society) to provide safe drinking water in order to improve health and hygiene amongst vulnerable communities. Through the project with SEEDS, our aim was to clean community wells to support 200 marginalised families of Wayanad District with their potable water requirement. Re-establishing potability of water will enable future resilience of these marginalised communities.
Rooftop rainwater harvesting structures in Udaipur, Rajasthan
The Company worked with the NGO Students Relief Society, to identify 20 Government schools in Udaipur to set up Rooftop Rainwater Harvesting structures. The aim is to make the schools self-sufficient and to inculcate sustainable water management practices through school-based IEC (Information, Education and Communication) approach. This project will benefit the 7,623 children though facilitation, awareness and construction of rainwater harvesting structures for fulfilling the daily requirement of potable drinking water.
Access to Water in drought affected areas of Maharashtra
Mahindra Hariyali – Tree plantation initiatives
Under the Mahindra Hariyali initiative, we planted 40,774 trees this year, which contributed to improving green cover and protecting biodiversity in the country. Besides greening the environment, our aim was also to provide livelihood support to rural communities. Through the Rural Livelihood Program which is designed to improve villager’s livelihood and provide a sustainable income for their families, we planted 10,000 fruit bearing trees to bring economic sustainability in order to empower them. We partnered with the NGO Sankalpataru Foundation that identified regions of plantation in Karnataka, where there are pressing agricultural and water issues. By taking up plantation in those regions, we have taken a step towards the betterment of farmer community and reviving farm practises.
The Company also implemented the plantation of 6,000 local tree species on the Panchayat-owned lands near the water embankments of Surav village, Raigad district, Maharashtra, through Grow-Trees. Through this project, we are ensuring environmental sustainability through the enhancement and improvement in tree cover. The aim of the project is to reduce the effects of soil erosion and to augment water catchment in the area.
Till date, we have planted a total of 3,81,964 trees since the inception of the Mahindra Hariyali initiative in 2010-11.
Phenk Mat Mumbai
Under the campaign ‘Phenk Mat Mumbai’, Club Mahindra along with the organisation Centre for Social Change and Behavior Change Communication aims to create awareness and educate youth in Mumbai on cleanliness, hygiene and good sanitation practices and also encourage them to implement the same through a variety of activities and awareness drives. Till date, we have reached out to over 2 lakh children through this initiative.
Renewable Energy initiatives
Club Mahindra has undertaken Renewable Energy projects in villages around our Corbett, Kanha and Gir resorts where we have installed solar street lights in areas that are either dimly lit or have no electrification. Solar lighting not only saves energy and offsets greenhouse gases, but it also helps promote local enterprises as small shops and village markets can use the systems to provide lighting to operate during the evening.
Education:
Girl Child Education (Project Nanhi Kali)
Project Nanhi Kali supports the education of underprivileged girl children, under the joint management of K.C. Mahindra Education Trust and Naandi Foundation. The Company encourages girl child education for which the Company has been regular donors to K C Mahindra Trust wherein it allocates 50% of the Company’s CSR budget for the Nanhi Kali project. Through project Nanhi Kali, the Company helps educate underprivileged girl children from socially and economically marginalized families living in urban, rural and tribal parts of India. This is a national sponsorship program which provides academic and material support to disadvantaged girls so that they can complete their education with dignity. Academic Support is provided in terms of an extra study class which is conducted either before or after school hours in the school itself through the Academic Support Centre. These classes help to bridge the gaps in learning achievements and enable children to reach their grade specific competency level. The classes are conducted by “Community Associates” selected from within the community with the vision that they would be the local resource to act as friends and mentors to the children and at the same time stroking community interest and proactive action for quality education. Material support consists of an education kit comprising of school bag, stationery, books, notebooks, undergarments, shoes and hygiene materials which is ceremonially handed over to every individual Nanhi Kali at a colourful function. It also serves as a platform to sensitize the community on the importance of girl’s education. The Company’s contribution has helped the NGO to support the education of over 5,000 Nanhi Kalis in Darjeeling, Shravasti, Nashik and Barabanki.
Skill Development with SEWA Bharat & Mahindra Pride School
The Company collaborated with the organization SEWA Bharat and started the SEWA Mahindra National Resource Centre at Mussoorie to enhance employability through Skill Development and career counselling to women & youth. This was a three-year partnership with the organisation. The centre provides vocational courses in Hospitality & Housekeeping, Beauty & Wellness, Garment making to the beneficiaries. Till date, over 1,500 youth have been mobilised and provided training to 157 youth in Mussoorie.
As a part of skill development initiatives, more than 15 youth from Mahindra Pride School were provided on job training during the financial year 2019-20, of which most belonged to the marginalised communities, thus contributing to the Company’s affirmative action commitment.
The Company also undertakes various projects involving provisioning and upgrading of infrastructure and amenities at government schools across various locations. Our objective is to promote education by providing a conducive ambience for the children, to ensure a clean hygienic environment for students to thrive academically and to increase enrollment in the school.
Healthcare:
Club Mahindra’s CSR program ‘Sehat’ deals with providing access to curative, preventive, rehabilitative and palliative care facilities to underprivileged communities.
The Company has provided medical aid to patients suffering from cancer and nutritional support to differently abled and HIV affected individuals. This was done in partnership with the NGOs Cancer Patients Aid Association and Human Touch India. The Company also supported the NGO The Indian Red Cross Society, to support their Hospital Infrastructure Improvement project to provide Medicare for the village and tribal population in Mahableshwar. To provide access to healthcare facilities, the Company also provided Mobile Medical Units for the benefit of the communities in Tung village, Hatgad & Mahableshwar in Maharashtra.
Club Mahindra has provided support to the drought prone areas of Maharashtra, to overcome the water scarcity issues in affected villages. Through the Government of Maharashtra, we have provided water storage tanks to villages to solve problems related to water and improve the health of the community. We are hopefully that this facility will play an important role in reducing the problem of water supply in the villages and in turn improve the sanitation and quality of life of people.
Club Mahindra has been at the forefront of disaster relief measures. Our employees at Kerala & Kodagu went out of their way to provide end-to-end support to those individuals affected by the floods. Our employees stepped in with resources, manpower and logistical support to provide on-ground relief and rehabilitation to assist people in the flood-impacted regions. Over 139 employees put in 20,498 hours of volunteering over 2,504 days towards the disaster relief initiatives across our resorts.
Mahindra Gunsar Lok Sangeet Sansthan: Protection of Art, Heritage and Culture
The Company adopted a music school in Jaisalmer, Rajasthan to train children in local folk music. This is done in partnership with the organisation Gunsar Lok Sangeet Sansthan. Its aim is to promote and revive dying local art and culture of ethnic folk communities. The Company provided financial aid to the organisation to procure musical instruments and also supported the day to day functionalities of the school. Through this programme, 25 children and 10 staff members were supported on a monthly basis. The Company aims to generate livelihood opportunities and improve the overall socio-economic condition of community artists through their traditional art and culture in order to improve their quality of life.
Rural Development:
The Company’s CSR program on ‘Rural Development – Gram Vikas’ focuses on improving the quality of life and economic well-being of people living in rural areas.
We at Club Mahindra, aim at promoting health and well-being through strengthening access to quality sanitation facilities and education of communities on good hygiene practice. The primary motive is to enable maximum number of households, have access to and use toilets to fulfil their basic right to sanitation. Though Swades Foundation, we are providing household sanitation units to 30 families in Raigad District, Maharashtra.
Under Rural Development, we are also construct new homes for low income, marginalized families in Raigad, Maharashtra & Chennai, Tamil Nadu. We have partnered with Habitat for Humanity India Trust, who works with underprivileged families to build new homes and incremental housing as well as repair and rehabilitate houses. Through this initiative, our objective is to empower, through shelter, to families in rural areas.
Under livelihood enhancement, we are supporting rural livelihood by providing apiculture support to families of Surlabi, Mutlu and Hammiyala villages in Kodagu, Karnataka. (Honeybee farming project). Beekeeping has been shown to increase a farmer’s income by up to 50% under favourable conditions; it requires little capital outlay, no land, and is not labour intensive. It is particularly suited as an income-generating activity for women, young people, and the landless. 100 villagers were provided with pots to initiate the Bee-Keeping enterprise to produce wild honey. The natives of Surlabi village primarily depend on honey, spices and vegetables grown on their land. Kala is a unique variety of honey harvested in mud pots and found only in this village. The objective of providing more pots to the villagers was to help them to increase the produce of honey and thereby improve the economy.
Employee led CSR initiatives:
COVID-19 Related Community Relief Efforts
In response to the unprecedented health crisis due to COVID-19, Mahindra Holidays has been supporting communities across most resort locations. This includes distribution of dry ration and essential hygiene kits to the needy and poor, daily wagers, migrant labour and other groups recommended by the local authorities. Through these relief efforts, we have reached out to over 13,000 individuals. In addition, the Company has been assisting frontline health workers and medical staff through provisioning of sanitizers and protective equipment such as masks, personal protective equipment (PPE) kits and face shields.
Building homes for the homeless
Employees from our Mumbai and Chennai corporate office volunteered for Habitat for Humanity’s ‘Volunteer Build’ activity at a village near Karjat and a village near Pavunjur, Chennai. Employees helped the local masons with brick-laying and painting.
Swachh Bharat Abhiyan
In support of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan initiative of the Government of India, we help in the cleanliness of public places around our resorts and branches. Over 1400 MHRIL employees put in over 3,400 hours in cleanliness initiatives that were organized around our resorts, neighboring schools, beaches, highways, etc.
Disaster Relief
Our employees at Kerala & Kodagu went out of their way to provide end-to-end support to those individuals affected by the floods in 2018. We can proudly say that 139 employees put in 20,498 hours of volunteering over 2,504 days towards the disaster relief initiatives across our resorts.
Mission S.M.I.L.E.S
Club Mahindra launched an annual initiative - Mission S.M.I.L.E.S. (Social Movement to Improve Life Experiences) under its Employee Social Options Program (ESOP). Under this program, employees will devote their time and skills towards various initiatives focusing on education, health and environment, in order to drive a positive change in across all sections of the community. To begin with, 180 employees & Club Mahindra members devoted a full working day to support the development of infrastructure at Shree Ganesh Vidya Mandir School in Dharavi, Mumbai. Employees participated in activities like wall painting, mural painting, beautifying the school premises, bench refurbishing and making creative visual learning charts for the school.