“It is important to bring all CSR projects under the Sustainable Development Goals and map the outcomes through the prism of the UN 171 indicators.”

Brigadier (Retd) Rajiv Williams joined the development sector, after taking premature retirement, and currently heads CSR for the Jindal Stainless Limited Group of companies. His focus has been Corporate Community Connect through various projects initiated by him like education and skill training, integrated healthcare, women empowerment and livelihood generation, environment, rural development, business and human rights. 

Rajiv Williams is a member of the CII National CSR Council and several other CII Committees like Water, Backward District and Affirmative Action Committees. He is also an advisor to advocacy groups and Academic Institutions and member Governing Council of UN Global Compact Network India (GCNI). He is a member of various boards and has been an Independent Director of CSR Committee. He is also a member of the UN Women Empowerment Principles Leadership Group, New York.

In an exclusive interview, Rajiv Williams shares with Marie Banu Jindal Stainless Limited’s CSR programmes.

In what ways does Jindal Stainless Limited ensure PPP approach in its CSR programs?

CSR, by definition, has a lot to do with the ‘Triple Bottom Line Accounting Framework’, which incorporates three dimensions of performance: ‘Social, environmental and financial’, commonly referred to as the 3Ps – ‘People, Planet and Profit’. When we deep dive into the rudiments of engagement, the ‘Social’ aspect remains central in the sustainable development agenda, because the other 2Ps- ‘Planet’ and ‘Profit’- have a direct impact on the first ‘P’-People.

At Jindal Stainless Limited (JSL), we believe that it is all about a continuing commitment to behave ethically and contribute towards the overall economic growth by improving lives of the workforce, their families, communities, and societies at large.

Can you share the key CSR Initiatives of Jindal Stainless Limited ?

JSL implements its CSR programs either directly or through its Foundation or in collaboration with other implementing partners and is an enabler of sustainable community development. Through its initiatives, the Company creates an environment by providing opportunities to its employees to connect with each other and with the community at large.

JSL aims to provide a platform that empowers the community through need-based programs, making beneficiaries self-reliant through a process of direct intervention. The Company focuses on going ‘Beyond Business Responsibilities’ stressing on the importance of seeing a change in lives of communities around its plant locations as well as in other geographies.

Some of the key focus areas of JSL are Education and Skill training with a strong focus on self reliance and Entrepreneurship development, Women Empowerment and Integrated Health Care. In the area of health care, we specifically focus on eradication of disease incidence from a specific target area.

About JSL’s flagship Project?

One of JSL’s flagship CSR projects is the Agriculture extension project, where much effort has gone into mitigating the problems being faced by farmers especially during the post demonetization period as also the current pandemic phase.

The project design, which essentially focuses on various areas – from soil testing to training by experts across geographies; from price actualization to linking farmers directly with buyers. This has resulted in a lot of interest amongst various stakeholders. Efforts have also been made towards improving the logistical nightmare being faced by the farmers and prompt payment systems through high-end IT interventions.

All of this has been championed by our implementing partner “Gram Unnati Foundation’. In fact, Niti Aayog has been encouraged to adopt some of our practices.

JSL has been engaged with both the Government of Odisha and Haryana as also with some other States with relevant MoUs in place to support farmers. Gram Unnati Foundation has been given a license to procure directly from farmers and mitigate their distress sale problems.

In order to understand the needs of farmers urgently requiring agricultural inputs, we organized a major outreach campaign with Bayer Crop Sciences. Working with the local district administrations, we even delivered inputs at farmers’ door steps in safe and sanitized conditions. Additionally, during the early lockdown stage we teamed up with the Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board to supply 2,000 kgs of fresh vegetables daily to community kitchens serving food to the most affected by the lockdown.

What were the challenges faced by JSL in the Agricultural Extension project?

Some of the major problems encountered during the post demonetization phase was availability of liquid cash for transportation of the harvested crops. Since the backward integration with digitalization of payments was already in place, the farmers who had joined in the project did not face much difficulties in money transfer.

The other major problem especially during the pandemic, which was faced by farmers and when the crop was ready to be harvested was very little or no labor that was available to cut the standing crop. There were other problems as well like logistical support, marketing support, availability of pesticides, fungicides and availability of seeds for planting for the next kharif crop plantation season. In addition, the limited time window that was available for such planting, etc. compounded to the challenges. While some of these challenges have since been addressed, solutions to other issues are still being worked upon to ensure farmers do not suffer due to the prevailing conditions.

About the women livelihood development initiatives?

JSL has undertaken a number of initiatives on livelihood generation and Women Empowerment with the aim of ‘Entrepreneurship Development’. The projects undertaken included creating Self Help Groups and providing various activities around capacity building from activities linked projects, to sourcing and marketing initiatives. Trainings have been organized for the women in the rural areas from the usual badi, papad, achaar, jam and chutney making to creating boutiques and beauty salons.

Women have also been trained in dress designing and fashion technology and finance management. In addition to empower women in the urban rural areas in states like Haryana and Odisha, JSL in partnership with Xynteo, a Norwegian organisation, and the UNDP have empowered women to work in the stainless-steel sector by imparting training to women in cutting, welding, quality check and marketing of stainless-steel products.  

What efforts have been taken by JSL to align its CSR Projects to UN Sustainable Development Goals?

It is important to bring all CSR projects under the Sustainable Development Goals and map the outcomes through the prism of the UN 171 indicators. It is in such alignment that the way forward based on data can help in accomplishment of a select pathway of growth and development. JSL intervention could be included under SDGs, 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 11 and 17, besides some other SDGs, where the process of M & E is underway.

Poverty Alleviation is addressed through interventions of providing food for the poor and the migrant workers, especially during the Covid crisis. This has been mapped under the Indicator of 1. 5. 1. Similarly, SDG 2 has been addressed though our famer intervention projects in partnership with Gram Unnati Foundation and Claro Energy and both activities have been mapped under the SDG 1 indicators 2.3.1 and 2.3.2.

SDG 3, which deals with integrated health care, has been adequately addressed through partners like Roko Cancer, besides other projects around health interventions through the Indicator 3.4.1 and so on. Then we have the Education indicators 4. 1 and 4. 5. 1 where ITES education and providing quality education to the differently abled, especially Hearing Impaired is being imparted though our partner NDS and the data is well captured.

SDG 6 i.e. Clean drinking water is also directly linked with health SDG 2. This project is being implemented by our partners Piramal Foundation and Swajal. It is also important to note that menstrual hygiene project with Sachi Saheli is a component of WASH project and is included under the same SDG. The Environment impact and sustainable cities linked to SDG 11 have benefitted communities in a positive manner as recorded under the Indicators 11. 7. 1 and 11. 2. 3. The partnership for developing parks rests with Prabhav Foundation and through their intervention the local self government wants to take the project to other locations in the State of Haryana. You will acknowledge that the partnerships listed above adequately lend toward SDG 17.