SOCIAL AND RELATIONSHIP CAPITAL
We continue to deliver on our responsibility towards our communities with utmost sincerity. By creating meaningful opportunities through education, skill development, healthcare and promoting social equity, we intend to bring holistic change in the lives of people residing within and outside our impact zones and foster mutually beneficial relationships.
We believe we are catalysts of change and growth enablers. We focus on empowering and enlightening our communities and supporting their aspirations. True to our belief that CSR projects must be robust and impactful to bring transformational changes in people’s lives, we collaborate with trusted partners for executing social welfare initiatives.
Our CSR wings, Deepak Foundation and Deepak Medical Foundation, were started back in 1980s by Shri C. K. Mehta, our Chairman Emeritus. Deepak Foundation partner with various private and public entities to support underprivileged communities. With its social footprints in many states in India, the Company is steadily working towards promoting equality for all.
Company has undertaken a major CSR Project for supporting Medical Care Centre Trust (‘Trust’) for construction of a new Hospital Building and renovation of their existing hospital buildings at Vadodara.
Medical Care Centre Trust Hospital, popularly known as ‘Kashiba Children’s Hospital’ is a renowned name for affordable treatment for children and women, not only in and around Vadodara district but also in neighbouring states of Gujarat. The Hospital of the Trust treats 30% of their patients either partially or totally free of cost. The Trust has been running since beginning on donations received from donors as well as support from Government.
Various medical facilities provided by the Trust include Paediatric Cancer Department, Paediatric Intensive Care Unit, Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Apang Shishu Kendra (Specially abled children centre), Shri Jalaram Blood Centre – Regional Blood transfusion centre, Cleft lip and palate restoration centre under Smile Train Project.
The Trust has two existing Hospital Buildings constructed in the year 1982-84 and other one during 1990. The Trust’s original hospital building constructed in the year 1982-84 required substantial renovation while newer building required strengthening. The Trust believed that due to growing demand from patients, it was essential to construct a new Hospital Building in the space available in the campus of the Trust. Thus, they approached the Company for support for construction of new hospital building as well as renovation and strengthening of their existing hospital buildings.
The Company has taken up the opportunity to support the Trust in the noble cause under the Corporate Social Responsibility initiative. The Construction work of the new hospital building is underway and it is expected to be operational by next year.
Mobile Health Units are useful in providing quality healthcare services in geographically challenging underprivileged areas where other health facilities are non-existent, non-functional, or inaccessible. Their presence in underserved areas can be leveraged for introducing innovative and preventive health care aimed to improve specific health and nutrition indicators of key vulnerable groups like women, children and the elderly.
During FY 2022-23, we supported a total of seven MHUs in providing primary health services across 204 villages around Palghar and Raigad in Maharashtra and Bharuch, Chhota Udepur and Savli in Gujarat. Around over 1,79,000 beneficiaries were treated fortnightly with services like doorstep OPDs and referral services, specialist camps, anaemia prevention among adolescents and undernourished children and family planning counselling.
Kartik Jangam Waghe, aged 6 years, lives with his parents in Ambe, Mokhada in Palghar district of Maharashtra. His father is a labourer and his mother is a homemaker and lives in difficult economic conditions. He complained of swollen fingers in his hand for the past 15 days and came with his father to MHU OPD. He had small blisters on his hand and pus in the blisters and was unable to fold his fingers. He did not receive proper treatment from private and government hospitals. The medical officer at MHU examined him and he was diagnosed with skin inflammation and rashes. The medical officer prescribed a medicine course and anti-allergic ointment to him and emphasised the importance of a hygienic environment for him. He was also advised to avoid playing in the soil. The prescribed treatment and medication proved effective in improving his condition. His hand blisters are cured and he regained the ability to fold his fingers.
Deepak Foundation operates a Help Desk at Sir Sayajirao Gaekwad District Hospital for the past 13 years providing care and support services to patients who seek outpatient services or are referred for critical cases at government health facilities. Most of these patients are financially disadvantaged and cannot afford services from private healthcare providers. The Help Desk, equipped with information technology, offers round-the-clock services and has been serving over 25,000 patients annually. Providing information on service delivery points, counselling patients, coordinating with medical staff to ensure patients receive the maximum benefits of health schemes, assisting patients in accessing wards and facilities, providing transportation services within the hospital premises and coordinating with agencies for emergency supplies are some of the major activities.
Deepak Medical Foundation (DMF) Nandesari was set up in 1982 to provide medical and healthcare facilities to communities in and around the industrial belt of Nandesari, Vadodara, Gujarat. DMF Nandesari started as a mother and child clinic (MCH Unit) and now has evolved into a full-fledged 28 bedded multispecialty hospital. It includes 10 bedded ICU services, Covid care centre, 24x7 Casualty, OPD, IPD and other specialty services such as gynaecology and obstetrics, paediatrics, psychiatric, dental with experienced and well-trained nursing staff and para-medical staff. The hospital also has a fully equipped diagnostic and pharmacy centre with nominal rates. Periodic health camps are conducted at the community level and free-of-cost paediatric check-ups are provided to preschool children.
With extensive experience in offering healthcare services to industrial workers, we established Deepak Pathology Laboratory & Diagnostic Centre (DPLDC) as a comprehensive medical laboratory and diagnostic centre in Dahej, Gujarat. It provides affordable, accessible and reliable diagnostic services to general population and employees of various industries to ensure their safety, wellbeing and early diagnosis of diseases. The medical laboratory also provides services via our MHUs.
Project Vivek Vidya, a unique mobile library programme run in Gujarat, Maharashtra and Telangana, aims at improving access to age-appropriate quality story books and reading materials to 7,000+ underprivileged children aged 6-15 years. This helps in improving reading, cognitive, behavioural and social competencies of the children which are mapped annually to assess the programme’s impact. It also involves training to local community women named Vidya Sathis and dedicated staff members who actively engage with the children and provide direct support.
During FY 2022-23, the project incorporated various aspects of the National Education Policy 2020 such as vocational skill-building activities, exercises based on 21st century skills with a focus on basic literacy and numeracy. Basic English sessions were introduced to enhance functional and spoken English skills among Vidya Sathis and children in grades 3 to 8. Vocational skill-building activities were also conducted to prepare students for the future. Around 750 children were trained in vocational skills such as diya making, rakhi making, paper bag making and kitchen gardening. A key aspect of the project’s sustainability is the training provided to over 100+ local women in areas such as classroom management, storytelling techniques, literacy and numeracy concepts, teaching and learning material development, the importance of art and craft in education, Vedic Maths and 21st-century skills. Consequently, more than 40 local women have initiated their own coaching units at home while providing educational support to children in their communities.
Padhiyar Disha is an eight-year-old, joyful and adorable student from Rampura village. Her family consists of five people. Her father, Yuvraj Singh, works in a retail private firm and her mother, Kokila Ben, is a housewife. She has one brother and one sister. Disha is a Project Vivek Vidya beneficiary. She refused to attend the remedial classes and finish her worksheet owing to her weak reading abilities. She did not read any of Vivek Vidya’s worksheets or story book. She used to have difficulty reading Gujarati language, story books and pictures.
Our field supervisor conducted extensive home visits and parent counselling. With the help of Vidhya Sathi, she started reading Gujarati language. It had a significant impact on her studies. Counselling has helped her and she has been attending sessions on a regular basis and has contributed significantly to each session. She expresses interest in various activities led by the field supervisor and Vidhya Sathi. The use of various TLMs has improved her reading and picture comprehension abilities and now she can fluently read story books. Her parents are grateful to the organisation and its staff for bringing a significant difference in her life.
Our holistic intervention, Project Neem Sattva supports SHG women in Suva village, Bharuch, Gujarat in product development and marketing of neem-based products to create a livelihood opportunity for themselves.
During FY 2022-23, several key activities were conducted including formulation of neem extract preparation, development of hand wash and handmade soap formulations, installation of machinery and equipment and establishment of an end-to-end value chain for production. The project also conducted training and capacity building programmes for the SHG women, including training sessions on hand sanitiser preparation, handmade soap making and product promotion and marketing.
Around 31 SHG women are earning an average monthly income of ₹ 3,082. Around 3,857 litres of handwash, 975 kgs of soap and 220 litres of sanitisers were produced in FY 2022-23. A cumulative sales of ₹ 5,00,861 was recorded in the fiscal year. Overall, the project has had a positive impact on the livelihoods of the SHG women in improving their living standards and boosting their confidence, skills and socioeconomic status.
Project Samanvay is an integrated cluster development project undertaken in 10 villages across Savli block of Vadodara district. The project aims to strengthen 100 SHGs, covering around 1,000 women, by identifying their training needs and building their capacity for income generation.
In FY 2022-23, we conducted various entrepreneurial and income generation activities for SHG women members like animal husbandry, stitching, handicraft, cooking, teaching, candle-making, etc. Additionally, new SHGs were formed and polyhouses were set up to facilitate agriculture-related activities.
These initiatives resulted in the formation of 84 SHGs with a total of 890 members. A revolving fund of ₹ 5,10,000 was received and the income generated from these activities amounted to ₹ 10,08,090.
This project made significant progress in empowering women through capacity building, training and income generation activities. It has also improved access to healthcare services and established linkages with government schemes.
We have partnered with the Department of Women and Child Development, Government of Gujarat for providing supportive supervision to 67 Anganwadi Centres (AWCs) in the Vadodara district of Gujarat to strengthen the ICDS programme in these villages. Under this programme, we train women volunteers to track and counsel adolescent girls, conduct home visits to promote iron-folic acid tablet consumption and nutrition intake and distribute sanitary napkins to promote menstrual hygiene. Additionally, efforts are made to address malnutrition among children through regular weight monitoring, treatment and follow-up of underweight children and conducting annual health check-up camps. Pre-school education is also promoted through early childhood education sessions and school readiness assessments. This comprehensive approach has positively impacted the health, nutrition and education outcomes of the targeted communities.
In FY 2022-23, 8 model Anganwadis were developed and 205 malnourished children were treated. 538 pregnant women and mothers of infants received parents counselling sessions. A total of 7,881 beneficiaries including children, pregnant and lactating mothers and adolescent girls received supplementary nutrition at AWCs. We followed up with 515 adolescent girls for IFA compliance and dietary counselling.
This project was initiated in March 2021 with an objective to provide support ecosystem to Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs). Project Abhivruddhi is implemented in 24 blocks across nine districts in Gujarat and Maharashtra. We provide support in FPO management, production, processing, value addition and market linkages. We also provide support linkages with bank, credit and government schemes.
The implementation of the FPO scheme in India has yielded significant achievements. Of the 24 established FPOs, 15 are registered under the Farmers Produce Company Act 2013 and 9 are registered under the Cooperative Act 1962. A total of 4,187 farmers have become members of these FPOs, covering 308 villages. The FPOs have collectively raised a share capital of ₹ 48.28 Lakhs.
Further, 221 board of directors meetings and training sessions have been conducted for FPOs, along with 223 farmer awareness meetings in FPO villages. 18 FPOs have participated in exposure visits to gain valuable insights and 16 FPOs have established offices and agro-input shops. Several FPOs have applied for projects under the PM Formalization of Micro Food Processing Enterprises (PMFME) scheme to secure finance and subsidies. In terms of infrastructure, 20 FPOs have set up administration and accounting systems, obtained necessary licenses for business operations and conducted baseline surveys, diagnostic studies and prepared business plans. 10 FPOs have obtained Import Export Code Certificates and 18 FPOs have received institutional training. These achievements demonstrate the substantial progress made in empowering farmers and promoting sustainable agricultural practices through the establishment of FPOs.
To meet the increasing demand for skilled manpower in industrial automation and digitisation, we established a skill upgradation centre within the Dahej Industrial SEZ in collaboration with the Centre for Entrepreneurship Development (CED) to provide training in high-demand courses like housekeeping and data entry operations, covering a range of essential skills and knowledge. With state-of-the-art infrastructure and training facilities, the skill upgradation centre ensures candidates receive quality training from industry experts. The training combines theoretical sessions with practical hands-on experience enabling the candidates to apply their knowledge effectively. Upon completion of the courses, candidates receive industry-recognised certificates which help them in their future careers.
Since its collaboration with Deepak Foundation in September 2022, a total of 120 candidates have registered and are actively participating in regular classes. Among the registered candidates, 100 are enrolled in the Data Entry Operator course, while 60 are pursuing the industrial Housekeeping course. 23 successful candidates from the housekeeping course have secured placements in various malls and stores in Bharuch and Dahej showcasing the centre’s effectiveness in preparing candidates for employment opportunities and bridging the skill gap in the region.
Demand for home health aide services in India is expected to rise due to factors such as ageing population, increase in chronic illnesses and a greater awareness of the benefits of home-based care. The Home Health Aide course covers essential topics such as medical terminology, infection control, patient safety, communication skills and personal care assistance with practical hands-on training and internships. It is affiliated with the National Skill Development Corporation under the Healthcare Sector Skill Council and includes a government-approved six-month certificate course for individuals in the age group of 18-40 with a minimum educational qualification of Class 10th. We are providing home health aide course in Vadodara and Hyderabad in collaboration with local healthcare providers, community organisations and government agencies.
Since 2014, we have registered approximately 2,500 candidates for the course. Around 1,600 candidates who passed the exams have been successfully placed in jobs. In FY 2022-23, around 400 candidates were enrolled and approximately 350 of them passed the course and secured placements. Salaries for home health aides range from ₹ 4,000 to ₹ 20,000, depending on the location and assigned responsibilities.
Smt. Parvathi Kumari is 29 years old and belongs to Tintega Village in Bhagalpur District of Bihar. Her husband took her to the Deepak Foundation in Hyderabad and enrolled her in the Home Health Aide (HHA) course. She studied hard and learned Telugu from her HHA batchmates. As she belongs to a poor family, she faced many restrictions on working and earning income from her family. With her husband’s support, she pursued her education without any gaps and completed her degree with good ranks. She is now capable of supporting her family. Parvathi was placed well in the HHA batch student team and emphasised on academic and practical education. Several options for placement were presented after their training. After being questioned by the nursing faculty head and proving her willingness to work three shifts in compliance with hospital criteria, Parvathi was selected to work as an assistant nurse. She is now psychologically sound and has steadily expanded her knowledge of subjects relevant to the nursing profession. She and her husband express their gratitude to the Deepak Foundation and HHA teachers for their dedication in providing high-quality instruction and building their students’ self-confidence.
Samaj Suraksha Sankul is a childcare institute for which a public -private partnership MoU was inked with the Department of Social Justice & Empowerment for its operations and management in Vadodara, Gujarat. The goal of the project is to rehabilitate over 90% of children and young adults with special needs at Sankul through skill building, higher education, rehabilitation and employable skills to enable independent lives.
The project operates a school for visually impaired children and currently accommodates over 150 children from Vadodara and surrounding districts. The interventions and initiatives of the project are categorised into three areas viz. Education, Medical and occupational therapeutic intervention and Economic rehabilitation/vocational training.
In FY 2022-23, the project had 355 beneficiaries, including children residing in Sankul, school-going children from nearby slum areas and outside children. The beneficiaries consisted of visually impaired children, physically challenged children, children in need of care and protection, aftercare boys, children in early intervention centres and children from nearby slum areas. The Samaj Suraksha Sankul project aims to transform the lives of specially-abled and destitute children by providing them with comprehensive support and opportunities for their growth and development.
A total of 121 children were trained in vocational courses such as ITI training, home health aide, file making, computer learning, music training, kitchen gardening, etc. in FY 2022-23. 85 visually impaired children were enrolled in mainstream schools. The children successfully adapted to the normal school pattern with immense hard work and dedication. Despite the infrastructure challenges, these students scored wonderfully in their first semester exams. The students participated in different competitions like district level long jump, running, short put, javelin throw, state level braille reading, elocution competition, singing competition, chess competition, etc. and won prizes for the same.
Project Navi Pahel is a school programme for children living in slums in proximity to Sankul. Due to the lockdown and lack of internet access, these children had no access to teaching. Therefore, we conducted basic education training, remedial coaching, counselling sessions, self-awareness activities, health checkups, etc. for students through this initiative.
Yesha Makwana, from Vadodara, became the first visually impaired student in Gujarat to write her 10th grade board exams independently using the laptop. The exam question paper was opted by Yesha in Braille and she successfully answered all her papers within the stipulated time limit. She studies at Web Memorial School as part of the inclusive education in the Sankul School and Resource Centre supported by the Deepak Foundation. She is with Sankul for the last two years and before that, she never worked with computers in her life. This historic milestone was achieved due to the collaborative efforts of the school principal, staff and management who trained her to accurately compose and format her answers on the computer.
Through compulsory unit tests, she used to mail her work to the school which then converted the matter from print to text and then to Braille enabling Yesha to attempt the paper in the stipulated time. The school utilised Non-Visual Desktop Access (NVDA) to equip Yesha with the necessary skills which gave her the confidence to undergo the 10th standard board exams independently. Yesha’s academic prowess is reflected in her outstanding performance as she secured 82% in her preliminary exams and stood first in her class. She is enthusiastic in every field and doesn’t define herself as “divyang”. She is also good at singing and other activities and wants to become an IAS in the future. The exceptional feat achieved by Yesha caught the attention of Shri Harsh Sanghvi, Hon’ble Minister of State for the Home Department, Government of Gujarat, who acknowledged her remarkable journey on April 7, 2023. Yesha’s ability to overcome numerous obstacles to achieve her goals serves as an inspiration to others.
We are supporting Project Sangaath, a unique community-based intervention aimed at increasing convergence of eligible households under government schemes and social safety net programmes. We are undertaking this project in Vadodara, Chhotaudepur, Bharuch, Morbi and Savli districts of Gujarat; Yamunanagar, Haryana; Palgarh and Raigad districts; and 1 cluster in Pune, Maharashtra. The intervention is centred around developing sustainable models of development by strengthening the utilisation of government services and empowering communities to drive change.
Under this project, we have established Jan Suvidha Kendras in Gram Panchayat offices across these villages with support from district administration and developed a database of pre-requisite documents for 100% of beneficiaries in the intervention villages and linked at least 80% of eligible households with selected government schemes and safety net programmes. An in-house information technology innovation – Adhikaar Card is issued to each household with essential pre-requisite documents for facilitating the application process. The primary beneficiaries of the project encompass vulnerable household members, the elderly, widows, destitute individuals with disabilities and pregnant and lactating women. Additionally, the project also benefits Panchayat Raj stakeholders, block and district-level government officials and grassroots functionaries.
Customer satisfaction is our topmost priority and crucial for the Company’s success. We implement a wide range of initiatives to strengthen customer relationships to establish ourselves as a reliable and preferred partner of choice. Through continuous engagement and innovation, the values are built on the foundation of long-term, transparent and trusted relationships. We also have robust systems and resolution mechanisms in place to ensure that customer feedback is incorporated and grievances are resolved effectively.
Our strong and trusted relationships with suppliers and other business partners ensure steady supply of raw materials and continued business operations. We firmly believe in strengthening supply chain with responsible practices and high standards of health and safety, human rights, business integrity and environment protection.
Copyright © Deepak 2023
Design & Developed by WyattPrism