Eco-Avenue by Abitha Anandh Green Initiatives at Wipro Writing about a Corporate taking up CSR activities or implementing eco wise

solutions in their day-to-day functioning, always activates a pendulum of indecision in the mind. Should I even write about them? How much do they really do? Is it also just one more social service or CSR activity? And then I say to myself- let me not be so cynical. I need to write this piece now, so let me check it out with all seriousness. However, cynicism still lurks in a corner of my mind. I turn a blind eye to its antics and decide to write about an IT company which is closest to my office - the Corporate office of Wipro India. So, I begin, as we all do, with the internet - hmmwhat does Wipro do as part of its eco wise functioning? The cynic in the head wondered what tokenisms I would encounter maybe they buy recycled paper from a vendor, use steel glasses instead of plastics ones, serve herbal tea? Click on the link Wipro Social on their homepage and you get a whole lot of stuff - articles and information on recycling, upcycling, saving energy, water management, waste management et al. The cynic takes the front seat again uploading such information is good practice but at the end of the day, these are just articles and this is just what I call virtual sustainability where we learn everything about how to be eco wise from the internet and that exhausts us so much that we fail to have the energy to actually put those ideas into use in the real world. My search on the internet leads me to another article which talks about how Wipro Limited launched Eco Forum with like-minded corporates, NGOs and industry bodies. This was an initiative aimed at promoting the exchange of best practices and ideas in the green space. The article is dated Feb 27th, 2009. Waste Management was the theme of the forum and the focus was on ways and means to manage and re-use the huge amounts of waste generated every day. The delegates took a tour of Wipros Eco Avenue at the Electronics City Campus and discussed measures adopted by Wipro in waste management. The Eco Avenue houses a bio-gas plant, paper recycling plant and a sewage treatment plant, among other eco-projects. The Biogas plant converts approximately 900kgs of food waste from the cafeteria into biogas. This biogas is used for cooking in the campus-kitchen. Used paper from the facility is shredded and converted into notepads in the in-house recycling plant.

Wipro is a familiar name, but what exactly do they do? Wipro Limited provides comprehensive IT solutions and services, including systems integration, IT enabled services, package implementation, software application development and research and development services to corporations globally. The article further goes to narrate that Eco-eye is Wipros comprehensive program that drives increasing ecological sustainability in all its operations, as also areas of its influence. The initiative attempts to engage with increasing levels of intensity with all stakeholders Wipros own employees, partners, suppliers, customers and immediate communities. Wipro has developed a framework for Ecological Sustainability that has five themes and seven goals identified for implementation. The Five themes include being an ecological surplus organization, larger sustainability initiatives beyond Wipro, profitable investments, transparent reporting, risk planning & mitigation. From a random search on the internet about CSR activities undertaken by WIPRO, I land up with awesome data about their activities on sustainable development. From cynicism I cant help shifting to respect. Yes, corporate organisations, having the power they do, need to be involved in much more than eco projects on their campuses. They need to question our paradigm of development and many root level issues which are taken for granted by our modern civilization. Issues and activities which are driving us to the brink of disaster. Yet, at least a beginning has been made by organisations like Wipro. We take a trip to Wipro, and came back feeling that their efforts were definitely worth writing about. Eco- Avenue Eco-avenue is an initiative by Wipro Ltd., Electronics city in Bangalore which houses a Sewage water treatment plant, a biogas plant, a paper recycling plant, rain-water harvesting plant and a pilot project on wind solar hybrid plant. All the plants are installed on one of the blocks and that part of the premises is called as Eco-avenue. Sewage water treatment plant: Installed 8 years back, it has a capacity to handle 400Kl, an average of 200Kl is treated everyday. With an aerobic treatment, 85-90% of water is reusable half of which is used in restrooms and the other half goes for landscaping and gardening. Biogas plant: Installed in the year 2008, it has a capacity of 3000kgs. With an employee count of 25000 in the campus, the food waste including the peels and leftovers from the cafeteria is collected (per day input is 900kgs) which then goes through anaerobic process in the digesters and the gas gets collected into a balloon. Per day, gas is sent to the two

kitchens where the gas is used in low flame cooking. It offsets 30% of the LPG requirement. Paper recycling plant: Papers are collected from all the offices of Wipro in Bangalore and the plant has a recycling capacity of 200kgs of paper per day. The paper is recycled into cakes (See pic) of 1kg each. Wipro has tied up with an organisation which upcycles the recycled paper cakes to notepads for Wipro to be used in the meetings and conferences. Rain-water harvesting: Installed in the year 2005, there are 5 underground sumps to harvest the rainwater, 4 with a capacity of 1,00,000litres each and one with a capacity of 50,000litres. Before reaching the sumps, the water collected on the roof-top and ground surface goes through sand and gravel filtration. The surface water, sometimes not of good quality is re-used in the air coolers across the campus offices. Underground charging pits handle the water which overflows the plant capacity during rains. This rainwater recycling plant offsets 15 days of water requirement of Wipro Campus per year. Pilot project of two windmills of total capacity of 400 watts has been connected to solar panels of the capacity of 150 watts which are both used to light up twelve LED lit street lights lamps of 20 watts.

Kirti Dutta Assistant Professor Institute for International Management and Technology The era of corporate organizations paying lip service to social responsibility is fast coming to an end. The recent past has seen corporate social responsibility becoming a process from a concept and also organizations deriving value from this initiative. In the light of the above the current paper will explore the CSR strategies and initiatives of various selected Indian companies. The study will be based on extant literature and will draw examples from the current Indian scenario. Some primary research is conducted for the Indian corporate houses through their web pages containing informations about their CSR initiatives. Based on this best practices will be delineated and recommendations for using corporate social responsibility as a part of business strategy by the organizations to leverage their perception among the stakeholders. The study will be relevant for the industry as well as academia as it will discuss corporate social responsibility as a strategic move that organizations can incorporate in their overall business strategy, thereby achieving better all-round performance. The growth of CSR Corporate social responsibility (CSR) till very recently was viewed as a philanthropic activity indulged into only when the firms were in jeopardy (Adenekan, 2007). Though the earlier decades are referred to as false dawns wherein CSR had a regional, personcentered philanthropic focus, it is now viewed to be inclusive, broad and diverse (Silberhorn and Warren, 2007). It is not only used for fulfilling legal expectations but also for investing more into human capital, the environment and the relations with stakeholders. Companies facing the challenges of globalization are aware that CSR can be of direct economic value. They view these activities not as a cost but an investment, as a long term strategy minimizing risks linked to uncertainty. (European Commission, 2001). According to Sacconi, (2007) when firms fulfill their fiduciary duties to their stakeholders, they benefit from reputation and the positioning of the firm with respect to social issues is clearly a way to differentiate the firm and its products and services in ways that creates value (Husted and Allen, (2007). Developed countries like USA and UK have long seen CSR as a practice that benefits both organizations and society (Etang, 1994). Marketing communications of companies are also focusing on the communication of their CSR initiatives (eg. Sunfeast). It has also been studied that the composition of the board of directors also influences the CSR as outside directors appear more concerned about CSRs and hence the firm are more likely to engage in socially responsible activities (Ibrahim et al., 2003) Increased globalization along with increasing the opportunities for business has also brought the businesses under the scrutiny of different audiences, NGOs and media. It is predicted that in the times to come companies will be judged more by their social policies than on their delivery of products and services (Juholin, 2004). Debacles like Enron and Worldcom did cause a slew of critiques against the CSR initiatives but these critiques were largely ill founded (Stoll, 2007) Many theorists have also argued about the economic impact of CSR, some relating it positively with the profit (Adenekan, 2007; Joyner and Payne, 2002) and some feeling that no such relationship exists (Aupperle et al., 1985). Bird et al., 2007 studied that the market is influenced by the independent CSR

activities and also by the totality of these activities and the gains can be in terms of economic performance or social performance (Cottrill, 1990). Since CSR and corporate reputation are the two sides of the same coin (Hillenbrand and Money, 2007) the current paper examines how corporate enterprises are currently using CSR initiatives as a part of their corporate strategy and public relations pertaining to the same CSR is often understood only from the perspective of business generosity to community projects and charitable donations. This perspective however fails to capture the valuable contributions organizations can otherwise make (Adenekan, 2007). In a 1987 empirical study by Khan and Atkinson it was found that a large percentage of the Indian executives studied agreed that CSR was relevant to business and felt that business had responsibility not only to the shareholders and employees but also to customers, suppliers, society and to the State. Both the Indian and UK respondents felt that CSR eventually promotes a better relationship between industry and people, a good work environment, enhanced customer relationships and enhanced corporate image of the company. European Commission (2001) defines CSR as a concept whereby companies decide voluntarily to contribute to a better society and cleaner environment and as a process by which companies manage their relationship with stakeholders. In a study of German and UK companies it was found that the largest corporations project CSR as a comprehensive, sustainable business strategy and recognizes the business-society interdependence (Silberhorn and Warren, 2007). Governments CSR public policies and the relationships between government, businesses and civil society stakeholders have also known to impact the CSR initiatives (Albareda, Lozano, Ysa, 2007). It is also observed that large firms are more likely to identify relevant stakeholders and meet their CSR requirements through specific and formal CSR strategies (Perrini, Russo and Tencati, 2007). Firms with a high value for social responsibility are much more likely to engage in traditional kinds of plans for social strategy. The use of social strategy depends upon the presence of specific configurations of industry environment, resources and values (Husted and Allen, (2007). It is interesting to see how the corporate sector in India is interpreting CSR. This can be identified by how the companies publicly defined CSR. To study this, content analysis of twenty seven corporate web sites CSR statements were carried out. These twenty seven organizations were public limited companies and since these companies are in the public eye, it was desirous to see whether they were indulging in CSR initiatives and at what level. The twenty six chosen companies were from different industrial sectors like metals, chemicals and fertilizers, consumer durables, FMCG, services, and InfoTech. Studies using similar methodology have been carried out by Silberhorn and Warren, 2007 for big companies in Germany and UK. The content analysis of the web pages specifically referring to the business, community relationship were carried out and annual reports available online were referred to online in order to validate the data. For the sake of ease of analysis the initiatives were classified under five heads, namely: Rural development, health, education, environment and social causes. Some CSR initiatives in India CSR is a multidimensional concept (Stanwick and Stanwick, 1998) and is comprised of a number of variables. These variables include: firms profitability, charitable giving, environmental emissions, women and minority members on the board of directors,

women and minority members within the firm, and annual salary and monetary bonus of the Chief Executive Officer. In the Indian context it has been observed that out of the 27 firms surveyed, 3 firms did not indicate any CSR initiative being taken, and two firms expressed the need to take CSR initiatives. This works out to 11% of the firms surveyed, which are apparently not taking CSR initiatives. The bar graph below shows the number of firms taking different CSR initiatives.

The table below shows the number of companies and their relative percentage in taking a particular CSR initiative. Corporate Social Responsibility Initiatives Total Number of Companies surveyed: 26 Initiative No. of Companies taking this initiative Percentage of Companies taking this initiative Rural Development 15 55.50 Health 17 63 Education 18 66.66 Environment 13 48 Social Causes 17 63 It is evident from the above table that education takes the first place with 66.66% of the firms surveyed, followed by health and social causes with 63% of the firms, rural development with 55.50% and environment with 48%. Further analysis shows that companies belonging to Aditya Birla group had the same CSR initiatives irrespective of the sector to which the company belonged to. The same is true for Reliance ADAG group companies. Wipro Cares is an initiative by the Wiproites, their family members and friends to contribute in the areas of education, community and social development. Wipro Cares philosophy is to utilize

the collective wisdom of volunteers to bring long term benefits and satisfaction to the community, as we believe that providing funds alone will not help the community.This is a unique corporate experiment to channelise the contributions of the Wiproites matched by Wipro, and the desires of Wiproites to make meaningful contributions to society, on a continuous basis. Wipro Cares contributes through two pronged strategy: providing rehabilitation to survivors of natural calamities and enhancing learning abilities of children from the under privileged sections of the society Leaning enhancement :Wipro Cares has initiated Learning Enhancement Programmes at schools catering to the children from the under privileged section of the society. The main objectives of this programme is to improve the standards of learning, build confidence, ignite curiosity, broaden their awareness levels, improve their communication skills in English , build a healthy self-esteem and help them break through self imposed limits to achieve his/her greatest potential.In line with its focus, these programmes have been successfully implemented in Olcott Memorial School in Besantnagar, Chennai and Government Secondary School in Viveknagar, Bangalore

CORPORATE

SOCIAL

RESPONSIBILITY:

THE

KEY

ROLE

OF

HUMAN

RESOURCE MANAGEMENT Suparn Sharma (PhD),Joity Sharma (PhD), Arti Devi Abstract Business organizations have waked up to the need for being committed towards Corporate Social Responsibility. But still majority have just been taking up some form of philanthropic activities for its stakeholders. Nurturing a strong corporate culture which emphasizes Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) values and competencies is required to achieve the synergistic benefits. The employees of an organization occupy a central place in developing such a culture which underlines CSR values and competencies. The present study, therefore, is an attempt to explore the engagement of human resource management professionals in undertaking Corporate Social Responsibility. It also suggests Human Resource Management to take a leading role in encouraging CSR activities at all levels. The combined impact of CSR and human resource activities, which reinforce desirable behavior, can make a major contribution in creating long term success in organizations. Introduccin Business houses, right from the inception of human race, have been regarded as constructive partners in the communities in which they operate. Though they have been instrumental in creating employment, wealth, products and services, yet the pressure on business to play a role in social issues involving employees, stakeholders, society, environment, government etc. is continuously increasing. The society is questioning the existence of business houses, especially in the wake of the scandals and scams conducted by the business houses like UTI, Enron, and WorldCom. In response to it, the organizations around the globe are forced to wake up to the need for being committed towards Corporate Social Responsibility. Over the years this concept of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has gained unprecedent momentum in business and public debate and has become a strategic issue crossing the departmental boundaries, and affecting the way in which a company does business. It has become so important that many organizations have rebranded their core values to include social responsibility. Almost all corporate websites/ policies/reports talk about their endeavors for CSR which has become a way of ensuring that the organization is fulfilling all the obligations towards society and thus is eligible for the license to operate. It assures that the organization can grow on sustainable basis. These activities of CSR ranging from small donations to bigger projects for social welfare sustainable practices differ from organization to organization depending on the resources available to an organization for undertaking sustainable practices. Business practices of big and successful companies, with plenty of resources at their end, have set the trend for being committed tosustainable practices. Such business houses around the globe show their commitment to social responsibility. In India, the initiatives of Dabur India Limited, for example, which commenced Sundesh in 1993, a non-profit organization, with an aim to promote research and welfare activities in rural areas are appreciable. On the same track to fulfill its urge to do something for community, Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited has adopted 37 villages as their responsibility to develop in all walks of life. It has made efforts to make them self-reliant, provided them fresh drinking water, sanitation facilities, medical facilities,

vocational training and literacy camps. (http://www.karmayog.org/csr500companies). Around its industrial facilities, Tata Group has created towns and cities like Jamshedpur, Mithapur, Babrala for the benefit of its employees. Cadbury India, Glaxo and Richardson Hindustan are some of the companies which are helping farmers to grow crops which in turn shall serve as raw materials for them (Tripathi & Reddy, 2006). Although the implementation of such activities involves time, effort and resources yet the business houses have realized that it (CSR) is one of the important ways in which an organization can distinguish itself from its competitors. The tangible and intangible benefits associated with for organization are immense. A powerful tool like CSR not only enhances the brand image and reputation of the business but also leads to improvement in sales and customer loyalty, and increased ability to attract and retain employees. By capitalizing on it, the organizations can improve their financial performance and attract more investment with immense economic value. The word CSR has, as a result, occupied very important place in the plans and strategies of the organizations in the present era. Wipro established The Olcott Memorial School in Besantnagar, Chennai is a 110 years old Tamil medium school run by the theological Society. Wipro Cares volunteers work with the students of classes 4 and 5 (total strength -120 children), for about two hours on the 1st and 3rd Saturdays of every month. The Government Secondary School in Viveknagar, Bangalore in run in three different languages-Tamil, Telegu and Kannada.Volunteers who are comfortable in communicating in one of these languages take up the responsibility of each class where they devote 2 hours every Saturday. The volunteers work with children from class 2 onwards.As we go along, we plan to roll this programme in several more schools and in other cities. Wipro Cares volunteers devote 2 hours every Saturday with the ultimate desire to make learning fun for these children. Once the volunteer builds a good rapport with a group of threefour children, he or she would work on the holistic development of these children - to instill confidence among them, to build communication skills, encourage their creativity and thinking ability. Makkala Jagriti - Wipro Cares Learning Centre:A Learning Center focused on providing enriching, exciting, safe and secure environment to children from under privileged sections of the society was inaugurated by Makkala Jagriti, and Wipro Cares in Bangalore. Makkala Jagriti is an NGO, whose focus is to work with underprivileged children in the area of education. The Learning Centre will also provide opportunities for contributing to the community to Wipro employees, their friends and families. They can get involved by interacting, involving, teaching & learning in mutually enriching way to reach quality-learning environment to the economically disadvantaged children in an integrated manner through the Learning Centre.

CSR Initiatives of Indian Companies - A Study By Dr. V.V.S.K. Prasad M.Com, MBA, Ph.D Professor in MBA The Hindu College-MBA Machilipatnam

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) also called corporate responsibility, corporate citizenship, responsible business and corporate social opportunity is a concept whereby organizations consider the interests of society by taking responsibility for the impact of their activities on customers, suppliers, employees, shareholders, communities and other stakeholders, as well as the environment. This obligation is seen to extend beyond the statutory obligation to comply with legislation and sees organizations voluntarily taking further steps to improve the quality of life for employees and their families as well as for the local community and society at large. The practice of CSR is subject to much debate and criticism. Proponents argue that there is a strong business case for CSR, in that corporations benefit in multiple ways by operating with a perspective broader and longer than their own immediate, short-term profits. Critics argue that CSR distracts from the fundamental economic role of businesses; others argue that it is nothing more than superficial window-dressing; still others argue that it is an attempt to preempt the role of governments as a watchdog over powerful multinational corporations. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this paper is to examine the nature and extent of corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives under taken by Indian companies and to study its relevance in business. Overview Corporate social responsibility is necessarily an evolving term that does not have a standard definition or a fully recognized set of specific criteria. With the understanding that businesses play a key role on job and wealth creation in society, CSR is generally understood to be the way a company achieves a balance or integration of economic, environmental ,and social imperatives while at the same time addressing shareholder and stakeholder expectations. CSR is generally accepted as applying to firms wherever they operate in the domestic and global economy. The way businesses engage/involve the shareholders, employees, customers, suppliers, governments, non-governmental organizations, international organizations, and other stakeholders is usually a key feature of the concept. While business compliance with laws and regulations on social, environmental and economic objectives set the official level of CSR performance, CSR is often understood as involving the private sector commitments and activities that extend beyond this foundation of compliance with laws. From a progressive business perspective, CSR usually involves focusing on new opportunities as a way to respond to interrelated economic, societal and environmental demands in the marketplace. Many firms believe

that this focus provides a clear competitive advantage and stimulates corporate innovation. CSR is generally seen as the business contribution to sustainable development which has been defined as "development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs", and is generally understood as focusing on how to achieve the integration of economic, environmental, and social imperatives. CSR also overlaps and often is synonymous with many features of other related concepts such as corporate sustainability, corporate accountability, corporate responsibility, corporate citizenship, corporate stewardship, etc.. CSR commitments and activities typically address aspects of a firm's behaviour (including its policies and practices) with respect to such key elements as; health and safety, environmental protection, human rights, human resource management practices, corporate governance, community development, and consumer protection, labour protection, supplier relations, business ethics, and stakeholder rights. Corporations are motivated to involve stakeholders in their decision-making and to address societal challenges because today's stakeholders are increasingly aware of the importance and impact of corporate decisions upon society and the environment. The stakeholders can reward or punish corporations. Corporations can be motivated to change their corporate behaviour in response to the business case which a CSR approach potentially promises. This includes: 1. stronger financial performance and profitability (e.g. through eco-efficiency), 2. improved accountability to and assessments from the investment community, 3. enhanced employee commitment, 4. decreased vulnerability through stronger relationships with communities, and 5. improved reputation and branding. Criticisms and concerns Critics of CSR as well as proponents debate a number of concerns related to it. These include CSR's relationship to the fundamental purpose and nature of business and questionable motives for engaging in CSR, including concerns about insincerity and hypocrisy. Critics concerned with corporate hypocrisy and insincerity generally suggest that better governmental and international regulation and enforcement, rather than voluntary measures, are necessary to ensure that companies behave in a socially responsible manner. CSR could prove to be a valuable asset in an age of Mergers & Acquisitions, as it helps firms spread their brand name INDIAN SCENARIO Even much before the issue became a global concern, India was aware of corporate social responsibility (CSR), due to the efforts of organisations such as the Tata Group. (Around 66 per cent of Tata Sons, the holding group

of the Tata Group, is today owned by a trust). Corporate companies like ITC have made farmer development a vital part of its business strategy, and made major efforts to improve the livelihood standards of rural communities. Unilever is using micro enterprises to strategically augment the penetration of consumer products in rural markets. IT companies like TCS and Wipro have developed software to help teachers and children in schools across India to further the cause of education. The adult literacy software has been a significant factor in reducing illiteracy in remote communities. Banks and insurance companies are targeting migrant labourers and street vendors to help them through micro-credits and related schemes. In June 2008, a survey was carried out by TNS India (a research organization) and the Times Foundation with the aim of providing an understanding of the role of corporations in CSR. The findings revealed that over 90 per cent of all major Indian organizations surveyed were involved in CSR initiatives. In fact, the private sector was more involved in CSR activities than the public and government sectors. The leading areas that corporations were involved in were livelihood promotion, education, health, environment, and women's empowerment. Most of CSR ventures were done as internal projects while a small proportion were as direct financial support to voluntary organizations or communities. In a survey carried out by the Asian Governance Association, which ranks the top 10 Asian countries on corporate governance parameters, India has consistently ranked among the top three along with Singapore and Hong Kong, for the last eight years. In another study undertaken by automotive research company, TNS Automotive, India has been ranked second in global corporate social responsibility. State-owned Bharat Petroleum and Maruti Udyog were ranked as the best companies in India. Bharat Petroleum and Maruti Udyog came on top with 134 points each, followed by Tata Motors (133) and Hero Honda (131). The study was based on a public goodwill index and India received 119 points in the index against a global average of 100. Thailand was at the top slot with 124 points. Wipro has adopted Pushpavanam village in tsunami-ravaged belt of Tamil Nadu with a desire to rehabilitate survivors and rebuild the village. Our partner in this effort is BITsunami, a trust formed by the alumni of BITS, Pilani. Pushpavanam, about an hour's drive from Nagapattinam, has around 1200 house holds with a population of about 6000. It lost 19 people to the tsunami which washed away 200 houses; 500 families lost their livelihood and another 250 families were affected indirectly; 35 boats supporting around 200 families, an important means of livelihood were lost or damaged and almost all cultivable land (about 100 acres) was left barren, leaving both cultivators and the agricultural labourers without a means of livelihood. Several foundations run by corporate houses plan to devise a common strategy to ensure transparency in their social and community development operations, such as tracking spending in and progress of such projects in their annual reports. The effort is significant because it brings together a wide range of Indian companies to share ideas on innovating sustainable programmes. Among them are Multi Commodity Exchange of India Ltd, Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group and media company Bennett, Coleman and Co. Ltd,

Audit firm KPMG will partner with them to offer guidance on evaluating corporate social responsibility or CSR programmesa trend companies are slowly embracing as India's expanding economy contrasts sharply with growing local protests over land for future industrial projects. The network alliance stems from the first sustainability summit that was organized in January by the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India. CSR could prove to be a valuable asset in an age of mergers and acquisitions, especially as it helps companies spread their brand name, The new network will also serve as a common ground to lobby with the government for tax exemptions and safeguard other interests in the future. Indian companies have made little progress in reporting development projects. And only 48 companies have so far given their commitment to support the United Nations Global Compact, a charter for improving the global business environment through standards, such as labour rights and fighting corruption. Addressing business leaders in May last year, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said "Corporate social responsibility must not be defined by tax planning strategies alone. Rather, it should be defined within the framework of a corporate philosophy, which factors the needs of the community and the regions in which a corporate entity functions." Some say companies have an inherent "mental block" in reporting development programmes. A recent KPMG study among 27 Indian companies showed that a mere 8% mentioned their social expenditures in their annual reports, and only 25% filed CSR reports at all. But a quarter of them are also signatories of the Global Reporting Initiative, a 10-year-old movement started by an NGO called Coalition for Environmentally Responsible Economies (CERES) and the United Nations Environment Programme. This encourages companies to make voluntary disclosures and lays down framework on improving reporting principles. "Most companies tend to give to charities than make long-term development commitments. When a company voluntarily opens up for self-evaluation, it creates value for shareholders when competing with other companies," said Parul Soni, associate director of KPMG's Aid and Development Services. An estimated 100 corporate foundations and 25 foreign firms are involved in CSR activities in India, but statistics on input and output are elusive. According to Times' Pandey, the Indian corporate sector spent Rs30,000 crore on social expenditure during the last financial year, up from Rs17,500 crore the previous year. Quoting from a government report, he said, companies drew a total exemptions of Rs5,500 crore under income-tax laws last year. These figures, an analyst said, sound improbable as Indian companies still do not distinguish between philanthropy and internal practices to benefit stakeholders such as employees and community. Companies, too, continue to rely on different models to earmark its social expenditure, making it difficult to measure the overall impact. For instance, the Steel Authority of India Ltd (SAIL), the country's largest steel company, spent Rs100 crore on CSR last year; this was 2% of its profit after tax, exclusive of dividend tax, according to SAIL spokesperson N.K. Singhal. Yet others, such as Tata Steel Ltd, which runs a 850-bed hospital and rural projects in 800

villages around Jamshedpur, spends an average of Rs150 crore as part of its annual revenue expenditure. What eventually makes up for CSR of a company ultimately depends on leadership; as part of company decision, about 66% of Tata Sons, the holding group of the Tata group, is today owned by a trust. Pharmaceuticals company Jubilant Organosys Ltd, already runs an anti-tuberculosis programme with the government of Uttar Pradesh. Apart from schools and hospitals that are run by trusts and societies, the government, too, is exploring to widen the scope of public-private partnerships to build and maintain schools and hospitals in return for a fixed annuity payment. CONCLUSION The concept of corporate social responsibility has gained prominence from all avenues. Organizations must realize that government alone will not be able to get success in its endeavor to uplift the downtrodden of society. The present societal marketing concept of companies is constantly evolving and has given rise to a new concept-Corporate Social Responsibility. Many of the leading corporations across the world had realized the importance of being associated with socially relevant causes as a means of promoting their brands. It stems from the desire to do good and get self satisfaction in return as well as societal obligation of business. The Indian corporate sector spent US$ 6.31 billion on social expenditure during 2007-08, up from US$ 3.68 billion spent during the previous fiscal. The Steel Authority of India Ltd (SAIL), the country's largest steel company, spent US$ 21.05 million on CSR last year; Tata Steel Ltd, (which runs a 850-bed hospital and rural projects in 800 villages around Jamshedpur), spends about US$ 31.58 million as part of its annual revenue expenditure. Now there are plans to also introduce CSR in the small and medium enterprises (SME) sector to increase its reach in remote areas.

Karmayog CSR 2010 Rating CSR 2010 Details of Wipro Ltd., Bangalore, Karnataka Wipro Ltd. - Corporate Social Responsibility Activities are as follows Company Profile Company's Human Quotient at Wipro Slogan Spirit of Wipro >> Intensity to Win - Team, Innovate, Excel. >> Act with Company's Sensitivity - Thoughtful and responsible. >> Unyielding Integrity - Honesty Vision and fairness in action Company's Mission Special Notes Company Type Industry Sector Products Services

Indian Multi National

Information Technology, Software and ITES

/1. Personal 2. I.T. 3. Vegetable fats and oils (Edible Grade)

Computer Software

No. of 108071 employees Other locations factories offices

ofRefer Pg. 82 of Annual report 2009-10 for list of 53 development centres /and plant locations across India.

Financial April 2009 - March 2010 result for time period - Sales Rs. 27651 Crores

ProfitRs. 5510 Crores before tax - Net profitRs. 4631 Crores after tax CSRNot Disclosed Budget Rs. 8 Crore Remuneration of MD/CEO CSR Activities Trust / Foundation Wipro Cares for CSR CSR Areas 1. Children 2. Community 3. Disaster 4. Education 5. Employee 6. Energy 7. Environment 8. Healthcare 9. Physically 10. Poverty 11. Vocational 12. Women Three main1. Environment CSR 2. Education activities 3. Energy

Welfare Relief Welfare

Challenged Eradication Training

Publish Sustainability No Report CSR activities brief Women of Wipro: Empowering Women to Create their Future in The Women of Wipro (WOW) council launched various initiatives to facilitate, enable and empower women employees. Panel discussions with internal women leaders, mentoring programs for high potential women, workshops and development programs and a Women of Wipro website enable women to grow in their careers. These initiatives have ensured a consistent increase in women representation in various levels in the company over the last few years. Representation of women in Wipro has increased from 19% in 2004 to 29% in 2010. Enabling people with disabilities While Wipro has always attempted to be an equal opportunity employer with zero tolerance for discrimination of any kind, we have added greater focus by consciously creating more career opportunities in Wipro for people with disabilities. As a visible change, access guidelines have been made an integral part of our building guidelines so every new building is designed for better accessibility. The changes we have made to our recruitment, training and other policies enable persons with disabilities to build meaningful careers in Wipro. The past year saw us recruiting from management and technical campuses and through consultants to welcome persons with disabilities into mainstream roles. We have recruited 20 such people in the last 2 years. Weve also begun structured education to sensitize our managers on diversity, anti-discrimination and anti-harassment through classrooms as well as online programs. We believe that these efforts have laid the foundation for a diverse talent team in the future. Our efforts were recognized in the form of NCPEDP Shell Helen Keller Award for 2009 given to Wipro as an organization and to one of our employees for being a positive Role Model amongst the physically challenged people. -Pg 26 27 of ----------------------------------------------------------Annual Report

IT IS FAR GREATER TO SUSTAIN THAN IT IS TO CREATE. Wipro is built on a foundation of values - Spirit of Wipro. These values drive Wipro. Acting with Sensitivity is one of the three values and is manifested in our approach to stakeholders & ecology. Our journey towards ecological and social sustainability is an integral part of Wipros view of Good Citizenship. As a responsible global organization Wipro would like to lead the way in sustainability practices. Ecological Sustainability at Wipro. Guided by our conscience. It is an accepted fact that the current path to economic progress is ecologically unsustainable. This brings us to the moot point of choices. The most obvious being that if each one of us - organizations and individuals in the global society, adopt an ecologically sustainable path, we have the best chance of shaping a secure and happy future. EcoEye is Wipros initiative towards ecological sustainability that has today become a concerted organization-wide program. Its this lens of ecological sustainability that is transforming the way we do business and engage with all our stakeholders. Our sustainability framework is pivoted on engaging with multiple stakeholders in areas of vital and common interest, founded on an unchanging bedrock of integrity and values. Our customer stewardship program in Sustainability offers an integrated portfolio of solutions in Clean Energy, Energy Efficiency, Water Treatment, Green Lighting, Green PCs, Green Datacenters and IT for Green Software Solutions. Wipros Green PC is a complete case study in sustainable product design, energy efficient operations and extended responsibility for e-waste. Wipros Green PC models are 100% Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) compliant. Recently we launched a model that goes beyond RoHS compliance and is PolyVinylChloride (PVC) and Brominated Flame Retardants (BFR) free. 100% of our laptop models and 70% of our desktop models are Energy Star 5 rated. These ratings represent an energy efficiency of 10-15% and thus enable customers to save energy and reduce their corresponding Green House Gas (GHG) emissions. Wipro was the first Indian IT company to launch an extensive take back program in 2006 for customers to return their end-oflife desktops and laptops. With more than 16 such collection centers across

India, it has set the standard for responsible e-waste management. WE LIVE IN THE COMMUNITY. THE COMMUNITY LIVES IN US. Social Sustainability A sustainable business does not exist in a vacuum. Its sustainability is directly related to the well being and sustainability of the society in which it is embedded. Wipro's social an community initiatives are based on the belief that business has a clear responsibility to contribute to the creation of a just, equitable and humane society. For almost a decade now, we have been engaged in social transformation initiatives. From the time we began, we decided to engage in social issues with sensitivity, rigor and an open mind, and most importantly with responsibility. This led to wide consultations and brainstorming, resulting in our decision to work in three areas: School education, through Wipro Applying Thought in Schools Towards increasing employability, through Mission10X Towards addressing the immediate concerns in society, through Wipro Cares Wipro Applying Thought in Schools (WATIS) WATIS is a focused initiative towards systemic reform in school education in India, to improve the quality of education. A partnership of over 30 organizations with specific projects on the ground is at the core of this initiative, involving over 1000 schools across 17 states. We continued our journey this year by expanding our reach to a wider community. Some of the key themes of the work were: An initiative to create quality literature for children and about education We supported a two year project for writing a book titled What Did You Ask At School Today? by Kamala V. Mukunda and was published by Harper Collins. Strengthening the Wipro Education Fellowship network Launched in 2007, this program provides individuals with opportunities to

create shareable learning for schools and the larger education community. The assignments are either commissioned books, research/documentation assignments, creating good educational literature or even working on a specific school intervention or Wipro project based on needs. Two Junior Fellows have completed their Fellowship and we currently have 7 Fellows working on projects in two broad areas: learning, observing and documenting the experience in some of our school projects a project of own interest, related to school education or childrens literature Expanding the community of partner organizations A new Holistic School Engagement project was initiated with Center for Education and Voluntary Action (CEVA) in Chandigarh. We work with the New Public School (NPS), Chandigarh in creating a teaching-learning environment based on experiential and participative practices. We partnered with Udaan-Janvikas, Ahmedabad to help the organization build a resource center for educators. Udaans work is with children who primarily depend on government schools and the work is focused on influencing the government school system. We initiated a new project with The Teacher Foundation in 12 schools in Bangalore which aims at making schools emotionally safe places, where the interaction with children is sensitive. We are currently working on 22 long-term projects with 20 partner organizations,10 of which are Holistic School Engagements. Extending advocacy efforts to parents and teachers on the importance of conceptual understanding in the learning process This year we reached out further by recording student misconceptions as videos to schools and also conducted teacher and parent workshops. We engaged with around 500 schools and educators through these sessions. This gives teachers and parents insights into how children think about various concepts and thus better support the learning process. We have made these videos available to more than 9,000 schools. Mission10X Mission10X, a not-for-profit trust of Wipro, places great emphasis on the

creativity of the learner. It also aims at enhancing the learning ability of engineering institutions in India and their response to the challenges of employability. Our affiliations with institutes and universities saw distinguished thinkers, educationists and leaders from the academia provide the necessary stimulus to be thrust into the right path. To facilitate this exchange and create a web enabled community of engineering faculties, we augmented the Mission10X portal with storage and access mechanisms. Faculties across the country are now able to create engineering assets, document and share them using the portal. Currently the number of innovative assets (in 18 engineering disciplines) stands at 3,370. Mission10X set out to reach and empower 10,000 engineering faculties with innovative learning methodologies by September 2010. The year 2009-10 saw an accelerated growth aided by affiliations with reputed universities and by end of year the mission has successfully empowered over 7,777 faculties across 19 states in India. Wipro Cares The focus of Wipro Cares is on education & healthcare for marginalized communities, and environment & disaster rehabilitation. Education: We work with partners to create an engaging atmosphere where children can spend a few hours a day at informal learning centres. These centres double up as bridge schools and aim to get out-of-school children back into the mainstream. Some of our initiatives aim to provide additional support to bright students from poor families by providing books or opening up their world through interactions and motivation. Healthcare: Our mobile clinics reach the communities around our factories and provide healthcare to those who cannot come to the centre. We provide primary health care services and focus on both preventive and curative treatment. Environment: Wipro Cares undertakes activities in the community under its EcoEye charter. We have adopted and developed Lake Manikonda in Hyderabad. This year we worked to increase its water holding capacity, built a bio-fence and installed a water purifier system to ensure that the incoming water is clean. Disaster Rehabilitation: In areas affected by disasters, Wipro Cares works

on rehabilitation, to provide long term support to the community, to restart their lives. In 2009-10, Wipro Cares ran a pilot project in parts of Bihar affected by the Kosi river breach. We provided ecologically sustainable infrastructure such as eco-sanitation, solar lights and rain water harvesting in the community of Mandal Thola in Puraini village. We have also provided solar street lights, cobbled streets, raised platforms as shelters for animals, raised hand-sets and cleaned open wells among other activities. -Pg 29 32 of -----------------------------------------------------Corporate Social Responsibility Reaching out to create new opportunities Our commitment has never been limited to the processes and projects we execute in our daily functions at Wipro Technologies. Over the years, we have developed a clear road to realize our vision of taking our success to other sections of society who struggle to care for their own basic needs. Annual Report

Wipro Cares Realities keep changing in an unpredictable world. In the midst of this there arise crises that need to be immediately attended to and through Wipro Cares we strive hard to address this. From community relief and rehabilitation in times of disasters to education opportunities, health and wellness programs for the needy, we make sure that our work touches every level of society who needs our help. Our Wipro Care program is executed with the help of our employees who are free to volunteer their services and other recognized voluntary organizations who make sure the goal is never out of focus.

Wipro Applying Thought in Schools Education is recognized as a key investment in Wipro, not only within, but also marked and leveraged as a social initiative. Through the Applying Thought in Schools initiative, we take our tagline seriously enough to build a network of social organizations committed to education reform. Education quality, research and interventions are clearly defined that our program explores.

Eco Eye Our commitment to the ecology around us is as strong as our every endeavor. We believe that the future lies in sustainable solutions that will never interfere with our environment. With the formation of Eco Eye, we are now a business that incorporates better ecological balance in every project we execute. http://www.wipro.com/corporate/aboutus/corporate-socialresponsibility.htm ----------------------------------------------Wipro Cares Wipro Cares is our community initiative that helps marginalized communities living in our neighborhoods. This initiative is organized as a trust and works with funds donated by Wiproites and these funds are in turn matched by Wipro. Our Operations Wipro Cares works on the model of channelizing voluntary employee efforts to contribute to the needs of the neighboring communities. Volunteers become members of the local chapter and few may emerge as leaders. These chapters in different locations proactively identify projects based on the requirement of the community in that location. These projects are then evaluated by the project head and the central team to be approved by the trustees. We have launched Wipro Cares projects in the following areas: Education Healthcare Environment Disaster Rehabilitation

Wipro Cares has also volunteered efforts in various areas where extreme circumstances required humane interventions. -http://www.wipro.org/community/wipro_cares.htm -------------------------------------------------Education Wipro strongly believes that education is the basic enabler and through Wipro Cares we work with NGOs who in turn work with underprivileged children. We offer them opportunities for holistic development, run bridge schools and also train them in vocational skills. While supporting these education activities we also train teachers to engage with children who come from struggling backgrounds. Education Back to the Future A learning center for Projects children

We work through an NGO called Towards Future to provide learning opportunities and bridge schooling. Our primary objective is to prepare the children to go to regular schools. We also provide them a nutrition supplement in this center. Supporting girls to complete their high school

We work through an NGO called Rockfund that encourages and enables girls to pursue their education till 10th standard by providing them financial support. This is done through close interactions with the childs parents and the schools. The parents have to commit their support in allowing the child to study. Impact The girls are motivated to pursue their education further They are also encouraged and prompted to perform better in their studies because if they do not achieve the required goals then the funding may be stopped Teachers Training Center Parivartan

We work through an NGO called Door Step School to educate, train and equip teachers to educate migrant children. Impact If the teachers are trained, then the children get comfortable with them thus reducing drop-out rate The trained teachers have successfully taken the number of beneficiary children up to 600 per year Community Center to fulfill the need of children and adolescents Our Work We work with an NGO called Swadhar to address the needs of children of all ages in a particular area. Impact The confidence of children has risen and the drop-out rate has reduced Adolescent girls have adopted skills such as tailoring, jewelry-making and other crafts, thus helping them to earn a small living The community is gradually responding to the concept of a library and are engaging themselves in reading books and newspapers in their leisure time -http://www.wipro.org/community/education.htm -------------------------------------------Healthcare Rural Health Program

Wipro Cares launched Project Sanjeevani, its first rural healthcare project, on the 6th of November 2009, in Aurangabad district. It was launched in partnership with Savitribai Phule Mahila Ekatma Samaj Mandal (SPMESM), a reputed NGO, which has extensive experience in working in rural healthcare. The project will cover nine small villages, all situated in and around Wipros Waluj factory. Over the next three years, Project Sanjeevani aims to build a sustainable Primary Healthcare system with the involvement of

the local population. Towards this aim, the project will: Provide quality primary health services by operating a Mobile Health Clinic Strengthen the local Anganwadi institutions to improve the attendance of children so as to ascertain and improve their health Identify and treat malnutrition cases in the project area Identify and register pregnant women and provide them with basic medical services Create awareness regarding personal hygiene, diet and vaccination through awareness programs and counseling sessions -http://www.wipro.org/community/healthcare.htm --------------------------------------Environment Wipro is aware and concerned about the state of the global environment and ecology. We believe that it is extremely important to create and maintain a sustainable environment in the community around us. Wipro Cares has been continuously working in various areas that contribute to a sustainable environment and some of these initiatives are reflected here. Ecological Development of a lake in Manikonda, Hyderabad The Manikonda Lake, measuring an area of about 8.84 acres, has been drastically shrinking over the last few years due to the developmental activities around it. Our objective was to develop a bio diverse lake eco system improve the water holding capacity create roosting and nesting sites for local and migrant birds and develop weed patches as feeding and breeding grounds for birds We developed a unique niche for bio diversity by creating a natural habitat using locally available silt, stones, plantation of native species of trees, herbs and rooted macrophytes. This has significantly increased the number

of birds such as herons, kingfishers and ducks visiting the lake. Transplantation of trees in Bangalore

Till date, we have transplanted 40 trees from busy roads in Bangalore into public places. Another 30 trees have been transplanted into our own campuses. 'Less Plastic for Me' campaign

Along with an NGO called Saahas, that works in the area of waste management, we are creating awareness regarding the ill-effects of use of plastic. In this endeavor we have: Worked with and educated people at supermarkets, malls and shops Introduced common collection centers for used plastic in schools, apartments and super-markets Worked with specific audience in apartment blocks and residential lay-outs to involve them in our campaign Worked with educational institutions through various clubs and active groups to motivate students to reject the use of disposable products on campus and ensure the collection and recycling of products used Interacted with officers of the department of environment and ecology, state pollution control board and city municipal corporation to introduce them to the program and to elicit support from them -http://www.wipro.org/community/environment.htm ------------------------------Disaster Rehabilitation At Wipro Cares, we believe that the victims of disaster need our help and encouragement to rebuild their lives after natural calamities. Hence, we engage them to understand their needs to be able to provide them the support that will help them create a self sustainable environment. Gujarat earthquake relief Provided mobile physiotherapy Orissa cyclone relief Built a cyclone shelter equipped

units Helped build a health center with a physiotherapy unit to provide care to patients

with a siren, life jackets and HAM station This center also works as a school and is equipped with blackboards and benches areas in Tamil Nadu

Our

work

in

tsunami

affected

We have spent considerable time to understand the needs of the affected people and plan the rehabilitation program in this region. Given below are the details of the work that we have executed in the tsunami affected areas in India. Pushpavanam Village

Our work in Pushpavanam village focused on creating livelihood, building houses and insuring the people against a similar disaster in future. Evolved a cost effective but labor intensive solution to reclaim 100.25 acres of agricultural land Coastal tree plantation done in this village against the destructive recurring flood Added additional infrastructure to four of the existing schools, catering to over 500 children Built toilets and provided clean drinking water to the village to ensure hygiene and good health Naluvedapaty Reconstructed houses that were damaged by the tsunami Supported the village and helped reconstruct 35 earthquake and cyclonefree homes as per the government norms in Naluvedapaty Kasturba Kanya Gurukulam

We worked with the Kasturba Gurukulam, a 65-year-old institution in Vedaranyam in Nagapattinam district, started by Mr. Vedaratnam, a freedom fighter, who donated all his land for this institution. It is a wellknown pioneering institution that provides vocational training and

education, and also helps girls to find jobs. In this regard we have taken the following initiative: We are constructing a school cum dorm facility The dorm will accommodate 600 girls and the school will facilitate the integration of spacious classrooms, laboratories and libraries -http://www.wipro.org/community/disaster_rehabilitation.htm -----------------------------------------Sustainability Bringing environment consciousness to the forefront Sustainability is not just about protecting our natural environment, it also involves creating a better community, promoting a vibrant social network and reviving economic growth. Wipros sustainability initiatives are based on the belief that businesses today have a clear responsibility to contribute to the creation of a just, equitable and humane society. Our initiatives in this area cover: Sustainability Disclosures Providing a clear picture of the sustainability initiatives recognized and undertaken by Wipro. Eco-eye A platform dedicated to showcase Wipros eco-initiatives and track the path that Wipro has undertaken to enable eco sustainability. Diversity Reflects the diverse culture at Wipro and extends opportunities to individuals who can make a difference in the organization. Wipro develops eco-sustainability Energy and GHG efficiency 25% improvement in energy efficiency in the last 6 years due to adoption of green building standards based on LEED framework 44% reduction in use of printing paper through effective automated controls and behavioral changes Water efficiency

32% of water requirement met through water recycling and harvesting Waste management Four biogas plants convert food waste to cooking fuel translating into a net reduction of 100 tons per annum Wipro enables eco-sustainability initiatives for customers Builds Green Data Centers that consume 10-20% less energy Operates green certified (LEED) buildings that offer better working environment and economy Helps in greening existing buildings that save energy and operational costs Consults factories to go 'Green' and work efficiently under an eco umbrella -http://www.wipro.org/sustainability/index.htm --------------------------------------

Sustainability Report 2008 - 09 is available on the http://www.wipro.com/corporate/investors/pdf-files/wiprosustainability-report-2008-09.pdf.

website

Sustainability Report 2009 - 10 has not yet been published as on 1/2/11. -----------------------------------------Additional CSR Information CSR Contact Person Name contact person of Mr. P. S. Narayan

Designation General Manager, Eco Eye

Company Name Contact Address Phone Fax Email Id

Wipro Ltd.

Doddakannelli Sarjapur Road Bangalore 560035

080 28440011 Extn 226766 sustain-report@wipro.com wipro.cares@wipro.com

CSR Website http://www.wipro.org/ / Section Company Contact Information Company Name Registered Address Phone Fax Email id Website Wipro Ltd.

Doddakannelli Karnataka, Bangalore - 560 035 080 28440011 080 28440256 info@wipro.com http://www.wipro.com

Sarjapur

Road

Year of 1945 Establishment Name of theMr. Azim Premji Chairman /

CEO Designation Chairman Karmayog CSR 20104 / 5 Rating Link http://www.karmayog.org/csr2010/csrall/csrdetails.aspx?id=466

Karmayog CSR 20094 / 5 Rating Link http://www.karmayog.org/csr2009/csrdetails.aspx?id=320

Karmayog CSR 20083 / 5 Rating Link http://www.karmayog.org/csr501to1000/csr501to1000_22160.htm

Karmayog CSR 20073 / 5 Rating Link http://www.karmayog.org/csr500companies/csr500companies_8655.htm

Posted on : 01 Feb, 2011

Azim Premji University: An institution focused on education and development.( http://www.indiaeducationreview.com).

India has close to 100 private run universities catering to students seeking career in management, engineering and medical sector. However, there is one university with almost different focus that is of catering to the education and development sector of India. The reference is to the Azim Premji University. Set up in Bangalore, this institution is exclusively focussed on offering programmes and conducting researches over the issues related to education and development only. This university will start operating from July this year by offering three courses in Master of Arts in Education, Master of Arts in Development and Masters in Teacher Education, with all of them being two year full time courses.

Anurag Behar, the Vice Chancellor of the university while talking to India Education Review said, India is lacking professionals in education and development sector. The purpose of these programmes is to create professionals for these fields. After which the students will be able to join NGOs working in education and development sector or Multinational organisations, government working in education and development areas. The university has plans to take 200 students in the first year, 50 for Masters in Education, 50 for Masters in Development and 100 for Master of Arts in Education, Master of Arts in Development and Masters in Teacher Education collectively. According to Anurag Behar, In five years time we are expecting to have 2500 students studying in this campus. There are several things which separate this university from other universities running not only in India but across the globe. The first one is the unique feature of this university that it is entirely focussed on education and development and is started with single minded focus to create professionals for education and development sector who will further contribute to the society. This university is unique in terms of theory-practice linkage as this university is based in Bangalore but its programmes are spread across India where the students will not only study inside classes but will also go into the society to have better understanding of the course. As said by Anurag Behar, The biggest challenge for any university is to tie together theory and practical. So for us the learning will happen in the field as well as in the classroom. The third difference is, students can continue to study without any financial constraint coming in their ways. Anurag Behar elaborated, Its a public commitment that if you get admission in our university it is our problem to arrange loan for them or to give them scholarship and so on. Thus making students free from any financial burden and entirely focus on their study.

The university also plans to provide opportunity for working professionals as they too can take up courses in Azim Premji University. The university will provide them with some stipend like foreign universities besides scholarships, as the person will be leaving a source of income to join the course. They can also apply to Azim Premji Foundation for jobs along with applying for admission in the university. The person will be interviewed for the job at the time of admission but they will get the job only after successfully completing the course, thus it will be a kind of job security to them. The university is starting with three courses but has plans of starting multiple specialised programmes on several other issues with education and development at their core, over the next five years. The Azim Premji Foundation, with more than a decade of experience of working in the educations sector, has associated with outstanding teaching members across the globe, to give students a better understating of issues faced by the education sector, not only in India but around the world. Anurag Behar talking about the students said, We do not have any intention to attract students from foreign countries, it is entirely for Indians. If somebody comes from somewhere we will not stop that as we want people to learn and work in India to help the society. The university is currently functioning from a building in the cyber city inside the Wipro campus while a 100 acre campus is being developed on the Sarjapur Road on the outskirts of Bangalore. The university coming up with a unique idea is expected to bring a revolutionary change in the Indian higher education sector, which is already going under a massive transformation phase, and to set the trend for others to follow.

Eco-Avenue
by Abitha Anandh Eco- Avenue Eco-avenue is an initiative by Wipro Ltd., Electronics city in Bangalore which houses a Sewage water treatment plant, a biogas plant, a paper recycling plant, rain-water harvesting plant and a pilot project on wind solar hybrid plant. All the plants are installed on one of the blocks and that part of the premises is called as Eco-avenue. Sewage water treatment plant: Installed 8 years back, it has a capacity to handle 400Kl, an average of 200Kl is treated everyday. With an aerobic treatment, 85-90% of water is reusable half of which is used in restrooms and the other half goes for landscaping and gardening. Biogas plant: Installed in the year 2008, it has a capacity of 3000kgs. With an employee count of 25000 in the campus, the food waste including the peels and leftovers from the cafeteria is collected (per day input is 900kgs) which then goes through anaerobic process in the digesters and the gas gets collected into a balloon. Per day, gas is sent to the two kitchens where the gas is used in low flame cooking. It offsets 30% of the LPG requirement. Paper recycling plant: Papers are collected from all the offices of Wipro in Bangalore and the plant has a recycling capacity of 200kgs of paper per day. The paper is recycled into cakes (See pic) of 1kg each. Wipro has tied up with an organisation which upcycles the recycled paper cakes to notepads for Wipro to be used in the meetings and conferences. Rain-water harvesting: Installed in the year 2005, there are 5 underground sumps to harvest the rainwater, 4 with a capacity of 1,00,000litres each and one with a capacity of 50,000litres. Before reaching the sumps, the water collected on the roof-top and ground surface goes through sand and

gravel filtration. The surface water, sometimes not of good quality is re-used in the air coolers across the campus offices. Underground charging pits handle the water which overflows the plant capacity during rains. This rainwater recycling plant offsets 15 days of water requirement of Wipro Campus per year. Pilot project of two windmills of total capacity of 400 watts has been connected to solar panels of the capacity of 150 watts which are both used to light up twelve LED lit street lights lamps of 20 watts.

Learning enhancement :Wipro Cares has initiated Learning Enhancement Programmes at schools catering to the children from the under privileged section of the society. The main objectives of this programme is to improve the standards of learning, build confidence, ignite curiosity, broaden their awareness levels, improve their communication skills in English , build a healthy self-esteem and help them break through self imposed limits to achieve his/her greatest potential.In line with its focus, these programmes have been successfully implemented in Olcott Memorial School in Besantnagar, Chennai and Government Secondary School in Viveknagar, Bangalore.

Makkala Jagriti - Wipro Cares Learning Centre:A Learning Center focused on providing enriching, exciting, safe and secure environment to children from under privileged sections of the society was inaugurated by Makkala Jagriti, and Wipro Cares in Bangalore. Makkala Jagriti is an NGO, whose focus is to work with underprivileged children in the area of education. The Learning Centre will also provide opportunities for contributing to the community to Wipro employees, their friends and families. They can get involved by interacting, involving, teaching & learning in mutually enriching way to reach quality-learning environment to the economically disadvantaged children in an integrated manner through the Learning Centre.