Stressing on the motto of 'Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam', Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said India has had a tradition of social welfare and philanthropy since ancient times. Addressing the 6th edition of The CSR Journal Excellence Awards, where he was the chief guest, Singh said India considers people across the world as "our family".

"India is a country where if you face any kind of problem or unfortunate incident, your neighbours will be the first to come and support you voluntarily. Even strangers come forward to rescue road accident victims and take them to the hospital. This shared humanity makes us treat everyone as our own and we follow ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’ where we consider people across the world as our family," the Union Minister said. 

"The CSR Journal, since its very inception in 2014, has been a source of inspiration and information for a lot of people, encouraging them to come forward and work for social upliftment. It is very important to recognise those people who are contributing for the betterment of the society and The CSR Journal deserves mention for that," he further said.

The event, which took place on December 9 at the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE), was attended by over 600 dignitaries, including senior bureaucrats, public representatives, social activists, youth leaders, artists, members of India Inc.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, who was the Guest of Honour, said it was the duty of citizens of India, which is the world's biggest democracy, to support the weaker sections of the society and help the needy. 

"In our country, there is an ancient tradition of charity and responsibility towards the society. Even today, when we donate something for charity, it is done without any publicity," Shinde said.

The CM also lauded actor Aamir Khan, who was present at the event, and his team for ensuring water in remote rural areas.

"While the Central Government and State Government is doing this, the awardees of this evening are also doing a commendable job for social welfare be it in the field of education, child welfare, women empowerment, agriculture, healthcare and other fields," he said.

Aamir Khan attended the CSR awards event as a special guest. His daughter Ira Khan was awarded for her work in the field of mental health through Agatsu Foundation.

"I have come here as a father only to witness the respect Ira is getting. I would like to congratulate all the winners of this award but today, my place is over there (pointing at the audience)," the actor said.

Amit Upadhyay, founder and editor-in chief, The CSR Journal, said, "Every honoree present is significantly advancing social service inside their respective fields of expertise. While Corporate Social Responsibility is mandated by law, it is ultimately up to us to implement it. You don't need a law to help others; all you need is intention and effort."

The event was hosted by radio personality Malishka Mendonsa aka RJ Malishka while mentalist and magician Suhani Shah mesmerised the audience by her thought reading skills. A soulful rendition by singer Annkur Pathak also enthralled the audience.

Awards were given for six categories, including education and skill training, health and sanitation, environment, women empowerment and child welfare, agriculture and rural development and sports.

The top six winners were Gland Pharma Limited (education and skill training), BALCO Medical Centre (Vedanta Medical Research Foundation) in health and sanitation category, Coca-Cola India Foundation (environment), Tata Communications (women empowerment), Hindalco Industries Ltd (agriculture and rural development), and Jindal Steel & Power (sports).

The CSR Journal Excellence Awards 2023 – List of Winners

Category

Organisation Name

Position

 

Education and Skill Training

 

Gland Pharma Limited

1

SRF Limited

2

SOBHA Limited

3

 

Women Empowerment & Child Welfare

 

Tata Communications Limited

1

IndusInd Bank Limited

2

Parexel International (India) Private Limited

3

Agriculture & Rural Development

Hindalco Industries Ltd., Renukoot

1

United Breweries Limited

2

SBI Foundation

3

 

BALCO Medical Centre (Vedanta Medical Research Foundation)

1

Health and Sanitation

Tata Capital Financial Services Limited

2

 

ICICI Lombard General Insurance Limited

3

Environment

Coca-Cola India Foundation

1

Dabur India Limited

2

DCB Bank

3

Social activists Padma Shri Dr Ravindra and Dr Smita Kolhe, known for their work in tribal welfare in rural Maharashtra, were honoured with 'The CSR Journal Lifetime Achievement Award – 2023'.

Sudhir Mungantiwar, Maharashtra Forest, Cultural Affairs & Fisheries Minister, was given the 'CSR Journal Champion of Good Governance Award 2023'.

The Youth Icon Award went to poet and social reformer Kumar Vishwas. Lok Sabha MP Dr. Shrikant Shinde was honoured with the Ambassador for Social Impact Award. 

Former cricketer Yuvraj Singh was given 'The CSR Journal Pride of India Award 2023'. Former women cricket team captain Mithali Raj was also felicitated with the Pride of India Award.

Actor and national advocate of UNDP India for SDGs Bhumi Pednekar was given the 'The CSR Journal Climate Champion of the Year Award'.

Social entrepreneur Padma Shri Arunachalam Muruganantham, popularly known as the Padman of India, was felicitated with the Menstrual Hygiene Champion of India Award.

This year, The CSR Journal’s Special Commendation Award in Corporate Social Responsibility was awarded to:

  • Amazon for the Project Amazon Future Engineer (AFE)
  • Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd. for Project Kashmir Super 50 (Medical)
  • Mahindra & Mahindra Financial Services Ltd. for Project Swabhimaan
  • Nayara Energy Limited for Project Tushti
  • TVS Motor Company Limited for Project Desilting of Minor Irrigation Tanks in Tiruvannamalai, Tiruneveli and Krishnagiri Districts
  • VFS Global for Project Future Skills Scholarship Programme & Empowering Women in Tourism
  • ACG World Wide for Project Skill Development Centre – Shirwal
  • SBI Foundation for ‘The CSR Journal EmpowerHER Change Award’.

The CSR Journal’s Social Welfare and Growth Award 2023 has been awarded to:

● Sandeep Donde, MD & CEO, Microscan Infocommtech Pvt. Ltd. Championing Social Impact & Sustainability
● FUEL Business School for Excellence in Future Skills and Management Education 
● PlayboxTV for Entertainment for a Cause. 
● Lord’s Mark Industries Ltd for Social Leadership and Empowering Communities
● KPT Piping System Private Limited for Leadership in Sustainability & Manufacturing
● Kamala Ankibai Ghamandiram Gowani Trust for Community Development & Wellbeing
● Annamrita Foundation for School Nutrition and Food for Change
● Abhishek Kumar Burman, MD, NexMoney: Innovative Ways of Earning for Entrepreneurial Excellence and Digital Transformation
● Entigrity for Excellence in Outsourcing, Education and Empowering Communities

The upcoming edition of The CSR Journal print magazine will feature insightful columns and articles about our prestigious awards show. To Subscribe please visit thecsrjournal.in/magazine.