Issue: #12 | March 2015 Special Edition On Women Empowerment
THE QUESTION ISN’T WHO’S GOING TO LET ME;
In this issue: Fiinovation Adjudged CSR Team of the Year & Caring Company at World CSR Day
Fiinovation Launched #PowerOfBangles Campaign for Men on Women's Day
Empowerment of Women The Future Roadmap
ONGC: Empowering Women through CSR
Fiinobservation of National Days
www.fiinova on.co.in
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From the Mr. Soumitro Chakraborty CEO, Fiinova on (Innova ve Financial Advisors Pvt. Ltd.)
CEO’s Desk
This month has been completely dedicated to the sign of strength, patience and tolerance in the societal framework that is to the women of the society. Working in the social development sector gave me and my colleagues an opportunity with women centric issues and challenges. Amidst this talk of empowerment, we completely forgot the kind of victimization and the kind of feeble situation and circumstances that the women have to go through in the larger parts of the country, and I do not intend to keep the urban areas away from the rural ones. It's true that the fairer gender has travelled a lot from times immemorial to achieve what they have today but in real terms development cannot be complete in nature till the last woman standing is taken care of. It is not only hunger or poverty that encircles and deď€ nes apathy but domestic and physical abuse is also one of the predominant threats that they face. This is common between women traveling to space and women of Korava Tribe. I think as a cultural dynasty we are slowly forgetting the very fundamental of society that stands strong on its capacity to respect womanhood. With the rise in crimes against women, I sometimes think India's development is a delusion. Until and unless we realize the importance of womanhood in our society and our lives, and the fact that a society is only as strong as its women, it would be difď€ cult for our future generations to have a strong fundamental. I dedicate this month and my views to a strong, respectful and a commanding identity of the overall womanhood. Warm Regards Soumitro Chakraborty
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Fiinovation Adjudged CSR Team of the Year & Caring Company at World CSR Day
The 'green' carpet was rolled out for business leaders and industry stalwarts at the muchawaited World CSR Day organised by World CSR Congress. The two-day event held across February 17-18, 2015 at Taj Lands End, Mumbai, hosted Global Excellence & Leadership Award and '50 Most Caring Companies Awards' on February 18 to recognise companies that have best practice in Corporate Social Responsibility and that have the best corporate citizenship respectively. The moment of glory for Fiinovation, a research consultancy in CSR & Sustainability domain, arrived when it was conferred with ‘CSR Team of the Year’ and ‘Caring Company Award’ in separate ceremonies during the event. On winning the coveted Awards, Mr. Soumitro Chakraborty, Chief Executive Ofcer, Fiinovation, said, "I appreciate the initiative to bridge and cultivate the partnership between corporations and non-prot organizations through CSR, thus enabling inclusive growth in the social development sector at large. I am really humbled and honoured for the gesture, conferring Fiinovation with the 'CSR Team of the Year' and 'Caring Company Award'. On behalf of my organization, I would like to thank the Jury for the same. My sincere gratitude to the Jury and Council Members of the World CSR Congress for considering, appreciating and recommending our efforts." The Global CSR Excellence & Leadership Awards is into its 4th edition and has been recognising the contribution of companies that have the best practice in CSR domain. The Caring Companies Award aims at cultivating good corporate citizenship. It is specically geared to encourage strategic partnerships among businesses and non-prot organizations to create a more cohesive society. Prior to the Awards ceremony, Mr. Chakraborty moderated the session on 'Innovative Approaches to CSR' and touched upon crucial topics on CSR and sustainability. The event also witnessed active participation from audience who got an opportunity to interact with other industry leaders such as Yogesh Dhingra, COO & CFO, Blue Dart Express Limited; Col Prakash Tewari (Retd), Group Vice President CSR and Education, Jindal Steel and Power Limited; Mohini Daljeet Singh, Chief Executive, Max India Foundation; Mr. Torben Due, Country Director, United Nations World Food Programme amongst others. In the past, Fiinovation has received 'Manager of the Year' & 'Best Enterprise of the Year - in the eld of Health, Education, Environment and Livelihood with a focus on CSR & Sustainability' Awards by the European Business Assembly (Socrates Award Ceremony, Summit of Leaders in 2014) at Oxford Town Hall, United Kingdom. Apart from this, it was adjudged the 'Best Social Innovation: Product or Service' 2014 at the World CSR Day.
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Fiinovation Launched #PowerOfBangles Campaign for Men on Women's Day A unique campaign was launched on the occasion of International Women's Day that focused on engaging men rather than women. Initiated by Fiinovation (Innovative Financial Advisors Pvt. Ltd.), the campaign #PowerOfBangles (No longer a sign of weakness) aimed at breaking stereotypes against women and sensitizing men that wearing a bangle is not a sign of weakness. As part of the campaign, Fiinovation organized a sele contest primarily for men, who were asked to share seles wearing bangles along with a message. The campaign kicked off on March 02, 2015 across social media platforms and on radio and ended on March 13, 2015. The winners of the contest were declared on March 14, 2015 online and their testimonials were aired on Radio City 91.1 FM on March 15, 2015. The highlight of the campaign was a chat show with Virender Sehwag and Mr. Soumitro Chakraborty, Chief Executive Ofcer, Fiinovation, where they shared their views on the campaign and women empowerment on Radio City 91.1 FM. The chat show was aired on March 15, 2015. The most dangerous opening batsman to have played for India, Virender Sehwag came forward to support the campaign and shared how the women in his life helped him realise his dream and continue to do so even today. On the campaign, Mr. Soumitro Chakraborty, said, "Women empowerment has been a burning issue around the world. What is required is to change the mindset of the society and the men in general. This is what forms the genesis of our campaign. The #PowerOfBangles is an initiative that attempts to focus on men and not on women as the need is to change the perception that men seem to have for women. We hope that by running such a campaign, we have laid down a foundation for a better future where women realise their self-worth and men are able to support without any bias.” The popular Hindi idiom “Maine choodiyan nahi pehen rakhi hai” (Translation: I am not wearing bangles - I am not weak) was the trigger of the campaign that led up to “Choodiyan pehen rakhi hai toh kya!” (Translation: So what if I am wearing bangles!). What is worth noting is the fact that the idiom is used only by men to show their machismo while carrying an obvious reference to women. Since bangles are worn by women, the campaign encouraged men to participate in the contest and show that wearing bangles does not make them any less of a man. Through this, they also got an opportunity to stand up for the women in their lives. The #PowerOfBangles contest received enthusiastic response on social media platforms and from the listeners of popular radio channel Radio City 91.1 FM, who also participated in the contest. The winners of the contest conducted on radio were announced daily for four consecutive days. Fiinovation also reached out to universities and colleges across Delhi to engage youth in this thought-provoking campaign.
Food for Thought...
Hear the Inuencers Speak...
Ÿ India has limited experience with regards to induction of women in the armed
Ÿ "The day will come when men will recognize women as their peer, not only
forces. The rst batch had joined in 1992. Lieutenant General Punita Arora is the rst woman in India to don the second highest rank i.e. Lieutenant General of Indian Armed Forces.
at the reside, but in councils of the nation. Then, and not until then, will there be the perfect comradeship, the ideal union between the sexes that shall result in the highest development of the race." -Susan B. Anthony
Ÿ Indian women constitute a major work force in the agricultural sector. If you take the whole of India, more than 71% of women work as agricultural labourers which come to 82% when it is conned to rural India only. This means more women are involved in sowing, weeding, harvesting, carrying etc.
Ÿ On March 09, 2010, one day after International Women's Day, Rajya Sabha passed the Women's Reservation Bill, ensuring 33% reservation to women in Parliament and state legislative bodies.
Ÿ Around 603 million women live in countries where domestic violence is not yet considered a crime.
Ÿ According to the Guardian, just 7% of reported rapes in the U.K. resulted in convictions during 2011-12. In Sweden, the conviction rate is as low as 10%. France had a conviction rate of 25% in 2006. Among these nations, India had 24.2% conviction rate in 2012.
Ÿ "The greatest gift to man is woman, but the greatest gift to woman is herself." -C.C. Campbell
Ÿ "I measure the progress of a community by the degree of progress which women have achieved." -B. R. Ambedkar
Ÿ "If you want something said, ask a man; if you want something done, ask a woman." -Margaret Thatcher
Ÿ "Extremists have shown what frightens them the most: a girl with a book." - Malala Yousafzai
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Empowerment of Women The Future Roadmap In the words of the President of India Shri Pranab Mukherjee, "Women are the silent backbone of the Indian economy". This is true for the simple reason that they account for 48.5 per cent (Census India 2011) of the total population of India. Today, Indian women are successful in various roles such as entrepreneurs, farmers, researchers, scholars, artists, soldiers, homemakers, heads of states – the list is endless. They walk shoulder to shoulder under the sun in agricultural elds for food security, in construction industry for building infrastructure, in healthcare and in other service industries, contributing to India's GDP. I believe, without them, the societal and political system would fail, economies will collapse, while households and communities will fall apart. Yet, women are often considered as second class citizens. It has taken ages for us to realize that we need to work towards their empowerment, safety, education, rights, healthcare and livelihood among other issues. India's efforts towards realising women empowerment and gender equality have been dismal. From unsatisfactory sex ratio to increasing number of rapes, our efforts have not been in line with global standards. More than 210 million Indian women lack the basic ability to read and write. Presently, only 39 per cent of Indian women are formally employed, compared to 81 per cent of Indian men and 71 per cent of Chinese women. The percentage of women in Indian politics is also poor with 11.2 per cent in Lok Sabha and 10.6 per cent in Rajya Sabha. Apart from this, the status of women in other social development indicators remains an area of concern for the Indian government. I understand that a nation that treats its women as equal to men is more safe, stable and prosperous. Therefore, we should work towards their empowerment, equality, liberty and dignity. The government of India and its citizens can adopt the following measures to improve the status of women in the country.
Ÿ Investing in their education for their empowerment. Ÿ Men need to be more cognizant of their approach and behaviour towards women and support them to dismantle barriers to economy, politics and culture.
Ÿ The government of India should work towards a holistic approach to address safety concerns, and providing them with opportunities for and access to education, skill development, entrepreneurship and employment.
Ÿ Improve access to healthcare and basic sanitation facilities Ÿ Facilitate nancial independence to help them lead their life with dignity and respect Ÿ Creating opportunities for them for enhanced participation of women in matters of national and social interest
Ÿ Considering suggestions and recommendations by women and including it in decisions, strategies, plans and policies
Ÿ Promotion and expansion of the best policies and schemes of states for empowerment of women in other states As a nation, we should reafrm ourselves to ensure gender equity and women empowerment in India and facilitate them with realisation of their self-worth and potential, leading to meaningful contribution in all aspects of India's development.
- Rahul Choudhury
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#PowerOfBangles
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Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Limited
Empowering Women through CSR Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Limited (ONGC), the Indian multinational Oil and Natural Gas PSU company, headquartered in Dehradun is the second largest publicly traded company in India. It is India's largest oil and gas exploration and production company. It produces around 69% of India's crude oil (equivalent to around 30% of the country's total demand) and around 62% of its natural gas. The company has actively organized programmes for empowerment of women as part of their CSR initiatives. The initiatives taken by the company have been widely appreciated and awarded also. These initiatives are taken up by the company independently as well as in collaboration with other organizations. The three initiatives on women empowerment by ONGC are:
Project Utkarsh
SNAPSHOT Ÿ Revenue - Rs 842.01 billion (FY 13-14) Ÿ Owner- Government of India Ÿ Number of employees – 34000 Ÿ Market Capitalization – Rs 4 trillion Ÿ Operations – 17 Countries
(Year of Establishment: 2011 - 2012)
Objective: To increase livelihood opportunities for rural women by imparting skill training for starting business
Process: Creating awareness about livelihood opportunities among the community Capacity building of women through skill development trainings Promotion and facilitation of entrepreneurship opportunities for women Implementation Area: Sibasagar Outcome: 400 women were trained in one year in skills like tailoring, soft toy making etc. with linkages for income generation as well as training the elderly in vocations like goatery, piggery, mushroom cultivation etc. with established forward and backward linkages Ÿ Ÿ Ÿ
ONGC & NSTFDC's - Hasthkargha Prashikshan (Year of Establishment: 2011 - 2012) Objective: To provide training for making market driven products like curtains, cushion cover, stoles etc. while providing design inputs, credit linkage and market linkage
Process: Ÿ Ÿ
Assessment of skills of economically weak tribal women handloom artisans Intervention for enhancing skills of women in handloom Ÿ Building linkages for market exposure of under skilled women in the target area Implementation Area: Assam Outcome: Around 100 tribal handloom artisans were trained in the improvised handloom equipments including intricate designs for catering to wider markets
ONGC - GICEIT Computer Center (Year of Establishment: 2011 - 2012) Objective: To provide employment oriented computer training to underprivileged boys and girls
Process: To provide employment oriented computer training to underprivileged boys and girls Ÿ Facilitation of employment based computer training to young boys and girls Ÿ Certication of computer education after assessing the knowledge after the training programme. Implementation Area: Nearby operational areas of ONGC Outcome: More than 1400 boys and girls were trained in these centres in 2011-12 Ÿ
- Karan Pundir
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Fiinobservation of National Days International Women's Day
World Water Day
World Tuberculosis Day
8 March
22ⁿ March
24 March
In 1910, at an International conference (Copenhagen, Denmark), Luise Zietz, a German Socialist suggested observance of International Woman's Day. Around 100 women delegates from 17 countries gave their consent on the idea of promoting equality for women.
Water is the most essential requirement for survival of mankind. To mark its importance, World Water Day is observed across the globe on 22nd March to focus on the 750 million people who lack access to safe water. It is a day to raise awar eness on conservation and management of water for the future generations. Every year, the day is observed with a certain theme. The theme for 2015 is 'Water and Sustainable Development' that lays emphasis on the fact that water is crucial for sustainable development. The theme also acknowledges linkage of water with other sectors such as health, energy and urbanization among others which are important for the future we want.
Robert Koch, a German Physician and microbiologist, found the causal agents (mycobacterium) of Tuberculosis (TB). His declaration on the causal agents and ndings on the epidemic won him the Nobel Prize in Physiology and medicine in 1905.
International Women's Day was observed for the rst time in 1911 in Austria, Denmark, Germany and Switzerland. In 1977, the United Nations General Assembly invited its member states to mark March 8 as the United Nations day for women's rights and world peace. Based on the theme for 2015, Fiinovation initiated the campaign #PowerOfBangles. The initiative was an attempt to sensitise men against stereotypes prevalent in society and encouraged men to come forward and support women. The celebrated Indian cricketer Virender Sehwag supported the campaign by lending his views on women empowerment on a chat show aired on Radio City 91.1 FM.
Water crisis is an issue not only in remotest rural areas but urban centers as well. As one in two people live in cities, there is a huge demand for drinking water. In the years to come, billions of people will move to urban areas and the present water infrastructure will implode. We need to manage and conserve water for sustainable returns, if we want our children to have access to clean water.
To mark one hundredth anniversaries of Robert Koch's ndings on curing Tuberculosis, International Union against Tuberculosis and Lung Diseases (IUATLD) declared 24th March as World Tuberculosis Day. The yearlong effort of IUATLD and WHO, under the theme “Defeat TB: Now and Forever”, was acknowledged by WHO. Many other organisations along with WHO decided to promote World Tuberculosis Day. The year 1998 proved to be a remarkable one, as many countries united to ght against the disease as part of STOP TB Day. Since then, 24th March is celebrated every year by people across the globe. It is celebrated to generate awareness about the epidemic and the steps taken to uproot it. Fiinovation believes that with effective preventive and curative measures and monitoring, India can win the ght against this epidemic.
#PowerOfBangles Contest Winners’ Testimonial Garvit Bhandari
Nayan Kanti Majumdar
Women are the stronger ones... they've always been...... and instead of expecting them to match up to us, it's time for us men to match up to a fraction of their power #PowerOfBangles
The tender mother;The mischievous sister; The adorable daughter or the vivacious lover. Each bangle is a sparkle of the exuberance of womanhood#PowerOfBangles
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Tweets of The Month Amitabh Bachchan
Imran K h @Imra an nKhanP TI
Anandiben Patel @anandibenpatel
@SrBachchan
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Forthcoming Events Ÿ
CII Conference on Education 2015 - Apr 25, 2015, Pragati Maidan, New Delhi, India
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South Asia Economic Conclave - Apr 29, 2015 to May 01, 2015, Hotel Lalit, New Delhi, India
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8th Assocham Education Summit & National Excellence Awards 2015 - April 18, 2015, The Taj Mahal Hotel, New Delhi, India
About Fiinovation Fiinovation, a research based organization, is an integrated solution enabler in the CSR and sustainability domain. It is focused towards enhancing quality across organizational value chain through meaningful innovation thereby ensuring sustainability. It is Asia's rst proposal research laboratory wherein research is focused primarily on four sectors, which include health, education, livelihood and environment. The practices CSR Portfolio Management (CPM), CSR-CSO Partnership, Initiative Design, Initiative Management, Monitoring and Evaluation, Impact Assessment and Sustainability Reporting help provide simple solutions to their partners. Fiinovation 24/30, Ground Floor, Okhla Industrial Estate, Phase III New Delhi - 110020