HCL Foundation hosts HCL Grant Pan India Symposium 2022 Edition VIII ‘CSR for Nation Building’ in Bhubaneshwar

Bhubaneswar: HCL Foundation (HCLF), the CSR (corporate social responsibility) arm of HCL Technologies, hosted the HCL Grant Pan India Symposiums 2022 Edition VIII in Bhubaneshwar for NGOs in Odisha and the neighboring states at XIM University.

HCL Foundation strongly believes in the power of grassroots empowerment. The HCL Grant Symposium Series – ‘CSR for Nation Building’ is one such opportunity that enables us to engage, co-learn, and co-create ideas for sustained nation-building, from the ground-up.

The daylong event comprised a panel discussion with local NGO representatives and civil society experts on the theme ‘Management and retention of effective partnerships.’ A total of 100+ NGOs were present at the event with a participation of over 150+ people, representing many parts of the region.

There was an insightful panel discussion and a fireside chat with eminent speakers- Ms. Nidhi Pundhir, Director, HCL Foundation, Mr. Jagadananda, Mentor and Co-Founder, Centre for Youth and Social Development, Aurobindo Behera, Retired IAS, and Mr. Niraj Kumar.

Ms. Nidhi Pundhir, Director, HCL Foundation, set the context by presenting an overview of the HCL Foundation and its community development journey in India. She also introduced HCL Grant, a key project for supporting NGOs doing exemplary work in rural development.

The symposium comprised several sessions such as a Masterclass/workshop on CSR Law and New Amendment by Mr. Bhomik Shah, CEO and Founder, CSRBox and NGOBox, and Mr. Nikhil Pant, Chief Executive Officer, REACHA. A motivational talk was conducted by Dr. Bhagaban Prakash, Former National Youth Advisor, Former Human Resource Advisor in Commonwealth Secretariat, Former Sr Advisor to the Election Commission of India, Founder of India International Institute for Election Management.

This is the second time that the HCL Foundation has conducted a symposium in Bhubaneshwar. The first symposium in 2017-18 received an overwhelming response from NGOs in the state and the participation has been more encouraging this year.

Through this Symposium, HCL Foundation reached out to the NGOs on CSR mandate, challenges, and opportunities in the local area development, Proposal Writing, and Project Management and encouraged them to apply for the HCL Grant 2022. The state has many good NGOs working in the field of Education, Health, and Environment, which could benefit from the symposium.

The HCL Grant Pan-India Symposiums is an initiative by the HCL Foundation to bring together NGOs, government, corporates, and policymakers from across India on one platform to interact and develop regional as well as a sectoral understanding of CSR (corporate social responsibility) and deliberate upon how to contribute toward nation-building. It will also have CSR & sector experts, academicians, HCL Grant recipient NGOs, and other development sector practitioners on panel to meet and share their experiences.

HCL Grant Symposiums, being conducted across 10 States & UTs of India this year, aims to invite all interested development sector professionals, non-profits, social purpose organizations and academic institutions to join for the symposiums at various locations.

Through these symposiums, HCL Foundation aims to inform NGOs about HCL Grant, one of the most coveted institutionalized grants available in India, which identifies NGOs doing path-breaking work in rural development through an independent, robust, and democratic process.

This is the eighth consecutive edition of the HCL Grant in which grants will be awarded in the categories of Education, Health, and Environment, with a commitment of ₹5 crores for a three-year project in each category. The Grant would also reward the other finalists with ₹25 lakhs for a one-year project. The total fund committed for the eighth edition is ₹16.5 crores.

HCL Grant has seen a significant increase in registrations. Since 2016 onwards 35000+ Registrations, 7500+ Applications has been received under HCL Grant. The idea of the HCL Grant is not only to recognize the work of NGOs contributing to the nation’s growth and development but to also stay engaged with them to achieve the desired impact.

The HCL Grant Compendium published each year features not just the winners, but also the work of up to 30 shortlisted NGOs, 10 from each category. It is a step toward re-establishing the value of strong governance in civil society and providing international visibility to Indian NGOs doing path-breaking work in the rural development sector.