Tag: Dr. Payal Kanodia

Business World

M3M Foundation embarks on an initiative to rehabilitate Bihar flood victims

Sep 19, 2020 by Gouri Achary 0 Comments #Baleshwar Mishra, #Dr. Payal Kanodia, #flood victims, #M3M Foundation, #M3M Group, #Mr. Sarvesh Tiwari

Gurugram, 19th September 2020: M3M Foundation, a philanthropic arm of M3M Group, has embarked on an initiative to rehabilitate flood victims in the East Champaran district of Bihar. As a part of this initiative called Kartavya, M3M Foundation, in collaboration with Rise Always Welfare Society (RAWS),
facilitates reconstruction and redevelopment of houses as well as the provision of a gas stove for at least thirty families in the East Champaran district, Bihar. Fifteen houses have already been constructed at Bhaja Tola, East Sareya, West Sareya, Matiarwa, Bankat and Majharia in East Champaran district.

“The rural community in the East Champaran district has been hard hit by floods. As a responsible organization, we stand with them in his hour and are committed to supporting them through financial as well as psychological means,” said Dr. Payal Kanodia, Trustee, M3M Foundation.

Currently, the districts of East Champaran, Darbhanga, Muzaffarpur and Saran are reeling under the impact of floods with all major rivers maintaining a rising trend. The floods have affected 81.59 lakh people across 16 districts besides damaged standing crops spanning across 7.5 lakh hectares. RAWS, a non-governmental organization has been actively spearheading rehabilitation efforts in Bihar. Both M3M Foundation and RAWS have joined hands to extend economic and psychological support to flood victims.

“Bihar floods have severely impacted the population especially the vulnerable section of society. As
conscious citizens, it is our ethical responsibility to empathize and support them in whichever way we can. This initiative will not only help these communities in rebuilding their lives but also exemplify the significance of sustainable living as a prudent way forward,” said Mr. Sarvesh Tiwari, Chairman, RAWS.

These houses are being constructed out of bamboo that is known for its sustainability and resilience as a construction material. The sheets of bamboos were made at one location for constructing the wall of these huts. Later, these sheets are transported to the locations where beneficiaries reside, to be combined with cement sheets.

“We are grateful to M3M Foundation & RAWS in helping us to rebuild our lives after the floods. The
floods amid COVID-19 have exacerbated our situation but this initiative has given us a ray of hope,” said Baleshwar Mishra, a beneficiary in West Sareya.

M3M Foundation is working towards bringing an equitable development for attaining a brighter India. Education, environment, health, disaster management and socio-economic development are its
key areas. The Foundation believes in taking an innovative approach to address social issues by developing a self-sustained program.

In the past year, the Foundation has undertaken many initiatives in this direction. It has launched ‘iMpower’ an education and skill development initiative that aims to build a community-led Worksite Upliftment Programme for construction workers. During the Covid-19 pandemic, it launched a project called ‘Kartavya’ to provide food and essential sanitation items to construction workers and families. To date, it has helped two lakhs of stranded people with ration and other essentials. It is reaching
out to 3000 people daily under the project.

In the area of education, its work includes disbursal of liberal scholarships under its project ‘Sakshar’ to the financially deprived students and empowering the marginalized section of the
society with basic digital literacy skills. In another initiative called ‘Sarvodya’, M3M Foundation plans to support and facilitate 13 villages of Odisha to become self-sustainable in the next three years.

News

M3M Foundation embarks on environmental initiative to plant 1 million trees in 3 years

Sep 19, 2020 by Gouri Achary 0 Comments #‘VrishkArpan’, #Dr. Payal Kanodia, #environmental initiative, #M3M Foundation

M3M Foundation has embarked on a unique environmental initiative to plant one million trees across India in the next three years. Named as ‘VrishkArpan’, the initiative will be conducted in collaboration with the forest departments of various state government and non-governmental organizations. Until now, 15,617 trees have been planted at Bemta village that falls under the Kokerama Gram Panchayat of Sundargarh district in Odisha, in the first phase. M3M Foundation has also joined hands with the CSR Foundation in this regard. The initiative will alleviate poverty, by planting the fruit-bearing trees and make villages sustainable and boost the local economy.

‘VrikshArpan’ comes amid the COVID-19 pandemic which has hit the marginalized section of the society hard through unemployment, poverty and consequently limited access to health and education facilities. VrikshArpan aligns with United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals- 12,13 and 15 by 2030 and India’s vision of increasing total area under green cover to 33 per cent.

“Tree plantation entails a plethora of benefits for the local community. VrishArpan’ is a holistic initiative that will have a major role in transforming India’s rural economy. It will be implemented through multi-stakeholder engagement and grass-root level participation to enable a positive. The initiative underscores our commitment to augmenting government efforts to increase afforestation. The initiative addresses environmental degradation and mitigates climate change concerns,” said Dr. Payal Kanodia, Trustee, M3M Foundation.

The plantation initiative in Odisha involves the participation of the rural population and will facilitate community development. It will enable marginalized people to gain seasonal employment. Trees are planted mostly on private lands which are upland, barren and of no economic value to the landowners. The participants have chosen high-value trees for plantation such as teak, cashew nuts, fruit-bearing trees and hardwood trees.

M3M Foundation, the philanthropic arm of M3M Group; is working towards bringing an equitable development for attaining a brighter India. Education, environment, health, disaster management and socio-economic development are its key areas. The Foundation believes in taking an innovative approach to address social issues by developing a self-sustained program.
Recently, the Haryana Government inked MoU with M3M Foundation to facilitate students’ online preparation for government jobs. The MoU aligns with the Haryana government’s vision to link one lakh candidates to government jobs in two years.

In the past year, the Foundation has undertaken many initiatives in this direction. It has launched ‘iMpower’ an education and skill-development initiative that aims to build a community-led Worksite Upliftment Programme for construction workers. During the Covid-19 pandemic, it launched a project called ‘Kartavya’ to provide food and essential sanitation items to construction workers and families. To date, it has helped two lakhs of stranded people with ration and other essentials. It is reaching out to 3000 people daily under the project.

In the area of education, its work includes disbursal of liberal scholarships under its project ‘Sakshar’ to the financially deprived students and empowering the marginalized section of the society with basic digital literacy skills. In another initiative called ‘Sarvodya’, M3M Foundation plans to support and facilitate 13 villages of Orrisa to become self-sustainable in the next three years.

News

Aide et Action’s ‘iWay’- My way to digital independence launched

Aug 19, 2020 by Gouri Achary 0 Comments #‘iWay’, #Aide et Action, #Dr. Payal Kanodia

On India’s 74th Independence Day, Aide et Action launched its prestigious project, iWay, an e-learning platform to provide digital literacy training to the disadvantaged communities across India. The launch was virtually graced by Manju Dashmana, CSR Head – Microsoft India, Gaurav Sharma, Eicher Foundation, Anurag Pratap, CSR Head – Capgemini, and Dr. Payal Kanodia, Trustee – M3M Foundation, along with Shri. Sharad Chandra Behar (IAS) Retd, Former Chief Secretary, Government of Madhya Pradesh & President, Aide et Action India Board, Ravi Pratap Singh, International Program Director – Aide et Action International & Regional Director – AEAI South Asia, and Sajeev P Balan, Director – Program Development & Support, Aide et Action International South Asia.

While speaking at the specially organized Facebook live, Dr Aishwarya Mahajan, Director – Livelihood Education, Aide et Action International South Asia said “Digital literacy is the need of the hour in India where technology is being used for a wide range of services including education, health, communication, e-commerce etc,. Through iWay, individuals can learn to efficiently use a computer, send and receive emails over the internet, navigate a website, use a smartphone, interact on social media, and have a deeper understanding of e-governance and e-security.”

While speaking at the launch, Manju Dashmana lauded the efforts of Aide et Action in transforming the lives of underprivileged through the digital literacy & skill development programmes offered by the iLEAD initiative. Gaurav Sharma felt that the “iWay” e-platform would yield value in terms of sustainability by connecting the rural world with the right information and right resources. Anurag Pratap reminisced the earlier days when it was a cumbersome process to visit a bank to perform transactions and related to the present times where tech-oriented micro-solutions made everything possible through few clicks on mobile phones. He appreciated the efforts of Aide et Action in their endeavour to transfer this knowledge to the marginalized communities through their digital inclusive programme – iWay. Dr.Payal Kanodia recalled her initial discussions with Aide et Action team to spearhead the iMpower initiative in Gurgaon for the construction workers and appreciated the team’s commitment to empowering the communities in distress.

Shri Sharad Chandra Behar officially launched the iWay e-platform in the virtual presence of Aide et Action’s long-standing supporters, partners and, team members. He hoped that the iWay platform would help bridge the digital divide and work towards promoting equity in society. He stressed on the importance of technology in times of pandemic when physical/direct communication is a challenge.

Ravi Pratap Singh acknowledged the support of all the partners including Microsoft India, Eicher Foundation, Capgemini, M3M Foundation, Accenture, HCL Foundation and, many others for their collective vision & efforts to bridge the digital divide. He lauded the commitment of Aide et Action’s team in understanding the gaps at the community-level and striving hard to bridge them through innovative digital educational programmes.

Citing the example of COVID-19 situation, Sajeev recalled how digital education has become non-negotiable in the present times. Through various educational projects implemented by Aide et Action in the last decade, he appraised that more than 3,15,000 people have received digital literacy training reiterating AEA’s commitment to promoting digital inclusion and equity.

The highlight of the launch was the experience sharing of beneficiaries from across India on the use and impact of digital technology in their lives.

The ‘iWay’ e-learning platform, available in two languages – English & Hindi, includes customized adaptive learning modules along with robust online assessments, which result in the issuance of certification that boosts the confidence of individuals to use technology for their betterment. The ‘iWay’ e-learning is free & open for all platform where anyone interested in acquainting themselves with digital literacy skills can register on the specially designed website: www.ileadiway.com

News

M3M Foundation organizes tree plantation drive in Gurugram on 74th Independence Day-Press Release

Aug 17, 2020 by Gouri Achary 0 Comments #74th Independence Day, #Dr. Payal Kanodia, #M3M Foundation., #tree plantation drive, #Trustee

Children and senior citizens converged on 74th Independence Day to plant saplings in Gurugram. Organized by M3M Foundation, the objective of the initiative was to instil awareness on the significance of sustainability amid the COVID-19 pandemic. This initiative forms the part of the Vriksh Arpan programme- a pledge to plant 1 million trees.

The plantation drive commenced in the morning. The saplings were primarily flowers and herbal plants such as Basil, Giloy, Curry Leaves, Aloe vera, Ashwagandha, lemongrass, ginger, garlic, mint, coriander, Mango, Guava, lemon, pomegranate among others. These bountiful immunity boosters would be highly beneficial for residents.

As India celebrates the 74th Independence Day amid the COVID-19 crisis, adoption of sustainability will play a pivotal role in making our country habitable for the future generation. Senior citizens are our role models for leading a harmonious co-existence with Nature whereas these children are the leaders of tomorrow who will spearhead the sustainability revolution in India. The initiative is our small effort to give back to the Indian soil that has nurtured us over decades. It underscores our commitment to realizing the vision of sustainable development in India,” said, Dr. Payal Kanodia, Trustee, M3M Foundation.

A resident of M3M Golf Estate and a participant, said: “Trees ensure greenery and bring a lot of benefits to us. We must embrace greenery to prepare India for the future.”

A senior citizen, another resident of M3M Golf Estate and a participant, said: “The older generation used to live in harmony with Nature. The present time has made us realize its significance to go back to our roots and bring a positive change in society.”

News

M3M Foundation embarks on an initiative to provide cooked meals to about 150 underprivileged children amid 74th Independence Day- Press Release

Aug 17, 2020 by Gouri Achary 0 Comments #‘Freedom from Hunger’, #Covid-19 Lockdown, #Dr. Payal Kanodia, #M3M Foundation., #Trustee

As India woke up to 74th Independence Day celebrations, M3M Foundation embarked on a 15 day-long campaign, in collaboration with Amrit Varsha to provide cooked meals to 150 underprivileged children in Delhi. Titled as ‘Freedom from Hunger’, the objective of the initiative is to alleviate hunger and misery of the kids hailing from the marginalized section of the society. Under this initiative, about 150 children in the age group of 5-11 years will be provided a healthy breakfast from 15th August till 30th August at Sanjay Lake, East Delhi. They will be provided kadi rice, chapatis and vegetable khichdi on a rotational basis.

The development comes amid the COVID-19 lockdown that has brought untold hardships to the vulnerable section of the society. “The initiative is our small effort towards making lives brighter for the underprivileged who are among the most affected during the COVID-19 crisis. It underscores our commitment to address disparities in access to basic entitlements for the marginalized section of the society,” said, Dr. Payal Kanodia, Trustee, M3M Foundation.

“I would like to thank the M3M Foundation for providing us healthy and tasty meals and addressing our hunger. The COVID-19 lockdown has made our lives increasingly difficult,” said, One of the beneficiaries of the initiative. Support from ‘soldiers of hope’ who helped to gather all the children together.

M3M Foundation had earlier launched the Kartavya initiative wherein it emerged as a formidable support system for construction workers and their families. As a result, it managed to retain 9,515 labour families by extended not only economic but also material and psychological support to them. A majority of these labourers work at M3M project sites.

M3M Foundation is a philanthropic organization that envisions to empower the vulnerable section of the society including the marginalized, differently-abled, women and children and fulfil the dream of holistic and sustainable development in India. Its focus areas are women empowerment, education, and the environment. Stop Food Waste Campaign, Free Health Check-up, Blood Donation Camp, Clothes Donation Drive are some of the initiatives. It is also working for the upliftment of construction workers by providing them access to education and health facilities.

M3M Foundation has collaborated with Aide et Action for an iMpower initiative to build a community-led Worksite Upliftment Programme in identified worksites of M3M in the Gurugram district of Haryana state in India. This is being done through ensuring their entitlements to basic requirements such as education, health, financial and social security, legal aid and their access to State and Central welfare schemes.

Around 1000 children and community members will be made digitally literate in the project through this intervention. Special emphasis is being given on the behaviour change aspects of the community through various health-related interventions. Safe drinking water is also a priority.