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HCL Grant 2017 Winners Announced

Feb 21, 2017

Shri Arun Jaitley, Hon’ble Union Minister of Finance and Corporate Affairs, felicitates the winners Three winning NGOs receive Grant of up to INR 15 crore

Noida, India, February 21, 2017: Three winners of HCL Grant 2017 across categories of Environment, Health and Education were today announced at a ceremony held at HCL Technologies Hub, Noida. Shri Arun Jaitley, Hon’ble Union Minister of Finance and Corporate Affairs, presided over the ceremony as the Chief Guest and felicitated the winners. Each winning NGO receives a Grant of up to INR 5 crores.

At the occasion, Shri Arun Jaitley also released a compendium titled “The Fifth Estate – NGOs transforming Rural India in Environment, Health and Education’, which is a compilation of all the finalists of the second edition of HCL Grant.

Shri Arun Jaitley, Hon’ble Union Minister of Finance and Corporate Affairs congratulated the winners of HCL Grant 2017 and appreciated the work of HCL and the jury

Addressing the gathering he said, “I must complement HCL for going into the larger society, creating an independent jury, looking at areas which need support and getting the jury to select the best so that the winners can be role models for others.”

Malcolm Gladwell, an eminent author and speaker, attended the ceremony as a Special Guest and addressed the gathering comprising of Board members, senior leadership and other distinguished guests from various walks of life.

The winning NGOs across three categories are

  • Environment – Foundation of Ecological Security (Gujarat) – works towards conservation of nature and natural resources through collective action of local communities. The crux of FES’ efforts lie in locating forests and other natural resources within the prevailing economic, social and ecological dynamics in rural landscapes
  • Health – Child in Need Institute (CINI) (West Bengal) – aims to enable economically disadvantaged women and children to take control of their lives and have a share in sustainable development. While their initial focus was on health and nutrition, they have now expanded this to also cover education and child protection.
  • Education – MelJol (Maharashtra) – focuses on empowering children from varied backgrounds and their ecosystems to build a spirit of confidence and entrepreneurship. MelJol seeks to develop children’s citizenship skills by focusing on child rights and responsibilities and providing them with opportunities to contribute positively to the environment

Ms. Robin Abrams, Chairperson of Jury, HCL Grant said, “HCL Grant is so much more than the fund itself. The mark of the strategic value of any grant is leverage. From the focus on governance and sustainability, sharing of best practices and how corporates and their employees can engage with NGOs – HCL Grant delivers on strategic value for the NGOs of India and for India’s Fifth Estate. It is exciting to be a part of this kind of leverage.”

HCL Grant, a CSR commitment by HCL through HCL Foundation, envisions to contribute to rural development by strengthening NGOs through deep institutional involvement and commitment. The Grant stands testimony to the fact that only strong governance structures management capabilities and reliable impact measurement systems within NGOs can help them take up and sustain high impact, complex and social transformational projects. The nine finalist NGOs across three categories have been selected out of more than 3000 entries, through a rigorous selection process consisting of after field-level investigations, thematic Sub Jury and Jury deliberations.

The winning NGOs have been selected by an eminent jury panel. Members of the panel are Ms. Robin Abrams – Former President of Palm Computing, and the longest serving Board member of HCL Technologies, Dr. Isher Judge Ahluwalia – Leading Economist and Chairperson, Board of Governors, the Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations, Ms. Pallavi Shroff – Eminent Legal Counsel, Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas & Co., Mr. B.S. Baswan – Former Director, Indian Institute of Public Administration, Mr. Richard Lariviere – President, Field Museum, Chicago and Former President of the University of Oregon, Dr. John E. Kelly – Senior Vice President, Cognitive Solutions and Research, IBM Corporation and Mr. Shiv Nadar – Founder & Chairman, HCL and Shiv Nadar Foundation.

For more information please visit www.hcltech.com/HCL-Grant

About HCL Grant
HCL Grant, an initiative by HCL Foundation, the philanthropic arm of HCL Technologies is a step towards recognition of the The Fifth Estate contributing towards Nation Building. Started in 2015, it is a commitment by HCL to strengthen transformation in the areas of Education, Health and Environment, by reaching out to marginalized, isolated and underdeveloped rural communities, and achieve sustainable socio-economic development. A unique aspect of the HCL Grant is that the organizations are recognized not only based on the “idea”, but also for their power to transform ideas into implementable projects and thereby, transform Indian villages in a sustainable way. HCL Foundation has partnered with Grant Thornton, a leading assurance, tax and advisory firm and a team of independent experts for the vigorous selection process. For more information please log on to www.hcltech.com/HCL-Grant

About HCL Technologies

HCL Technologies (HCL) is a leading global IT services company that helps global enterprisers –imagine and transform their businesses through Digital technology transformation. HCL operates out of 32 countries and has consolidated revenues of US$ 6.7 billion, for 12 months ended 31st December, 2016. HCL focuses on providing an integrated portfolio of services underlined by its Mode1–2–3growth strategy. Mode 1 encompasses the core services in the areas of Applications, Infrastructure, BPO and Engineering & R&D services, leveraging DRYiCE TM Autonomics to transform clients’ business and IT landscape, making them ‘lean’ and ‘agile’. Mode 2 focuses on experience–centric and out come–oriented services such as Digital and Analytics Services (BEYONDigitalTM), IoT WorKSTM, Cloud and Security, utilizing DRYiCE TM Orchestration to drive business outcomes and enable enterprise digitalization. Mode 3 strategy is ecosystem–driven, creating innovative IP–partnerships to build products and platforms business.

HCL leverages its global network of integrated co-innovation labs, and global delivery capabilities to provide holistic multi–service delivery in key industry verticals including Financial Services, Manufacturing, Telecommunications, Media, Publishing, Entertainment, Retail CPG, Life Sciences Healthcare, Oil & Gas, Energy & Utilities, Travel, Transportation & Logistics and Government. With111,092 professionals from diverse nationalities, HCL focuses on creating real value for customers by taking ‘Relationships Beyond the Contract’. For more information, please visit www.hcltech.com

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For more information, contact:

Ajay Davessar
VP & Global Head – Corporate Communications
Ajay.davessar@hcl.com
+91 120 43828280