"Suzlon organised extensive health and educational initiatives in Kutch."

An Eye Camp conducted in 5 villages

  Computer literacy training for 400 children between 10-15 years of age

  70 women participated in the vocational training for a two-month Tailoring course

by Shrutee K/DNS

Kutch, Gujarat: Suzlon group, in continuation of its efforts towards improving the health and well-being of communities in and around its areas of operations has undertaken various CSR initiatives such as - eye camps, tailoring programs and computer literacy training across 65 villages near the Jamanwada, Nakhatrana and Bhuj, in Kutch district. The initiatives have been implemented in association with an NGO.

Suzlon Foundation, an autonomous body implementing the group’s CSR initiatives, is conducting eye camps in nearby villages with the objective of eradicating cataract related blindness. The eye camps are conducted in Kutch not only to identify cataract cases but also to give corrective vision glasses to those found with refractive errors. In June alone, such eye camps were conducted in 5 villages wherein total 321 villagers were screened and glasses were issued to 216 people. 23 persons were diagnosed with cataract and were referred by Blind People’s Association, one of Suzlon Foundation’s implementing partners, to an eye hospital for surgery.

As a part of training and skill development programs identified by Village Development Committee (VDCs), a two-month tailoring course is in progress at Nakhatrana and Bhuj sites in Kutch district. About 70 women are participating in the training program. After successful completion of the course, all the trainees would be given a certification while participants who have performed extraordinarily well would be rewarded with sewing machines so that they can earn their own livelihood.

Additionally, computer literacy training was made available for 400 students from 4th to 8th standard in two schools in Lakhond and Paddhar by facilitating computer instructors.

Speaking about the initiative, Dr. Jasmine Sofia Gogia, General Manager, and Suzlon Foundation said, “With a specific focus on overall sustainability and balanced growth of the contiguous communities in and around our area of operations, we are following our sustainability framework that aims at the sustainable development and enhancement of social, economic and ecological conditions of our planet. The CSR programs are identified collaboratively with the villagers based on their needs and are mainly focused on enhancing the livelihood, health, education, civic amenities and educating on natural resource management.”

Having a cumulative wind installed capacity of 1842 MW in Gujarat and 1125 MW in Kutch alone, Suzlon’s CSR outreach in Kutch is spread across over 65 villages.

Suzlon Foundation not only ensures the integration of CSR initiatives across all Suzlon business operations but also develops the grassroots framework which responds to the neighbourhood needs. Suzlon’s CSR outreach is focused on nurturing and enhancing the financial, natural, social, human and physical resources in and around its areas of operations. Apart from being a technology leader, Suzlon aims to champion the cause of sustainable energy and create a lasting and harmonious environment.

About Suzlon Group: The Suzlon Group is one of the leading renewable energy solutions providers in the world with an international presence across 19 countries in Asia, Australia, Europe, Africa and North and South America. With over two decades of operational track record, the Group has a cumulative installation of approximately 15.5 GW of wind energy capacity, over 7,500 employees with diverse nationalities and world-class manufacturing facilities. Suzlon is the only Indian wind energy company with a large in-house Research and Development (R&D) set-up in Germany, the Netherlands, Denmark and India. Approximately 9.50 GW of the Group’s installation is in India, which makes up for ~36% of the country’s wind installations, making Suzlon the largest player in this sector. The company has recently forayed into the solar space. The Group, headquartered at Suzlon One Earth in Pune, India, is comprised of Suzlon Energy Limited and its subsidiaries. Suzlon corporate website: www.suzlon.com