New Delhi, 6 January 2022: Bosch Limited, a leading supplier of technology and services, has spent its CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) budget for the financial year 2020-21 towards various activities including COVID-19 relief initiatives, education and healthcare. Its CSR budget allocation for the financial year amounted to Rs 31.57crore.
The average net profit of the company for the past three financial years stood at Rs 1,572 crores and the prescribed CSR budget was Rs 31.44 crore, as per the company’s annual report. A company’s prescribed CSR budget is calculated as 2 percent of the average net profit of the past three years. Out of the total expenditure, Rs 1.54 crore was spent on administrative overheads. Excess amount spent and the amount available for set off in succeeding financial years is Rs 0.13 crore. This year, out of the total allocated amount, Rs 2 crore was sent to the unspent CSR account.
Along with COVID-19 relief activities, Bosch focused on various development areas such as the advancement of quality education in government schools, improve child healthcare & hygiene, youth skill development, neighborhood projects, holistic village development, encourage volunteering, cleaner and greener environment, rural development, and the empowerment of women and girl children.
Its implementing agencies are The University of Trans-Disciplinary Health, Sciences and Technology, Akshaya Patra Foundation, Karuna Trust, Art Spark, Agastya International Foundation, and CMCA (Children’s Movement for Civic Awareness).
Major Focus Areas
Leveraging manufacturing skills to produce face masks
Leveraging its expertise in innovation and manufacturing, Bosch set up fully-automated production line at Naganathapura in Bengaluru for protective face masks. About two-thirds of the masks manufactured were distributed as part of CSR for the protection of the community at large across India. Designed with care, these masks provide a bacterial filtration efficiency of more than 95 percent, and close to 25 lakhs Bosch masks were distributed to second-level COVID-19 warriors, including police personnel, municipal corporation workers, community health workers, NGOs, and healthcare staff.
Equipping government dispensaries with a better reaction time
Bosch extended its assistance and support to the healthcare sector aiming to ease their pressure through infrastructural upgrades, food drives, and training paramedics. The company undertook the infrastructure upgradation of ten Primary Healthcare Centers (PHCs) around its plants across four locations.
“Addressing the vital need for ventilators, it refurbished 57 faulty ventilators to support the hospitals dealing with COVID-19 patients,” states the annual report.
Through its paramedics training initiative, local youth were trained on a three-month skilling program with training offered in two domains, General Duty Assistant and Pharmacy Assistant with joint certification with Bosch and NSDC.
Mapping employment opportunities for migrant workers
To help migrant workers recover from the pandemic-driven financial setback and regain employment, Bosch set up skill mapping through which varied job opportunities were facilitated using the technological tool. About 12,035 migrant workers benefitted from this support.
Distribution of cooked meals & dry rations
In a continuous effort to help migrant workers, daily wage earners, and the underprivileged during these trying times, Bosch supplied nutritive cooked meals and ration packets across its plants in India. Through these efforts, Bosch distributed 1,11,000 meals.
Pledging over Rs 50 crores to pandemic-relief efforts
The company’s annual report states, “When the COVID-19 outbreak posed a major threat to life and livelihood across India, Bosch mobilized its resources and extended active support to the nation’s fight against the pandemic. It collaborated with various organizations to provide relief to the communities, especially those who needed the most to sustain during these challenging times. In addition to pledging more than Rs 50 crore to pandemic-relief efforts, Bosch undertook several measures covering three key areas—healthcare support, livelihood opportunities, and supply of essentials.”
Composition of Bosch CSR Committee
Bhaskar Bhat is the Chairman of the CSR committee at Bosch. Other key members include Hema Ravichandar, S.V. Ranganath, Soumitra Bhattacharya, and Dr. Gopichand Katragadda.
