HCLFoundation Concludes 11th Edition of HCLTech Grant Symposium Series, Introduces Water as New Focus Area

New Delhi, July 12, 2025: HCLFoundation, the CSR arm of HCLTech, has successfully concluded the 11th edition of its HCLTech Grant Pan-India Symposium Series in New Delhi. The final event, themed “Pathways from Policy to Practice: Role of Civil Society,” brought together over 400 non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and marked the culmination of a nationwide series that engaged more than 1,700 stakeholders across eight cities.

The 2025 symposium series, which covered Ahmedabad, Jodhpur, Gangtok, Bengaluru, Ranchi, Pune, Bhopal, and New Delhi, served as a platform for knowledge sharing and collaboration among NGOs, government representatives, subject-matter experts, and community leaders. The discussions spanned key CSR themes, including grassroots development, environmental stewardship, climate action, and community-driven impact.

In a significant development, HCLFoundation announced the expansion of its rural development program under the HCLTech Grant. The annual outlay has been increased by 45% to ₹24 crore. The revised structure now offers ₹5 crore each to three winning NGOs for four-year projects. Additionally, eight finalists receive ₹50 lakh each for two-year projects. These grants span four core categories—Education, Healthcare, Biodiversity (revised), and the newly introduced Water category.

“Over the years, HCLFoundation has aimed towards building an inclusive and equitable ecosystem for transformative change through the HCLTech Grant. This year, we prioritized Water as a critical sub-category under Environment – recognizing its role as the lifeline of communities and ecosystems. The response from NGOs tackling water scarcity, pollution and access has been profoundly inspiring. With several water-focused organizations participating in Delhi alone, we’re poised to drive measurable impact in this vital sector,” said Dr. Nidhi Pundhir, SVP, Global CSR, HCLTech, and Director, HCLFoundation.

Since its inception in 2015, the HCLTech Grant has committed ₹152.8 crore to 59 projects, impacting over 2.2 million people across 131 districts in 22 states and two Union Territories. The grant continues to support scalable, community-led solutions aimed at sustainable development.

Now in its 11th year, the Pan-India Symposium Series reinforces HCLFoundation’s commitment to enabling partnerships and fostering dialogue to address critical social and environmental challenges. The introduction of the Water category signals a strategic shift to strengthen climate resilience and water security across rural India.