June, 2022: UltraTech's white cement division Birla White has been conferred with the Golden Peacock Award 2021 for its corporate social responsibility (CSR) efforts under the cement sector category.
Birla White won this award for its CSR project named Pragya, which aims to provide education facilities to students throughout primary, secondary and higher-secondary schooling. Project Pragya has helped advance education in 53 government schools, across 37 villages, in Jodhpur and Nagaur district of Rajasthan. Started in 2019, the project reaches out to 10000+ underprivileged students. The project aims to reach out to another 4500-5000 underprivileged students by 2023.
The Golden Peacock award is decided basis a self-appraisal report submitted by the participants. These reports were judged by a panel of judges under the Chairmanship of Justice M.N. Venkatachaliah, former Chief Justice of India and former chairmen Member, National Human Rights Commission of India and National Commission for Constitution of India Reforms.
About Project Pragya
Birla White initiated Project Pragya with an aim to improve the quality of schools offered in government schools in the state of Rajasthan. Basis a need assessment survey, Birla White provided the following facilities in the shortlisted government schools of Jodhpur & Nagaur district of Rajasthan - computers to children to align with smart classes, drinking water facility in school, construction of toilets for girl children, installed sanitary napkin vending machines, providing a professional teacher where needed, providing soft skill to students and such others. Under the project, the team also provides certain health benefits to lessen absenteeism in schools like conducting eye check-up camps for children.
The objective of the project is to ensure 100 per cent enrolment of girls in the schools, provide facilities needed for education to underprivileged children, provide value-based education which enables the children to live self-reliant lives in the rural areas, encourage the students to participate and excel in sports and extracurricular activities and improve basic reading and arithmetic skills for children in elementary grade.
