Godfrey Phillips lends a helping hand

Plans to spend 10 per cent of profits on CSR.

Godfrey Phillips India (GPI), in joint venture with US-based tobacco firm Philip Morris International, has committed to spend 10 per cent of its annual profit to carry out corporate social responsibility activities.

It plans to expand its Bravery Awards platform to provide employment opportunities to women and mobilise blood donation in the country.

Its annual profit is nearly Rs 140 crore, out of which, it will spend Rs 14 crore on CSR. It has already begun projects in places where the company operates since its CSR activities are carried out by its employees in association with a local NGOs.

In Rajasthan, Delhi and Baroda it has found NGO partners for giving vocational training to women, but is looking for more NGOs to tie up with in Bhopal and Punjab.

GPI had started the annual Bravery Awards, earlier known as the Red and White Bravery Awards, in 1990. These awards acknowledge valour, compassion and selfless action by individuals across 16 states.

However, two years ago, the company had begun a small blood donation drive within the organisation in which employees could donate blood samples and conducted drives. A healthy participation received by the company through these drives encouraged it turn into in to a full-fledged CSR project and linked it to the Bravery Awards platform.

It tied up the Rotary Blood Bank and in one and a half year conducted 28 drives in the country and collected more than 3,000 blood samples. Its last drive in January was at a college in Mumbai where it collected 225 units of blood.

"The reason we were able to collect so many blood units was because of our commitment to do the collection process with utmost cleanliness. Secondly, the celebrity endorsement by actor Preity Zinta helped us in spreading the message to participate in the drive and donate," explains Nita Kapoor, executive vice president, marketing and corporate affairs.

Preity Zinta is the ambassador of the company's Bravery Awards platform and is also the face for the company's blood donation drive. The CSR team of the company was very small with officially two to three members in the team.

However, during last two years, this number has grown to seven as the company decided to give vocational training to women in rural areas.

"Economic independence gives a woman a say in the household and stand up against an oppressive husband," explains Kapoor.

Driven by this thought, GPI decided to engage in finding out those skills which could be imparted easily and would guarantee a steady income for the women.

Through its partners, the Charities Aids Foundation (CAF) and Navjyoti Foundation, the company is trying to spread the skill of embroidery and sewing, and imparting literacy. Nearly 350 women have started benefiting from these activities, the company says.

The gifts and samples prepared by the beneficiaries are now sourced by GPI itself for its corporate gifting occasions. However, it will also allow these women to come and showcase their talent by setting up counters at the Bravery Awards function organised by the company.

In order to expand its activities further, the company would try to identify regional problems and devise state-specific solutions to do CSR work.