Home Minister Rajnath Singh Felicitates HCL GRANT 2018 Recipients

Union Home Minister, Government of India Shri Rajnath Singh felicitated the winners of HCL Grant 2018 at a ceremony held today at HCL Technologies Campus, Noida. Three NGOs across the categories of Education, Healthcare and Environment won a grant of up to INR 5 crores each.

The occasion was also graced by Dr. Mahesh Sharma, Hon’ble Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Culture and Minister of State for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Government of India, diplomats, dignitaries, senior bureaucrats, Shri Shiv Nadar, Founder & Chairman, HCL, Smt. Roshni Nadar Malhotra, CEO, HCL Corporation and Chairperson of the CSR Committee for the HCL Technologies Board, Shri C Vijayakumar, President & Chief Executive Officer, HCL Technologies and HCL Group leadership. Recipients of HCL Grant 2018 are:

Health – Eleutheros Christian Society

Environment – Keystone Foundation

Education – Royal Commonwealth Society for the Blind (Sightsavers)

Rajnath Singh said, “I congratulate the HCL Grant winners and HCL for the work they are doing. It is my hope that in the years to come the social value of HCL Foundation will continue to increase. In a country like ours it is important for everyone government corporates NGOs and civil society should work together towards development agenda. In the years to come we will work towards gross domestic prosperity.”

During the event, Shri Rajnath Singh also released the second edition of the “The Fifth Estate - NGOs transforming Rural India in Environment, Health and Education”, which is a comprehensive sector compendium of the most credible NGOs striving towards empowerment of rural India. One of the most coveted institutionalized CSR Grants of India, HCL Grant is a recognition of the rise of community led ecosystems of NGOs – the Fifth Estate. It identifies NGOs doing path-breaking work in rural development through an independent, robust and democratic process.

The eminent Jury for this year’s Grant comprised of Robin Abrams – Former President of Palm Computing, and the longest-serving Board member of HCL Technologies, Dr. Isher Judge Ahluwalia- Chairperson of Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations, B.S. Baswan -- Former Director, Indian Institute of Public Administration and Civil Servant, Richard Lariviere – President and CEO, Field Museum, Chicago and Former President of the University of Oregon, Pallavi Shroff – Managing Partner of Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas & Co. and Shiv Nadar – Founder & Chairman, HCL.

Today, HCL Grant supported projects cover 22 Districts, with approximately 2450 villages, reaching out to over 6 lakh rural beneficiaries.