There were celebrations at the ACF West Bengal office when the results of the Social Leadership Award came in, with ACF being honored for its work in Sankrail and Farakka. The award ceremony was facilitated by the Bengal Chamber of Commerce & Industries (BCC&I) who scrutinized over 48 corporates and NGOs for their work in CSR.

This was the first edition of the BCC&I Social Leadership Award that was bestowed on companies, with an aim to commemorate the most admired and outstanding development initiatives in West Bengal and acknowledge the notable contributions that are setting benchmarks, by brining transformative change in society through innovation and excellence.

The Bengal Chamber of Commerce & Industry is one of the oldest institutions of its kind playing a pioneering role as a helmsman, steering the evolution of Commerce and Industry in India.

Sankrail, being an industrial block, and Farakka, based in the interiors of rural West Bengal, house the majority of marginal farmers with fragmented landholdings or no land at all. They are highly dependent on agriculture but follow age-old practices.

ACF works in 53 villages across 2 districts of West Bengal – Howrah (Sankrail) and Murshidabad (Farakka) working in areas of Water, Livelihoods, Health and Women. Transformative changes have been seen with farmers now growing exotic vegetables and following SRI practices.  Additionally, women are involved in SHGs and have started with goat and poultry farming. Health indicators have also improved in the area.