Ambuja Cement Foundation, the CSR arm of Ambuja Cements, the cement and building material company of Adani Cement, part of Adani Group has won FICCI CSR Award for the company in the women empowerment category. The award has been presented at the CSR Summit in the attendance of all highly esteemed representatives from the industry.

Representatives of ACF received this prominent award from the Union Tribal Affairs Minister, Mr. Arjun Munda. Through the women empowerment program, a total of 2970 SHGs (Self-help groups) and 8 women federations were facilitated, 31,000 female youth were trained. 

Ambuja Cement Foundation empowered these women to be changemakers, breadwinners, and community leaders. They were encouraged to earn and gain capital reserves by participating in Self Help Groups, which has led them to contribute to credit savings ultimately aiding them to start their businesses independently as well in bigger groups. These businesses include goatery, poultry, dairy, kitchen gardening, stitching, and others. From the time the program launched, approximately 9000 women have engaged in revenue generation activities.

Through the women empowerment model, women participation and inclusion, their socio-economic strengthening and encouraging to build local institutions are integrated across other six thrust areas. Women are a part of water user associations, FPOs, Sakhis (community health workers), and Pashu Sakhis (community animal health workers) and female youth are also urged to get skilled in male-dominated courses as well.

Pearl Tiwari, Director & CEO, Ambuja Cement Foundation said, “We are delighted to receive the FICCI CSR Award which proves our credibility and strength of our robust model on Women Empowerment. Today, empowered women are proving to be the pillars of rural communities and we aspire to empower many more women in rural India so that there is gender equality, poverty eradication and economic growth.”

FICCI instituted this India’s first Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Award in 1999 to encourage corporate participation in inclusive growth. The FICCI Corporate Social Responsibility Award is recognized as the benchmark that acknowledges the most socially responsible Indian corporates.

The selection process for the 20th FICCI CSR Award was extremely competitive and was assessed through a 3-tier assessment process. Nominations received were thoroughly scrutinized by CSR experts. Subsequently, a panel of invited CSR experts from institutions of repute conducts an ‘on-site assessment’ of the CSR work of the shortlisted companies. The final selection for the Award was made by an Independent Jury comprising eminent personalities from different spheres.