Corporate social responsibility

The Great Eastern Group has always prided itself as being a fair and equitable company in its dealings with all the stakeholders. Hence, when the Companies Act, 2013 made CSR contributions mandatory, the Great Eastern Management decided to initiate extensive CSR work through the incorporation of the Great Eastern CSR Foundation (GECSRF). GECSRF is a wholly owned subsidiary with the sole purpose of managing the CSR activities of Great Eastern Shipping and Greatship (India) Limited. Ever since inception, GECSRF has worked in partnership with a number of NGOs to successfully carry out the mandate.

CSR POLICY

NGO PARTNERS

CSR at the Great Eastern Shipping Co. Ltds

Great Eastern CSR Foundation (GECSRF) is the CSR arm of The Great Eastern Shipping Co. Ltd (GES) and Greatship (India) Limited. The Great Eastern Group had always maintained its role as an environmentally and socially conscious business. However, in order to further contribute towards the betterment of the society we live in; the CSR Foundation was formed in February 2015. 

Great Eastern CSR Foundation has taken a two pronged approach to carry out its social responsibility initiatives. One is by supporting the work of NGO’s working at the grass rootson issues such as education, livelihood & empowerment and health. The other focus is on fostering a social volunteering culture within the organization.

NGO Partners of GECSRF

Great Eastern CSR Foundation is committed to support NGOs working under the following focus areas:

• Education
• Health
• Livelihoods/Holistic approach

With the support of GECSRF, the partner NGOs implement unique and impactful programs in rural, semi-urban and urban areas across India. Moreover, they ensure that funds are efficiently and optimally distributed, with their unparalleled access to the most disadvantaged beneficiary groups and understanding of the ground realities.

Current Partners FY 21-22

Past Partners

Employee Volunteering

The Foundation facilitates social volunteering opportunities for the various employees of the Great Eastern Group. The aim is to nurture a dynamic employee engagement culture at Great Eastern wherein employees are exposed to different social realities. Furthermore, by including employees as a key component in all CSR projects, the Foundation aims to move beyond basic compliance and foster a real sense of ‘Corporate Social Awareness’ in the organization, thereby helping employees experience the joy of sharing.

As part of the employee engagement project, the Foundation has conducted a number of different activities, all aimed towards exposing employees to the social realities in India and consequently fostering a sense of volunteerism in them. Some of these activities include:

Orientation Field Trips for employees: Individuals who signed up were taken to the NGOs being supported as well as some of the destitute care homes of the city.

CSR Talks by prominent leaders: In order to showcase the amazing work happening in the social sector, the Foundation also invites prominent NGO leaders to speak to employees. These ‘CSR Talks’ help employees to better understand the massive role that NGOs play in developing our country as well as the potential role each employee can have in contributing towards society. As of date, a number of NGO leaders have spoken to employees including Gaurav Singh (Founder of 3.2.1. Education Foundation), DevalSanghavi (Partner and Co-Founder of Dasra), ShaheenMistri (Founder of Akanksha Foundation & CEO of Teach For India), Dr. Sam Taraprevala (Director of Xavier’s Resource Centre for the Visually Challenged (XRCVC)) and Shloka Mehta (Director, Rosy Blue Foundation)

Assistance of NGOs: Employees with particular sets of skills (such as management training or a sound knowledge of finances) have volunteered their time to assist and train NGO staff.

Blood Donation Drives: GECSRF has partnered with KEM Hospital to conduct routine blood donation drives at the head office. The blood donated by our employees are given free of charge to patients from low socio-economic backgrounds.

Books and Clothes Donation Drives: GECSRF has partnered with the WishingWell Foundation to conduct donation drives in our offices. The books donated have gone free of cost to various libraries in low income areas while the clothes were distributed to various orphanages and NGOs across the city.