Committed to Community Service

The COVID crisis sharpened CAMS’ focus on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), which we have adopted as an organisation-wide cultural ethos. We have in place a comprehensive CSR policy, in compliance with the requirements of the Companies Act 2013 and the Companies (Corporate Social Responsibility) Rules, 2014, notified by the Central Government.

Rs. 421 lakhs

CSR spend during FY21 (up 11% over FY20)

Our CSR focus encompasses:
  • Educational and vocational training for economically weaker students, physically and mentally ill students
  • Providing personal safety education
  • Training for small scale entrepreneurs
  • Healthcare services
  • Assistance to orphanages and old age homes

With the pandemic necessitating a bigger outreach to the vulnerable communities, we expanded the frontiers of our CSR programmes during the year.

COVID Response for Employees
  • Adequate health and hygiene measures were taken, including a doctor on call support in Chennai
  • ePasses were obtained for critical employees, and few employees were housed in nearby hotels to address critical requirements which could be delivered only from office
  • Transportation arrangements in sanitised cars were arranged for safe movement of employees
  • Extensive preventive steps were taken to ensure that the working environment at the office is safe, and required facilities were provided to the employees working from office
  • Security measures were established to address safety issues arising from WFH, with a dedicated team handling core back-end work and configurations
  • The Company remained connected with employees working from home through phone calls, online meetings etc. Virtual learning and events were ongoing
Covid Relief for Society under CSR

To support the urgent needs of communities hit hard by the pandemic, we launched a series of programmes during the year

  • Feeding migrant labour Migrant workers in Chennai, the predominant area of our operations, were among the worst affected in the wake of the sudden lockdown and suspension of public transportation. To help out migrant workers stuck without employment and unable to return to their native places, we joined hands with entrepreneurs and the KVN Foundation to feed such people. The Mission to distribute food to 3,00,000+ daily wage worker was undertaken with the help of the Chennai Corporation field staff
  • Supporting daily needs of the needy With the help of NGOs Chudar & AID India, we reached out to the most deserving and needy families in Chennai’s slums with grocery and sanitary kits as well as reusable masks. Small village vendors, whose capitals were wiped out in the lockdown, were also supported in resumption of their operations
  • Supporting frontline workers In association with various NGOs the Company provided Sanitisers, Gloves and Face shield for front line service providers at Mumbai & Chennai
300,000 +

The Mission to distribute food to 300,000+ daily wage worker was undertaken with the help of Chennai Corporation field staff.

As part of our COVID relief and safety measures for our employees, we organised vaccination campaigns at the office for their benefit, beginning with the latter half of FY21.

Along with the COVID relief measures, we also continued with our regular CSR activities during the year, in the field of Education and Healthcare.

In the area of EDUCATION, our CSR initiatives include:

NGO partner: Chudar

After-school centres & online education

Our ongoing programme for after-school centres in Chennai’s slums benefits 50 children at each centre with unique content and methodology, synchronised to the state board curriculum while also ensuring assimilation of key concepts and skills. A community learning programme supplements these efforts for older students.

  • During FY21, we identified 20 villages post the lockdown for providing access to online education for government school children. These children were provided digital tablets with pre-loaded content, and an appropriate system was put in place to monitor, guide and assist their learning.

NGO partner: eVidyaloka

Rural digital classrooms

CAMS has partnered with an NGO which focusses on transforming the educational landscape of rural India. We support the organisation in the creation of digital classrooms for children in remote villages with the help of local communities and volunteer teachers from across the globe. CAMS is supporting 10 such schools across the country.

  • During FY21, a Learn from Home (LFH) model was developed for all the 10 schools. A multi-modal delivery approach was adopted, which included Live classes through Smartphones, Audio classes through Keypad Phones and Support from our Class Assistants.

NGO partner: Arvind Foundation

Children with special needs

CAMS is supporting a centre for children with special needs, through staff trained in curative education and structure based on Waldorf curriculum.

  • During FY21, the centre initiated online classes and training, which showed encouraging results over a period of time. Families of the students were also supported with groceries and other essentials.

NGO partner: Sankara Nethralaya

In the area of HEALTH, our CSR initiatives include:

Vision care for underprivileged people in rural India: In partnership with a Chennai-based NGO, CAMS supports free surgeries for the rural poor. The NGO is operating a fully equipped van with all medical and telemedicine facilities. The van visits the rural areas, where patients are screened thoroughly by a team of optometrists for various eye disorders, including cataract, diabetic retinopathy and glaucoma. Spectacles are provided at the site at a nominal cost, while for further treatment, patients are brought to the NGO premises, where they are treated free of cost. Another collaborative project involves improving vision related quality of life among workers in the unorganised sector.