 Commitment
to society is among the core-values of Infosys and the
company recognizes its obligation to contribute to the progress
of a developing country like India. This translates into helping
people and communities, enhancing their living conditions and
improving educational facilities.
To ensure a human touch to the various social initiatives, Infosys
set up the Infosys Foundation, exclusively to oversee
development activities. Functioning under the chairmanship of
Sudha Murthy, wife of Narayana Murthy, CEO of
Infosys Technologies, the Foundation is devoted
to the upliftment of the less privileged members of society.
It was founded in the year 1996 and was inspired by the company's
desire to fulfill the social responsibilities of the corporate
body.
The Foundation functions under a Board of trustees and undertakes
projects in various parts of India. These include women's projects,
healthcare, education, community development, preservation of
art and culture, etc. Infosys has currently set aside up to
1.5% of PAT (profit after tax) towards this end.
Education:
The Infosys Foundation believes that every school should have
sufficient resources to acquire knowledge. The Shalegondu
Granthalaya (a library for every school) programme has been
extremely successful since its inception in 1997-98, in helping
schools in villages set up their own libraries. It is the dream
of the Foundation that one day every school in the country will
have a library of its own. The first Infosys Science Center
at Hosur Village near Gauribidanur in Kolar district, Karnataka
is on the anvil.
Initiatives for the rural poor and underprivileged:
These include:
Orphanages in Pune and Kalahandi, Orissa
Shelters for the cyclone-affected in Orissa
Distribution of sewing machines to destitute people in
Bangalore, Gulbarga and Belgaum
Rehabilitation of Devdasi women and the homeless
Healthcare for the poor
In the area of rural health, the Infosys Foundation is involved
in a variety of activities. It has built a Brain fever
ward for the children in Bellary, called the "Infosys
Infant Ward", a Cancer hospital in Kanchipuram (Tamil
Nadu), and an OPD for poor patients in Aurangabad (Maharashtra).
The Infosys Foundation has donated an ambulance to
the Biligiri hills Soliga tribe and also gives medical aid
to patients of leprosy, heart disease, kidney failure and
head injuries.
Art and Culture:
The Infosys Foundation strongly believes in preserving the
art and cultural activities of India, which
are under threat of dying out. A puppet show was conducted
to help promote and preserve the dying art of puppetry. The
Foundation also helped the Dr Kota Shivram Karanth Memorial
Trust in its promotion of Kannada literature. Yoga is also
encouraged by the Foundation.
Aid to traffic Police:
Infosys has made the following contributions to the Bangalore
Traffic Police to help them tackle the various problems
that the city faces today due to the increasing density of
vehicular movement.
Rs. 6.93 lakhs towards the cost of two jeeps and wireless
equipment
Rs. 8.78 lakhs towards the cost of a well-equipped ambulance
and six two- wheeler motorcycles, oxygen
chair, stretcher/wheel chair etc.
Modern microprocessor-based traffic signal systems worth
Rs 12.64 lakhs
Twenty two Breath Alcohol Analyzers, which give on-the-spot
analysis of alcohol level in the blood,
worth Rs 25 lakhs.
The Infosys Fellowship Programme:
The Infosys Fellowship Programme was instituted at the five
IITs, the IIS, NCST, Pune University, three
IIMs, the ICAI and the National Law School of
India for doctoral programmes. To continue excellence in education,
Rs 75 lakhs is allocated by way of a one-year grant to these
institutions. Infosys also donated Rs 1 crore to the
Indian Institute of Information Technology, Bangalore.
Catch Them Young Programme, The Rural Reach Programme,
Train the Trainer, Computers@Classrooms were a few other
successful projects undertaken by the foundation.
In addition to the various projects the company is involved
in, the top management of the company has also been exemplary
in fulfilling their societal responsibilities. Narayana
Murthy is Chairman of the IT Taskforce set up by the Government
of India, for framing the country's IT policies and Nandan
Nilekani, Managing Director, is the Chairman of Bangalore
Action Task Force (BATF) set up by the Government of Karnataka
and have contributed their personal wealth to various social
causes.
The employees of Infosys too have donated generously to the
Kargil Fund, Orissa Super Cyclone Relief Funds and Drought
Relief Fund.
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