The CSR vision of Berger Paints India Limited ("the Company") recognises that an enterprise and the society in which it operates are mutually dependent on each other and the growth of the industry is proportionate to the equitable development of the country, its environment and its people, irrespective of religion, race, caste, creed and gender. The Company also believes that all round development can be brought about by paying attention to regions, groups and people which are backward and have special needs and by helping citizens to acquire useful skills.
To this extent, the Company devotes resources, in the manner recommended by its CSR Committee and approved by its Board of Directors in accordance with the provisions of law for fulfilling the aforesaid objective in the manner laid out in Schedule VII to the Companies Act, 2013, with particular stress on areas around which the Company operates.
Berger’s CSR initiative, iTrain, plays a critical role in the training of unskilled and semi-skilled persons in painting, water-proofing and polishing. Trainees are introduced to various products, processes and techniques and trained on soft skills and customer handling for better efficiency and to make a positive impact on their earnings. Painters with enhanced skills are trained to become entrepreneurs and employ other painters under them, thereby ensuring that painters implement all-round betterment and growth in their profession. Mobile iTrains launched are also actively taken part in imparting such training skills.
The Company during the financial year 2021-22 majorly concentrated on its i-Train programme which constitutes substantially the whole of its CSR budget. The i-Train activity aims at skilling and upskilling the painters through fixed and mobile i-Train academies run by the Company. The activity is certified by National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) and each of the candidates successfully completing the training gets a certificate which has the NSDC logo. This activity does not prevent the trainee to work with the products manufactured by the competitors nor with contractors using competitor products. It enhances employability and earning potential.
During the second wave of COVID-19 pandemic the Company also donated two medical oxygen generation systems in the state of Andhra Pradesh and Puducherry and Oxygen Pipeline system and Oxygen Manifold and distribution system was also donated to a Government Hospital in Uttarpara, West Bengal.
