Social Responsibility
Creating a positive change in society through CSR initiatives.
Overview
Blue Star empowers people and communities. Air, food and water are three essential elements that life depends upon, and the Company uses its expertise in cooling, purifying and preserving these resources. The Company provides products and services across all sections of society. Blue Star’s Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives are dedicated to causes related to education, skilling, children’s and women’s health, and women’s empowerment. Blue Star is dedicated to improving the quality of life of those communities who reside around the Company’s manufacturing facilities. Blue Star Foundation was established in 1982, to support initiatives in the areas of education, health, and poverty alleviation. These efforts have flourished over time, with structured CSR activities. The involvement of the Company’s employees utilising their domain knowledge and skillsets helped in creating and compounding a long-lasting and sustainable impact on the projects undertaken. Our CSR activities are strategically mapped out, monitored and evaluated by a dedicated CSR Committee and Board of Trustees of the Blue Star Foundation.
Alignment and Focus:
- CSR activities at Blue Star are aligned with the Companies Act, 2013.
- We focus on skill development, education, health, hygiene, wellness, women's empowerment and rural development.
At Blue Star, we believe that the potential of human ingenuity is boundless. As an organisation, we work to foster this spark in our people and their endeavours, and we seek to unlock and nurture talent across the communities we are associated with. 'Sitare' is a Blue Star’s Corporate Social Responsibility initiative for capacity development – through digital education initiatives for school children, vocational education, and skill-building for enhancing employability, and scholarships for deserving and needy students pursuing higher education. We are committed to making investments in and developing 'Sitare' as a programme to help children and youth who want to fulfil their potential through continuous learning with an aspiration to reach for the stars.
CSR Initiatives
Apprenticeship
Blue Star actively participates in the National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme (NAPS) in India providing students with valuable on-the-job training.
- This apprenticeship programme bridges the gap between theoretical knowledge and practical application, preparing students in India for successful careers.
- It offers academic credit for on-the-job training, thereby enriching the learning experience.
- Blue Star apprentices in India receive hands-on training in the manufacturing facilities, acquiring practical skills and knowledge.
- Upon successful completion of the programme, which includes a minimum service tenure of three months, apprentices are awarded a highly valued experience certificate from a reputed company.
- Blue Star offers competitive stipends to apprentices, exceeding the minimum wage for unskilled workers in each state of India, ensuring financial support throughout the programme.
Enhancing Soft Skill Training Programme with NAPS Trainees
Blue Star recognises the importance of soft skills for career success and provides NAPS trainees in India with these essential competencies through one-day training workshops conducted across all factory locations in India.
- The workshops focus on developing a success mindset by building emotional intelligence and fostering practical skills for effective teamwork, communication, and conflict resolution.
- This programme prepares trainees in India for workplace readiness and equips them to navigate daily challenges with confidence. Every year we train hundreds of trainees who have benefited from this impactful initiative in India.
Vocational Training
Blue Star plays a leading role in providing comprehensive vocational training in the AC&R and MEP fields in India through partnerships with esteemed institutions, professional bodies, and corporations.
- Initiatives include setting up customised classrooms and practical labs, developing curriculums tailored to industry needs, training trainers to ensure high-quality instruction, monitoring teaching sessions to maintain programme effectiveness, and delivering guest lectures to share industry knowledge and expertise.
- Blue Star fosters a culture of volunteerism among employees, enabling them to share their skills and knowledge with trainees at no cost.
- The Company demonstrates a strong commitment to vocational training by providing ongoing support to renowned institutes like the Indo-German Institute of Technology, Thakkar Bapa Vidyalaya, Sanskriti Samvardhan Mandal, Ramakrishna Mission Shilpamandira, and Apollo Total Health. This support includes faculty fee contributions and student training expenditure, ensuring financial accessibility for aspiring technicians.
- We have collaborated with the ICICI Academy of Skills to enhance the success of their AC&R course by providing curriculum and expert training resources in the past.
MTA Centennial Scholarship Programme
- The Mohan T Advani Centennial Scholarships, established by the Blue Star Foundation in 2012, honour the legacy of our founder, Mohan T Advani, and his belief in the transformative power of education.
- This flagship programme provides essential financial assistance to underprivileged students pursuing undergraduate and diploma courses in engineering and architecture.
- Our scholarships support students at prestigious educational institutions across India, fostering a community of over 400 scholars.
- Beyond financial aid, we offer a holistic approach to student development through mentoring, technical internships, and soft skills training. This initiative embodies Blue Star Foundation’s commitment to educational empowerment by uplifting deserving, meritorious students and enhancing their future prospects.
Digital Literacy Programme in Himachal Pradesh, India
- We are bridging the digital divide in Himachal Pradesh, India, by collaborating with Pratham Infotech to deliver a digital literacy programme in four schools in Kala Amb.
- We empower students by fostering self-learning skills through digital education initiatives.
- We encourage community engagement in the learning process to create a supportive environment for digital literacy.
Education Support to Tribal Girl Students
Blue Star, in association with Kalinga Institute of Social Science, empowers tribal girl students by enabling them to complete their schooling. We invest in the holistic well-being of sponsored students by offering:
- Daily tutoring to enhance academic performance.
- Regular mentoring support for guidance and encouragement.
- Support for healthcare needs to ensure physical and mental well-being during adolescence.
STEM Education Promotion in Rural Areas
- We have developed a Tinkering Lab with Shri Chaitanya Health and Care Trust, impacting hundreds of tribal students in Palghar district, India.
- This programme has helped students understand electronics and present scientific concepts with confidence.
- We have also partnered with the CII Foundation to launch a Mobile Science Lab (MSL) project in Sri City, Andhra Pradesh, India.
- The MSL travels to seven remote schools, bringing hands-on science learning (Physics, Chemistry, and Biology) to over 2500 students. This programme fosters curiosity, builds practical skills, and encourages parental involvement in education.
Empowering Women in Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu
& Sri City, Tada, Andhra Pradesh, India
- We enhance the livelihoods of rural communities by collaborating with the Research and Action Centre for Local Democracy.
- Our focus is on sustainable economic growth. We teach women to create baskets and coir mats, utilising abundant local banana fibre to promote livelihood through entrepreneurship.
- Through our partnership with the Shrushti Foundation, India, we run the 'Self-Help Group Women Empowerment Training on Handicrafts and Job Linkage' programme.
- We prepare hundreds of women with fine handicraft skills, fostering sustainable livelihoods by training them and connecting them with job opportunities.
- Blue Star has partnered with local NGOs to empower women through handicrafts training, focusing on basket making and coir mat production using locally abundant banana fibre. This initiative aims to create sustainable livelihoods and economic self-sufficiency for women by providing them with comprehensive support, including market access and capacity building in business formation. The support received at every step ensures economic independence for these women.
Strengthening Farmer Producer Organisations in Himachal Pradesh, India
In partnership with the CII Foundation, we have established a Business Support Unit (BSU) for Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs).
- Our initiatives help rural FPOs improve their building capacities, increase scale through aggregation, and enhance market linkages to broaden their impact.
- We advance their use of modern technologies to boost efficiency.
Our objectives for enhancing FPOs include:
- Introducing professional management practices.
- Raising awareness about relevant government schemes.
Offering guidance on benefiting from these schemes and enhancing production and post-production processes.
At Blue Star, we are committed to enhancing the well-being of communities in India through a range of targeted health initiatives.
Health support efforts from past events:
Health Camps:
Blue Star conducts medical screening camps for rural communities around the Company’s factory areas. Additionally, the Company supports medical consultation, medicines, and lab tests free of cost to poor families.
Medical Care Centre:
In collaboration with Anandam Medical Care Centre in Chennai, India, we offered free medical consultations, medicines, and basic lab tests to the residents of 20 villages in Ambattur.- This service reached approximately 150,000 underprivileged families.
- We treated between 60 to 80 patients, every day.
Support Towards Infrastructural Development:
Blue Star, in association with various organisations, supported the construction of prefabricated residential blocks, washrooms, and sheds in schools and villages, benefitting students and communities.