During India's terrible second wave of COVID-19, I worked with Archana Suresh and Raj Janagam, CEO of the Surge Impact Foundation steered by the Telangana Social Impact Group (T-SIG), to help with COVID relief measures. People in every part of India were overwhelmed with the rapid spread of the virus. There was so much grief as cases multiplied and people lost lives, jobs and loved ones. I knew I had to do something. So, I used my voice and social media to extend help, and at the heart of it all, collective assistance with technology and volunteers helped us combat this invisible virus.
T-SIG, an initiative of the Government of Telangana, is a step towards reinforcing the concept of corporate social responsibility, inspiring them to channel their CSR funds into the most imminent fields, thereby enhancing the quality and quantity of CSR investment.
Their key achievements include:
- Acted as a single-window cell for all CSR related activities in the state
- Established network of 180 companies, 280 civil society organisations, 33 government departments and district collectors and 12 trade associations and aggregators
- Facilitated 71 CSR projects benefiting 40 lakh people in Telangana
- Organised 18 closed-door round table meetings with corporates and government officials
- Engaged 2,500 employees through Employee Engagement programs and hosted 75 CSR events
- Assisted companies to formulate their CSR policies
- As the official Telangana COVID-19 Coordination Centre, benefitted 25 lakhs of people during the lockdown period in 2020
- Supported 35,000 migrants travel to hometown through buses, trains and flights in 2020
- Partnered with CSRBox for events leading to national level conversations
- Conducted needs assessment of districts of Telangana to formulate priority areas of the state
With the Telangana Social Impact Group (T-SIG), I helped bust COVID myths and misinformation that circulated during the tough time. We initiated to get help from volunteers who could help map patient's requirements (hospital beds, medicines, isolation home, etc.) with the concerned hospitals and pharmacies.
I am grateful to all who stepped ahead and joined T-SIG, who were actively looking for motivated and kind people who want to help with the COVID-19 challenge.
Always make time to steer humanity, especially when it's the need of the hour.
