ITV

Tag: NGO

  • Happydent: Smile Please, kids

    Happydent: Smile Please, kids

    MUMBAI: Leveraging the fact that ‘smiles are contagious’, Happydent has teamed up with Smile Foundation, an NGO that works with underprivileged children, for a new campaign called ‘Happydent Smile Please.’

    The campaign will be promoted on social media inviting the audience to participate by sharing a smiling selfie or a message on the website happydentsmileplease.com. Happydent will be contributing Rs 5 to the Smile Foundation for every valid entry received, and hopes to add up to Rs 5 lakh through the initiative.

    The funds will be used by Smile Foundation for its ‘Mission Education’ which is committed to providing basic education and healthcare to underprivileged children. The Smile Foundation believes that whether you are addressing healthcare, poverty, population control, unemployment or human rights, there’s no better place to start than in the corridors of education.

    This campaign is part of Perfetti Van Melle India’s commitment to engage with the communities it operates in and give back to them. On this Associate Category Director Munir Lamba said, “The noble cause is completely in sync with the benefit offering of Happydent which is Sparkling Smiles. We look forward to enthusiastic participation from across the country.”

  • Happydent: Smile Please, kids

    Happydent: Smile Please, kids

    MUMBAI: Leveraging the fact that ‘smiles are contagious’, Happydent has teamed up with Smile Foundation, an NGO that works with underprivileged children, for a new campaign called ‘Happydent Smile Please.’

    The campaign will be promoted on social media inviting the audience to participate by sharing a smiling selfie or a message on the website happydentsmileplease.com. Happydent will be contributing Rs 5 to the Smile Foundation for every valid entry received, and hopes to add up to Rs 5 lakh through the initiative.

    The funds will be used by Smile Foundation for its ‘Mission Education’ which is committed to providing basic education and healthcare to underprivileged children. The Smile Foundation believes that whether you are addressing healthcare, poverty, population control, unemployment or human rights, there’s no better place to start than in the corridors of education.

    This campaign is part of Perfetti Van Melle India’s commitment to engage with the communities it operates in and give back to them. On this Associate Category Director Munir Lamba said, “The noble cause is completely in sync with the benefit offering of Happydent which is Sparkling Smiles. We look forward to enthusiastic participation from across the country.”

  • CRY and Asian Paints join hands to beautify Churchgate station

    CRY and Asian Paints join hands to beautify Churchgate station

    Mumbai: CRY – Child Rights and You, an NGO working to protect and honour the rights of children in India, in collaboration with Asian Paints took up the initiative of giving a makeover to Churchgate station. The effort was part of ‘Hamara Station Hamari Shaan’ India’s biggest beautification drive that is part of Daan Utsav, the Festival of Giving which kick-started on October 2.

    CRY and Asian Paints took up the initiative to transform some of the ceiling columns, walls and 52 pillars of Churchgate Station into a stunning piece of artistic design. This was executed by 25 accomplished artists, alumni of Sir J.J. School of Art and part of Wallcano India, all generously offering their talent at no cost.

    On October 2, CRY project children, donors, volunteers and employees also joined in the efforts to paint some walls of the station.

    CRY believes that education is key to enhancing and enriching childhoods, and is one of the most important investments a country can make in its children. Hence, the theme selected for Churchgate Station is education, and CRY hopes that this issue will be highlighted for the thousands of commuters who pass through the station each day.

    “We are thrilled to be part of Hamara Station, Hamari Shaan and to have transformed Churchgate station into a colourful and welcoming space that brings alive the all important issue of education for children. For the CRY family, it is our way of giving back to Mumbai – a city we have called home for over 36 years,” says Kreeanne Rabadi, Regional Director-West, CRY

    Speaking on the occasion, Amit Syngle, President-Sales, Marketing & Technology, Asian Paints Ltd said, “We at Asian Paints have been constantly working towards promoting art and making it directly accessible to the public since last few years. We believe it is our utmost responsibility to add colour and create a vibrant and happy environment in India. Mumbai’s local trains are the lifeline of the city connecting millions of people every day and we are delighted to partner with CRY for the beautification of Churchgate station and bring more colour, beauty and joy to the everyday lives of the Mumbai commuter. We are extremely proud to be associated with Hamara Station Hamari Shaan initiative and beautifying the station through art.”

  • CRY and Asian Paints join hands to beautify Churchgate station

    CRY and Asian Paints join hands to beautify Churchgate station

    Mumbai: CRY – Child Rights and You, an NGO working to protect and honour the rights of children in India, in collaboration with Asian Paints took up the initiative of giving a makeover to Churchgate station. The effort was part of ‘Hamara Station Hamari Shaan’ India’s biggest beautification drive that is part of Daan Utsav, the Festival of Giving which kick-started on October 2.

    CRY and Asian Paints took up the initiative to transform some of the ceiling columns, walls and 52 pillars of Churchgate Station into a stunning piece of artistic design. This was executed by 25 accomplished artists, alumni of Sir J.J. School of Art and part of Wallcano India, all generously offering their talent at no cost.

    On October 2, CRY project children, donors, volunteers and employees also joined in the efforts to paint some walls of the station.

    CRY believes that education is key to enhancing and enriching childhoods, and is one of the most important investments a country can make in its children. Hence, the theme selected for Churchgate Station is education, and CRY hopes that this issue will be highlighted for the thousands of commuters who pass through the station each day.

    “We are thrilled to be part of Hamara Station, Hamari Shaan and to have transformed Churchgate station into a colourful and welcoming space that brings alive the all important issue of education for children. For the CRY family, it is our way of giving back to Mumbai – a city we have called home for over 36 years,” says Kreeanne Rabadi, Regional Director-West, CRY

    Speaking on the occasion, Amit Syngle, President-Sales, Marketing & Technology, Asian Paints Ltd said, “We at Asian Paints have been constantly working towards promoting art and making it directly accessible to the public since last few years. We believe it is our utmost responsibility to add colour and create a vibrant and happy environment in India. Mumbai’s local trains are the lifeline of the city connecting millions of people every day and we are delighted to partner with CRY for the beautification of Churchgate station and bring more colour, beauty and joy to the everyday lives of the Mumbai commuter. We are extremely proud to be associated with Hamara Station Hamari Shaan initiative and beautifying the station through art.”

  • Moving campaign by Digital L&K Saatchi & Saatchi draws attention to flaws in civic amenities

    Moving campaign by Digital L&K Saatchi & Saatchi draws attention to flaws in civic amenities

    MUMBAI: A new digital campaign. The Boy Who Will Not Stand for The National Anthem, has been conceptualized by digital L&K Saatchi & Saatchi in association with Mumbai based NGO Free A Billion to highlight apathy towards basic civil rights.

    The campaign comprises a short video about 16-year old Prakash who lost his life last year because of a pothole. The video has managed to attract eyeballs on merit of its unique title message.

    “Free A Billion approached us with a clearly defined problem of basic civil rights. We all face these issues in our day-to-day lives but more often than not fail to pay heed. We wanted this to become a peoples’ movement and therefore it was imperative to tell a true story. The campaign is not just meant for shares and hits but to give every Mumbaikar a reality check, one that would appeal to his conscience and drive him to take action”, said Digital L&K | Saatchi & Saatchi associate director planning and strategy Aarti Samant.

    The aim of the NGO is to mobilise the Municipal Corporation, the State Government and the Central Government into taking action to halt the rapid decay of the city and turn India’s commercial capital into the city it should be.  

    The film ends by urging citizens to unite and vote and therefore take the first step towards bringing positive change to Mumbai and its infrastructure. For this purpose, the two organisations got in touch with Mr and Mrs Bilhore, the parents of Prakash via a simple, but hard hitting video.

    Digital L&K | Saatchi & Saatchi associate creative director Anoorupa Bose said, “This Independence Day, when people stand up for the national anthem, we wanted them to remember victims like Prakash who would not be standing with us. To realise that it’s not just government inefficiency, but our indifference that contributes to our broken system.”

    “We were very clear that we needed to be sensitive, not sensational. With communication like this, it’s easy to make it unnecessarily dramatic and emotional. We didn’t need to. The theme and the story of Prakash was emotional enough. We were glad his parents actually held themselves together on this emotional shoot without breaking down like they did the previous day. In the end, we do hope we’ve helped in some small way to move people into action,” added DigitalL&K | Saatchi & Saatchi national creative director Charles Victor.
     

  • Moving campaign by Digital L&K Saatchi & Saatchi draws attention to flaws in civic amenities

    Moving campaign by Digital L&K Saatchi & Saatchi draws attention to flaws in civic amenities

    MUMBAI: A new digital campaign. The Boy Who Will Not Stand for The National Anthem, has been conceptualized by digital L&K Saatchi & Saatchi in association with Mumbai based NGO Free A Billion to highlight apathy towards basic civil rights.

    The campaign comprises a short video about 16-year old Prakash who lost his life last year because of a pothole. The video has managed to attract eyeballs on merit of its unique title message.

    “Free A Billion approached us with a clearly defined problem of basic civil rights. We all face these issues in our day-to-day lives but more often than not fail to pay heed. We wanted this to become a peoples’ movement and therefore it was imperative to tell a true story. The campaign is not just meant for shares and hits but to give every Mumbaikar a reality check, one that would appeal to his conscience and drive him to take action”, said Digital L&K | Saatchi & Saatchi associate director planning and strategy Aarti Samant.

    The aim of the NGO is to mobilise the Municipal Corporation, the State Government and the Central Government into taking action to halt the rapid decay of the city and turn India’s commercial capital into the city it should be.  

    The film ends by urging citizens to unite and vote and therefore take the first step towards bringing positive change to Mumbai and its infrastructure. For this purpose, the two organisations got in touch with Mr and Mrs Bilhore, the parents of Prakash via a simple, but hard hitting video.

    Digital L&K | Saatchi & Saatchi associate creative director Anoorupa Bose said, “This Independence Day, when people stand up for the national anthem, we wanted them to remember victims like Prakash who would not be standing with us. To realise that it’s not just government inefficiency, but our indifference that contributes to our broken system.”

    “We were very clear that we needed to be sensitive, not sensational. With communication like this, it’s easy to make it unnecessarily dramatic and emotional. We didn’t need to. The theme and the story of Prakash was emotional enough. We were glad his parents actually held themselves together on this emotional shoot without breaking down like they did the previous day. In the end, we do hope we’ve helped in some small way to move people into action,” added DigitalL&K | Saatchi & Saatchi national creative director Charles Victor.
     

  • Supreme Court allows photos of Governors, CMs and Ministers permitted in Government ads, in review of earlier order

    Supreme Court allows photos of Governors, CMs and Ministers permitted in Government ads, in review of earlier order

    New Delhi: In a reversal of its own judgment of 13 May last year, the Supreme Court today allowed the use of photographs of governors, chief ministers and ministers in government advertisements.

    The apex Court gave the judgment on a batch of petitions filed by the Centre and various states seeking a review relating to photos of politicians on government advertisements.

    The Court had in May last year given a direction on a public interest petition that only photographs of the Prime Minister, President and Chief Justice of India can be published in official media advertisements and not those of chief ministers. But the personal approval of these three authorities will be necessary before publication.

    The Centre in its petition argued that it is for the government to decide whose photographs should be published and what the content of advertisements should be. It said the court should refrain from interfering in such policy matters.

    The Centre also said barring photos of chief ministers on advertisements was against the federal structure.

    Justices Ranjan Gogoi and Prafulla C. Pant who had passed the original directions said in September that the review petitions will be heard in open court.

    Prior to the order relating to hearing in open court, the judges perused the petitions of Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Karnataka, and Assam in the chamber.

    The four states filed the review petitions challenging direction as being discriminatory and erroneous since it has permitted the photograph of the Prime Minister but not the chief ministers who too are elected representatives of the people.

    The states pointed out that the expert panel had recommended display of photos of CMs/governors as well but the Court had restrained the states from displaying photos of CMs/governors.

    The petitions had said: “There is nothing wrong if the publication issued by the government highlighting the achievements of the government contains photographs of the chief minister and the other ministers if they have made contribution to the achievements of the state government. The judgment is completely silent regarding the exclusion of the chief minister who is the head of the state government. If the photograph of the prime minister is permitted on the publication/advertisement then the photographs of the chief minister must have also been permitted by this court.”

    The original public interest litigations (PIL) filed by the NGOs Common Cause represented by counsel Meera Bhatia and the Centre for Public Interest Litigation (CPIL) represented by advocate Prashant Bhushan had urged the apex Court to frame guidelines.

    Holding that taxpayers’ money cannot be spent to build “personality cults” of political leaders, the Court in May last had restrained ruling parties from publishing photographs of political leaders or prominent persons in government-funded advertisements.

    The Court had said such photos divert attention from the policies of the government, unnecessarily associate an individual with a government project, and pave the way for cultivating a “personality cult”.

    The observations of the Court were based on examination of the findings of a Committee led by Bangalore’s National Law University Director N.S. Madhava Menon set up in May last year which had submitted its report in October.

    The Committee had been set up by the Information and Broadcasting Ministry pursuant to an order of 23 April 2014. Other members were former Lok Sabha Secretary General T K Vishwanathan, and senior advocate Ranjit Kumar. Mr Bimal Julka, then Secretary in the I and B Ministry, was the member Secretary of the Committee.  

  • Supreme Court allows photos of Governors, CMs and Ministers permitted in Government ads, in review of earlier order

    Supreme Court allows photos of Governors, CMs and Ministers permitted in Government ads, in review of earlier order

    New Delhi: In a reversal of its own judgment of 13 May last year, the Supreme Court today allowed the use of photographs of governors, chief ministers and ministers in government advertisements.

    The apex Court gave the judgment on a batch of petitions filed by the Centre and various states seeking a review relating to photos of politicians on government advertisements.

    The Court had in May last year given a direction on a public interest petition that only photographs of the Prime Minister, President and Chief Justice of India can be published in official media advertisements and not those of chief ministers. But the personal approval of these three authorities will be necessary before publication.

    The Centre in its petition argued that it is for the government to decide whose photographs should be published and what the content of advertisements should be. It said the court should refrain from interfering in such policy matters.

    The Centre also said barring photos of chief ministers on advertisements was against the federal structure.

    Justices Ranjan Gogoi and Prafulla C. Pant who had passed the original directions said in September that the review petitions will be heard in open court.

    Prior to the order relating to hearing in open court, the judges perused the petitions of Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Karnataka, and Assam in the chamber.

    The four states filed the review petitions challenging direction as being discriminatory and erroneous since it has permitted the photograph of the Prime Minister but not the chief ministers who too are elected representatives of the people.

    The states pointed out that the expert panel had recommended display of photos of CMs/governors as well but the Court had restrained the states from displaying photos of CMs/governors.

    The petitions had said: “There is nothing wrong if the publication issued by the government highlighting the achievements of the government contains photographs of the chief minister and the other ministers if they have made contribution to the achievements of the state government. The judgment is completely silent regarding the exclusion of the chief minister who is the head of the state government. If the photograph of the prime minister is permitted on the publication/advertisement then the photographs of the chief minister must have also been permitted by this court.”

    The original public interest litigations (PIL) filed by the NGOs Common Cause represented by counsel Meera Bhatia and the Centre for Public Interest Litigation (CPIL) represented by advocate Prashant Bhushan had urged the apex Court to frame guidelines.

    Holding that taxpayers’ money cannot be spent to build “personality cults” of political leaders, the Court in May last had restrained ruling parties from publishing photographs of political leaders or prominent persons in government-funded advertisements.

    The Court had said such photos divert attention from the policies of the government, unnecessarily associate an individual with a government project, and pave the way for cultivating a “personality cult”.

    The observations of the Court were based on examination of the findings of a Committee led by Bangalore’s National Law University Director N.S. Madhava Menon set up in May last year which had submitted its report in October.

    The Committee had been set up by the Information and Broadcasting Ministry pursuant to an order of 23 April 2014. Other members were former Lok Sabha Secretary General T K Vishwanathan, and senior advocate Ranjit Kumar. Mr Bimal Julka, then Secretary in the I and B Ministry, was the member Secretary of the Committee.  

  • Dentsu Aegis Network celebrates Diwali with philanthropic activities

    Dentsu Aegis Network celebrates Diwali with philanthropic activities

    MUMBAI: Dentsu Aegis Network has initiated the “Joy of Giving” week to celebrate Diwali not just amongst its own employees but even beyond.

     

    As part of the initiative, Dentsu Aegis Network organised a week-long Diwali Mela across all its Mumbai offices, where NGOs were invited to set up stalls and showcase their artwork.

     

    “Kitchen Re-fill” project was their second initiative this Diwali, as part of which, more than 300kgs of rice grains and 40kgs of pulses were donated to St. Francais, an orphanage located in Borivali (Mumbai).

     

    Dentsu Aegis Network, SA, chairman and CEO Ashish Bhasin said, “At Dentsu Aegis Network, we consider it as our responsibility to spread knowledge and joy amongst our employees and also give back to the society. Everyone here is special and therefore, on this festive occasion, we decided to reach out to our employees and their kids and also engage with the less privileged children from the orphanage we support. The objective behind hosting this fun day was to celebrate the onset of Diwali with happiness and to make everyone feel at home in their second home, our office.”

     

    In addition to the above, the Group also organised the “Newspapers Collection” drive for the NGO The Wasted Ones, which sells old newspapers and utilises the proceeds to provide meals to schools for the underprivileged children. Meanwhile, 30 children from Shelter Don Bosco were invited to Dentsu Aegis Network for a fun filled day on 9 November.

     

    Dentsu Aegis Network’s Bangalore office conducted a blood donation drive and collected more than 50 bottles of blood. Employees also visited VKH Rainbow Home-Kodihalli Orphanage on 6 November to donate food grains and stationery.

     

    The network’s Gurgaon office collected funds from its employees’ salary to provide gloves, socks, caps and notebooks to the underprivileged children, which is supported by the Sankalp Welfare Society.

     

    In Kolkata, the Group’s employees decided to spend a few constructive hours with the boys of Dakshin Kalikata Sevasram, a home for the destitute.

     

    Dentsu Aegis Network India CFO Anand Bhadkamkar added, “At Dentsu Aegis Network, we believe in creating an environment, which is not just responsible towards its employees and also the society and communities that we work in. As part of our Diwali celebrations, we decided to share the joy of festivities by partnering with various NGOs across offices, and thereby providing a platform to the Network employees to celebrate and share the joy of Diwali with socially and economically weaker sections of the society.”

  • Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon 2015 raises Rs 24.71 crore

    Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon 2015 raises Rs 24.71 crore

    MUMBAI: The Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon (SCMM) continued its record breaking streak not only with regards to the participation of 40,000 individuals in the 2015 edition but also in successfully raising funds for charity. Among the biggest charity events in Asia, SCMM, once again surpassed all previous charity records with the highest number of donors, donations and participants supporting a cause of their choosing, this year. The 12th edition of SCMM saw 292 NGOs participate, raising a record Rs 24.71 cr.

     

    This figure was possible through the support of 152 Corporates and their employees, 684 fundraisers and thousands of individual donors who came forward to support a host of social causes. Cumulatively, SCMM has been able to augment over Rs 134.5 crore for charitysince its inception in 2004.

     

    As the philanthropy partner for the SCMM since 2009, United Way of Mumbai (UWM) is committed to building and growing the charitable aspect of the marathon in order to give voice, whilst generating funds for the various causes represented by hundreds of credible non-profit organizations. All funds raised through the SCMM are channelized through UWM, which is responsible for receiving, accounting and disbursement of funds while providing tax exemption receipts to all donors.

     

    Gracing the occasion was the Hon’ble Governor of Maharashtra, Ch. Vidyasagar Rao,Shri Nand Kumar, Principal Secretary, Education & Sports, John Abraham, the brand ambassador for the Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon along with representatives from various sponsors and partner to the event.

     

     Speaking on the occasion Jayanti Shukla, Executive Director, United Way of Mumbai, said “Over the years, the SCMM has only grown in magnitude – be it the participation of the city in the race, or its giving spirit towards charitable causes. Since 2009, participating charities have consistently raised the bar at putting in dedicated efforts and raising the maximum number of funds for their causes. At United Way of Mumbai we have the privilege of witnessing the most remarkable stories of human generosity towards the wellbeing of others lesser privileged. The SCMM is over within a few hours in the morning of a very exciting thirdSunday of every January but the life altering impact of the event reverberates in the improved lives of the beneficiaries long after the event.”

     

    “On the behalf of Procam international I convey my heartfelt gratitude to the participants and donors who came forward this year to support the cause and raise Rs 24.71 crores in Charity. I am very delighted with the way Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon has revolutionized running as a sport in India successfully completing 12 editions”, said Vivek Singh, Jt. Managing Director of Procam International, the Promoters of the event.

     

    This year 292 NGOs will benefit monetarily from the fundraising effort associated with the Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon 2015, with Shrimad Rajchandra Love & Careemerging as the highest fundraising NGO for the fifth year running, having raised Rs 1,66,87,596 this year for their cause. Care Foundation – Anybody Can Jump was the second highest, generating Rs 1,65,94,011, while Isha Education was the third highest fundraising NGO, having raised Rs 1,25,23,333.

     

    The Corporate Challenge comprised of 267 teams running from across 152 participating corporate who together managed to raise Rs 9,78,00,000, which amounted to a major chunk of the total funds raised. The highest fund raising company in the Corporate Challenge wasNirmal Lifestyle Ltd. with seven teams raising Rs 82,00,000 for Care Foundation – Anybody Can Jump.

     

    Godrej & Boyce Mfg. Co. Ltd. was Highest Employee Fundraising Corporate who stood tall and along with their employees raised Rs 70,26,000 for Republican Sports Club, Vasantha Memorial Trust and War Wounded Foundation. Kotak Mahindra Bank was the second highest employee fundraising corporate by raising Rs 61,21,855 in support of NGOs SOPAN, Cancer Patients Aid Association and Kotak Education Foundation.

     

    K V S Manian, Highest Individual Fundraiser – Corporate who raised Rs 13,81,116 for Cancer Patients Aid Association & Shanti Ekambaram was the Second Highest Individual Fundraiser – Corporate to raise Rs 10,21,000 for SOPAN, both the fund raisers are fromKotak Mahindra Bank.

     

    This year, all fundraisers raising above Rs 1.5 lakh were classified as theChange Team. Together the Change Teams raised a total of Rs 6,77,79,906.Dharmesh S. Jain was the highest fundraiser among the SCMM Change Icons (those who raised above 25 lakhs), raising Rs 81,13,011 for Care Foundation – Anybody Can Jump, followed by Mihir Doshi who raised Rs 77,64,973 in support of the organizations Save The Children India and The Research Society for the Care, Treatment & Training of Children in need of Special Care.

     

    Jayanti Shukla was the highest fundraiser among the Change Investors(those who raised between 5 – 9.99 lakhs), raising Rs 8,22,342  for United Way of India. Lastly, Girish Borkar was the highest fundraiser among theChange Makers (those who raised between 1.5 – 4.99 lakhs), raising Rs 4,75,821 for Yoga Prabha Bharati (Seva Sanstha) Trust.”

     

    This year, two pairs of individuals formed a super team of fundraisers. The first, a husband-wife duo, Sankara Raman and his wife, Ramani Sankara Raman together raised a formidable sum of Rs 79,96,211 for Amar Seva Sangam. Both of them have been fundraisers for the SCMM since 2010.Ramani Sankara Raman is also the highest fundraiser among the Change Leaders (those who raised between 10 – 24.99 lakhs), by raising Rs 21,62,706. The second was a mother-daughter duo, Dr. Bijal Mehta and her daughter Meera Mehta, who together raised Rs 20,65,000 for Shrimad Rajchandra Love & Care. Since SCMM 2012, this duo has raised over Rs 73 lakhs (including 2015 edition figures), for the same NGO.

     

    Abhay Jasani, Anand Mahindra, Kabir Lumba, Sadashiv Rao are the Change Icons who have played vital role in raising more than Rs 25 lakhs.

     

    Shrimad Rajchandra’s Love & Care is the NGO with highest number of corporate runners and even second highest fundraising NGO with highest number of fundraisers who have raised more than Rs 1,50,000.Among them, students from Shrimad Rajchandra Love & Care together raised 25 lakh rupees. While, ISHA Education is the NGO with the highest number of online fundraisers.