Delhi , September 29, 2018: HDFC Limited (HDFC), India’s leading housing finance company recognises that sanitation has strong inter linkages with key socio-economic factors related to good health, sustainable communities, access to water and gender equality. With the launch of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan in October 2014, which promoted the urgent need for a clean India, HDFC has considered sanitation as a key CSR focus area.
In 1989, HDFC was the first corporate supporter of Sulabh International to build public sanitation facilities at prominent locations in Mumbai. Since 2014, HDFC is supporting Sulabh International for the upgrade & renovation of slum community and public toilets across Mumbai including a world-class steel body toilet at Dadar which was inaugurated in 2017.
HDFC has supported community based, sanitation and solid waste management programmes with experienced partners including Shelter Associates (Maharashtra), Gramalaya (Tamil Nadu) and Waste Warriors Society (Himachal Pradesh) and MHT (NCR). HDFC along with the HT Parekh Foundation (its CSR initiative) has achieved the following:
- Supported building more than 8,500 household toilets impacting over 42,000 people.
- Supported over 5,900 behavioural change workshops impacting more than 30,000 community stakeholders.
- Spent close to Rs. 25 crore since 2014 on sanitation projects.
Pledging its support to the ‘Swachhata Hi Seva Movement 2018’ which was launched on 15th September 2018, Mr. V. Srinivasa Rangan, Executive Director, HDFC Ltd. will be inaugurating one of the nine public toilets in Mumbai that HDFC has supported.
Speaking on the Swachh Bharat Mission, Mr. Deepak Parekh, Chairman, HDFC said, “The Government of India has a 5 year target from October 2014 to make India open defecation free. While it is a much needed and mammoth task, we feel the private sector has a significant role to play, not just in building sanitation infrastructure, but also in creating awareness and behavioural change amongst people. We have partnered with experienced sanitation organisations working in the water and sanitation sector who are deeply connected with the communities they work with. Understanding the importance and need for sanitation as a key input for good health and hygiene, let us work towards making a clean and prosperous India.”
