Shell and Smile Foundation have come together to launch ‘NXplorers Junior’, an innovative educational programme in Thrissur district. During the first year, 69 schools of the district will be included in the programme.
NXplorers is Shell’s global flagship Social Investment STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) educational programme, which aims to benefit school children by enabling them to understand, navigate and address local and global challenges, as underlined in the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
NXplorers is also aligned with the National Education Policy 2020 and it envisions to complement the latter’s objectives.
Smile Foundation has been implementing the innovative programme NXplorers, benefiting less-privileged students from government schools, studying in rural and hard-to-reach areas in Telangana. Its design also includes endeavour to create awareness amongst parents on the importance of STEM education, especially for girls.
The programme is being rolled out in concurrence with the educational authorities of the State government. Besides students and teachers, parents and communities are also involved actively while implementing the programme so that it remains sustainable in the long-term.
The NXplorers Juniors programme will train and nurture school children in the age group of 10-12 years.
The specially designed ‘NXplorers Junior Workshops’ will administer the importance of water, improving food production, and promoting energy conservation. Shell and Smile Foundation plan to benefit 25,000 school children through the Nxplorers programme in the states of Andhra Pradesh, Kerala and Telangana during the first year.
गुड़गांव, ब्यूरो: स्वास्थ्य सेवाओं में आर्टिफिशियल इंटेलिजेंस (एआई), इंटरनेट, डेटा प्रबंधन जैसी नई तकनीक के प्रयोग से भारत में दूरदराज के गांवों में रहने वाले लोगों के लिए स्वास्थ्य सेवाओं की डिलीवरी में क्रांतिकारी बदलाव ला रहा है। एआई तकनीक का उपयोग करके, स्वास्थ्य सेवाएं अब दूरदराज के क्षेत्रों में रहने वाले लोगों को भी आसानी से उपलब्ध हो रही हैं। इससे प्राथमिक देखभाल की गुणवत्ता में काफी सुधार देखने को मिल रहा है। नई तकनीकों में स्वास्थ्य देखभाल संबंधी असमानताओं को कम करने और दूरदराज के समुदायों में समग्र स्वास्थ्य परिणामों में उल्लेखनीय सुधार करने की क्षमता है।
स्माइल फाउंडेशन की एल.ई.ए.डी. (सीखें, संलग्न करें, संरेखित करें, वितरित करें) ने हाल ही में नई दिल्ली में सम्पन्न हुए तीन दिवसीय शिखर सम्मेलन में इस बात पर जोर दिया कि कैसे मोबाइल हेल्थकेयर सिस्टम और प्रौद्योगिकियों के सही उपयोग से लाखों लोगों तक स्वास्थ्य सेवाओं को पहुंचाया जा सकता है और उन्हें विभिन्न सार्वजनिक स्वास्थ्य प्रणालियों और योजनाओं में मुख्यधारा में ला सकता है।
स्माइल फाउंडेशन के सह-संस्थापक और कार्यकारी ट्रस्टी शांतनु मिश्रा का कहना है, “आर्टिफिशियल इंटेलिजेंस सहित व्यावहारिक तकनीक को अपनाने से स्वास्थ्य सेवाओं को ग्रामीण और दूर दराज़ के क्षेत्रों में आसानी से पहुंचाया जा सकता है। नई तकनीक में विशेष रूप से मुख्यधारा से दूर रहने वाली आबादी के लिए चिकित्सा विशेषज्ञता की उपलब्धता सुनिश्चित करके समानता लाने की क्षमता है। निकट भविष्य में, एआई-संचालित मोबाइल हेल्थकेयर सिस्टम और टेली-मेडिसिन तंत्र के साथ, हम यह सुनिश्चित कर सकते हैं कि दूरदराज के इलाकों में रहने वाले लोगों को भी गुणवत्तापूर्ण प्राथमिक स्वास्थ्य देखभाल प्राप्त हो, जो अंततः समग्र स्वास्थ्य परिणामों में सुधार के सरकारी मिशन का पूरक होगा।”
शांतनु मिश्रा का कहना है कि तकनीक स्वास्थ्य सेवाओं की उपलब्धता की भौगोलिक सीमाओं को खत्म कर सकती है और वंचित आबादी द्वारा अनुभव की जाने वाली स्वास्थ्य देखभाल संबंधी असमानताओं को दूर कर सकती है। यह वाकई में एक गेम-चेंजर का काम कर रही है। स्माइल फाउंडेशन वर्तमान में 83 स्वास्थ्य देखभाल परियोजनाओं का संचालन कर रहा है जिसमें इसकी राष्ट्रीय स्वास्थ्य देखभाल पहल स्माइल ऑन व्हील्स के तहत मोबाइल मेडिकल यूनिट, मोबाइल टेलीमेडिसिन यूनिट, मोबाइल डेंटल यूनिट, स्टेटिक क्लीनिक और मोबाइल फिजियो यूनिट शामिल हैं। इसमें 15 भारतीय राज्यों के 17 महत्वाकांक्षी जिलों सहित 63 जिलों के 920 गांवों और शहरी मलिन बस्तियों को शामिल किया गया है। वित्त वर्ष 2022-23 के दौरान, स्माइल ऑन व्हील्स के तहत दस लाख से अधिक लाभार्थियों को उनके दरवाजे पर प्राथमिक और निवारक स्वास्थ्य सेवाएं प्राप्त हुईं।
वैश्विक स्वास्थ्य सेवा बाजार में AI के 2023 में 14.6 बिलियन अमेरिकी डॉलर से बढ़कर 2028 तक 102.7 बिलियन अमेरिकी डॉलर होने का अनुमान है। NASSCOM (नेशनल एसोसिएशन ऑफ सॉफ्टवेयर एंड सर्विस कंपनीज) के अनुसार, स्वास्थ्य सेवा में डेटा और AI में लगभग 25 बिलियन अमेरिकी डॉलर जोड़ने की क्षमता है। भारतीय एआई हेल्थकेयर मार्केट 2019-2025 रिपोर्ट के अनुसार, पूर्वानुमान अवधि के दौरान भारतीय हेल्थकेयर उद्योग में कृत्रिम बुद्धिमत्ता 50.9 प्रतिशत की सीएजीआर से बढ़ने का अनुमान है। एआई तकनीक और डेटा प्रबंधन का उपयोग करके, मोबाइल हेल्थकेयर सिस्टम दूरदराज के स्थानों में भी रोगियों का कुशलतापूर्वक निदान और उपचार कर सकता है, इस प्रकार जीवन-घातक स्थितियों की समय रहते रोकथाम की जा सकती है। नई तकनीक में ग्रामीण क्षेत्रों में स्वास्थ्य सेवा वितरण में क्रांति लाने और पहुंच के मामले में शहरी और दूरदराज के समुदायों के बीच अंतर को पाटने की शक्ति है।
रिपोर्ट की माने तो नीति आयोग मधुमेह की जटिलताओं का शीघ्र पता लगाने के लिए प्राथमिक स्वास्थ्य देखभाल में एआई के अनुप्रयोग की व्यवहारिकता की जांच पर ज़ोर दे रहा है, और वर्तमान में रेटिना विशेषज्ञों की नैदानिक सटीकता के साथ इसकी निदान सटीकता की तुलना करके, आंखों की देखभाल में एक स्क्रीनिंग टूल के रूप में एआई के उपयोग को मान्यता दे रहा है।
Last year, Sarika, an IT professional based in Noida who did not want to reveal her real name, spent Diwali with children at Saikripa, a non-governmental organisation (NGO) that works for homeless and abandoned children. The family, consisting of her husband and son, decided to not spend anything on crackers, expensive lighting and new clothes, and re-channelled the money as a donation to the NGO.
She says, “We wanted to have a different experience on Diwali with underpriviledged children. It was a wonderful experience. My son was hesitant in the beginning, but was happy at the end of the day.”
Everyone may have different reasons and modes of donating, but for most donors, charity generates positive emotions. A research paper, The Emotional Rewards Of Prosocial Spending Are Robust and Replicable in Large Samples, published in the Harvard Business School’s publications in December 2022, confirms that. In the paper, Harvard Business School assistant professor Ashley Whillans, Canadian researchers Lara Aknin of Simon Fraser University, and Elizabeth Dunn of the University of British Columbia, said that spending money on other people can increase happiness among donors.
Like Sarika, many people prefer to donate during the festive season, though many do it throughout the year. Anant Arora, chief sustainability and communications officer, The Akshaya Patra Foundation, says: “Many people choose to donate at monthly intervals, ensuring consistent support. However, some donors prefer to contribute during festivals, aligning giving with the spirit of celebration and sharing.”
The decision to do charity, however, is only the first step. The next and more crucial step is to select an NGO or a cause close to your heart. For Sarika, choosing the NGO was easy, because she found it in her neighbourhood and felt for the cause.
How To Select An NGO?
There are approximately 3 million NGOs in India working for different causes, according to various estimates. NGO-DARPAN, the government portal launched in 2015, where NGOs can self-declare their information, has 173,757 registered NGOs and voluntary organisations (VOs), as on September 13, 2023.
Choose The Cause: Anupam Roongta, 40, a research analyst based in Jaipur, feels for the cause of education and has been a regular donor for almost 10 years. Roongta, who picked up the habit of charity from his father, donates to several charities, including the Akshay Patra Foundation, which provides food to schoolchildren under the PM POSHAN Abhiyaan (formerly the Mid-Day Meal Scheme) in partnership with the government.
Charity organisations work in varied fields, from humanitarian to environmental causes. Therefore, it makes sense to choose the cause you feel connected to.
NGO-DARPAN shows that Uttar Pradesh has the highest number of NGOs registered with it, followed by Maharashtra, Delhi, West Bengal and Tamil Nadu. The highest number of NGOs are working in the field of education and literacy, at 100,464. The health and family welfare sector is being catered to by 68,122 NGOs, followed by those focusing on children at 63,879.
Filter out the ones working in the area you feel passionate about, be it about uplifting underprivileged children, women empowerment, education, or global warming.
As it is a voluntary act, instinct plays a role in choosing the cause.
As for Sarika, the choice of Saikripa was an instinctive one. “While I was exploring NGOs to donate, I found Saikripa, called them and felt that it would be the right choice,” she says.
Check The Genuineness: Once you have zeroed in on the organisation, make sure you check how genuine and authentic it is. Do a basic search on the internet and check its website. If possible, visit the NGO to find out more details about its work. If you know someone who already donates to the NGO, you can check with them about the impact it creates on the ground. You may also want to compare it with a few other NGOs working in similar areas.
Moreover, if you want to donate to derive satisfaction, you may want to know whether your money is reaching the right people. Ensure that the NGO answers your queries to your satisfaction on how the funds are being utilised and the impact it is creating.
Anupam Roongta 40, Jaipur
The research analyst has been donating for the last 10 years, having picked up the habit from his father. He offers subscription-based stock recommendation service, and the online fee paid by his clients is redirected to the NGO
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For instance, according to Roongta, Akshay Patra Foundation shares the utilisation certificate to each donor, disclosing the amount they donated, how it was utilised, in which particular district, which kitchen and how many students were impacted.
Arora says: “Each meal costs us Rs 15.57. Of this, Rs 8.56 is provided by the government in the form of subsidies and grains, while Rs 6.56 is raised through donations from corporate and individual donors from within the country and abroad. As for state-wise funding, it varies from state to state, depending on the number of schools and students covered under the programme in each state.”
In 2022-23, the foundation received approximately 53 per cent of its donations from corporates, 19 per cent from individual donors and about 27 per cent from trusts and other foundations.
Likewise, Smile Foundation receives around 10 per cent of its donations from individual donors. “Value-wise, individual donors contribute 10-11 per cent of our annual funds received on average. The remaining funds come from corporate and institutional supporters,” says Shived Saxena, head, Individual Giving, Smile Foundation.
Consider Tax Benefit: Besides the emotional benefits, charity also offers tangible benefits—you may get a 100 per cent tax deduction on the donation amount under Section 80G of the Income-tax Act, 1961.
This deduction is, however, available only on donations made to specific NGOs. The list is notified by the income tax department. For example, many private trusts do not have 80G registration and donations to such NGOs won’t qualify for tax benefits.
Says Gopal Bohra, partner, direct taxation, N. A. Shah Associates: “Section 80G (1) and (2) of the Income-tax Act, 1961 deals with the deduction on donation made by a taxpayer to any charitable organisation. There are around 10-20 items that are specified for a 100 per cent benefit; donations for the rest offer a 50 per cent benefit on the donation amount. These are subject to 10 per cent of the total income.”
For instance, donations to Smile Foundation, which has been working for the underprivileged since 2002, get tax benefit up to 50 per cent of the donated amount.
However, if you are making your decision to donate on the basis of this criteria, do remember that the deduction under Section 80G is not available under the new income tax regime.
Says Saxena: “We have observed that individual giving picks up after September each year and goes on till March, which marks the period for filing of income tax returns. April to August marks the relatively lean season in terms of individual giving in India. The month of October heralds a long festive season, and it applies across India.”
How To Donate
Money is only one of the ways in which you can do charity. Some other ways include volunteering, spending time with the beneficiaries and others.
Roongta is not able to spend time with the beneficiaries he donates to, but he has found an innovative way to continue donating. He offers subscription-based stock recommendation service, and the fees his clients pay online on his website go directly to the NGO.
When it comes to money, it is advisable to avoid donating in cash. That’s because Section 80G benefits are not available for any donation in cash exceeding Rs 2,000 in a year.
Amid the evolving fintech space, these charitable organisations and NGOs also receive donations through different modes, such as cash, cheque, unified payments interface (UPI), among others.
Says Arora: “Akshaya Patra Foundation accepts donations through monthly electronic clearing system (ECS), UPI, credit card, digital wallet, QR code on its website, bank and wire transfer, and cheques.”
In the end, it is up to you to think of charity as a one-time donation or a way of life but, more importantly, choose the one you feel for. As for Sarika, she plans to go back to the same NGO this year, but this time she has also invited her extended family to partake in the festivities with the underprivileged children so that they too can experience the joy of giving.