In the blistering summer of 2023, the dusty sports field of a government school in Amethi, Uttar Pradesh, lay abandoned. The goalposts were bent. The basketball nets were torn. A solitary cricket bat, broken in half, rested under a neem tree. For 14-year-old Priyanshu, who dreams of becoming the next Neeraj Chopra, the message was clear. Dreams are cheap. Sports infrastructure is not.
Yet thousands of miles away, India’s Olympic ambitions were gathering pace. The country had set its sights on hosting the 2036 Summer Games. A lofty goal, no doubt. But it begged the question. Can a country with fragile grassroots infrastructure really transform into a global sporting powerhouse?
India has never lacked talent. What it has often lacked is an ecosystem that supports it. According to a 2022 KPMG report, the country has fewer than one certified coach for every hundred athletes. Around 65 percent of schools still do not have any formal sports facilities. Despite this, young athletes across India continue to train, compete and dream. But more often than not, they do so in isolation.
There is no shortage of inspiration. From Abhinav Bindra and P V Sindhu to Mary Kom and Neeraj Chopra, India has produced champions who have risen against the odds. Yet their success stories are rare. Exceptions that prove the rule.
Benefits of building a robust sports infrastructure
Well-planned sports infrastructure is not just about medals. It levels the playing field. It ensures that a child in rural Odisha gets the same chance as one in urban Bengaluru. It makes talent visible. It makes coaching effective. It makes sports safer. More inclusive. And when it works well, it becomes invisible. The track that doesn’t crack under monsoon rains. The physio who keeps injuries at bay. The coach who spots promise where others see only potential.
India is beginning to invest in this invisible scaffolding. The Khelo India Scheme has been one such effort. Since 2018, the programme has supported over 3,000 athletes across 23 disciplines. It has helped set up more than 240 state-level academies. It is a start. But it is not yet a system.
Governments cannot do this alone. Across the world, public-private partnerships have helped unlock new models of sports infrastructure. Australia’s AIS model. The US college sports system. Even China’s state-supported academies have been bolstered by industry. In India, corporate initiatives have played a key role. The JSW Group, Reliance Foundation and Tata Trusts have supported academies, sponsored talent and built elite facilities.
The Inspire Institute of Sport in Bellary is an example. Backed by JSW, it has already begun to produce Olympians. Athletes train here under world-class coaches with access to sports science, nutrition and rehab. This is not a pipe dream. It exists. But it needs to scale.
Brands have also entered the field. PUMA India, in partnership with Smile Foundation, supports over 1,600 low-resource schools across 15 states. Our Education Quality Improvement Project (EQuIP) treats sport as core to education, not an extracurricular luxury.
At Smile Foundation’s Mission Education Centre in Bengaluru, children access structured physical activity alongside schooling. For many, it is the first time they are given proper space, nutrition and guidance to play. According to Santanu Mishra, co-founder of Smile Foundation, these environments do more than build athletes. They build confidence.
But even as some centres thrive, many others stagnate. A 2024 audit by the Comptroller and Auditor General found that over 60 percent of state-funded sports facilities remain underutilised. Poor maintenance. Lack of trained staff. Bureaucratic delays. The usual culprits.
New infrastructure must avoid the mistakes of the past. India has a chance to think greener and build smarter. The Sardar Patel Sports Complex in Ahmedabad has become a case in point. Solar powered. Designed with pedestrians in mind. Equipped with waste recycling systems. The National Games Village in Gujarat has taken similar steps, from rooftop panels to rainwater harvesting. These are early signs that sustainability is entering the sports conversation.
Yet these are still exceptions. The real loss is not just monetary. It is human. When 16-year-old Kavita trains barefoot in rural Bihar. When a para-athlete in Chhattisgarh cannot access a basic gym. These are not rare stories. They are systemic symptoms.
Sustainable school infrastructure growth and international support
Without basic access, dreams wither. Sports can lift people out of poverty. Out of stigma. It can create new pathways for mobility, especially for those historically excluded. In Brazil, football academies have long served as pipelines for youth from low-resource settings. In China, Olympic scouting begins as early as primary school. India does not need to copy these models. But it does need to commit to its own.
In July 2025, the Indian government unveiled the National Sports Policy. It lays out a roadmap for building world-class facilities, improving governance and developing elite athletes. It also reaffirms India’s intention to bid for the 2036 Olympics. But is the bid a catalyst or a distraction?
Critics worry that mega events often lead to white elephants. Stadiums that gleam briefly then decay. Resources diverted from school grounds to vanity projects. Tokyo 2020 offers a counter example. More than half its venues were temporary or repurposed. Its post-Games strategy focused on grassroots initiatives.
India could learn from that. The Olympics can be a goal. But they cannot be the only one. If the Games become a reason to fix what is broken, they will have served a purpose. If not, they risk becoming yet another monument to missed opportunities.
Sports education in schools
Education must be part of the solution. Countries like Kenya and China have long understood that the classroom and playing field must go hand in hand. Yet in India, many students still complete twelve years of school without structured access to sports.
Smile Foundation is working to change that. Through EQuIP, they are embedding physical activity into everyday schooling. They are not just creating athletes. They are fostering healthier, more confident children. In a country grappling with rising obesity and youth mental health concerns, this work has never been more urgent.
India has always known how to dream big. From lunar landings to biometric systems to hosting the G20. But sports is different. It cannot be fast-tracked. It demands consistency. Humility. And long-term thinking.
If the country is serious about 2036, the real work starts now. In the fields of Amethi. In the corridors of Bellary. In the classrooms of Bengaluru. That is where India’s Olympic future will be decided. Not in the glitz of an opening ceremony, but in the quiet, everyday infrastructure that makes champions possible.
In a government-run classroom on the outskirts of Pune, a sixth-grader sits hunched over a battered tablet, eyes locked on a simulation game. Her task is to run a virtual pizza shop, an example of play teaching. She sets prices, adjusts for discounts, tallies ingredient costs and races to meet fictional customer orders. At first, it seems like just another screen-based distraction. But beneath the pixelated surface, the child is unwittingly practicing fractions, testing algebraic logic and learning to juggle decision-making under pressure. The math isn’t in a textbook — it’s alive, immediate and, most crucially, fun.
Across the room, another group of students is building a bridge out of popsicle sticks and rubber bands. They argue over whether triangles are stronger than squares, put both designs to the test and cheer when one bridge holds a row of tiny toy trucks. They’re not just playing. They’re intuiting basic physics, understanding structural engineering through trial and error and learning to collaborate. All without a single worksheet.
You would think that this is creative pedagogy but it’s a glimpse of what classrooms could be if we took play seriously.
Play teaching beyond the preschool years
In India’s crowded policy discourse on education, “play” often features as a footnote — relevant to Anganwadi centres and pre-school classrooms, but quickly deemed dispensable as children age. Formal schooling takes over. Blackboards replace blocks. Assessments outweigh curiosity.
Yet, as a growing body of global research shows, this sharp division between play and “real learning” might be doing more harm than good.
More than a century ago, Friedrich Froebel, the German educator who created the concept of kindergarten, called play the “highest expression of human development in childhood.” He saw it not as a leisure activity, but as a serious form of exploration — children making sense of their world through action.
Modern neuroscience, developmental psychology and pedagogy echo his intuition. Play teaching stimulates the brain’s executive functions — the same faculties responsible for problem-solving, planning and emotional regulation. Children who engage in regular structured play often display better communication skills, stronger social awareness and deeper academic engagement.
The vanishing act
So why does play vanish from Indian classrooms once children can read, write and count?
One explanation is structural: teachers are under immense pressure to complete rigid curricula, often within overcrowded classrooms and with scarce resources. A Year Six science teacher might want to introduce hands-on experiments or role-play, but is more likely to spend the lesson drilling students on definitions for an upcoming exam.
Another is perceptual: many parents and educators still see play teaching as frivolous or inefficient. A child building a LEGO robot or navigating a puzzle game might be learning algorithmic thinking but from the corridor, it just looks like playtime.
This divide is reinforced by teacher training itself. Most B.Ed. programmes in India dedicate scant attention to the pedagogical role of play, especially beyond early childhood. Even those who recognise its value often lack practical strategies to embed it meaningfully in subject teaching.
In short, there’s a widespread failure to recognise that play doesn’t have to be the opposite of serious study — it can be the vehicle for it.
Learning to play, playing to learn
In Finland, primary school children spend more than an hour a day in unstructured play. In Singapore, one of the world’s highest-performing education systems, playful inquiry is being integrated into upper primary classrooms. In the UK, schools like School 21 are combining performance, storytelling and game-based modules to teach maths and science.
India, too, has its champions. In several low-income schools supported by social enterprises, play-based math modules are being used to teach geometry and measurement. Storytelling apps are being piloted to boost language comprehension. In Delhi and Maharashtra, coding games are making their way into ICT labs, often with higher girl participation than traditional classes.
Ed-tech platforms like BYJU’s and Cuemath, and grassroots efforts like those of Pratham or Agastya Foundation, are increasingly using games and simulations as core teaching tools. From physics sandboxes to logic-based challenges, these digital resources show that play isn’t just an early childhood strategy — it’s an educational equaliser.
Still, scale remains a challenge. Too often, these innovations are confined to urban private schools or small pockets of NGO intervention.
Rethinking the system: A blueprint for schools
If Indian education is to truly embrace play teaching as pedagogy, it must go beyond individual classrooms and touch the system’s core. This means policy, curriculum, assessments — and culture.
1. Curriculum Flexibility Schools need room to reimagine how subjects are taught. That means integrating time for structured, purposeful play — not just during breaks, but within subjects. A history lesson can involve simulations. Science can be taught through design challenges. A math module can culminate in a marketplace game. NEP 2020 calls for experiential learning — play offers one path to deliver that.
2. Rethinking Assessment Exams often kill innovation. Educators need tools to evaluate outcomes from playful learning like collaboration, creativity or concept application. Formative assessments, project-based evaluations and digital portfolios could offer viable alternatives.
3. Professional Development Training teachers in how to structure and scaffold play is key. This involves hands-on workshops, mentorship and exposure to successful models, especially in under-resourced schools. Most teachers want to innovate — they just need the tools and trust.
4. Parent and Community Awareness Changing mindsets is crucial. School leaders must engage parents, showing them how play supports 21st-century skills. Governments and CSR initiatives can launch awareness campaigns highlighting success stories and data-backed outcomes.
A missed opportunity or a missed mindset?
The urgency to act is not abstract. According to a McKinsey report, nearly 69 million new jobs will be created globally by 2027, many requiring critical thinking, creativity and collaboration — skills rarely tested in board exams. If India’s children are to thrive in this future, especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds, the education system must equip them with more than rote knowledge.
Play, in this context, isn’t a distraction but a delivery mechanism. It’s how abstract concepts become real, how soft skills are built, and how learners gain the confidence to experiment and fail.
This is particularly vital for girls, children with learning difficulties and those in first-generation learner families. Structured play can be the bridge between exclusion and empowerment, between confusion and confidence.
Beyond buzzwords: Investing in play
In policy papers, “play” is easy to endorse. But meaningful change requires budget lines, teacher support and cultural shifts. Encouragingly, the NEP does acknowledge play-based learning in foundational years. But the vision needs to extend — and translate — to primary and middle school levels.
Governments can offer incentive grants for schools integrating play. Ed-tech companies can develop low-cost offline tools tailored to rural classrooms. CSR arms of corporations can fund playgrounds, labs, and training. NGOs and school networks can document and scale local innovations.
The payoff will be more than just happy children. It will be sharper thinkers, more resilient learners and classrooms that prepare for life, not just exams.
Play it forward
Education reform often gets bogged down in abstractions — competency frameworks, benchmarking rubrics, skill taxonomies. Amid all this, play can seem too simple, too soft, too messy.
But the truth is: play is serious work. It builds the architecture of learning. It cultivates the habits of mind that help children adapt to a changing world.
In India, where millions of children still drop out before Class 10, where classroom engagement remains a perennial struggle, and where exam anxiety eats away at curiosity — play might just be the most radical reform of all.
It’s time to stop asking whether play has a place in serious education and start recognising that it always did.
In a rapidly advancing economy, one critical question demands attention: where do rural Indian women stand today? With nearly 48% of women still residing in rural areas, their progress remains central to the nation’s broader development. As technology and financial reforms reshape India’s economic landscape, the concern persists — are rural women advancing alongside the rest of the country, or are they being left behind?
India has made notable jump through legal reforms, government schemes, corporate collaborations and grassroots NGO efforts that aim to empower women. These initiatives have contributed to safer, more supportive environments for rural women. However, substantial challenges remain. Many rural areas continue to lack the infrastructure, resources and opportunities necessary for inclusive and equitable growth. Among the most urgent concerns are persistent health vulnerabilities and financial exclusion, both of which hinder the full participation of rural women in India’s development journey.
Her Health Vulnerabilities
Women in rural India face ongoing health challenges, especially in maternal and reproductive care. Limited access to quality healthcare, preventive screenings and proper nutrition compounds their vulnerability. In Jharkhand, for instance, the Food, Nutrition, Health and WASH programme mobilised 3.2 million women through self-help groups (SHGs) to promote hygiene and health underscoring the scale of unmet need.
The National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5) reports that over 57% of rural women aged 15–49 are anaemic, revealing a serious public health burden. Maternal mortality remains a critical issue, with India recording a maternal mortality ratio (MMR) of 97 per 100,000 live births (2018–2020), disproportionately affecting rural regions. At the same time, the rise of non-communicable diseases such as hypertension and diabetes poses growing risks to the long-term well-being of women.
Without adequate protection mechanisms, women often delay seeking care due to cost, distance or lack of awareness. This leads to preventable health shocks and higher maternal mortality, further weakening household resilience and relegating women’s health needs to secondary status.
Her Financial Vulnerabilities
Despite the growth of entrepreneurship initiatives targeting rural women, financial exclusion continues to undermine their economic agency. According to a 2023 NITI Aayog report, just 14% of Indian women are engaged in entrepreneurial activity, with even fewer represented in the formal sector. Structural barriers persist, including:
Limited access to institutional credit
Inadequate digital infrastructure
Absence of gender-responsive support systems
Social norms that limit decision-making and ownership
While women now hold 42.2% of rural bank accounts, they still face difficulties accessing credit, savings products and digital financial tools. Encouragingly, the number of women borrowers has tripled since 2019, with 60% from rural and semi-urban areas. (From Borrowers to Builders: Women’s Role in India’s Financial Growth Story)
Systemic barriers hindering her overall growth
Beyond financial and health-related challenges, rural women face systemic barriers at the institutional and community levels, where adequate support is often lacking.
Cumbersome, bureaucratic loan processes laden with documentation and procedural delays discourage many from pursuing opportunities. The absence of structured mentorship and peer support leaves aspiring entrepreneurs without networks to scale and sustain their businesses. Gender bias and entrenched stereotypes within financial institutions and community settings continue to question women’s credibility and leadership potential.
Overcoming these barriers is essential to realising the full potential of rural women. The way forward must involve making social protection accessible to every woman, particularly those in India’s most remote and underserved regions.
Understanding social protection for women of rural communities
To meaningfully include rural women under the social protection umbrella, we must begin with a clear definition. The International Labour Organisation defines social protection as the provision of social security in response to life risks such as unemployment, disability and maternity as well as support for those experiencing poverty or social exclusion.
This definition reveals that poverty and exclusion disproportionately impact women in rural areas. Globally, over two billion women and girls lack access to any form of social protection. In India, this gap is equally concerning. Even where social protection mechanisms are in place, gender disparities persist. According to UN data, only 50.1% of women access at least one social protection benefit compared to 54.6% of men. Rural women face the highest levels of exclusion.
These figures highlight the urgency of developing a robust, gender-responsive social protection framework — one that not only extends coverage but also propels rural women forward in their journey toward empowerment and economic inclusion.
Government initiatives supporting rural women
To advance women’s empowerment across rural India, the government has implemented several strategic programmes. Some of the most impactful include:
National Rural Livelihoods Mission (NRLM) NRLM strengthens women’s self-help groups, expands credit access and promotes entrepreneurship building sustainable livelihoods and community resilience.
MGNREGA With one-third of its jobs reserved for women, MGNREGA ensures fair wages, income security and economic independence.
e-NAM and Cooperatives (NCDC) By facilitating market linkages and collective bargaining, women gain access to fair pricing and new opportunities in agriculture, dairy and textiles.
Mission Poshan 2.0 and PMMVY These initiatives promote maternal nutrition and provide direct cash transfers, addressing critical vulnerabilities during pregnancy and early motherhood.
Swachh Bharat, Ujjwala, and Jal Jeevan Missions Access to sanitation, clean water, and LPG connections improves health outcomes, reduces domestic drudgery and frees up time for education and employment.
Digital Literacy and Mission Shakti Through digital training and safety initiatives, these programmes enhance women’s access to information, services and institutional support.
Swabhiman – A grassroots pillar of social protection
While government policies set the groundwork, the true test of social protection lies in last-mile delivery ensuring access to health, nutrition and financial tools at the doorstep. Smile Foundation’s Swabhiman programme plays a vital role in bridging this delivery gap, offering targeted support to rural women across multiple dimensions of empowerment.
In FY 2024, Swabhiman reached over 190,000 women across six states, equipping them with access to healthcare, financial literacy and entrepreneurial skills. The programme recognises that sustainable workforce participation is intricately tied to health, dignity and opportunity.
Partnering for women’s empowerment and social protection
Rural women in India are resilient and ready to lead. Yet their advancement depends on equitable systems — ones that guarantee access to health services, financial resources and sustained opportunities.
Smile Foundation’s Swabhiman initiative provides a credible platform for corporates and civil society to partner with government efforts. By integrating healthcare, vocational training and financial and digital literacy, Swabhiman helps build long-term, community-rooted pathways for empowerment.
Together, we can ensure that social protection reaches the last mile and that every woman, no matter where she lives, has the opportunity to thrive. Drop us a mail for a CSR partnership related to women empowerment.
“Business has a responsibility beyond its basic responsibility to its shareholders; a responsibility to a broader constituency that includes its key stakeholders: customers, employees, NGOs, government – the people of the communities in which it operates.”
Corporate Social Responsibility in India has shifted from being viewed as an obligation to becoming a strategic enabler of sustainable growth. With Section 135 of the Companies Act making CSR mandatory, corporates now leverage purpose-driven NGO partnerships to achieve measurable outcomes. These collaborations embed ethics, innovation and accountability, fostering resilient communities and driving long-term societal transformation. In crux, one can understand the world of CSR through the Caroll’s pyramid of CSR which defines responsibility across four layers- economic, legal, ethical and philanthropic.
CSR and Indian businesses
India’s business landscape experienced a transformation since 1990s. Industries expanded globally, driving impressive growth in sales and market share. Yet, alongside this progress came the realisation that unchecked expansion risked resource overuse and environmental strain. At the same time, as the bond between businesses and consumers deepened, it became clear that this relationship must also extend to supporting the communities that sustain them, thereby contributing to the holistic development of the nation.
Importance of CSR in India
Globalisation Global trade and integrated supply chains have heightened expectations around fair labour practices, environmental stewardship and community welfare. Forward-looking companies now embrace CSR partnerships not only to comply with emerging regulations but also to build resilience, enhance market access and secure long-term growth.
International guidelines Global frameworks such as the UN Global Compact and SA8000 encourage corporates to align with universally accepted principles on human rights, the environment and anti-corruption. While advisory, these standards have significantly influenced CSR in India, motivating corporates to collaborate through CSR NGO partnerships that deliver practical, scalable solutions to social challenges.
Corporates as brands Corporates are no longer isolated economic actors but vital pillars of society. By embedding strategic CSR partnerships into their core, businesses in India are moving beyond traditional philanthropy to drive purposeful, lasting change. This alignment of profitability with social impact not only strengthens corporate reputation but also builds enduring trust with stakeholders.
Strategic alignment with business goals
As per Section 135 of the Companies Act, 2013 companies are supposed to allocate 2% of average net profits towards social development. But, if one looks closely, the responsibility is not just monetarily, but in aligning CSR activities with broader business strategies.
Corporates through CSR partnerships establish a long term investment in sustainability. When companies integrate CSR laws into their core business models, they achieve a dual purpose of contributing to national development while also enforcing their own competitiveness.
For example, when a healthcare company invests in rural healthcare initiatives under CSR, they not only fulfils compliance but also builds trust within the communities, expands market reach and promotes a healthier customer base.
CSR is perceived as shared value creation, where profitability and social well being move hand in hand. It strengthens
Brand reputation
Improves stakeholder trust
Enhances risk management
Thereby, proving that structured CSR partnerships with NGOs enable effective last mile delivery and measurable impact.
Handbook on Corporate Social Responsibility in India (Source: PwC)
Community-centric approach
One of the most critical shifts in Corporate Social Responsibility practice in India has been the movement from top-down philanthropy to co-created community led models of development. According to the Journal of Business Perspective, 2022 research has shown that CSR initiatives designed with active community participation achieve greater relevance, sustainability and long term acceptance.
By involving local stakeholders in identifying challenges and shaping solutions, companies design interventions rooted in real needs and cultural contexts, making them more effective and sustainable. This participatory approach then fosters trust, ownership and stewardship, enabling communities to continue initiatives beyond the funding cycles.
On the other hand, NGOs in India play a vital role in bridging the gaps between the grassroot communities and corporates; by translating corporate intent into grassroots action through network and credibility. Thus showcasing that corporates, NGOs and communities can create purpose-driven partnerships that deliver inclusive scalability and ensure social change across India.
Sustainability & environmental responsibility – Focus areas
ESG driven CSR demonstrates that companies integrating environmental, social and governance priorities enhance long term value creation rather than compromise it. Governance strengthens accountability, environmental projects deliver sustainability and the social dimension delivers the most immediate impact on the marginalised communities of India. By investing in the following focus areas, corporates can optimise their CSR goals with long term sustainability.
Education and skill development Education unlocks human potential and transforms communities. Initiatives that combine quality learning with vocational training equip children and youth to rise above poverty, secure dignified employment and contribute to society’s progress.
Healthcare and sanitation Accessible healthcare and sanitation protect both dignity and life. Mobile health units, preventive care and hygiene awareness bring critical services closer to underserved communities, ensuring healthier families and resilient futures.
Livelihood enhancement Sustainable livelihoods empower individuals with independence and dignity. Skill-building programmes and entrepreneurship opportunities create pathways out of poverty, enabling families to thrive and communities to achieve long-term social and economic stability.
Environmental sustainability Safeguarding the environment is central to future prosperity. Community-led conservation, water stewardship and sustainable practices inspire people to live in balance with nature, protecting resources for generations to come.
Women’s health and empowerment When women thrive, communities prosper. Focused interventions in nutrition, healthcare, education and skills give women the tools to lead healthier lives, access opportunities and uplift families and entire communities.
Scalability and innovation
Smart CSR enabled by data and technology drives transparency and measurable outcomes. This systemic approach enables corporates to scale solutions, replicate success and address root causes of social challenges. By aligning innovation with impact, CSR in India is now evolving towards a future ready ecosystem delivering sustainable and verifiable results.
For example, tech-enabled CSR solutions are transforming impact delivery with AI enhancing education and healthcare while digital financial inclusion fosters equitable and sustainable growth
Impact measurement and transparency
Impact measurement in CSR is evolving through technology with AI enabling precise data collection, real time monitoring and transparent reporting. For business and communities, this integration ensures accountability, drives efficiency and scales sustainable solutions making technology-driven impact assessment integral to purpose led growth in India’s CSR landscape
Emerging trends in CSR and CSR partnerships
Corporate Social Responsibility in India has matured from philanthropy into a strategic tool for community transformation. To remain effective, corporates must align with emerging CSR trends that shape long-term impact:
Shift to strategic CSR partnerships – Moving beyond transactional funding towards long-term, systemic collaborations, strengthened by ESG–CSR convergence and transparent sustainability disclosures.
Digital CSR – Leveraging e-learning, telehealth and digital skilling to expand reach and inclusion.
Geographic expansion – Extending CSR initiatives into Tier 2/3 cities and rural communities for deeper social development.
Thematic priorities – Health, women’s empowerment, STEM education, scholarships for girls and skill development as focus areas.
Employee volunteering – Embedding purpose and ownership within corporate culture, amplifying community impact.
Enabling strategic CSR impact with Smile
Anchored in its Lifecycle Model, Smile Foundation drives holistic development through 400+ CSR partnerships in education, healthcare, women’s empowerment and livelihoods. With over 2 million beneficiaries nationwide, initiatives like Mission Education, Swabhiman, STeP and Health Cannot Wait deliver measurable impact, fostering sustainable growth, empowerment and systemic community transformation across India.
Education (STEM & Learning Enhancement) Partner: Abbott India Limited Under the Mission Education programme, Abbott supports STEM education in eight additional schools, benefiting approximately 2,200 students through improved learning environments and digital classrooms.
Education and Digital Inclusion Partner: WSP Collaborated to educate 400 children across Bangalore and Noida via blended learning formats under Mission Education, expanding access to quality education.
Scholarships for Girls in Engineering Partner: Quantiphi Launched an Engineering Scholarship Project for Girls, empowering 22 meritorious, underserved students in computer science and engineering through tuition support and employability training.
Skill Development and Livelihoods Partner: Macleods Pharmaceuticals Supported the establishment of two STeP vocational training centres in Mumbai, boosting employability for 280 underprivileged youth, especially in retail and soft skills.
Healthcare and Sanitation Partner: GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) Asia Pvt Ltd Through the Smile on Wheels mobile medical units, this CSR collaboration delivers free dental check-ups and oral-health awareness to underserved communities nationwide.
In conclusion, the seven core dimensions of CSR in India must be central when defining future CSR goals. By engaging in credible CSR–NGO partnerships, businesses can demonstrate how responsibility evolves into systemic, long-term community transformation. Strategic collaboration ensures scalability, transparency and measurable results.
Equally important is embracing emerging CSR trends to remain future-ready. By partnering with purpose-driven NGOs such as Smile Foundation, corporates can transcend compliance, creating meaningful impact that drives sustainable growth, strengthens communities and enhances corporate reputation.
Today’s discerning travellers are no longer influenced by luxury alone – they actively seek experiences rooted in purpose, sustainability and social responsibility. In response, the industry is turning to cause-related marketing (CRM) aligning brand identity with meaningful social impact. This marks the rise of impact-driven hospitality, where conscious consumption is reshaping how travel brands connect with their audiences.
With the global sustainable tourism market projected to grow to USD 7.19 trillion by 2032, CRM is fast becoming a key competitive differentiator. Brands that embed social purpose into their business model are earning greater relevance, and also deepening relationships with conscious consumers.
India’s tourism and hospitality landscape
India’s tourism and hospitality sector is poised for exponential growth, with expected revenues surpassing US$ 59 billion by 2038 and foreign tourist arrivals estimated to reach 30.5 million. Ministry of Tourism reports that the industry is growing at a 20% CAGR, fuelled primarily by an expanding middle-income demographic.
Indian consumers are gravitating towards travel experiences that mirror their values – whether through sustainable tourism, wellness retreats, experiential journeys, staycations, women-led travels, solo traveling or visits to offbeat destinations. It’s a chance for brands to shift from purely transactional relationships to becoming emotionally relevant in their customers’ lives.
Travel isn’t just about ticking off destinations anymore – it’s about meaning. By weaving cause-driven campaigns into today’s travel trends, brands have a chance to make every kind of trip a little more purposeful, and a whole lot more memorable.
The case for CRM in Indian hospitality
In a world where travellers are choosing meaning over mere miles, cause-related marketing gives brands a chance to stand for something bigger. For India’s travel and hospitality scene, infusing social purpose into the guest experience, when done authentically, can boost not just brand love, but real impact too. Think stronger connections, higher perceived value and a better brand fit with what today’s conscious travellers truly care about.
Build emotional equity
Inspire deeper consumer loyalty
Position themselves as purposeful industry leaders
Deliver value-driven hospitality experiences
How can this be achieved?
Adoption of CRM
CRM fosters transparency and trust by linking business growth with social responsibility. It empowers brands to form long-term, emotionally anchored relationships with their audience.
Example: A luxury hotel chain could launch a CRM campaign supporting education for girls in tribal regions, where every booking contributes to a classroom seat- “Your comfortable room gives her the chance to enter a classroom.”
Consumer Response
When brands champion a cause, consumers are not only drawn to the brand, but also feel personally invested in the cause itself. This dual affinity enhances trust and positive brand sentiment.
Example: An airline partners with an NGO to plant a tree for every domestic booking, reinforcing its commitment to carbon offsetting and environmental stewardship.
Positive Brand Outcomes
CRM strengthens brand attitudes, boosts campaign participation, increases purchase intentions and builds brand loyalty, particularly among impact-oriented consumers. As per a survey of 637 consumers, it was observed that cause related marketing made a significant positive impact on consumer brand engagement.
Example: Hospitality brands offering welcome kits or hygiene essentials crafted by local women entrepreneurs can boost guest satisfaction, encourage social sharing, and create long-lasting brand advocates.
Consumer Brand Engagement
CRM stimulates deeper emotional, cognitive and behavioural engagement, encouraging customers to champion the brand beyond monetary transactions.
Example: Brands can integrate their CRM through NGOs in India for rural immersion programmes where members engage with local artisans or health workers to form a bond between customers, brand and the cause.
Enhanced Consumer Perceived Value
Consumer Perceived Value (CPV) is the perceived benefit from a product or service, beyond its functional utility – it includes emotional resonance, social contribution and brand purpose playing a role. When consumers see brands actively doing good, they perceive higher value in their purchase.
Example: Hospitality brands can integrate menstrual hygiene workshops for adolescent girls in villages, aligning health and well being with their brand goals, giving guests a more meaningful stay.
Strategic focus areas for CRM-driven impact
The travel and hospitality industry uniquely engages consumers through direct, personal experiences. This proximity makes their relationship with both customers and local communities central to operations. By integrating cause-related marketing (CRM) focused on social issues relevant to their consumers’ environments, brands can transform tourism into purpose-driven journeys creating lasting impact for communities while building meaningful brand value.
Education for economically deprived children
By aligning with CRM for education, hospitality and travel brands can support schooling for marginalised children of rural villages. This can showcase their commitment towards transforming leisure stays into life changing learning opportunities for young minds of India.
Women’s skilling and employment
Through CRM, brands can empower women in nearby communities by funding skill building in hospitality and travel industry enabling dignity, employment and generational change through every guest experience
Enhance rural healthcare access
Through CRM driven partnerships, brands can fund mobile healthcare units in remote or off beat destinations, building critical rural healthcare gaps while aligning brand presence with measurable social impact.
Sustainability for everyone
Integrating CRM with sustainability in terms of nutritious local harvesting, brands can co-create kitchen gardens, nurturing both community health and a brand narrative rooted in good health for the underserved communities of India.
Vistara (TATA SIA Airlines Limited) supports Smile Foundation through its Payroll Giving Programme, enabling employees to voluntarily contribute a fixed monthly amount. These contributions directly aid Smile Foundation’s interventions in education, healthcare and livelihood development, fostering sustained impact through collective employee participation.
Another key CRM activity was done by Holiday Inn with Smile Foundation, where children at the Education centre in Gurugram enjoyed a joyful day of games, engaging activities and Secret Santa surprises creating meaningful brand-connected moments of laughter, celebration and shared happiness.
Through its cause-related marketing partnership with Bag2Bag, Smile Foundation converts each customer transaction into real impact. Every checkout at Bag2Bag offers ₹7 to support children’s education and community development in underserved regions across India.
Partner now
In India’s hospitality sector, cause-related marketing is evolving into a strategic approach to building purpose-driven brand engagement. It is no longer limited to charitable donations or one-off campaigns. As tourism becomes increasingly experience-led, consumers are actively seeking brands that reflect their values and contribute meaningfully to society. When thoughtfully implemented, CRM can strengthen emotional connections with travellers, improve brand loyalty and deliver measurable social impact – all while aligning business objectives with broader societal goals.
With deep grassroots expertise, Smile Foundation offers customised CRM solutions that align brand purpose with on-ground impact ensuring every partnership delivers value for both business and community.
Collaborate with Smile Foundation to make every booking count. Let’s co-create journeys that leave a lasting impact.
Digital tools, slick storytelling formats and gamified content are reshaping what it means to learn in 21st-century India. In classrooms outfitted with smartboards or, more often, in makeshift learning spaces on mobile phones children are no longer passive recipients of knowledge. Teachers, too, are adjusting their roles, while parents navigate new expectations.
Yet for every student swept up in this transformation, many more are being left behind. Patchy internet, device shortages and an education system still tethered to rote learning mean that the promise of immersive, future-ready education remains elusive for millions.
India stands at a pivotal juncture: the digital age has cracked open new possibilities for learning. But unless policymakers, technologists and educators confront the structural inequities that persist, the gap between potential and reality may only deepen.
Child education in India: Is modern learning inclusive?
India’s education landscape is being reimagined. A new emphasis on progressive pedagogy is encouraging schools and parents to move beyond the narrow metrics of academic achievement, toward something more expansive — an education that fosters critical thinking, emotional intelligence, leadership and a sense of self in a fast-changing world.
In theory, this marks a long-overdue shift. But the bigger question looms: who is this transformation really reaching?
Across India’s rural heartlands, where over 1.26 million schools operate, the ambition is palpable. Government schemes from Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan to Samagra Shiksha and PM e‑Vidya promise inclusive classrooms, digital tools, library upgrades and skills for a future economy. The official narrative speaks of equity, access and innovation.
But the lived reality is more uneven. Patchy infrastructure, overstretched teachers and socio-economic barriers continue to hold back millions of children especially girls, first-generation learners, and those in remote areas. While some students absorb coding through tablets, others still struggle to access textbooks or electricity.
The gap isn’t just digital. It’s systemic.
Bridging it will require calls for deeper alignment between governments, corporate players and community-led organisations to ensure that modern education doesn’t just remain an urban privilege, but becomes a shared national asset. One where every child, regardless of geography or background, has a real shot at learning in a way that is inclusive, holistic and genuinely transformative.
The ground reality
A key hurdle in rural education today lies not in ambition, but in infrastructure. According to recent reports, nearly 60% of government schools in rural India lack functional internet connectivity. One in three schools is still without even the most basic digital tools such as projectors or smart boards making it nearly impossible for modern teaching methods to take root. In these classrooms, the promise of digital learning remains just a promise, and not yet a reality.
Modern learning in rural schools
Children in rural India remain at a stark disadvantage that carries profound implications for the country’s future. By 2027, an estimated 69 million new jobs are expected to emerge globally. Without urgent and sustained intervention, a generation of children from less privileged communities risks being shut out of this evolving opportunity landscape.
Bridging this divide requires more than textbooks and classrooms. It calls for an education system that nurtures cognitive agility, emotional resilience and practical life skills — tools as essential as literacy in navigating the future. This is where modern educational tools come in, not as luxuries, but as vital instruments towards building a safer, more inclusive future for every child.
Storytelling
This has always been central to how children learn and remember. A 21st century classroom reimages this age-old method through digital storytelling – using videos, interactive flip books and gamified storytelling to explain complex concepts in simple and relatable ways
Research highlights that digital storytelling not only sparks creativity but also improves retention, motivation and deeper lesson engagement. For example, a story based history lesson enables children to “live through” events while a narrative driven science experiment can abstract concepts vividly.
Read-alouds and interactive content
Read-aloud sessions were seen as a cornerstone of early child education which today have evolved into interactive digital formats. Today, children can listen to stories brought alive by AI-powered voices or choose how a character’s journey unfolds through interactive polls and clickable story paths.
In India, where language diversity is vast, digital read-aloud tools also provide multilingual access, ensuring rural and urban children alike can learn in their mother tongue. This aligns with findings from theWorld Economic Forum (2024), which stresses rekindling curiosity through play-based and interactive tools that allow children to ask, explore and discover.
Flip books and visual tools
Traditional flip books and comics are being reinvested as microlearning modules. Imagine a child in a rural school accessing a digital flip book that demonstrates each step of a science experiment or a visual timeline that makes Indian history easy to understand and remember.
Visual storytelling enables children to learn at their own pace, bridging the comprehension gap often caused by rigid textbook teaching. Child education in India, where students frequently encounter first-generation learning barriers, therefore, tools such as flip books can enhance discovery and quick grasping.
Digital tools and personalised leaning
The most transformative shift comes from personalised learning which is supported by digital platforms. Research states that adaptive learning does not promise equality in output but ensures adequacy that every child gains the competencies necessary to thrive, regardless of starting point.
75% of students feel more engaged in a personalised learning environment compared to just 30% in traditional ones.
Personalised content recommendations boosted engagement by 60%
Teachers driving change
Teachers equipped with the modern pedagogical skills, digital tools and activity based methods establish a closer relationship with their students. With constant classroom engagements the learning outcomes also boots, but also empowers teachers with confidence, adaptability and professional growth creating a strong future ready education ecosystem in India
Learning with Smile
Child education in India faces persistent challenges of inequity, digital divides and limited access to quality learning environments. Smile Foundation, through its Mission Education programme is working to transform this landscape by aligning with the National Education Policy 2020 and global priorities such as Foundation Literacy and Numeracy (FLN), tech enabled learning and lifelong education.
With over 1,20,00 children across 27 states, the foundation adopts a four-pronged approach-
Child centric
Teacher centric
Enabling learning environment
Community engagement
To ensure that children not only access education but also benefit from holistic development.
Our mission is to build inclusive, engaging and technology‑enabled classrooms that nurture holistic learning. Through impact‑driven corporate partnerships, we believe child education in India can be reimagined, delivering opportunities that go far beyond textbooks, empowering every child to learn, grow and thrive.
Partner with Smile Foundation to co-create scalable and sustainable education models that empower every child to learn, thrive and be successful.
Sources
Innovative Education Methods: Transforming Teaching and Learning
The Employability Puzzle: Educated but Unprepared for Work
If you grew up in northern India, chances are you’ve heard the saying Padhoge Likhoge Banoge Nawab (study hard and you’ll go far in life). It’s one of those timeless proverbs that families pass down, a reminder of how deeply education is valued in our culture. The phrase became even more popular after Asha Bhosale sang it in the 1958 film Malik. Back then, just a decade after independence, this wasn’t just a catchy line – it echoed a national belief that education ( a means for good employability) wasn’t just good for the individual, it was essential for building the future of the country.
In a newly sovereign India grappling with poverty, illiteracy, and social fragmentation, this proverb encapsulated a powerful aspiration. It signified hope for millions, who saw education as the primary vehicle for socioeconomic transformation. The imagery of the nawab as in the phrase was not literal but symbolic – it represented dignity, status and participation in the democratic promise of postcolonial India. The assumption was that an educated populace would serve as the vanguard of progress and modernity.
But today, that hopeful vision needs a closer look. Sure, more kids are in school than ever before, but just getting an education isn’t always enough. The big question now is: are we preparing young people for real jobs and real opportunities? For many, the link between schooling and a meaningful livelihood still feels weak. It’s time to rethink what we’re teaching, how we’re teaching it, and whether it’s truly setting students up for success.
Addressing the massive gap
Here’s the tough reality: in India today, getting a degree doesn’t always lead to a job. In fact, more education can sometimes mean fewer chances at employment. Sounds backwards, but the numbers say it all. According to Azim Premji University’s State of Working India 2023report, nearly 43% of graduates under 25 are unemployed. That’s twice the rate of those who stopped at secondary school. Some states are seeing this gap even more sharply with Andhra Pradesh having more than 35% of graduates jobless in late 2022. Even more telling is that the graduates made up a whopping 73% of the state’s total unemployed. It’s a worrying sign that our education system isn’t connecting with the job market, and young people are paying the price.
You can really see this disconnect playing out in real life. In Uttar Pradesh, government job openings for low-skill roles, like messengers or railway porters, which need only a 5th or 10th-grade education recently saw hundreds of thousands of applicants. But the catch is many of them were postgraduates, MBAs, even PhDs. When highly educated people line up for jobs that don’t need those qualifications, it’s a clear sign that something’s broken. The deeper issue is whether our education system is preparing people for the kind of work that actually exists or not.
Recognising impediments in the process of employability
According to the Mercer-Mettl Graduate Skill Index 2025, only 42.6% of Indian graduates are considered employable, down from 44.3% in 2023. It’s a worrying trend that reflects a growing disconnect between education and what the job market actually needs.
A big part of the problem is the way many universities still operate. Rote learning and outdated syllabi leave little room for building relevant skills. Students rarely get to work with technologies that are reshaping the world of work like artificial intelligence, data analytics, cloud computing or cybersecurity. They earn degrees, but not necessarily the capabilities that help them thrive at work.
Practical experience is often missing too. Internships, live projects and apprenticeships are still not mainstream in higher education. This means graduates often step into the workforce without ever having worked in a real-world setting. On top of that, soft skills like communication, critical thinking and teamwork don’t get the attention they deserve.
The employability gap widens further when you consider regional disparities, gender gaps and the slow rate of job creation. For many young people, especially in underserved areas, it’s about access and opportunity.
To change this, we need much closer collaboration between industry and academia. Course design should involve employers. Students need hands-on learning built into their programmes. And soft skills training should be as essential as technical knowledge. We also need to explore new approaches that respond to fast-changing market needs and help young people build their own paths – whether that’s in jobs or entrepreneurship.
Building real world solutionsfor more employability in India
The growing gap between college degrees and job readiness can’t be ignored. While government-led skilling schemes and education reforms are an important part of the solution, they aren’t enough on their own. What’s needed is a more collaborative approach, one that brings in civil society, NGOs and community-based organisations that work directly with young people, especially those from underserved backgrounds.
Take Smile Foundation’s STeP (Smile Twin e-Learning Programme), for example. It’s designed to equip young people with both the technical and soft skills they need to get into the workforce. Beyond training, STeP also offers career counselling to help participants make informed, realistic choices about their future.
Between 2023 and 2024, over 9,000 young people were trained through the STeP programme. Of these, 550 went on to secure jobs across a range of industries. We also conducted more than 800 career counselling sessions and organised multiple industry exposure visits, giving participants a real sense of what different workplaces are like.
Support doesn’t end once someone completes the training or gets placed. STeP offers continued guidance – from confidence-building and interview prep to post-placement support so that young people feel equipped to stay and grow in the jobs they land.
Initiatives like this show that employability is also about helping young people build aspirations, understand their options and connect to opportunities that often lie just out of reach.
How Women Empowerment Reduces Gender-Based Violence
Crimes against women, ranging from domestic abuse to sexual assault, are a pervasive global issue. The World Health Organization estimates that at least one in three women worldwide has experienced physical or sexual violence in her lifetime. In India, entrenched patriarchal norms and economic dependency often compound the problem. Official data show disturbing trends: the 2022 NCRB report recorded 66.4 crimes per 100,000 women, up from 58.8 in 2018 (a 12.9% increase). Most reported cases are domestic (31.4% involve cruelty by husbands or relatives) or sexual (7.1% are rape cases).
Even workplace harassment is rising. Complaints under the POSH Act grew from 402 in 2018 to 422 in 2022. Globally too the toll is high – in 2022 about 89,000 women and girls were victims of intentional homicide – and South Asia bears a heavy burden. India, ranked 128th out of 177 countries on women’s security in 2023, continues to see heinous crimes despite legal reforms.
Chart: Reported crimes against women in India climbed from 58.8 to 66.4 per 100,000 women between 2018 and 2022 (NCRB data). This 12.9% rise highlights growing violence and/or better reporting.
Forms of violence against women
Crimes against women take many forms, all rooted in gender inequality. Major categories include:
Domestic violence – Physical, emotional or sexual abuse by a husband or family member (cruelty under IPC §498A). This is the most common crime: about 31.4% of all reported violence against women in India is “cruelty by husband/relatives”. Such abuse can range from beatings and intimidation to coerced suicide.
Sexual assault and harassment – Non-consensual acts like rape, molestation and sexual abuse. Rape accounted for 7.1% of crimes against women in 2022, though experts note under-reporting. Outraging a woman’s modesty (molestation) was 18.7% of cases. At the workplace or in public spaces, harassment (now punishable under the 2013 POSH Act) is also widespread.
Dowry Harassment and Death – Demands for dowry often lead to cruelty and even murder. Despite legal bans, thousands of cases are reported annually. In 2020 India logged about 10,366 dowry harassment cases and 6,966 dowry deaths. Victims may face torture or death when in-laws demand more gifts or money.
Trafficking and exploitation – Women and girls are trafficked for sexual or labour exploitation. This includes prostitution and bonded labour (IPC 370–372). Many young women are lured or kidnapped into a network of abuse. Under special laws, immoral trafficking and buying/selling of minor girls are recognised offences.
Child marriage and child abuse – Forced underage marriage and sexual exploitation of minors violates the law (Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, POCSO Act). Adolescent girls are especially vulnerable to rape and forced marriage, which carry their own penalties. Child marriage is officially banned, but enforcement gaps persist.
Honour killings and witch-hunting – In some regions, women are murdered by relatives for perceived ‘honour’ violations (e.g., marrying outside caste) or accused of witchcraft. These extrajudicial crimes are rooted in superstition and patriarchy. The government has special provisions, but cases still surface in tribal and rural areas.
Acid attacks – Deliberate pouring of acid (often by rejected suitors or relatives) to disfigure women. Since 2013 acid attacks are a distinct crime (IPC 326A) punishable by 10 years to life imprisonment. However, cases have risen. Media reports cite hundreds of attacks a year. Acid violence is most common in South Asia; Bangladesh’s strict laws have reduced attacks by ~20–30%, but India continues to see many incidents.
Cyber and online abuse – Digital stalking, harassment, non-consensual sharing of images (‘revenge porn’) and bullying of women online. This emerging threat is covered under IT laws, but enforcement is still developing. A recent NCRB category ‘cybercrime against women’ reflects this growing trend.
These forms often overlap and compound one another. For example, a woman facing dowry torture may also be raped or threatened with acid. Children can be victims of sexual abuse at home or trafficked. In India, the United Nations notes that gender-based violence includes all these facets – domestic abuse, dowry violence, honor crimes, acid attacks and more. Each form leaves deep scars on survivors and families.
Impact of violence
The consequences of crimes against women are devastating on multiple levels. Physically, victims suffer injuries, chronic pain, disabilities or unwanted pregnancies. Psychologically, they face trauma, depression, stigma and loss of trust. Many survivors struggle with social isolation and economic hardship, as abuse often destroys livelihoods.
According to public health experts, these individual impacts add up. Violence increases women’s health problems, can lead to STIs or death, and even disrupts entire families. At a societal level, gender-based violence violates basic human rights and undermines development goals. It reduces women’s participation in education and the workforce, cutting productivity. UN reports warn that such violence hinders progress on Sustainable Development Goals (like good health, equality and decent work).
In India, these impacts are compounded by social and economic factors. Many women lack financial independence or legal awareness, making it hard to escape abusive situations. For instance, under many custom and inheritance norms women cannot claim property, and most work in informal jobs without protection.
The National Family Health Survey (2019–21) found 29.3% of women aged 18–49 have experienced spousal violence in their lifetime. Even if crimes are reported, justice can be slow; patriarchal attitudes often blame victims or discourage their testimony. As a result, many cases never enter the official record at all. Experts note that cultural shame and fear of retaliation are huge barriers to reporting.
Real stories illustrate these hardships. Laxmi Agarwal, for example, was just 15 when a jilted man threw acid on her. She spent years in surgery and faced social stigma, even as she tirelessly campaigned for stricter acid laws. Her efforts (and similar ones by activists) led the Supreme Court in 2013 to impose tighter controls on acid sales and higher compensation for survivors. Today Laxmi heads a foundation that helps fellow survivors rebuild their lives. Her courage shows how victims can become voices for change but it also underscores the brutality of these crimes.
Legal protections and government schemes
India has a broad legal framework to address violence against women. Key laws include:
IPC 498A (Cruelty by husband/relatives) – Penalises physical or mental cruelty to women in marriage, including dowry demands.
Protection of women from Domestic Violence Act (2005) – Allows survivors to seek protection orders, residence rights and maintenance from abusive partners.
IPC 304B (Dowry Death) – Punishes death of a bride within 7 years of marriage if dowry harassment is proven.
Dowry Prohibition Act (1961) – Bans requesting or giving dowry gifts; harassment under this Act saw over 13,000 cases in 2019.
POCSO Act (2012) – Protects children (including girl children) from sexual offences with stringent penalties.
Criminal Law (Amendment) Acts (2013, 2018) – Enacted after high-profile cases, these strengthened rape laws (including fast-track courts, death penalty for gang-rape) and clarified offenses like stalking and acid attacks.
Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace Act (2013) – Mandates employers to prevent and address sexual harassment on the job (though social awareness and complaint rates remain low).
Beyond laws, the government runs many schemes and support systems. For victims of violence, One Stop Centres (also called Sakhi Centres) were launched in 2015 to provide integrated aid. These centers offer medical care, legal counselling, police liaison and temporary shelter under one roof for survivors of domestic or public violence. The Ministry of Women & Child Development reports over 708 One Stop Centres were operational by 2022, assisting 540,000 women nationwide.
Other initiatives include a 24×7 Women’s Helpline (1091/181) and the unified emergency number 112 for immediate assistance; Beti Bachao Beti Padhaocampaign to promote girl child welfare; Safe City Projects (in major cities) installing CCTV and better lighting; and Mahila Adalats (special women’s courts) for resolving complaints quickly. Police stations also now have Women’s Help Desks for gender-sensitive handling of cases.
Funds from the Nirbhaya Fund are used for training investigators, setting up trauma rooms and providing forensic kits to speed up rape case trials. The National Commission for Women (NCW) itself operates a dedicated WhatsApp helpline (72177-35372) to report violence. All these measures aim to plug gaps in the system.
Despite the laws, enforcement is uneven. Experts urge further action. Educational campaigns in schools, community-level gender-sensitisation and better funding for support services. For example, the Women’s Commission notes that combining legal aid with job training and counselling is crucial to help survivors rebuild independent lives. In other words, legal remedies must go hand-in-hand with social change to truly curb these crimes.
Crimes against women: India vs. Global context
While violence against women is universal, its shape and prevalence vary by region. Globally, WHO data indicate that about 30% of women experience intimate partner or sexual violence in their lives. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) reported nearly 89,000 gender-related homicides of women/girls worldwide in 2022. South Asia bears a disproportionate share of certain crimes.
For example, India, like neighbouring Pakistan and Bangladesh, has historically high rates of acid attacks and honour killings. Notably, Bangladesh’s strict acid laws have led to a 20–30% decline in attacks, a success India still strives for.
India’s Women Peace and Security Index rank (128/177 in 2023) trails most developed countries. Factors include continuing social inequality, access to justice, and political representation. In some metrics India outperforms its neighbours. According to the 2021 National Family Health Survey, the child sex ratio (females per 1000 males) improved to 1020, indicating progress against female infanticide.
However, in crime statistics the picture is worrisome. The NCRB found criminal cases against women per 100,000 population are significantly higher in states like Delhi (144.4) and Haryana (118.7) than the national average.
It’s clear that India’s challenge is both similar to and worse than global trends. Like many countries, India struggles with under-reporting and stigma. But deeply rooted gender bias and large population density mean even a small percentage of unreported crimes translates to very high absolute numbers.
Comparing international data underscores that every country has a stake in solutions – from enforcing international conventions to sharing best practices. India’s recent improvements in laws and awareness are positive, but the on-ground reality still lags behind many peers.
Empowering women and girls – The role of Smile Foundation
Stopping crimes against women requires prevention and empowerment, not just punishment. Smile Foundation addresses root causes by empowering women and girls in vulnerable communities. Our flagship Swabhimanprogramme (launched in 2005) offers a holistic mix of health, nutrition and livelihood support to marginalised women.
Swabhiman helps women start microenterprises, learn financial literacy and access healthcare. For instance, Smile provides skill training (e.g. sewing, farming) along with seed capital, so beneficiaries can earn their own income.
Image: A Smile Foundation beneficiary uses vocational training (here, tailoring) and support to build a livelihood. Programmes like Swabhiman equip women with skills, tools and awareness, enabling them to earn independently.
Smile’s approach ties into broader development goals by combining reproductive health awareness with entrepreneurship, Swabhiman makes women more self-reliant. In practical terms, nearly 190,000 women across six states have benefitted from Swabhiman in recent years. These women learn to plan family health, start savings and even lead local groups. For example, in Maharashtra Smile recounts how Ishwati – once a daily-wage laborer – received seeds, a pump and training to start farming. She now earns about ₹10,000 from selling her crops, supplementing her family’s income and inspiring others in her village. Stories like hers show that when women gain skills and confidence, they can resist exploitation and lift their families out of poverty.
Smile also focuses on educating and empowering girls. Our She Can Fly initiative (alongside other campaigns) encourages girls to stay in school, get vocational training and focus on health and nutrition. Educated girls are far less likely to be married off early or fall prey to traffickers. By promoting financial literacy and life skills, Smile helps girls become change agents in their own communities. Together, these programmes aim to reduce vulnerability. We believe that an informed, skilled woman is better able to assert her rights and avoid abusive situations.
For donors and policymakers, Smile’s impact is a model worth supporting. The organisation’s integrated work – combining nutrition programmes, reproductive health camps and women’s entrepreneurship – addresses several risk factors for violence. Recognising this, Smile aligns with national schemes (like Anemia Mukt Bharat and Poshan Abhiyan) to strengthen government initiatives.
Our partnerships have helped set up community kitchens, support mothers’ groups and equip health workers to be more responsive to women’s needs. In short, Smile Foundation illustrates how empowerment and awareness can complement laws to actually reduce crimes against women.
What can be done
Experts emphasise a multi-pronged approach by educating boys and girls about gender equality, sensitising communities, strictly enforcing laws and expanding support for survivors. Engaging youth is vital – curricula and media must challenge stereotypes that condone violence. Policymakers must ensure funding for women’s shelters, legal aid and healthcare is adequate and effectively used. The public can play a role by supporting and volunteering with NGOs like Smile that empower at-risk women.
Real change also needs cultural shifts. Indian society must move beyond protective attitudes to genuinely value women’s autonomy. Everyday citizens can help by speaking out against harassment, supporting survivors, and demanding accountability. Even small steps – a bystander intervening in public harassment or communities educating young couples about mutual respect – can add up.
In India and around the world, ending crimes against women will require everyone’s effort. The legal toolbox is in place, but enforcement and social support must be strengthened. Programmes like Smile Foundation’s Swabhiman and She Can Fly show that empowering women economically and socially can break the cycle of abuse. By combining legal remedies with education and opportunity, society can turn the tide – ensuring every woman and girl can live free of violence.
Sources: Official crime data (NCRB, NFHS) and expert analyses; global stats (WHO, UNODC); Smile Foundation reports and case studies; academic and media reports.
Well-functioning Anganwadi Centres are the backbone of India’s early childhood development and maternal-child health programmes. Nearly 14 lakh Anganwadis across India serve as the first point of contact for nutrition, health monitoring, and preschool education for rural and urban poor children. In 2025, these centres provide hot meals, immunisations and growth tracking for 0–6 year-olds, and critical prenatal/postnatal care to pregnant and lactating women.
ASER 2024 data show that Anganwadis are the biggest provider of pre-primary school services, with over half of all 3–4 year olds enrolled there. These figures highlight that Anganwadis not only fight malnutrition (child undernutrition fell from ~30% in 1975 to 7.7% by 2019–21) but also prime millions of children for school.
Across India, Anganwadis are often simple village centres providing early education and nutrition. Upgrading these facilities as advocated by NEP 2020 is essential for quality learning and health.
On-the-ground surveys reveal alarming deficits in Anganwadi infrastructure. Recent data from Telangana expose how thousands of centres lack basic amenities. Out of 35,700 Anganwadis surveyed, 41% (14,866 centres) had no electricity, crippling lighting, ventilation, and cold-storage of vaccines and supplements. Similarly, 32.5% (11,595 centres) had no toilet facilities, jeopardising sanitation and dignity, especially for girls and women. And 16.8% (5,981 centres) lacked drinking water access. These gaps directly violate Swachh Bharat and Poshan Abhiyaan goals, and mirror a wider pattern.
A 2020 NITI Aayog review found that a majority of Anganwadis still operate in rented or makeshift spaces, not permanent government-built rooms. The consequences are crumbling walls, overcrowding, and AWWs unable to teach or even cook mid-day meals. For example, in one Odisha Anganwadi shown below, children sit under a leaking roof, illustrating the urgent need for upgrades.
Many Anganwadis today lack safe, child-friendly buildings. In rural India, a worn-down Anganwadi centres struggle to serve mothers and children in inadequate space, underscoring why state action is needed.
The case for renewed investment
As NEP 2020 notes, the early years are crucial not just for physical development but also cognitive and emotional growth. High-quality, child-friendly infrastructure (safe classrooms, play areas, sanitation, and power) is now explicitly mandated by policy. Indeed, states like UP and Maharashtra are hiring dedicated pre-school teachers and rolling out new curricula in Anganwadis. But to meet these goals, existing centres must be upgraded in tandem.
In practical terms, infrastructure translates to a well-lit, ventilated Anganwadi with clean water and toilets. It boosts attendance, learning and health. In Telangana, Anganwadi Workers report they cannot adopt digital or creative teaching methods without electricity. When toilets and water are absent, young children, and caregivers face illness and indignity. Conversely, interventions that improve the centre environment (e.g. furniture, cooking facilities, kitchen gardens) lead to higher community trust and programme uptake.
Smile Foundation’s own experience confirms this. With PepsiCo Foundation, Smile implemented the Nutrition Enhancement Programme (NEP) in rural Punjab. Over three years, NEP improved maternal-child nutrition in 23 villages of Sangrur, reaching 60,000 people. This CSR-backed initiative directly benefited 16,000 pregnant/lactating women and children and indirectly another 45,000, through 260 health camps, kitchen gardens and AWW training.
Likewise, in Kosi (Mathura, UP), the recent Pink Smile project (PepsiCo–Smile) deployed mobile medical units and community camps to screen and treat anemia for 4,200 vulnerable women and children. These projects underscore how supporting Anganwadi-based care yields immediate health gains.
Building on this evidence, Smile Foundation has launched dedicated Anganwadi infrastructure programmes through CSR partnerships. In Maharashtra, the Mars Wrigley Foundation’s Community Connection grant empowered us to revamp 10 Anganwadi Centres (AWCs) across Pune. Over 2024–25 we revitalised 10 AWCs, impacting 13 centres overall, reaching 1,562 direct beneficiaries (children, mothers, adolescent girls) and 4,660 community members.
Key upgrades included 202 kitchen gardens to improve food security, 30 health/haemoglobin screening camps, and training for Anganwadi workers. We provided furniture, learning materials and safe sanitation creating cleaner, child-friendly learning spaces.
Similarly, under our Women Empowerment (Swabhiman) programme in Tamil Nadu, Odisha and other states, Smile has supported Anganwadi upgrades by building toilets, installing solar lights, and water filters, and training AWWs in hygiene and nutrition. Our anaemia and nutrition mobile units also regularly link families to their Anganwadi Centres. All these efforts from Assam to Andhra Pradesh illustrate Smile’s conviction that investing in Anganwadis today builds healthier, more educated communities tomorrow.
Practical CSR partnerships for lasting impact
For CSR leaders seeking high-impact opportunities, Anganwadi upgradation should be a strategic priority. We recommend:
Adopt & Upgrade: Corporates can ‘adopt’ clusters of Anganwadis (or a mini-Anganwadi cluster) in partnership with NGOs like us. Funding can go to core infrastructure like permanent classrooms, clean toilets, borewells or piped water, electricity/smart lighting, boundary walls, and kitchen equipment.
Nutrition & Nurture: Enhance the centre’s nutrition role by sponsoring kitchen gardens, community nutrition workshops, and improved kitchen-cum-store facilities. These immediately improve the meal program’s reach.
Capacity Building: Invest in training Anganwadi workers (AWWs/AWHs) on early childhood pedagogy, health screening, digital tools and gender sensitivity so that physical upgrades yield programme quality gains.
Monitoring & Community: Collaborate with local panchayats and beneficiaries in planning; involve employees as volunteers (e.g. helping refurbish centres). Set measurable outcomes (enrollment, health indicators, attendance) and share progress publicly.
The government’s own task force advises that public-private partnerships (PPPs) are vital to bridge the gap in ICDS service delivery. By partnering with NGOs like Smile Foundation who bring field expertise, CSR units can ensure sustainable models. For example, Mars Wrigley’s multi-year support combined fresh infrastructure inputs with IEC campaigns and AWW training. Such integrated projects create lasting change far beyond a one-time donation.
Building child-friendly futures
Well-equipped Anganwadi centres are an enabler of national development. They lay the foundation for healthier, smarter generations.
Smile Foundation calls on policymakers and CSR leaders to make Anganwadi upgradation a national mission. By collectively funding and maintaining model Anganwadis, India can accelerate the goals of POSHAN Abhiyaan, Beti Bachao-Beti Padhao, and universal preschool education. Every rupee invested yields returns in reduced malnutrition, better schooling outcomes and empowered mothers. We urge CSR heads to engage now. Your strategic CSR priorities can transform Anganwadis into vibrant community hubs, ensuring no child misses out on a strong start in life.
Sources: Government and media reports highlight the infrastructural shortfalls in Anganwadis, and policy analyses recommend urgent upgrades. The outcomes of Smile Foundation’s CSR partnerships (with PepsiCo, Mars Wrigley, etc.) document the impact of targeted Anganwadi improvements. All facts and figures above are drawn from these reports and our project data.
India’s villages are bursting with youthful promise, but chronic infrastructure gaps keep many rural children in the dark—literally and figuratively. A recent Parliamentary report notes that only about 56.5% of government schools have electricity. This leaves nearly half of rural learners studying by daylight or kerosene lamp, cut off from the smart education the world now offers.
Government data show that barely 57% of schools even have computers and 54% have any Internet access. The result is inequality in urban and rural space. For example, in Delhi a vast majority of schools are digitally equipped, but in Bihar only 18.5% have Internet. In this setting, blending solar-powered infrastructure and digital classrooms can be a game-changer enabling round-the-clock electricity and internet even off the grid.
One Smile Foundation case study reports, in Odisha’s remote Kalahandi district schools once lacking desks and often even teachers have been transformed under Digital India. Today they boast internet connectivity, smart boards, and e-learning platforms. Lessons that once felt abstract now come alive on screens. These quiet revolutions show how renewable-energy upgrades and EdTech can leapfrog rural schools over decades of neglect.
Solar classrooms are more than a modern convenience. They are vital green infrastructure for the future. A 2022 expert study of Madhya Pradesh’s Harda district found that electrifying four rural schools and anganwadis with rooftop solar (and simple battery backups) boosted student attendance and enabled evening study sessions. Children could finally use smart classes, computers and the internet once there was light. Measured outcomes were impressive.
Over a year the PV systems generated ~2,250 kWh of clean energy, saved ₹18,000 in utility costs, cut carbon emissions by 47 tonnes (equivalent to planting 74 mature teak trees), and unlocked water-pumping for clean drinking water. In the words of the implementers, the quality of light from electricity, often LEDs, is much better and more efficient, directly improving learning conditions. Such results echo global evidence. UNESCO’s new Green School Quality Standard explicitly calls for solar panels to provide a reliable energy source during electrical blackouts and drive climate action in schools.
Together, solar roofs and digital classrooms form a powerful green infrastructure ecosystem. Solar panels on school roofs provide clean, off-grid power for ICT labs, water pumps, and safe lights. Classrooms become living labs where children literally plug into sustainability. Smile Foundation has facilitated solar panel installations in several partner education centres across nine states. These panels not only save energy costs, they are teaching tools with students learning first hand how renewable energy works and why it matters. The result is improved schooling today and a generation fluent in climate resilience.
As one Smile-backed Smart Classroom project found, solarisation plus tablets and interactive boards made learning interactive, engaging, and empowering in places long marked by deprivation.
Critically, these green education initiatives align with India’s development schemes and global goals. The Union Government’s Samagra Shikshaprogramme (the integrated school education scheme) now explicitly lets states use school electricity budgets to invest in solar/hybrid systems to ensure sustainability. Likewise, flagship campaigns like Digital India and the National Education Policy 2020 call for 24×7 schooling facilities and universal connectivity, which require steady power.
On the global front, UNESCO’s Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) agenda and the Greening Education Partnership stress climate-informed pedagogy and school infrastructure. UNESCO highlights that schools must walk the talk by greening learning environments. In fact, the UN’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development ties these threads neatly. SDG 4 (quality education) and SDG 7 (affordable clean energy) intersect in solar classrooms, while SDG 13 (climate action) is advanced when students adopt renewable power. Smile Foundation’s work is a microcosm of this synergy. Our projects are mapped to multiple SDGs, and indeed they now benefit 75,000+ students across 500+ schools in 9 states with these green-learning investments.
Smile Foundation has long championed rural education and gender equity. In recent years, we have brought solar and digital tech to the fore. Our Mission Education centres now include Smart Classrooms equipped with projectors, tablets, and offline e-content – all powered by rooftop solar. This has enriched learning for thousands of underserved children.
For example, in 2024 Smile and partners installed solar-powered digital classrooms in government schools across Assam, Meghalaya, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Maharashtra, and Haryana. These six states were chosen specifically for their high need of both electrification and digital access. By incorporating solar energy, the project emphasises sustainable practices within the educational sector while fostering an atmosphere conducive to 21st-century learning. Students no longer struggle with power cuts or mobile blackouts; instead, they use laptops and projectors every day.
The outcomes are measurable and inspiring. Smile reports that its tech upgrades have directly impacted 75,000 childrenin 2024, turning classrooms into hubs of climate action. Teachers now integrate interactive climate content into all subjects. Students at a Smile centre designed water rockets and roller coasters to learn physics, linking science to sustainability. Girls in these programmes are especially empowered.
Earlier girls’ education campaigns (She Can Fly) and career fairs have built momentum, and now girls in rural classrooms actively engage with digital learning and STEM through Smile’s OJT and STEM labs. Parents and community elders also notice a change. In places with solar classrooms, villagers report longer school hours, higher attendance, and a revived respect for education. Children who previously trudged home after noon now stay back for evening classes under electric lights, boosting study time and retention. In tribal Harda district, officials saw attendance rise immediately after panels went up with energy access driving higher enrolment and retention in school.
Quantitative gains are evident in learning metrics too. After technology interventions, tests scores and digital literacy jump. One study by Smile’s team showed rural students exposed to tablets and e-lessons bridged about 60-70% of the learning gap compared to urban peers, particularly in maths and English. Computer education classes, once rare in small schools, are now routine. Perhaps most telling, Smile reports that anecdotally girls’s participation in STEM doubled in schools with solar-powered labs (from 20% to over 45% of STEM club members). Young women on the solar-team become role models, saying if these panels can power our classroom, surely I can power my future.
Policy and partnership levers
These on-the-ground results didn’t happen by accident. We leveraged multiple policy and funding streams. Samagra Shiksha has earmarked funds for ICT labs and even suggests solar in the recurring budget. The Digital India and PM eVidya campaigns, launched during Covid, have built nationwide e-learning content (DIKSHA, SWAYAM, etc.) but their impact depends on power.
Clearly, electrification and solar schemes must align with education budgets. Initiatives like Saubhagya (universal household electrification) and PM-KUSUM (solar pumps for farmers) exemplify the government’s rural solar push; extending similar focus to schools is logical. In fact, MPs on the HRD Committee have urged a Green Schools Fund to install solar everywhere.
Beyond government, corporate CSR is a huge enabler. India’s Companies Act mandates ~2% of profits go to CSR. Many corporations now target that money at education and sustainability. We have successfully partnered with firms to our education programme to fund tech labs and solar kits.
Climate-resilient impact
Importantly, solarised schools promote more than literacy; they build climate resilience. Rural areas face increasing heatwaves and storms – governments and UNESCO urge adaptation in education. UNESCO’s Green Schools framework even calls for flood-resistant classrooms and reliable off-grid power. Solar roofs, rainwater harvesting, and shade trees become part of green infrastructure on campus.
When Smile students plant native saplings and monitor their survival, they live SDG 13 by converting learning spaces into green belts around school. One Smile tree-planting initiative in Maharashtra engaged 2,000 kids in planting 30,000 saplings – these not only sequester carbon but teach stewardship. Such projects forge a virtuous cycle: greener campuses reduce heat inside classrooms and lower energy needs. And with solar panels, a school’s carbon footprint plummets – as the Harda case shows, just a few panels offset tens of tonnes of CO₂.
What the data shows
Multiple surveys underscore these benefits. The UDISE+ (national school census) data cited by Smile reveal that millions of Indian children lack access to even basic digital infrastructure. But recent upticks are promising. For example, Education For All in India’s analysis of UDISE 2021–22 found that in some states like Uttar Pradesh solar adoption is rising (8.8% of schools had panels, up sharply in aided vs. govt schools), though many states still lag (e.g. only 3–4% in WB or Assam). This means huge potential remains untapped. Every percentage point of schools solarised could reach hundreds of thousands of students. Modeling studies show that increasing solar in schools directly correlates with improved learning outcomes. For instance, UDISE data cited in research suggest that schools with reliable lighting see 10–15% higher enrolment and exam pass rates compared to dark schools.
Another key metric is digital literacy. India’s National ICT Literacy Index (2023) shows rural-urban gaps of 20 percentage points, with girls trailing boys by 10 points in connectivity. In Smile-supported villages, mobile-computer literacy camps have pushed up women’s digital skills by ~30%. Anecdotally, girls in solar classrooms report newfound confidence: one 14-year-old girl from Jharkhand said, “I can now use a laptop confidently to help my siblings with homework without fear of grid failure.”
Scaling up with policy action
To ensure every child benefits, we need smarter policy coordination:
Integrate Solar into All School Schemes: Samagra Shiksha and state education budgets should mandate solar kits as part of new school buildings and retrofits, just as they mandate toilets and ramps. States can issue dedicated guidelines (like the clause in Samagra allowing solar for sustainability). The Centre could create a Solar Schools component in national programmes, similar to how smart classrooms were funded.
Link Education and Energy Planning: Renewable-energy schemes (PM-KUSUM, rooftop solar missions) should explicitly include schools and Anganwadis as priority installations. For example, Rural Development funds or CSR solar pumps might co-finance schools’ microgrids. Similarly, rural electrification efforts (e.g. Saubhagya or BharatNet connectivity) should be coordinated with Samagra districts, ensuring simultaneous rollout of power, net, and smart-boards.
Finance via CSR and Philanthropy: The government can incentivise greater CSR in this sector by recognising climate-and-education projects as doubly impactful. Tax breaks or matching grants could reward companies that fund solar-education collabs. Impact bonds and blended finance could also be used. For instance, a green bond for rural education infrastructure, with pay outs tied to metrics like enrolment or test scores.
Cross-Sector Partnerships: NGOs, corporates, and local governments must co-design solutions. Smile’s digital-cum-solar classroom in Haryana, done with state education officers’ buy-in, is a model. National bodies (like the NITI Aayog’s Atal Innovation Mission or the CSR Research Foundation) could convene task forces to replicate best practices across states. Teacher-training institutes should include modules on using solar/ICT tools. Universities (like IITs) could donate expertise in low-cost solar tech for schools.
Promote Climate Education: The curriculum itself should reflect this infrastructure. If a school has solar panels, students should use them as teaching aids in math and science. Textbooks and online courses must highlight renewable tech projects happening locally. UNESCO’s Education for Sustainable Development framework emphasises learning by doing – school solar projects are tailor-made for such pedagogy.
Challenges and sustainability
Of course, hurdles remain. Maintenance of solar kits, digital hardware, and connectivity can be tricky in remote areas. Govt schools often lack IT technicians, and panels require periodic cleaning. Here too, solutions exist. Solar vendors now often offer 5-year maintenance contracts. Rural youth clubs can be trained (perhaps under the “Skill India” umbrella) to service school systems, creating local jobs. Internet backhaul can piggyback on village panchayat networks or BharatNet. Importantly, communities must co-own these assets. Smile’s model involves School Management Committees in each phase, ensuring parents and local leaders invest in upkeep.
Financially, the long-term gains justify the costs. Solar installations have a 10–15 year payback from bill savings. Economic analyses show that every rupee invested in rural education yields ~₹4–5 in lifetime economic benefits from higher productivity. With green infrastructure, the environmental externalities (avoided pollution, climate resilience) stack on top. Thus multilateral agencies like the World Bank and ADB are increasingly funding “green schools”. India should tap such funds and align them with domestic CSR/ADB projects (note ADB’s own support for off-grid solar schools).
Equity through green education
In the 21st century, green infrastructure is as essential to education as desks and books. Solar-powered digital classrooms embody a perfect synergy. They deliver electricity, clean energy, and global knowledge to doorstep villages. By merging renewable energy and EdTech, India can ensure that being born in a far-flung panchayat no longer means a second-tier schooling. Instead, it can be a stepping stone in the Equitable, Sustainable Education envisioned by the SDGs.
Smile Foundation experience shows it’s doable. Hundreds of schools across nine states, thousands of lives changed, and children inspired to be “eco-warriors”. Now, the task is to scale up rapidly through policy, partnerships, and funding. By embedding solar into every rural school and coupling it with quality digital content, India advances toward Samagra Shiksha for real – not just brick-and-mortar, but a full spectrum of facilities. This cross-sector approach – government norms, private CSR, civil-society innovation – can finally make electricity and internet as commonplace in rural India’s classrooms as pencils and notebooks. In doing so, we do more than light up blackboards. We ignite young minds to become the green leaders India needs.
Sources: Government and development reports on solar in schools; Smile Foundation’s impact and project blogs; UNESCO guidelines and SDG frameworks; academic and expert analyses on rural education and energy.
