Ambuja Cements, the cement and building material subsidiary of the Adani Group, commissioned a comprehensive Social Return on Investment (SROI) Study to assess the impact of its transformative investments in Farakka, West Bengal. The study was done by the renowned CII Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Development (CESD), New Delhi, and revealed that Ambuja’s CSR arm earned an exceptional social return valued at INR 9.91 for every INR 1 invested.
The SROI study, which used the Social Value UK methodology and the seven SROI principles, examined the impact of actions implemented during a three-year period from 2019 to 2022. The agro-based livelihood programme was highlighted as the most important contribution to the excellent SROI.
This programme included actions that raised agricultural income, improved crop productivity, and created irrigation channels. Notably, its performance represented the added value of water resource management measures, which resulted in greater groundwater availability and improved irrigation facilities.
Ambuja Cements
Ambuja Cements has considerably improved the health of the people in Farakka via the work of Village Health Functionaries (Sakhis). Sakhis were critical in improving Maternal Child Health indices, such as lowering Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) and Maternal Mortality Rate (MMR) and raising institutional delivery rates. Truckers’ access to healthcare services has also improved as a result of programmes such as tuberculosis testing, HIV/AIDS awareness, and increased knowledge of Noncommunicable Diseases (NCDs).
Ambuja’s activities in allied agriculture, particularly chicken and goat husbandry, have had a transforming impact on the empowerment of women in the region. These interventions provided women with multiple earning alternatives, resulting in fundamental improvements in credit and savings access.
Furthermore, the company’s skill development activities have enabled young people in Farakka to earn money and start their own businesses. These locally derived revenue sources proved critical for the survival of many households during the difficult days of the COVID-19 pandemic.
