Binance Charity, the philanthropic arm of cryptocurrency exchange Binance, said Thursday it has donated Rs 3.3 crore to <a href="https://goonj.org/donate/campaign/rahat" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Goonj</a>&#8216;s Rahat Initiative to provide urgent Assam floods relief, as the northeastern Indian state grapples with its worst flooding in more than six decades.



The death toll from the floods has climbed to 105, with more than 1.2 million people across 25 districts and 2,734 villages affected at various stages this year, according to the latest official reports. Earlier in August, 349 villages in Golaghat, Sivasagar, Charaideo, Bajali, Dhemaji, Sonitpur and Jorhat districts were reported affected.



The urgent Assam floods relief funding will go toward essential supplies including household items, hygiene kits and tarpaulins, distributed according to the needs of affected communities.



In a statement, Binance Charity said the contribution is expected to reach 27,500 families across the flood-hit districts, supporting both immediate relief and longer-term recovery efforts.



&#8220;Our thoughts are with everyone affected by the devastating floods,&#8221; said SB Seker, Head of APAC at Binance. &#8220;In times like these, it is crucial that communities and organizations come together to support those most in need.



By working with Goonj&#8217;s &#8216;Rahat Initiative,&#8217; we hope our contribution will provide urgent relief on the ground and help families begin the long journey of rebuilding and recovering.&#8221;



Anshu Gupta, founder of Goonj, said the scale of loss across Assam this monsoon season has been staggering, with nonstop rains forcing residents into makeshift shelters and destroying months of stored grain and livelihoods overnight.



He said the support would help the organization move faster in delivering relief material to hard-to-reach districts while sustaining a longer-term presence during the recovery phase.



Goonj has also opened a public fundraiser for individuals wishing to contribute directly to the Rahat Initiative&#8217;s flood response in Assam.

Binance Charity donates Rs 3.3 crore for urgent Assam floods relief

Singapore-headquartered waste management and circular economy company Blue Planet Environmental Solutions has released its first Annual Sustainability Report 2026, marking a significant milestone in the company&#8217;s ESG journey and setting a baseline for performance across FY24 and FY26.



The integrated waste management firm said it processed 8.92 million tonnes of waste across the two reporting years, contributing to an estimated 1.24 million tCO₂e in avoided emissions through initiatives spanning landfill biomining, e-waste recycling and biofuel operations.



Resource recovery scales up



According to the report, legacy waste processed jumped to 5.10 million tonnes in FY26, up from 3.49 million tonnes in FY25. E-waste processed also saw a sharp rise, nearly doubling from 11,552 tonnes to 20,060 tonnes over the same period.



In FY26 alone, the company processed 44,833 tonnes of paper, 24,537 tonnes of plastics, and 6,364 tonnes of iron and steel, along with other material streams, the report noted.



Commenting on the development, Prashant Singh, Co-Founder &amp; CEO, Blue Planet Environmental Solutions, said, &#8220;Our first Sustainability Report marks an important step in how we measure our impact. As Blue Planet scales, we believe growth must be matched by transparency, accountability and measurable outcomes. This report establishes our baseline and strengthens our commitment to creating long-term environmental, social and economic value.&#8221;



Robust ESG governance framework



The report has been prepared with reference to the GRI Standards 2021 and is supported by a digital ESG data management platform aimed at improving consistency, traceability and review of ESG information, the company said.



Blue Planet also disclosed that it implemented 103 Environmental and Social Action Plan (ESAP) items, achieving 100% ESAP compliance — verified through independent third-party audits across multiple operations.



Additionally, select ESG indicators underwent independent limited assurance in line with ISAE 3000 (Revised), covering key areas such as energy, water, waste, Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions, workforce, workplace safety and diversity.



Workforce and road ahead



The company reported a workforce of more than 4,000 employees and workers during the reporting period. Notably, employee participation in training programmes surged from 7,706 in FY25 to 14,318 in FY26.



Looking ahead, Blue Planet said it will prioritise strengthening ESG data governance, climate and resource efficiency, supply-chain ESG oversight, occupational health and safety, and consistent ESG practices across its business verticals.

Blue Planet Environmental Solutions unveils landmark first Sustainability Report, sets FY24-FY26 ESG baseline

S Eldee



The real test of India’s social sector is not how many pilot projects we can launch, but how many of them survive long enough to become policy. For years, the story has been familiar: a promising NGO runs a small, donor‑funded experiment in a few districts; evaluations look good; then the money runs out, the team shrinks, and the model remains a footnote in a PowerPoint.



The recent trajectory of Lucknow‑based DEVI Sansthan — from a modest Zero Coupon Zero Principal (ZCZP) issue on the <a href="https://www.bseindia.com/SSE/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">BSE Social Stock Exchange </a>to a three‑year Memorandum of Understanding with the Ladakh administration — hints at a different path: one where social finance, if designed well, can help turn pilots into public programmes.



<a href="https://www.csrvoice.com/post/social-stocks/devi-sansthan-social-stock-exchange-listing-foundational-learning/1608" target="_blank" rel="noopener">DEVI’s journey</a> began, in market terms, as a niche experiment. In June–July 2026, the organisation listed on the BSE Social Stock Exchange, raising about Rs 1.10 crore through ZCZP instruments priced at Rs 1 each, with a minimum ticket of just Rs 1,000. The pitch was simple: investors would not get interest or principal back; instead, their money would fund foundational literacy and numeracy (FLN) programmes for tens of thousands of children in government schools, with impact tracked and reported under SEBI’s social exchange framework.



For a sector used to CSR cheques and foundation grants, this was novel: a regulated, transparent, retail‑accessible channel for “human returns” rather than financial ones.



What makes the Ladakh MoU, signed on 11 August 2026, significant is not just that a union territory chose an NGO partner, but that it chose one that had already tested its model in the market. Under the three‑year agreement, DEVI Sansthan will work with Ladakh’s School Education Department to strengthen FLN across the region, aligning with the national NIPUN Bharat mission’s goal that every child attain grade‑level reading and arithmetic by Class 3. In effect, capital raised through the Social Stock Exchange is being leveraged into a multi‑year, government‑backed scale‑up — exactly the transition that India’s education and social sectors desperately need.



This sequence — SSE issue first, government MoU later — matters for three reasons.



First, it shows that social stock exchanges can do more than raise money; they can de‑risk scale. When a government signs a multi‑year contract with an organisation that has already disclosed its finances, governance and impact metrics on a regulated platform, it reduces the information asymmetry that often stalls public procurement of social services. The SSE listing acts as a form of due diligence that is visible to citizens, donors and officials alike.



Second, it begins to solve the pilot paradox. India does not lack successful education pilots; it lacks mechanisms to move them from “project mode” to “system mode”. By allowing NPOs to raise patient, no‑repayment capital for specific outcomes, and then letting governments layer on longer‑term contracts, the SSE framework can help convert proof‑of‑concept into proof‑of‑scale. DEVI’s Ladakh deal is still early, but it is a template: market‑tested model, transparent reporting, then public adoption.



Third, it offers a new narrative for CSR and philanthropy. Instead of one‑off grants that vanish after a news cycle, corporate and individual investors can back organisations that are building towards government partnerships. The “exit” is not an IPO or acquisition, but a policy uptake — the moment when the state says: this works, we will fund it at scale. That is a far more durable form of impact than any annual report claim.



Of course, caution is necessary. A single MoU does not prove a trend; Ladakh’s unique administrative structure may not replicate easily in larger, more complex states. There are also risks: over‑financialisation of the social sector, excessive focus on easily measurable metrics at the cost of deeper learning, and the possibility that only a few well‑advised NGOs can navigate SEBI’s framework while smaller, grassroots groups are left behind. The Social Stock Exchange must remain a tool for mission, not a badge for marketing.



Yet, the direction is clear. If India is serious about fixing foundational learning, health, nutrition and livelihoods, it cannot rely on perpetual pilots funded by restless donors. It needs mechanisms that allow successful models to graduate into public systems with clarity on cost, quality and accountability. DEVI Sansthan’s path — from a Rs 1.10 crore ZCZP issue to a three‑year government partnership in Ladakh — is a small but telling sign that this graduation is possible.



The question now is whether other states, departments and donors are watching closely enough to replicate it.

From pilots to policy: what DEVI Sansthan’s Ladakh MoU tells us about social finance

<a href="https://www.pw.live" target="_blank" rel="noopener">PhysicsWallah (PW)</a> has launched the fourth edition of <a href="https://www.pwnsat.pw.live" target="_blank" rel="noopener">PWNSAT </a>2026, its national scholarship cum admission test, to help students prepare for JEE and NEET.



Registrations are free and open to students from Class V to XII, as well as Class XII pass-outs, in both PCM and PCB streams. Eligible candidates can secure scholarships covering up to 100% of tuition fees and cash prizes totaling up to INR 2.5 crore. The top 500 eligible students will also receive free education and hostel support.



PWNSAT 2026 will be held in online and offline modes. Online exams run from October 1 to 15, 2026. Offline tests take place on October 3, 4, 10 and 11, 2026 at PW Vidyapeeth, Pathshala and Tuition centres across India. Results will be announced later.



Alakh Pandey, Educator, Founder and CEO of PhysicsWallah, said: “Access to quality education should not be determined by a student’s financial circumstances. Through PWNSAT, we aim to support learners by reducing some of these barriers while providing academic guidance that can help them continue their preparation with confidence. We hope the initiative encourages more students across the country to pursue their aspirations without financial constraints becoming a limiting factor.”



Select high performers in PWNSAT 2026 will gain additional mentorship through the Exclusive Rankers’ Group to support their JEE and NEET preparation.



PhysicsWallah Limited, founded in 2020 by Alakh Pandey and Prateek Maheshwari and headquartered in Noida, offers online, offline and hybrid education programmes. The company listed on the NSE and BSE on November 18, 2025.

PWNSAT 2026: secure up to 100% scholarships for JEE, NEET

<a href="https://www.soschildrensvillages.in" target="_blank" rel="noopener">SOS Children&#8217;s Villages </a>India has launched its second Mobile Digital Learning Centre in the capital, in partnership with Informa Exhibitions India Pvt Ltd, part of <a href="https://www.informamarkets.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Informa Markets</a> in India, as part of efforts to expand digital literacy in underserved neighbourhoods.



Children from a vulnerable community in North-West Delhi boarded the bus, fitted with desktops and a projector screen, at the inauguration of the new Mobile Digital Learning Centre.



The initiative currently operates in three cities — Delhi, Pune and Raipur — reaching more than 800 beneficiaries, including 152 children. With the new centre, Delhi alone is targeting over 800 additional beneficiaries in the coming year.



The Mobile Digital Learning Centre programme provides free digital skills training, job-readiness support and confidence-building for youth and women from marginalised communities.



&#8220;Digital inclusion is a necessity for education, employability, and social mobility,&#8221; said Sumanta Kar, CEO of <a href="https://www.csrvoice.com/post/education/sos-childrens-villages-india-art-workshop-kiran-nadar-museum/1632" target="_blank" rel="noopener">SOS Children&#8217;s Villages India.</a>



&#8220;Through our Mobile Digital Learning Centres, we are taking technology directly to their neighbourhoods, ensuring that learning is not limited by geography or economic circumstances.&#8221;



Yogesh Mudras, Managing Director of Informa Markets in India, said the company&#8217;s continued partnership with SOS Children&#8217;s Villages India was helping expand access to digital learning and future-ready skills for children from vulnerable communities.



North-West Delhi was selected for the second Mobile Digital Learning Centre as the area is home to a large share of the capital&#8217;s estimated 60,000 street children, spread across roughly three lakh slum households in 675 clusters.



Officials said 45% of government school students in the area lack access to smartphones or stable internet, while 77% of youth in the area had no prior exposure to digital literacy.



The centre offers training across five areas: digital literacy, cyber safety, financial literacy, life skills and certified assessments. In its first year, the programme helped five beneficiaries secure job placements, enabled eight children to re-enrol in school, and facilitated 28 scholarship links and 32 links to higher studies.



The Mobile Digital Learning Centre initiative is part of a broader network run by SOS Children&#8217;s Villages India across seven states and eight cities, encompassing mobile units, standalone vocational training centres for ages 18-27, and after-school centres for ages 14-17. More than 2,610 young people participate in the programme annually.

SOS Children&#8217;s villages launches mobile digital learning bus

<a href="https://www.bosch.in" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Bosch</a> India&#8217;s Spark of Joy event successfully raised funds for 17 projects across six cities, impacting over 5,000 underprivileged beneficiaries, the company said Thursday, marking another milestone for its employee-led social engagement initiative.



The event, organized through Primavera India, the company&#8217;s employee-led social engagement initiative, was themed &#8220;Bandhan – Celebrating Togetherness&#8221; and featured 14 performances spanning music, classical and contemporary dance, folk traditions, shadow art, neon effects and puppetry.



Bosch employees, including AI experts, hardware designers and assembly line staff, rehearsed after work hours for months to stage the performances, the company said, describing the initiative as proof that shared experiences unite people across roles.



&#8220;At Bosch, our &#8216;Invented for life&#8217; ethos extends beyond business to creating a positive social impact in the communities where we live and work,&#8221; said Guruprasad Mudlapur, President of the Bosch Group in India and Managing Director, Bosch Ltd.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="576" src="https://dashboard.csrvoice.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/SOJ3-1024x576.png" alt="" class="wp-image-1764" srcset="https://dashboard.csrvoice.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/SOJ3-1024x576.png 1024w, https://dashboard.csrvoice.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/SOJ3-300x169.png 300w, https://dashboard.csrvoice.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/SOJ3-768x432.png 768w, https://dashboard.csrvoice.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/SOJ3-1536x864.png 1536w, https://dashboard.csrvoice.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/SOJ3.png 1920w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>



&#8220;Initiatives like Spark of Joy show how employee-led initiatives can drive meaningful change, bringing people together for a shared purpose and support causes like education, healthcare, and skilling.&#8221;



Funds raised through this year&#8217;s Spark of Joy campaign will support 17 projects across six Indian cities, focused on improving access to education, healthcare, nutrition, rehabilitation and vocational training for underprivileged children, the company said.



Primavera India has operated as Bosch India&#8217;s employee-driven social engagement platform for more than 25 years, partnering with local non-profit organizations to support disadvantaged communities.

Bosch India&#8217;s Spark of Joy successfully raises funds for 17 projects

<a href="https://www.vedantalimited.com/vedantaFY25/transforming-the-planet.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Vedanta Power</a> is scaling up biomass co-firing at its Talwandi Sabo Thermal Plant in Punjab, using agricultural waste as fuel, with the plant co-firing around 3.61 lakh metric tonnes (LT) of biomass in FY2025-26, equivalent to roughly 5.21% of its total fuel consumption, the company said.



By diverting paddy straw from open-field burning, the biomass co-firing initiative helps reduce pollution and harmful emissions associated with stubble burning, the company said in a statement.



The programme aims to create a productive use for paddy straw and build an organised supply chain for agricultural residue, offering farmers a way to derive value from crop residue previously treated largely as waste. It also provides an alternative to open-field burning during the harvest season.



The Talwandi Sabo plant, located in Mansa district, has been using biomass co-firing to convert paddy straw into energy. The process involves collection, baling, transportation and processing of agricultural residue before it is supplied to the power plant, linking farmers, biomass aggregators, logistics operators and the energy sector.



The move carries significance for Punjab, where seasonal management of paddy straw remains a key challenge. In Mansa district, reported stubble-burning incidents during the 2025 harvesting season fell by approximately 87% compared with 2023. More than 100 villages reported zero farm-fire incidents, while over 28,000 acres of farmland were protected from burning.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="683" src="https://dashboard.csrvoice.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Image-2-1-1024x683.jpeg" alt="" class="wp-image-1760" srcset="https://dashboard.csrvoice.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Image-2-1-1024x683.jpeg 1024w, https://dashboard.csrvoice.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Image-2-1-300x200.jpeg 300w, https://dashboard.csrvoice.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Image-2-1-768x512.jpeg 768w, https://dashboard.csrvoice.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Image-2-1.jpeg 1536w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>



While the decline in farm fires reflects several factors, the availability of an organised biomass utilisation route offers farmers and other stakeholders an additional alternative to open-field disposal of crop residue.



&#8220;Biomass co-firing demonstrates how industrial demand can help create a market for agricultural residue and build a more organised value chain around it. By converting paddy straw into a productive source of energy, we are looking at the stubble challenge not only from an environmental perspective but also through the lens of economic value creation for rural communities,&#8221; said Rajinder Singh Ahuja, Chief Executive Officer, Vedanta Power.



The biomass programme has also spurred development of a rural supply chain around agricultural residue. Collection and aggregation create opportunities for local operators, while transportation and processing generate additional activity around the biomass ecosystem. For farmers, the initiative offers a potential avenue to derive value from paddy straw traditionally treated as waste.



&#8220;I am giving all my paddy straw to the biomass manufacturing plants so that this agricultural waste can be put to the best possible use. Instead of burning the straw in the fields, it is converted into environmentally friendly biomass pellets and used as fuel in thermal power plants. This helps prevent stubble burning, reduce air pollution, and improve the air quality of our region,&#8221; said Avtar Singh, a farmer from Raipur village in Mansa.



The model also supports the broader principle of a circular economy by recovering agricultural residue and converting it into useful fuel. For the power sector, biomass co-firing offers a way to integrate a renewable fuel source into existing thermal generation infrastructure while contributing to agricultural-residue management.



Vedanta Power is among the private power producers seeking to strengthen the role of alternative fuels and more efficient resource utilisation as India&#8217;s energy requirements continue to grow. The experience at Talwandi Sabo also underscores the potential for industry-led demand to complement government and community efforts to reduce crop-residue burning.



With greater participation from farmers, aggregators, local communities and other stakeholders, biomass-based utilisation of agricultural residue could emerge as a scalable model for regions facing similar stubble-management challenges.

Vedanta Power scales up biomass co-firing in Punjab

<a href="https://www.hclfoundation.org" target="_blank" rel="noopener">HCLFoundation</a>, which drives the corporate social responsibility agenda of <a href="https://www.hcltech.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">HCLTech</a> in India, said on Tuesday it marked the 50th anniversary of HCL Group with a landmark <a href="https://www.csrvoice.com/post/news/hclfoundation-plants-over-47-000-saplings-across-india-to-support-a-sustainable-planet/480" target="_blank" rel="noopener">environmental drive</a>, planting 50,000 native saplings and organizing clean-up campaigns at 50 beaches nationwide.



The initiatives, spread across 10 states, brought together HCLTech employees and their families, nonprofit partners, women&#8217;s collectives, youth groups and community members, HCLFoundation said in a statement.



The drives form part of HCLFoundation&#8217;s broader sustainability push to strengthen ecosystems, conserve natural resources and encourage community participation in environmental stewardship, the organization said.



HCLFoundation said it has greened 74,000 acres of land to date, bringing the area under community management, while more than 155 billion liters of water have been harvested, supporting biodiversity and bolstering water security in some of India&#8217;s most water-stressed communities.



As part of its coastal conservation work, the Foundation said it has planted more than 181,000 saplings of terrestrial, mangrove and shelter belt species and collected over 120,800 kg of ghost nets and marine debris to date.



&#8220;As we celebrate 50 remarkable years of HCL Group, we are reminded every day that growth and progress are not separable from a deep commitment to a sustainable planet and resilient communities,&#8221; said Dr. Nidhi Pundhir, Director, HCLFoundation. 



&#8220;We believe that meaningful change is achieved when communities come together with a shared purpose, and we are grateful to our employees, families, partners and volunteers for joining us in contributing to a greener, cleaner and more sustainable future.&#8221;



HCLFoundation delivers HCLTech&#8217;s corporate social responsibility agenda in India, investing in long-term programs focused on education, grassroots sports, health and sanitation, skill development and livelihood, environment, and disaster risk reduction. The Foundation said it has positively impacted more than 8.5 million lives to date.



HCLTech is a global technology company with more than 223,000 employees across 60 countries, offering services in AI, digital, engineering, cloud and software. The company reported consolidated revenues of $14.8 billion for the 12 months ended June 2026.

HCLFoundation marks landmark dreen drive for 50 years

The government has not carried out any assessment on the extent to which the newly introduced &#8220;Subscription to <a href="https://www.csrvoice.com/post/social-stocks/opinion-zczp-instrument-csr-social-stock-exchange-india-mca-amendment-2026/1568" target="_blank" rel="noopener">zero coupon zero principal (ZCZP) </a>instruments on Social Stock Exchange&#8221; is likely to boost the inflow of institutional capital into the social sector, Parliament was informed on Monday.



In a written reply to the Lok Sabha, Minister of State for Corporate Affairs Harsh Malhotra said, &#8220;No such assessment has been conducted by the ministry.&#8221;



The <a href="https://www.mca.gov.in" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ministry of Corporate Affairs</a>, through a notification dated May 27, 2026, widened the ambit of Schedule VII of the Companies Act, 2013, by introducing a new item — &#8220;Subscription to zero coupon zero principal instruments on Social Stock Exchange&#8221; — as an eligible Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activity.



As per the amendment, a CSR-mandated company cannot subscribe to ZCZP instruments for more than 10 per cent of its total CSR expenditure for that financial year.



Malhotra said the move is intended to ease compliance for companies while helping not-for-profit organisations raise funds for public welfare projects &#8220;in a transparent and regulated manner.&#8221;



The <a href="https://www.csrvoice.com/post/undefined/zczp-tax-benefit-finance-ministry-social-stock-exchange/1571" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ZCZP</a> instrument, listed on the Social Stock Exchange, allows companies to channel CSR funds to eligible non-profits without expecting financial returns, aiming to formalise and bring greater transparency to social sector financing.

No assessment done on ZCZP instruments boosting CSR funds: Govt

<a href="https://www.pwc.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">PwC</a> India Foundation (PwCIF) said on Monday it continues to empower Sahariya women in Rajasthan&#8217;s Baran district, expanding sustainable livelihood programmes for the Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group a year after floods devastated local crops.



The foundation, marking the International Day of World Indigenous Peoples, said the initiative has helped more than 90 smallholder families adopt natural farming and poultry rearing in Moga, while supporting over 325 flood-affected households in Tarn Taran to rebuild their livelihoods.



PwCIF Vice Chairman Jaivir Singh visited Baran to meet beneficiaries of the project, run in partnership with the Manjari Foundation, and toured vegetable cultivation, vermicomposting and goat-rearing initiatives across three villages.



&#8220;Our engagement with the Sahariya community reflects this commitment and our belief that inclusive development must leave no one behind,&#8221; Singh said, adding that the programme empowers Sahariya women to move from agricultural labour to independent income generation.



Manjari Foundation Executive Director Sanjay Sharma said the partnership has enabled the Sahariya community to build resilience and achieve greater income security, particularly among women-led households.



PwCIF said it also provides targeted support to single and widowed Sahariya women through goat rearing and sustainable farming, part of a broader push to empower vulnerable rural populations and strengthen long-term economic self-reliance.



PwC India operates in 136 countries with over 364,000 employees across audit, tax, legal, deals and consulting services, according to the company.