Digital transformation solutions company UST has won the Mahatma Award for CSR Excellence a third consecutive year for ensuring community and societal impact through Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives.

Instituted by the Aditya Birla Group, the award is presented to winners on Mahatma Gandhi’s birth anniversary.

The awarding ceremony held in New Delhi also saw Smita Sharma, Global Programme Manager-CSR at UST, being honoured with the ‘Mahatma Award 2024 for Young Change Makers’ in New Delhi, a spokesperson for the company said here.

The ‘Mahatma Award’ honours individuals and organisations that leverage resources, expertise, and talent to make ‘a positive impact for greater good.’ It recognised ‘widespread and significant impact’ of UST’s initiatives across the areas of education, health, livelihood, environment, and disaster relief.

Transforming Lives mission

UST has promoted the mission of Transforming Lives since inception in 1999 by creating ‘significant impact on lives,’ the spokesperson said. It has implemented 127 projects in nine states across India, benefiting one lakh people in the last 25 years.

Initiatives in the education sector has impacted nearly 64,000 lives, through support of over 245 schools under its Adopt-a-School programme that promotes access to quality education for all.

By focusing on building infrastructure and medical equipment through its welfare foundation, UST aims to expand public healthcare facilities and offer critical care support to both chronic and terminally ill patients.

The company also helps people with disabilities by providing customised wheelchairs, assistive devices, and livelihood opportunities. 

Environment sector

UST has also initiated and delivered several projects in the environment sector, including tree and medicinal sapling plantation drives, and forest and lake restoration projects. These efforts employ advanced science-based techniques that enhance the well-being of both native ecosystem and local communities, the spokesperson said.

The company undertook various relief efforts during natural disasters, including floods in Telangana, Noida, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and the most recent Wayanad landslides in Kerala.

Its focus areas align with the UN Sustainable Development Goals 2030 at both the national and global framework levels.

Volunteering efforts

Sunil Balakrishnan, Chief Values Officer, UST, said, the consecutive award wins are a testament to the unwavering commitment UST has maintained to creating a substantial societal impact through its CSR initiatives. “Deep commitment to Transforming Lives drives our work, and this recognition reaffirms our dedication to uplifting communities we serve.”

Amit Sachdeva, Chairman, Mahatma Foundation, said UST leverages volunteering efforts alongside its CSR budget to create an impact in the community. Its passion for CSR is visible in the need-based initiatives implemented so far.

 Change maker employees

UST’s CSR work has won prominent accolades earlier, including the NIPM Kerala CSR Award 2022–23 by the National Institute of Personnel Management—Kerala Chapter in 2024; the 2024 CSR Award for Education by Kerala Management Association; Indian Social Impact Awards—Best Women’s Livelihood Initiative and Best Environment-Friendly Initiative for 2024; and Business Culture Awards for CSR in 2023.

Employees Smita Sharma and Prasanth Subramanian have also been recognised by other platforms as change makers for their individual contributions in 2023 and 2024.

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