SBI General Insurance (SBIGI) goes beyond traditional insurance by using its platform to make a significant, long-term social impact. Its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives focus on uplifting marginalised communities and addressing critical issues such as healthcare access, road safety, and skill development. For SBIGI, CSR is not just an obligation; it reflects their core values. The Company collaborates with grassroots NGOs and local communities to create lasting initiatives, ensuring that benefits endure over time. By promoting collaboration and leveraging technology and innovation, SBI General Insurance redefines CSR to nurture a future where everyone can thrive. In an interview with Rathin Lahiri, Head of Marketing and CSR at SBIGI, CSR Mandate gains insights into the Company’s commitment to creating meaningful change and building resilient communities.
How does SBI General Insurance ensure its CSR initiatives align with its values of community support, sustainability, and ethical business practices? Can you share examples of initiatives that reflect these values?
We are deeply committed to ensuring our CSR efforts genuinely reflect our values.
Firstly, we prioritise community involvement by working with grassroots NGOs to co-create projects with local input. This ensures that every initiative is relevant, impactful, and shaped by the people it serves.
Sustainability is at our core. By involving local communities, we ensure our projects thrive independently after our involvement ends. We focus on creating sustainable, long-term solutions, not just temporary boosts.
Ethics guide every step of our journey. We are committed to ensuring our projects deliver meaningful benefits to the communities they are designed to serve.
We are passionate about helping low-income families access healthcare and insurance. We believe that healthcare is a fundamental right, not a privilege. Acknowledging the challenges these families face, we have implemented a multi-faceted approach to bridge gaps and promote health and wellness. Our nationwide free health camps provide vital services like check-ups, awareness sessions, and education about the importance of preventive healthcare and regular check-ups.
What is SBI General Insurance doing to help improve education in communities that need it the most, and how do these efforts help create lasting positive changes?
We are deeply committed to creating opportunities for education in underserved communities. One standout initiative focuses on providing safe and hygienic restrooms for girls in rural and underdeveloped areas. We partnered with the Learning Space Foundation to construct 31 safe and hygienic restrooms in schools across rural districts of Maharashtra. These restrooms have transformed the school experience for over 15,000 girls, improving hygiene and increasing school attendance.
In Ahmednagar, Maharashtra, we funded a hostel at Satyaniketan School to tackle the challenge of long commutes and dropouts of tribal girls. Two hundred girls can now access safe lodging, daily meals, and a supportive learning environment. This not only keeps them in school but also eases the burden on their families.
By addressing barriers like infrastructure and accessibility, we aim to empower communities and open doors to brighter, sustainable futures through education.
The Zero-Fatality Corridors initiative is the cornerstone of our Surakshit Sadkein, Surakshit Bharat (Safe Roads, Safe India) programme, in partnership with SaveLIFE Foundation. It addresses the urgent road safety crisis in India, where over 1,50,000 lives are lost annually to road crashes.
How is SBI General Insurance helping low-income families access healthcare and insurance, and what is being done to promote health and wellness?
We are passionate about helping low-income families access healthcare and insurance. We believe that healthcare is a fundamental right, not a privilege. Acknowledging the challenges these families face, we have implemented a multi-faceted approach to bridge gaps and promote health and wellness.
Our nationwide free health camps provide vital services like check-ups, awareness sessions, and education about the importance of preventive healthcare and regular check-ups.
In rural Meghalaya, many individuals, especially women, hesitate to seek medical attention due to limited local facilities and the challenges of travelling for treatment. We tackled this issue of inaccessible eye care by donating a Patient Transport Bus. This initiative ensures that patients from remote areas can comfortably travel to the eye hospital in Shillong and return home safely. We have also organised 28 community eye check-up camps, benefitting over 2,000 individuals. With about 20 per cent of Indians suffering from poor eyesight, our initiative highlights that healthcare should be considered the basic right of every individual.
To address women’s health specifically, we partnered with MOC Cancer Care Foundation in rural Maharashtra, donating a mammography van for breast cancer screenings. This mobile unit brings life-saving diagnostic services directly to women in underserved communities.
Through these initiatives, we address immediate healthcare needs and empower communities with resources and knowledge to take charge of their health. It is about creating sustainable, long-term impact for families who need it the most.
Could you tell us about the Zero-Fatality Corridors and how the programme is being expanded to other areas? What have you learned that could help make it work in different regions?
The Zero-Fatality Corridors initiative is the cornerstone of our Surakshit Sadkein, Surakshit Bharat (Safe Roads, Safe India) programme, in partnership with SaveLIFE Foundation. It addresses the urgent road safety crisis in India, where over 1,50,000 lives are lost annually to road crashes.
We have implemented safety measures on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway (MPEW) like crash-prone zone treatments, speed trap cameras, and Vehicle-Actuated Speed Sign systems, reducing fatalities by 38 per cent, thereby successfully converting high-risk areas into Zero-Fatality Corridors. Similarly, 119 warning signages are installed on the Pune-Satara-Kagal (PSK) Corridor, and we have launched public awareness campaigns to promote safe driving practices.
To improve emergency response, we provided a Basic Life Support ambulance to Doers NGO, the Himachal Pradesh Police, and the Civil Hospital, Sundarnagar, so that accident victims receive critical care within the ‘Golden Hour’. This initiative aims to reduce fatalities and enhance outcomes for those involved in traffic accidents in the region.
Key learnings for expansion include:
- Data-driven approach: Identify high-risk zones through analytics.
- Multi-faceted strategies: Combine infrastructure upgrades, technology, and awareness campaigns.
- Collaboration: Partnering with local authorities and NGOs for sustainable implementation.
- Continuous monitoring and adaptation: Adapt interventions based on real-time data.
These initiatives profoundly impact both employees and communities. For employees, participation nurtures a sense of purpose and personal fulfilment, fostering team collaboration and interpersonal growth. It also enhances job satisfaction and loyalty, as employees feel aligned with the Company’s broader mission. The benefits for communities are tangible and lasting. Access to diverse skills and resources leads to innovative solutions and stronger partnerships. These efforts build sustainable relationships between the corporate and social sectors, creating lasting, positive impacts for both.
What is SBI General Insurance doing to help communities recover from disasters and prepare for the future?
Disaster response and resilience are integral to our CSR initiatives.
Dedicated NATCAT Funds: We allocate Natural Catastrophe (NATCAT) funds annually to ensure swift, structured disaster relief.
Flexible Response: We distribute funds based on the scale of the disaster, ensuring a tailored and effective response to different situations.
We provide immediate aid during disasters. We work closely with local communities to address their unique needs.
Beyond relief, we focus on building resilience through:
- Community Engagement: Collaborating with locals to understand vulnerabilities and create tailored solutions.
- Awareness and Education: Incorporating community outreach programmes on disaster preparedness.
- Infrastructure Support: Supporting rebuilding and infrastructure improvements to withstand future calamities.
Our approach blends immediate relief with long-term empowerment; helping communities recover, emerge stronger and be more prepared for future challenges.
How do you encourage your employees to get involved in CSR activities, and what difference does this make to the employees and the communities they help?
Engaging employees is fundamental to the effectiveness of our Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives. Our strategy promotes a culture of volunteerism while empowering employees to engage actively in social change.
We achieve this through various channels:
- Local Projects: Our Regional Heads identify projects addressing specific community needs, ensuring targeted and impactful CSR efforts.
- Collaborations with NGOs: We partner with organisations like Goonj during Daan Utsav (Joy of Giving Week) by organising clothing collection drives to support underserved communities.
- Employee Participation Events: Initiatives like the Mumbai Marathon allow employees to contribute to social causes while promoting their well-being.
- Volunteer Opportunities: We work with foundations such as Cuddles Foundation where our employees contribute directly to causes like paediatric cancer care.
These initiatives profoundly impact both employees and communities. For employees, participation nurtures a sense of purpose and personal fulfilment, fostering team collaboration and interpersonal growth. It also enhances job satisfaction and loyalty, as employees feel aligned with the Company’s broader mission.
The benefits for communities are tangible and lasting. Access to diverse skills and resources leads to innovative solutions and stronger partnerships. These efforts build sustainable relationships between the corporate and social sectors, creating lasting, positive impacts for both.
Through these efforts, we strive to significantly impact the lives of others while nurturing a sense of purpose among our employees.
We take a holistic approach to measure the success of our CSR programmes. While the number of people reached is an important metric, we focus more on the quality and sustainability of the changes we create. We also conduct outcome assessments through surveys and interviews to measure the improvements in areas like literacy and health. Community feedback is key as those we aim to help are the best judges of whether our efforts are making a real difference. Most importantly, we evaluate the sustainability of our initiatives. Are the benefits long-lasting, or are they just short-term boosts? We want to ensure that we cultivate meaningful, lasting change by helping people today and empowering them for a better tomorrow. Success, to us, is about real improvements in people’s lives, not just the numbers.
How are you using technology to make a bigger impact through your various CSR projects, especially in healthcare and safety?
Technology is a game-changer in amplifying the reach and effectiveness of our CSR initiatives.
Healthcare: We partnered with IIT Madras to develop a Thermal Therapy Device for advanced-stage breast cancer treatment. This innovation addresses a critical gap in affordable healthcare by providing improved outcomes with reduced costs and maintenance.
Road Safety: As part of our Zero-Fatality Corridor initiative on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway, we leverage analytics with SaveLIFE Foundation to identify accident-prone zones. We have significantly reduced accident rates by implementing data-driven interventions like speed control measures and real-time monitoring.
Impact:
- Precision: Data and analytics ensure resources are allocated to areas of greatest need.
- Scalability: Digital tools help expand initiatives without compromising effectiveness.
- Transparency: Real-time monitoring and impact measurement showcase progress and drive continuous improvement.
By integrating technology into our CSR programmes, we are creating smarter, more sustainable solutions that empower communities and drive measurable, lasting change.
How do you measure the success of your CSR programmes, and what are the key factors you focus on — reach, outcomes, or long-term impact?
We adopt a holistic approach to measure the success of our CSR programmes. While the number of people reached is an important metric, we focus more on the quality and sustainability of the changes we create.
For example, our eye care initiative in Meghalaya is set to benefit around 2,000 patients. Still, we look at long-term impacts, such as how it affects their health-seeking behaviour. Are more people now willing to travel for medical treatment? Has the rate of untreated eye conditions decreased?
We also conduct outcome assessments through surveys and interviews to measure the improvements in areas like literacy and health. Community feedback is key as those we aim to help are the best judges of whether our efforts are making a real difference.
Most importantly, we evaluate the sustainability of our initiatives. Are the benefits long-lasting, or are they just short-term boosts? We want to cultivate meaningful, lasting change by helping people today and empowering them for a better tomorrow. Success, to us, is about real improvements in people’s lives, not just numbers.
Our goal is straightforward: to help as many people as possible while remaining adaptable and focused. By embracing technology and being responsive to change, we believe we can make a lasting and meaningful difference in the communities we serve.
What are the company’s goals in expanding its CSR efforts, particularly in improving the environment, and supporting communities? How does the company plan to achieve these goals?
We are deeply committed to environmental sustainability and supporting communities. We aim to drive impactful change by combining eco-friendly practices with tangible benefits for underserved communities.
We partner with Mauli Seva Pratisthan for one of our key initiatives – the Solar Steam Cooking System project. This initiative provides solar-powered cooking solutions to marginalised communities, positively impacting over 450 mothers and 38 children by offering cleaner, more sustainable cooking options. By harnessing solar energy, we reduce environmental impact and improve daily life for those in need.
We also collaborated with Hand In Hand Inclusive Development to introduce domestic biogas plants for 60 households in Semmanchery, Chennai. These plants use food waste to generate gas, promoting renewable energy and self-sufficiency in low-income households.
Through these projects, we are advancing our vision of integrating environmental sustainability with meaningful community support. We plan to continue expanding these efforts, promoting renewable energy and eco-friendly solutions that uplift communities and contribute to a greener, more sustainable future.
As new problems arise in society and the environment, how is SBIGI planning to expand or create new CSR programmes to address these issues?
We remain dedicated to healthcare, road safety, skill-building, and livelihoods while continuously adapting to emerging challenges. By leveraging data and technology, we enhance our ability to respond to new societal and environmental issues effectively.
For instance, we are integrating telemedicine into 
our healthcare initiatives and utilising AI to improve road safety. These innovations enable us to reach more people and develop more impactful solutions.
Flexibility in our implementation is crucial. We have evolved our healthcare efforts to include groundbreaking solutions, such as the Thermal Therapy Device for breast cancer patients, and design programmes with scalability in mind to tackle larger challenges.
Our goal is straightforward: to help as many people as possible while remaining adaptable and focused. By embracing technology and being responsive to change, we believe we can make a lasting and meaningful difference in the communities we serve.
