Social Responsibility in Chennai
By empowering women factory workers and creating community improvement initiatives, it is engineering economic transformation in Sriperumbudur.
Once a small sleepy village, Sriperumbudur’s economic landscape has undergone a complete transformation with the setting up of the Nokia Telecom SEZ in January 2006. In three years, the plant has produced 200 million handsets, which is the fastest ramp up amongst nine global factories. From an initial headcount of 550 employees, the plant now employs 8000 people, 70 percent of whom are young women aged between 18-24. The Nokia Telecom SEZ will provide 30000 jobs when all the vendors are fully functional. The figures are a matter of pride for Nokia for the positive change that it is able to bring about in the area.
As part of the community involvement programme, Nokia has adopted two local villages and focuses on their holistic development. It supports six schools that impart life skills and IT education to students. The company’s pro-active philosophy has seeped into the fabric of the workforce which shows keen interest in projects like Nokia Helping Hands. An umbrella for the numerous community initiatives in and around Sriperumbudur, its activities are many: clean up of Elliott’s beach in Besant Nagar and Vandalur Zoo, India’s first public zoo that was established in 1855, acting as scribes for blind students during exams, helping out at orphanages, old age homes and homes for the mentally challenged.
Along with driving the engine of the investment train in Chennai’s investment corridor, Nokia has been a direct catalyst for economic growth and has transformed lives for the better in the neighbourhood.
Please see their success story as featured and recognized by ‘Best of Chennai’