Corporate Social Responsibility
Empowering Communities, Transforming Futures: Hughes CSR Impact Highlights
At Hughes, our guiding philosophy—"Powered by you, driven by connection"—extends far beyond corporate boundaries. We believe true corporate responsibility lies in creating sustainable, grassroots changes that uplift communities, protect our ecosystems, and empower the next generation.
In the last Financial Year, Hughes proudly partnered with key impactful organizations to drive quality education, scientific curiosity, urban climate resilience, vocational skilling, and women’s leadership across India. Here is a summary of the incredible transformations we achieved together:
1. Igniting Scientific Temperament with Bharti Airtel Foundation
Our partnership focused on enhancing classroom aesthetics, interactive learning, and experiential STEM education for underserved rural communities across Rajasthan, Punjab, and Haryana.
- The Reach: Benefited 30k+ students and 1,100+ teachers across 135 Satya Bharti Schools.
- Interactive Classrooms: Installed 1,434 soft boards across classrooms to turn everyday corridors into visible, creative learning and information hubs.
- Reaching for the Stars: Provided specialized telescopes to senior secondary schools in Punjab, moving astronomy from abstract textbooks into hands-on cosmic experiences that foster critical thinking and curiosity.
3. Reclaiming Futures with Ritinjali’s Second Chance School (SCS)
Believing that everyone deserves an equal opportunity to build a life of dignity, Hughes supported Ritinjali’s flagship residential and vocational program to reintegrate out-of-school, marginalized young men back into learning and formal livelihoods.
- Unlocking Potential: Engaged 66 active students representing 11 states across India, providing intensive foundational modules in digital IT literacy, life skills, and financial planning.
- Pathways to Employment: Successfully transitioned 17 youth directly into formal employment and corporate tracks, securing financial self-reliance with an impactful median starting salary of ₹17,000 per month.
- Igniting Enterprise: Driven by corporate mentorship, the program processed 22 applications to award critical seed funding to 3 alumni-led micro-enterprises (including an artisan bakery and a digital citizen service center), shifting their trajectory from jobseekers to local job-creators.
- Impact That Compounds: Supported by a landmark 20-year longitudinal survey revealing a permanent lifestyle shift—moving alumni from less than 2% employment before joining SCS to an incredible 97% active lifetime employment rate today.
2. Nurturing Grassroots Women Leaders with i-Saksham
Through a dedicated cohort partnership in rural Bihar, Hughes sponsored a targeted fellowship initiative designed to build community-led educational ecosystems, resist early marriages, and cultivate young women as local leaders.
- The Core Cohort: Supported 8 young women ("Edu-Leaders") through an intensive, active 2-year grassroots leadership fellowship.
- Adolescent & Parent Reach: Enabled these 8 Edu-Leaders to directly mentor and nurture ~200 adolescent girls while actively engaging ~200 mothers and parents through monthly meetings and home visits.
- Deepening Ecosystem Trust: Contributed to an incredible shift in household dynamics, with parental trust in their daughters' independent life choices soaring from 32% to 96%.
- Field to the Boardroom: Hosted Hughes-sponsored fellows, Chhoti and Komal, at our Gurgaon headquarters for a unique boardroom exposure and mentorship session with our corporate leadership team.
"Listening to Chhoti and Komal speak about bringing children back to school, delaying child marriage, and supporting women was humbling. Investing in grassroots leadership is not charity; it is nation-building." — Nipun, Hughes Communications India
4. Driving Urban Afforestation with Rise Foundation
To combat pressing environmental challenges in dense metropolitan areas, Hughes teamed up with the Rise Foundation for an advanced Urban Ecological Restoration & Native Dense Plantation Initiative across Delhi-NCR.
- The Miyawaki Method: Utilized the specialized Miyawaki afforestation technique to build hyper-dense, fast-growing native urban mini forests that maximize ecological recovery.
- The Green Footprint: Restored 13,500 sq. ft. of urban land into protective green zones by planting 3,000 native saplings across three critical locations: Delhi Govt School (Ghumanhera), Govt School (Daultabad), and the HSVP Green Belt (Sector 31, Faridabad).
- Climate & Ecosystem Support: Designed to actively mitigate air pollution, trap dust particles, reduce the local urban heat island effect, and revive native biodiversity by creating flourishing new habitats for birds and pollinators.
- Living Classrooms: Provided local school students with hands-on, outdoor ecological learning areas—teaching the next generation about urban sustainability and native tree stewardship.
Driven by connection, we remain committed to fuelling dreams, breaking barriers, and building a more sustainable and equitable tomorrow.
Main Initiatives
Projects Approved by the Board of HCIL Comtel for the Year 2025-26
| NAME OF PROJECT | IMPLEMENTING AGENCY |
| Promotion of Education & Learning Initiatives - Empowering Disadvantaged Young Adults | Ritinjali |
| Develop Young Women From The Marginalized Community As Leaders Of Change | I-Saksham Education And Learning Foundation |
| Enhancing Learning Experience through Soft Boards and Telescope in Schools | Bharti Airtel Foundation |
| Promote Environmental Sustainability through Miyawaki Afforestation | Rise Foundation |
Projects Approved by the Board of HCIL Comtel for the Year 2023-24
| NAME OF PROJECT | IMPLEMENTING AGENCY |
| Promotion of Education & Learning Initiatives - Empowering Disadvantaged Young Adults | Ritinjali |
Projects Approved by the Board of HCIL Comtel for the Year 2021-22
| NAME OF PROJECT | IMPLEMENTING AGENCY |
| Promotion of Education & Learning Initiatives - Empowering Disadvantaged Young Adults | Ritinjali |
| Skill Development Programme - Early childhood care & education | Ritinjali |
Projects Approved by the Board of HCIL Comtel for the Year 2022-23
| NAME OF PROJECT | IMPLEMENTING AGENCY |
| Promotion of Education & Learning Initiatives - Empowering Disadvantaged Young Adults | Ritinjali |
Projects Approved by the Board of HCIL Comtel for the Year 2021-22
| NAME OF PROJECT | IMPLEMENTING AGENCY |
| Promotion of Education & Learning Initiatives - Empowering Disadvantaged Young Adults | Ritinjali |
| Skill Development Programme - Early childhood care & education | Ritinjali |
Initiatives at Work
