Persistent consistent in social work
By Nina Mukherji

Persistent Systems is a global IT company with over 6300 employees. They are focused on developing best in class solutions in four key areas: Cloud, Mobility, BI & Analytics and Collaboration. They have over 300 customers spread across North America, Europe and Asia. For more than two decades, Persistent has partnered with innovative enterprises and the largest tech brands. 

Persistent Systems has been donating to NGOs in the field of health and education since 1995. The company earmarks 1% of its Net Profit for the purpose of donation every year. To institutionalize the Corporate Social Responsibility initiative the Company formed a public charitable trust named Persistent Foundation in 2008. The Persistent Foundation is primarily involved in three key areas of Healthcare, Education and Community Development.

This fiscal year, Persistent Foundation contributed Rs.1,00,00,000 towards social work and supported 44 NGOs through their Pune, Nagpur, Goa and Hyderabad offices. Some of the unique activities and programs the Foundation carried out and participated in were student and girls scholarship program, cyber genius competitions across schools, infrastructure development at schools and villages, exhibitions for promoting NGO activities, breast cancer screening initiative, blood donation camps, text books and uniform donation drives, teaching English and Math to students of govt. run schools, planting trees to preserve the ecology of the hills in and around Pune, providing computer education to under privileged school children and teachers  etc.

One of the aims of pioneering the Persistent Foundation was to encourage employees to take part in social welfare activities. “We have received a great response from the employees who enthusiastically participate in various initiatives like Student Scholarship Program, Green Persistent Movement, Blood Donation Program, etc.” Says Sonali Deshpande who is the Chief Trustee of the Foundation. This year, the Foundation has also launched an innovative ‘Social Entrepreneurship’ program for the employees of Persistent. “Under this program the employees will be given a unique opportunity to implement their ideas related to social welfare which will be supported by the Foundation.” Says Ms.Deshpande.

The Persistent Foundation focuses on the improvement of its immediate neighbourhood and the overall betterment of society. ‘We firmly believe that it is our moral duty to give back to the society that lends us an identity.’ Says Ms. Deshpande. The areas of health, community development, and education require immediate attention and the Persistent Foundation has been very actively involved in upholding these causes since its very inception.

(In Techgoss syndication arrangement with Punetech )