UST Wins Three Prestigious Laurels at KMA Sustainability Awards 2025

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM:
UST, a leading digital transformation solutions company, has won three prestigious awards at the KMA Sustainability Awards 2025. The company bagged the awards for Best CSR project (Education); Best CSR project (Social Inclusion); and Most Sustainable Organization. UST was selected for the honours under the Large Enterprise category. The awards were presented to UST by Kerala Management Association (KMA), a prominent institution with over 67 years of legacy in promoting exemplary management practices.

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) efforts in the arena of education have been vigorously pursued by UST, with a slew of initiatives implemented consistently year after year. Notable among them is Adopt-a-School, UST’s flagship education program that extends a helping hand to government schools across Kerala. As of date, the Adopt-a-School program has been helpful to more than 13,500 children across 34 schools in Kerala. These schools are supported by more than 200 UST volunteers.

Many more initiatives in the education scenario of Kerala are implemented by the UST CSR team. Among them is the UST Student Scholarships that support higher education of five young women pursuing nursing courses across the country. Besides, UST’s Welfare Foundation has provided G. A. Menon Scholarships to aid 25 students across various educational levels, from primary to higher education. The G. A. Menon Scholarships have a special emphasis on empowering female students.

UST has also been spearheading education support goals through projects such as IgnITe, which has helped 1,617 students across 17 schools. The target of IgnITe is to reach 2500 students. The company’s digitalization efforts to enhance learning infrastructure have aided the setting up of a Digital Learning Hub at the Sainik School in Kazhakoottam, Thiruvananthapuram, wherein 40 desktop computers, UPS systems, and essential furniture to benefit 600 students, were provided. UST has also rolled out the G.A Menon Sports Hub to promote children’s health and well-being. The company constructed a Football Court, 100 & 200-metre Athletic Tracks, and a Volleyball Court at the Govt Higher Secondary School, North Paravur, under this programme.

In the KMA Awards Social Inclusion category, UST was chosen for the honour for its efforts that have hitherto transformed more than 600 lives through 10 social inclusion-based project initiatives. UST has aligned its CSR efforts with UNSDG, and follows National CSR guidelines. Among the various initiatives is Project Snehita, which empowers women through skill development, sports training and championship. The company has also been creating sustainable livelihoods through climate resilient agro ecological interventions, initiatives aimed at education for differently-abled children under the V Able project. These apart, CSR efforts aimed towards strengthening of infrastructure at special schools in Thiruvananthapuram and IT-based skill support for tribal population are only a few among the many initiatives that the company has been undertaking for long.

UST’s CSR programs also support the Kerala Women’s Blind Cricket team (CABK) to enable extensive training camps and vital resources, fostering confidence and success both on and off the field. Besides, programs that offer customized adaptive and medical assistance devices for people with disabilities have benefited more than 160 individuals. The Touch from Heart initiative has ensured wheelchairs to beneficiaries, enhancing their access to education and mobility; and school stationery support to over 250 children with disabilities. The tribal population has also been receiving IT-based skill support from the company’s CSR volunteers.

UST gained the Most Sustainable Organization status through its initiatives that ensure employees and stakeholders are well-equipped and motivated to drive sustainability efforts. The company has put in place well-etched strategies to ensure energy efficiency, 100 percent waste management, and fool-proof biodiversity conservation.

“I’m thrilled that the corporate social responsibility and sustainability efforts floated and implemented successfully by UST have brought forth three prestigious KMA awards. It is indeed an honour that UST has been selected for the awards for Best CSR project (Education); Best CSR project (Social Inclusion); and Most Sustainable Organization, this year. At UST, it is not just a dedicated small team that drives CSR and sustainability initiatives of the company; it is the collective volunteer efforts of thousands of employees, and I thank and congratulate all of them for their wholehearted efforts in maintaining high standards in all they do. The latest awards from KMA are inspiring, and they indeed push us to roll out more such initiatives in our efforts to transform lives,” Sunil Balakrishnan, Chief Values Officer, and Global Head for Development Center Operations, UST, said.