550 Citi Volunteers transform Katraj Zoo precincts as part of the 12th Citi Global Community Day
5000 individuals to participate in 13 events over 2 weeks across 8 cities in India
Over 550 Citi India volunteers cleaned up the precincts of the Katraj Zoo in Pune, as part of Citi’s 12th Global Community Day – a day, Citi employees globally set aside towards community service. Continuing its commitment to the ‘Swacch Bharat’ initiative, the volunteers painted the outer walls, planted trees and also streamlined the segregation of bio degradable and non-degradable waste and painted graffiti messages of ‘clean India’ across the outer walls of the zoo.
Celebrating Citi’s 12th Global Community Day, about 5000 individuals are expected to engage in 13 volunteering activities, across eight cities in India to demonstrate their commitment towards a ‘Swaach Bharat’. The activities include partnering with environmentalists for a meaningful beach clean-up in Mumbai; cleaning and greening schools the country to improve hygiene and sanitation thus providing an environment conducive to learning and providing a much needed face-lift to the iconic Katraj Zoo in Pune. These initiatives exemplify Citi’s mandate of partnering with local communities to ensure sustainable development across different locations.
A 130 acre zoological park, Katraj Zoo in Pune houses an animal orphanage, a snake park as well as the zoo itself. It is the only place in Maharashtra that shelters two pure-bred Asiatic lions that are currently the most sought after attraction at the place. With increased footfalls, there was a need to revamp the exteriors of the zoo and re-establish its reputation in the immediate communities as an iconic ‘go to’ place in the city.
Besides this, at 8 locations across Bengaluru, Chennai Delhi, Gurugram, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Mumbai and Pune’s Eon IT Campus, over 3000 Citi Volunteers will further Citi’s ‘Swaach Pathshala’ mission. They will engage with children at the schools to perform activities such as painting walls, cleaning the premises, planting trees, organizing libraries, creating ‘swaach bharat’ collaterals and crafting ‘clean India’ murals in accordance to the theme.
These initiatives continue to increase awareness and involvement among the local communities and encourage local citizens to step-in on the national mission of a clean and green India by 2019. This is the third year that Citi India has pledged its efforts to Swacch Bharat. Progressively, the initiative has seen participation increase threefold, with voluntary involvement not only from Citi employees, but also from Citi’s partners including – Tata Consultancy Services, HCL, Vitruosa Polaris, Wipro, Bloomberg and Larsen & Toubro.
“Global Community Day is one of the many ways Citi reinforces its commitment to make a difference in the communities it serves. This year, over 5000 Citi volunteers along with their families, friends and business associates worked alongside community partners across 7 locations in India, to support the Government’s mission to achieve the ultimate goal of cleanliness and hygiene for all, as defined by the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan,” said Public Affairs Officer, Debasis Ghosh. “Over the last two years, over 4,800 Citi volunteers along with their friends and families have spent over 19,000 hours during Global Community Day to further the cause of the Swachh Bharat Mission,” added Ghosh.
This year, Citi’s 12th annual Global Community Day will see Citi volunteers throughout the Asia Pacific, North America, South America, Europe, the Middle East and Africa leading in service of local communities.
