YES Bank said its CSR project – ‘Say Yes to Sustainable MSMEs in India’ – has, impacted over 3,250 MSMEs across 14 states and 17 sectors, benefiting more than 23,100 workers. The bank is targeting one lakh MSMEs through this project by 2020. Namita Vikas, group president and global head – Climate Strategy and Responsible Banking at the bank, said the initiative aims at enhancing energy efficiency of MSMEs, improving their occupational health and safety systems and promoting financial literacy through multifaceted interventions. She said the bank is looking to partner with organizations such as the foundation of MSME clusters, Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India, Amazon, and Sidbi’s India SME Technology Services and Quality Council of India to ensure successful implementation through conduct of workshops on efficient use of energy and cleaner technology, conduct of energy audits, e-commerce training for offline SMEs/retailers, financial literacy camps, and zero-defect training. The key sectors include foundry, dyeing, rubber, plastic, general engineering, textile, rice mills, auto ancillaries, industrial tools and pumps, sports goods, handicrafts and railway vendors, among others.
