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Madison starts its CSR journey by adopting Tanya Computer Centre
MUMBAI: Madison World has begun its CSR journey by starting an NGO namedMadison Resource Foundation, that has adoptedTanya Computer Centre.
Tanya Computer Centre was established in 2006 as a Computer Training Centre dedicated exclusively to training visually impaired people (all ages) in the use of Computers. The Centre has so far trained over 250 students almost all of whom have got jobs thanks to the Computer training received at Tanya Computer Centre.
The Computer Centre uses a screen reading software called JAWSthat helps the visually challenged use computers. The Centre teaches Basic Computer Courses like Windows and MS Office. Students are given tactile books, and notes are provided in Braille, audio or large print, as per the requirement of the student. Training is almost individual and personal and the duration of the course is extended till the student is comfortable and confident of using computers.
Tanya Computer Centre is led by Tanya Balsara, daughter of Madison’s Chairman Sam Balsara who is herself visually challenged and she personally trains all students.
Says Tanya Balsara,“I congratulate all the students passing out as well as all the 250 students who have passed out earlier for having the courage and determination to come forward and learn something new and different. I have always believed that disabilities create barriers but determination breaks them. Remember the visually impaired may not have sight, but they don’t lack vision”.
Sam Balsara made theannouncement about Madison World adopting Tanya Computer Centre at the 12th Convocation ceremony of Tanya Computer Centre and said “The Centre is looking to expand its activities in other parts of Mumbai and is looking for like minded socially committed individuals who can personally lead the Centre and train its students.” He said “the Centre would be fully equipped with Furniture and Fittings, Computers, Software and entirely financed by Madison Resource Foundation in terms of both Capital cost and Revenue expenses including salaries”.
On the occasion an inspiring talk was given by the Guest of Honour, Mrs. Shalini Saraswathi, a quadruple amputee who is unbelievably, a marathoner, who flew down from Bangalore for the occasion. In 2012, Shalini went on to lose all 4 of her limbs but her determination and never say die attitude has helped her take life head on and live a purposeful and fulfilling life.
SaysShaliniSaraswathi,I’ve always said the reason for my success and strength has been the strong support system I have had, coupled with the fact that I had avenues to get back on my feet. It’s an honour to be associated with this event, because that is what this is – an empowerment. Congratulations to everyone who are passing out today and wishing everyone more strength and power!”
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Samsung certifies 1,000 Maharashtra students in AI and coding
The South Korean electronics giant marks its first large-scale skilling push in the state, with women making up nearly half the national programme’s enrolment
PUNE: Samsung has put 1,000 students in Maharashtra through a certified training programme in artificial intelligence and coding, the largest such drive the South Korean electronics company has run in the state and a signal that corporate India’s skilling ambitions are moving well beyond the boardroom brochure.
The certifications were awarded under Samsung Innovation Campus (SIC), the company’s flagship corporate social responsibility programme, which launched in India in 2022 with the stated aim of democratising access to future-technology education. The 1,000 graduates were drawn from four institutions: 127 from Savitribai Phule Pune University, 373 from Pimpri Chinchwad University, 250 from D.Y. Patil University’s Ramrao Adik Institute of Technology and 250 from Anjuman-I-Islam’s Kalsekar Technical Campus. All completed training in either AI or coding and programming, the two disciplines Samsung has identified as the critical pillars of the digital economy.
The programme does not stop at technical training. Soft-skills development and career-readiness modules are baked into the curriculum, a deliberate attempt to close the gap between what universities teach and what employers actually want.
“India’s digital growth story will ultimately be shaped by the quality of its talent pipeline,” said Shubham Mukherjee, head of CSR and corporate communications at Samsung Southwest Asia. “As technologies like AI move from the periphery to the core of industries, skilling must evolve from basic training to building real-world capability. This milestone in Maharashtra reflects how industry and academia can come together to create a future-ready workforce that is both globally competitive and locally relevant.”
The Maharashtra drive sits within a rapidly scaling national effort. Samsung Innovation Campus trained 20,000 young people across India in 2025, hitting its stated target for the year. Women account for 48 per cent of national enrolments, a figure the company cites as evidence of its push for an inclusive technology ecosystem. The programme is implemented in partnership with the Electronics Sector Skills Council of India and the Telecom Sector Skill Council.
Samsung, which is marking 30 years in India this year, runs SIC alongside two other initiatives, Samsung Solve for Tomorrow and Samsung DOST, as part of a broader effort to build what it calls a generation of innovators with both the technical depth and the problem-solving mindset to thrive in a fast-moving digital world.
A thousand certified students is a tidy headline. Whether they find jobs that match their new skills is the harder question, and the one that will ultimately determine whether corporate skilling programmes like this one are genuine pipelines or well-photographed gestures.
