MS Citizenship_Report_20092017

Microsoft India Citizenship Report 2017 Microsoft India | Empowering Entrepreneurs | Empowering Students and Educators | Innovation for Societal Welfare Philanthropies | Our People | Working Responsibly© Microsoft 2017

From the President’s deskWe are living in a time when technology various programs and citizenship efforts, we aim and disassociation from modern technologies.permeates every sphere of our lives and is to empower people through concerted efforts in Through the DigiKala project, in partnership withtransforming it at breathtaking speed. The skill building and education, better governance the Digital Empowerment Foundation, we areworld is witnessing the Fourth Industrial through robust technology infrastructure, and aiming for the inclusive and decentralized useRevolution where the fusion of the digital world creating a digital economy. This is implemented of ICT and digital tools to scale up and createwith the physical one is transforming nearly every through our network of partners including sustainable livelihood options for traditionalaspect of the way the world works and lives. And academia, governments and non-profits. In artisans.cloud computing is at the heart of this massive addition to strategic interventions, our citizenshiptransformation. So how do we ensure that the activities include employee volunteerism, funding In this report, you will read more about thesebenefits are universally accessible? for education and other community projects, and projects as well as our efforts to empower software grants to organizations focused on the entrepreneurs, students, and educators, innovatingAs India migrates to the cloud, it opens new education and employability of youth. for societal welfare, developing communitiespossibilities in e-governance, financial inclusion, through our philanthropic programs, our dynamichealthcare, agriculture, and education to For India’s economy to develop and remain work culture that fosters collaboration andpositively impact the lives of a billion people. To competitive, it is essential to build a strong inclusion, and what we are doing to achieve arealize the full potential of cloud computing, to workforce of skilled professionals. Our skill more sustainable, socially responsible world.create economic opportunity, and address the development efforts work towards providingcountry’s most difficult challenges—its power the underprivileged with the right kind of skills We remain steadfast in our commitment tomust be available to nonprofit organizations and to explore sustainable livelihood options in a fostering India’s inclusive growth and support theresearchers, and to individuals who lack access to technology driven world. One of the stories Government’s vision of bridging the digital divideaffordable technology. that inspires me is of Ashweetha Shetty, CEO through technology. We aim to make technology and Founder of Bodhi Tree Skills. Ashweetha, a inclusive, ubiquitous, and accessible to all.At Microsoft, we believe in the power of beneficiary of the YouthSpark program is a first-technology improving people’s lives. Through our generation computer learner. After being trained Anant Maheshwari on entrepreneurial skills, she set up her social-02 business initiative, Bodhi Tree Skills, that trains, President, Microsoft India mentors and supports rural college graduates to empower them to explore and choose the best career option, giving them access to new opportunities. India is also home to more traditional, skill-based handloom artisans who are unable to sustain their livelihoods owing to the unorganized nature of business, inadequate infrastructure,

Microsoft India Our business Citizenship at Microsoft India Stakeholder engagement Topics for the report Community development© Microsoft 2017 03

Our business support to 4,200 start-ups, skilled 30,000 youth, trained 26,000+ teachers and worked with all theAt Microsoft, we are on a mission to empower state governments in the year 2016-17.every person and every organization on the planetto achieve more. It is our endeavor to build best- 4,200 Start-upsin-class platforms and productivity services for a 30,000 Youthintelligent cloud, intelligent edge world. We seek 26,000+ Teachersto reinvent productivity and business processes, 8,000+ Employeesbuild intelligent cloud platforms, and create more 3 Data Centerspersonal computing solutions. 9,000+ PartnersMicrosoft began its journey in India in 1990. We arean active partner in India’s growth as the countrytakes its place amongst leaders in the globalknowledge economy. We believe that innovationin technology forms the crux for sustainableeconomic growth and social development, andwe seek to enable inclusive development with oursoftware and technology platforms.Microsoft India is committed to using technologyto assist people and communities realize theirfullest potential, enable businesses to grow,and help citizen-facing organizations be moreefficient. We partner with the commercialenterprises, government and non-profitorganizations to build an inclusive society byenhancing education and skill development, andenabling technology access. We have extended04

Microsoft Indiaat a glanceAt Microsoft, we realize our mission and strategyby investing in three interconnected ambitions: The Applications The Cloud and The Windows and Services Enterprise and Devices Engineering Group Engineering Group Engineering Group Build Focuses on broad Focuses on Focuses on our intelligent applications and development Windows platform of our cloud across devices of cloud services core infrastructure, server, all types, hardware platforms technologies database, Customer development of our in productivity, Relationship devices—includingCreate more communication, Management personal (CRM), Enterprise Xbox consoles, education, Resource Planning Surface devices, Lumiacomupting search, and other (ERP), management, development tools, phones, non-Lumia information and other business phones, Surface categories. process applications Hub, Microsoft and services for Band, and other Reinvent enterprises. productivity hardware products and business and accessories—and processes associated online marketplaces.We strive to build the best platforms and We offer hyper-scale, public cloud partners, developers and star t-ups,productivity services for the mobile-first, cloud- services from our local datacenters in addition to helping the digitalfirst world. At Microsoft, we develop most of in India. This has enabled us to open transformation of commercial andour products and services internally through new business opportunities for our government organizations. In India,three engineering groups. entire ecosystem of system integrators, our business is organized around five independent software vendors and major units. 05

Microsoft India Microsoft research Microsoft services Microsoft global Microsoft India engineering groups India (MSR India) global delivery sales, marketing global technical (MSGD) support center & service (IGTSC) Our engineering MSR is a research lab MSGD in India The global sales, IGTSC provides groups constitute focused on advancing is the customer marketing and technical resolution one of Microsoft’s core research and its delivery arm of services organization services to Microsoft’s largest concentration Microsoft that tests is the customer-facing applications in the Microsoft’s emerging organization in the English-speaking of engineering technology industry. technologies and country. It focuses enterprise customers talent outside on the enterprise, and partners across our headquarters. Our researchers in adds them to small and medium- geographies. It assists These groups are our lab in India, Microsoft’s tool kit. sized organizations, organizations that use engaged in software contribute to the They also help deploy Microsoft technologies development work global scientific these technologies government as well as core organizations, and to optimize their engineering services community regularly in customer consumer segments IT investments and for Microsoft and have been organizations. through a strong keep their businesses internal use. channel network of over recognized by world- 9,000 members and its productive. leading institutions. own team of people located in 10 cities. At present, Microsoft India has offices in 11 cities across the country. The campus in Hyderabad houses the engineering and global services teams. Sales and marketing is headquartered in Gurgaon while our research and technical support centers are based in Bangalore. For more information, please click here.06

Citizenship at Stakeholder In order to have an enhanced framework forMicrosoft India engagement reporting on our citizenship efforts, we have adopted national and international standardsCitizenship at Microsoft India is aimed at At Microsoft India, we engage with both internal such as the Global Reporting Initiative’sempowering people through technology and and external stakeholders regularly through (GRI) Sustainability Reporting Guidelines, theresources. Our effort is concentrated in skill building various channels such as meetings, newsletters, National Voluntary Guidelines, and the Businessand education, providing better governance and onsite activities. We also engage with peers Responsibility Reports Guidelines, for thethrough robust technology infrastructure, and in and CSR professionals through CSR-specific preparation of this report.creating a digital economy. This is implemented forums such as WEF, NASSCOM, FICCI, CII, andthrough our network of partners including others. We manage stakeholder relationships Topics for the reportacademia, governments and non-profits. In and ongoing dialogues to inform and guide ouraddition to strategic interventions, our citizenship strategies. Our key stakeholders, in the context of Our citizenship report aligns wit h Microsoft’sactivities include employee volunteerism, funding citizenship, are as follows: global CSR approach, the company’sfor education and other community projects, and National Empowerment Plan, and the Indiansoftware grants to organizations focused on the External stakeholders government’s vision of creating a better,education and employability of youth. digitally inclusive society. It is also a product of Local Governments active engagement with internal stakeholders,Our dedicated citizenship team in India comprises Customers as described in this section.of personnel who drive community affairs, Academiaemployee volunteerism, and communications. Non-Profit OrganizationsStrategic direction is provided by the India Industry CoalitionsLeadership Team that comprises the President,the heads of business units in India, the heads Internal stakeholdersof Finance, HR and the Corporate, External, &Legal Affairs (CELA) team. The global Microsoft Board of DirectorsPhilanthropies team, which is based at our Employeesheadquarters in Redmond, USA, works closely with Microsoft Corporationus to ensure alignment of our end objectives. For more information, please click here. 07

Microsoft global To meet our responsibilities as a global corporate citizen, we reinforce • Empowering students and educators: This iscitizenship approach the power of technology to ensure corporate responsibility, safeguard the key to a better India. We provide technology and human rights, and protect our planet. tools to enrich the learning experience.National We have a National Empowerment Plan that aligns to the core agenda • Innovation for societal welfare: We areEmpowerment Plan of inclusive growth in India. committed to improving the delivery of public services through innovative tools.Government of India’s All the legal entities of Microsoft India are committed to carrying outvision citizenship activities that align well with the Government’s vision of • Philanthropies: We are committed to the inclusive growth for the country. development of the communities we work withStakeholder by applying our talent, financial resources, andengagement We actively reached out to the CSR and philanthropies leads of all our technology expertise. business units in India and engaged with our key stakeholders for this reporting exercise. The comprehensive assessment of the responses • Our people: Our world-class work environment that we received helped define the topics for this report. and dynamic work culture drives collaboration and inclusion among employees, leading to exceptional work with a network of partners, including personal and professional growth. governments and non-profits, to use our skills and technology to help people. • Working responsibly: By collaborating with other organizations, we can make a great difference Using technology to empower India and to achieving a more sustainable, socially responsible partnering in the inclusive growth of the nation world. are key drivers of all our citizenship initiatives in India. These themes are an underlying feature Our last Microsoft India Citizenship Report was of all topics identified for the Microsoft India released in the year 2016, and it captures our Citizenship Report 2016-17. It is important to citizenship activities undertaken by us in the recognize that these topics and their relative financial year 2015–16. importance are dynamic and likely to changeCommunity with time, forming key inputs to our evolvingdevelopment citizenship strategy. The topics identified for this year are as follows:Microsoft is committed to servingcommunities worldwide by empowering • Empowering entrepreneurs: Wearecommittedyouth, working with non-profits, and to promoting entrepreneurship and giving a boostthrough disaster and humanitarian relief. We to the innovative processes and cultures that foster start-ups.08

Empowering entrepreneurs 09 BizSpark Microsoft Accelerator Cloud Accelerator Program© Microsoft 2017

India is one of the world’s fastest growing Through the BizSpark cloud network, Smarter Biz employs machineeconomies. The emerging entrepreneurship program, we aim to: learning and predictive analytics to identifyculture in the country is benefiting from easier customer trends, and Power BI to analyze andaccess to venture capital and government • Help young and innovative software companies monitor business transactions.support. Microsoft India recognizes that this gain experience and expertise in Microsoftentrepreneurial landscape will aid robust technologies, with no upfront costs Rootalpha, a BizSpark member, connectseconomic growth in the years to come and we are employers with college students and graduatescommitted to contributing to this growth story by • Help start-ups establish connections with the through its campus hiring solution ‘MyCampusing’,enabling start-ups with the necessary support and local and global start-up ecosystems of VCs, angel which relies on Microsoft Azure to streamline theguidance to build, scale up, and grow. We partner investors, incubators, accelerators, entrepreneur recruitment process. RootAlpha uses Microsoftwith start-ups at different stages in multiple associations, etc. Azure for most of its offerings and other Microsoftways to help them realize their vision of creating tools such as Machine Learning to improve itstechnology-driven, innovative solutions. • Stimulate vibrant local software ecosystems and products and increase its customer base. promote innovation and interoperabilityBizSpark ZingHR, a cloud-based Human Capital Early stage start-ups having a working prototype Management (HCM) software solution company,BizSpark, a Microsoft flagship initiative, is aimed that meet certain criteria are supported by gives customers the ease of social media on anat supporting early stage start-ups. It is a one-year Microsoft under the BizSpark Plus program to HCM automation app. Under the Acceleratorprogram for privately held start-ups that are less accelerate innovation and get their products and program, ZingHR worked on the Microsoft Cloudthan five-years-old and have an annual revenue services to customers as quickly as possible. The platform and received support from Microsoftof USD 1 million or less. BizSpark helps these program provides start-ups with access to: in the form of mentorship and technology. Thisstart-ups succeed by giving them free access to enabled ZingHR to focus on creating applicationsMicrosoft Azure cloud services, software services • Microsoft Azure credits worth USD 120,000 for that were flexible, scalable, mobile, andand other support. Some of the services include: one year economical. Working with Microsoft helped ZingHR to grow its customer base five-fold in Up to USD 750 per month of free Azure • Microsoft’s platform services such as Intelligent one year. To read more about the ZingHR story, cloud services for 1 year (USD 150 per Analytics, Machine Learning, Media and Hub click here. month each for up to 5 developers per Notification start-up) Microsoft Accelerator More than 200 start-ups were selected under the A full suite of development and test BizSpark Plus program during this financial year. Microsoft Accelerator is a global program built to software and tools such as Visual Studio, empower start-ups on their journey to build great Windows and Office Smarter Biz Technologies is a Bengaluru-based companies. We work with market-ready start-ups technology start-up focused on developing and provide the tools, resources, connections, Access to hundreds of free training mobile business process automation platforms knowledge, and expertise that they need to classes, technical content plus 4 break-fix and solutions for small and medium-sized become successful companies. The goal is phone support incidents businesses. Smarter Biz is a next-generation mobile CRM that works seamlessly with Microsoft10 Excel and is designed to help business owners automate their sales network. Hosted in the Azure

to help start-ups mature into enterprise- Vymo is the world’s first personalized, innovative solutions for their business needs,ready companies by scaling every aspect of hands-free enterprise digital assistant while at the same time benefiting start-ups withtheir business. for your sales, Customer Relationship greater market access than before. #CoInnovate Management, training and lead management comprises the following three programs:In the course of a 14-week program, we provide teams. They onboarded the Microsoftall necessary elements including CEO coaching, Accelerator program when they started Market Access Program: This program connectsteam culture development, recruiting talent, facing challenges in the process of aligning corporates and start-ups that have mutual interestcreating distribution channels with global Fortune all stakeholders at the client’s end for the in specific business verticals.500 companies, learning how to work with big B2B / SaaS model. While Vymo’s existingcorporates, and developing new markets. We also client impact and case studies convinced High Potential Program (Hi-Po): Under thisprovide top-of-the-line technology expertise and clients of the value add, having Microsoft as program, corporates nominate the start-upssupport for marketing, finance, and go-to-market a partner helped accelerate the process and they want to work with. These start-ups are thenstrategy. bring more stability to their solution in the accelerated at Microsoft Accelerator to speed up market. The company gained strong support their business potential.Throughout the program, and after graduation, and access to large enterprises, which waswe serve as a strategic partner for start-ups, out of their target segment especially in the Microsoft Partner Accelerator Program: Here,and provide unparalleled routes to market by Banking Financial Services and Insurance Microsoft Accelerator shares its know-how withconnecting them with our global network of (BFSI) sector. The program helped Vymo organizations to help them set up their owncustomers, partners, VCs, business mentors, and initiate their phase of growth, stabilize accelerator or incubator programs.technical experts. their product and better their go-to-market strategies. An amplification of Vymo’s New initiatives underOur market-ready start-up accelerators are located impact and credibility through events, pitch #CoInnovate this yearin several cities around the world, including sessions, marketing collaterals, and the like include:Bangalore, Beijing, Shanghai, Berlin, London, was observed post their engagement withSeattle, and Tel Aviv. Microsoft Accelerator. Vymo is a part of the Microsoft Accelerator and ISV program at Microsoft. TCS Co-Innovation Network (COIN) 150+ Mentor Network Watch this video to see what some of the other The collaboration aims to create an 27 Start-Ups acc elerated in start-ups have to say about the Microsoft open innovation framework to mentor 2 cohorts in 2017 Accelerator experience. and engage with start-ups to bring innovative solutions to the market. USD 2.6 million average post #CoInnovate program funding raised It will provide start-ups with access Microsoft India launched #CoInnovate in to the depth of Microsoft’s and TCS’sThe Microsoft Accelerator program has several December 2015 to empower entrepreneurs by relationships and networks acrosssuccess stories to its credit—Active, Acebot, connecting mature start-ups with corporates. customers, investors, academia andCloudcherry, to name a few. The program enables corporates to access industry, thus creating a strong value proposition in the enterprise marketplace. 11

Microsoft Accelerator significant partnerships we forged in 2016–17. including Snaptrude and Qwikspec. and Wipro Limited GenNext Hub Sandbox Startups • The partnership will provide start- ups with more go-to-market (GTM) Our partnership with Reliance Industries We have a partnership with Deshpande Foundation opportunities by working with through GenNext Hub continues to help start- India for the latter’s Sandbox Startups incubator enterprise businesses. ups in the telecom, retail and energy sectors. to accelerate Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities of the The hub hosts a four-month immersive program country. Based in Hubbali in Karnataka, Sandbox • Start-ups referred by Wipro will gain where start-ups gain access to funding, business Startups focuses on building an ecosystem to access to Wipro Open Innovation mentors, technical and design experts, plug- nurture innovative social entrepreneurs. Sandbox initiatives such as: and-play office space and other resources. To Startups is credited with incubating more than 70 date, GenNext Hub has successfully graduated start-ups, supporting more than 200 ideas and • Global GTM reach to rapidly build four cohorts with more than 52 start-ups, training more than 4000 micro-entrepreneurs to scale including Dattus, and Codemojo. Click here for date. One of their many success stories is Nanopix. the Codemojo story. • Opportunity to integrate the solutions ISDI ACE with select Wipro solutions AIM Smart City We have partnered with the Indian School of • Exposure to Wipro’s global customer As India progresses on its ambitious Smart Cities Design and Innovation (ISDI) for ISDI ACE, India’s base program, a lot of start-ups are emerging in this first Accelerator for creative entrepreneurs and space. To mentor and support such start-ups, design founders. ISDI ACE offers co-working and • Targeted Wipro marketing support DLabs at ISB and the Centre for Entrepreneurship collaboration spaces to entrepreneurs as well as for proactive business opportunities at Ashoka University jointly launched the Dalmia open and private incubator zones. Start-ups can Bharat AIM Smart City Accelerator Program, also utilize maker labs and rapid prototypingPartner Accelerator supported by Microsoft India. The accelerator arenas as a part of the Accelerator. focuses on four broad verticals: healthcare,The Partner Accelerator model has been education, transportation, and infrastructure. Cloud Acceleratorestablished to help us curate better quality The first cohort from the Accelerator successfully Programstart-ups and create a pipeline of solutions. graduated in February 2017 and included start-Leveraging our Accelerator framework and ups such as Gudgudee, Ajeevi and Khetify. The The Microsoft Cloud Accelerator Program ismaking use of best practices from across the Accelerator is currently working with its second designed to help Indian enterprises and governmentindustry, we partner with several organizations cohort of start-ups. organizations take full advantage of the cloud. Theto provide technology and curriculum guidance program serves to accelerate the adoption of servicesfor start-up acceleration. These organizations Brigade Group such as Microsoft Azure, and transform businessare spread across diverse fields such as telecom, and governance in a mobile-first, cloud-first world.retail, energy, urban planning, social impact, and Microsoft India partnered with Intel and the Brigade As part of Cloud Accelerator, we have launched tworeal estate. Our partner accelerators provide Group for Real Estate Accelerator Program (REAP), cloud training programs—Azure Vidyapeeth andstart-ups with the necessary acceleration a first-of-its-kind initiative, with the aim of creating GuruVarta—to upskill our partners and enable themsupport, co-working space, mentorship, high-impact solutions in the real estate space. The to help over 10,000 SMBs across 250 cities in movingaccess to funding, and market connections program is intended to give much-needed impetus to the cloud.for a sustainable growth. Listed below are the to technology adoption in real estate. To date, Brigade has successfully enabled five start-ups,12

Empowering students & educators Project Shiksha Project Saksham Microsoft Innovative Educator Showcase Schools Microsoft Student Partners Microsoft Academia Accelerator Imagine Cup Microsoft Research (MSR) academic outreach program© Microsoft 2017 13

Education is the key drivers for the growth and Under this project, each teacher undergoes a sessions across cities and universities shows that:prosperity of a nation. At Microsoft India, we believe comprehensive six-day, face-to-face training,that technology can empower both teachers and imparted in a classroom setup. The curriculum • Educators now feel acquainted and morestudents, and transform the educational landscape is specific to the needs of teachers and enables comfortable with Office 365 and associatedin India through a combination of quality content, them to use information technology in academics tools, specifically OneNote Class Notebook,enduring partnerships, world-class training, and and school administration. Sway, and Office Mix.access to technology. It is our mission to createimmersive and inclusive experiences that inspire Project Shiksha: Impact in FY 17 • They understand how to share and collaboratelifelong learning, and stimulate development of with peer educators using Word Online.essential life skills. • 8,124 teachers trained under Project Shiksha. Activities like formulating question papers,We are enthused by the Government’s recognition group programs, workshops on academicsof the role technology plays in bridging the digital have become more organized with reduceddivide, as it presents a tremendous opportunity time to deliver.for us to contribute to India’s growth story inan even more meaningful manner. Our priorities • 3,638 teachers in Tamil Nadu, 1,103 in at Microsoft India include transforming the Rajasthan and 2,493 in Madhya Pradesh. education ecosystem by empowering policymakers with analytics to make sustainable • 889 teachers across all KVS schools.education investments; preparing teachersto transform learning by using technology to • 361,000 students impacted.collaborate, innovate, and become life-longlearners. We are committed to building integrated Project Sakshamcloud solutions with our education partners.We have been accelerating STEM (Science, Microsoft believes that effective professionalTechnology, Engineering & Maths) education and development is critical for teachers to be ablestudent employability; and making students more to integrate technology into their teaching andproductive, and helping them innovate. improve the learning experience for students. We have been working with institutes ofThe following sub-sections provide details of higher education in the country throughsome of our initiatives in the field of education. Project Saksham since May 2011 to equip faculty with 21st century skills and developProject Shiksha ICT Champions. Saksham equips them to digitize their institutions, build technology-At Microsoft, we believe that in order to improve the enabled content repositories and schedulelearning experience for students, it is imperative online sessions. To date, Microsoft hasto impart technology skills to teachers. conducted trainings for over 3,307 educatorsProject Shiksha was launched in 2003 with a across 123 universities. These faculty membersview to empowering government teachers to have, in turn, trained 1,126 of their peers.integrate computing into their teaching, therebycreating a fun and interactive learning atmosphere The post-training assessment of our trainingfor their students.14

Institutes covered under project Saksham: Teacher Ambassador programAndhra University Xavier University Don Bosco Tech Society The Teacher Ambassadors are a worldwideKIIT University Techno India group Graphic Era University group of passionate educators committedCalicut University NMIMS Parul University to introducing a range of education appsVIT University GITAM University … And More and tools into schools in their respective countries. They combine their knowledge Saksham Impact in FY 17 of Microsoft tools with their classroom experience to provide trainings that areTeachers: 661 Universities: 21 relevant and customizable. As of now, we mentor 17,000+ TeacherMicrosoft Innovative have access to the best technology platforms. Ambassadors across the country who can visitEducator However, technology alone is not enough. schools to showcase the latest in education Technology in the hands of educators can technologies and conduct free professionalWe believe that it is important for educators to transform our education system. development sessions for their peers. All Teacher Ambassadors are qualified teachers The Microsoft Innovative Educator (MIE) who are passionate about teaching, and love programs recognize global visionaries among teaching with technology. educators, who use technology to inspire their peers and enhance learning outcomes. 15 MIEs work closely with Microsoft to lead innovation in education. They advocate the effective use of technology in education with peers and policymakers, provide insights on new products and tools for education, and share and exchange best practices to promote innovation in teaching and learning with their peers from across the world. Microsoft created a community of 238 educators from India for the Microsoft Innovative Educator program in FY 2016–17.

Teacher Ambassadors other resources available on Microsoft Educator In Disale’s words, “Education makes us capable Community. Now they can just scan the QR code of interpreting things, among others. It is not17,316 teachers in FY present in the textbook and receive the related just about lessons in textbooks. It is about the4,632 institutes 2017 resources on their mobile phones. lessons of life. One thing I wish I can do is, provide education for all; no child left behind and change Ranjitsinh created this repository by tabulating the world for good!! It is said that technology in resources for relevant data corresponding to the hands of teachers is transformational, and the chapters/contents in the text books. Next, Microsoft has been a great support in this respect. he used Augmented Reality (AR) technology to A small village from Maharashtra is now connected create QR codes for all the lessons/chapters. He to 82 schools from different countries. We are mapped all the lessons to the learning activities very thankful to Microsoft India for empowering published on Microsoft Educator Community, the teachers who empower our students.” printed these QR codes on a sticker page and The State government of Maharashtra has unanimously accepted this idea and now more than 1,800,000 students of Maharashtra are using these books. The state government has started printing QR coded textbooks from June 16, 2016. Below are a few instances of QR coded textbook experiences: Lesson published on Microsoft’s community Video showing innovative use of Microsoft’s community Students using QR coded textbooks CASE STUDY - 1 pasted them on the corresponding lesson pages. QR code textbook includes links of lessons,Defining Digital: Quotient QR Coded Textbook resources published on the website, videos related to the content on that page and onlineQR Coded Textbook is an innovative use of the assessments. Thus, if an educator or a studentMicrosoft Educator Community resources. Thanks wants to teach or learn a specific concept/chapterto MIE Expert Ranjitsinh Disale of Z.P. Primary or lesson, they don’t need to search any resources,School, Solapur, Maharashtra, educators can all they need to do is to scan that QR code and alleasily search relevant content, lesson plans and the matching resources are available on mobile. View the Sway16

CASE STUDY - 2 of time but also gave him exposure to adapt to a been perusing MS Word along with OneNote to variety of voices rather than getting used to only check spellings and punctuation and improve theOneNote: An enabler in the special needs his educator’s voice and instructions. He has also writing quality.classroom 17“OneNote has provided us an integral way ofteaching and learning that we’ve been trying tofigure out for a long time for children with specialneeds”, says Gunjan Tomar, Special EducationNeeds HOD and Middle School Mentor at RidgeValley School, Gurgaon.She has students with varied needs in her schooland OneNote has helped her in many ways inmeeting those. She has been experimenting withseveral personalized solutions over the years tobring learning closer to her students.One common problem her students face isorganizing their learning material in one place.OneNote has come to their aide as a digitalbinder that can be accessed anywhere, anytimeeliminating chances of forgotten work or lostnotebooks/worksheets.Rupa, a 16-year-old student, with AutismSpectrum Disorder (ASD) has the academicability of an 8-year-old. Tomar has veryeffectively used the Immersive Readerfeature in OneNote to empower the student’svocational/functional and communicativeabilities. Additionally, Bing’s speechrecognition and simultaneous audio textplayback has helped another student improvehis reading and writing abilities. Throughlistening assignments, the student refined hisauditory processing skills, i.e., the ability tohear, process and implement the instruction/read text. This not only helped him deal withthe given assignment at his pace and his choice

Showcase Schools Skype and Minecraft. standards. It has kick-started various initiatives such as high-speed Internet backbone, WiFiThe Microsoft Showcase Schools program At present, there are 106 Showcase Schools in campus, smart classes, laptops, projectis a leadership-focused initiative to India impacting over 4,000 students. based teaching, etc., to achieve this vision.highlight innovative learning and teaching The school is the only one in the vicinityacross globally recognized schools. The Titan School in Tamil Nadu conducted to have all 70 classrooms digitized andMicrosoft Showcase Schools are a global a Microsoft tour, reaching out to 20 other teach through laptops. It aims to be the firstcommunity of schools engaged in digital schools in the state and sharing the benefits of school with 1:1 tablet based learning fromtransformation to improve teaching and learning. Microsoft tools in education. the new session (2017–18). Their partnershipShowcase Schools create immersive and inclusive with the Microsoft team has proved to beexperiences that inspire lifelong learning and Delhi Public School in Ghaziabad partnered very effective and beneficial.stimulate development of essential life skills so Microsoft India to organize a two-day INFINITUSthat students are equipped to achieve more. Fest, where 17 schools participated. There was Equipped with structured criteria for learning a presentation on technology-based learning and a chance to evolve within the comfort of 106 Microsoft and showcase schools programs, with tablets provided to meritorious their workplace and home, the DMA teachers students as part of Microsoft Showcase School’s are now more engaged. They are exploring Impacting 4,389 educators through Digital Literacy Program. new tools for teaching and connecting tours and training with their students while discovering new The Ashok Leyland School in Tamil Nadu dimensions of innovative teaching-learning Microsoft India, in collaboration with The conducted a computer literacy program on process. The Microsoft workshops provided Aga Khan Academy, hosted the Microsoft Microsoft tools and applications. 46 students them a unique platform where they not only Showcase School Leaders Forum on from the Government High School in Mornapalli learnt but also shared their innovations ‘Innovation in Education’ in May 2016, benefited from the program. The eager learners with the global community of teachers. The bringing together Showcase School were taught about Touch develop basics, sessions provided by Chandeep Marwah, leaders to facilitate collaboration, create Webpage creation, Microsoft Minecraft, Office Teacher Ambassador, Microsoft were a confluence of ideas and collaborative Mix, Sway, OneNote, Yammer, Microsoft Office refreshing and informative. So much so that experimentation, and chart out new 365, MOS Championship, Imagine Cup, Dream each of them have now registered with the milestones for collective achievement. It Spark, Virtual Academy and Activity Academy. Microsoft Education Portal and enrolled was attended by 26 Microsoft Showcase themselves for various courses. School principals and other delegates CASE STUDY from the field of education across India. The school has also deployed Office365 Enhancing education through and the teachers have started usingMicrosoft Showcase Schools emphasize technology MS PowerPoint and OneNote in theirpersonalized learning for students through classrooms. It looks forward to transformingthe use of 1:1 learning devices and tools such The Dayawati Modi Academy (DMA), teaching the education model to provide futureas Office 365 Education, Office Mix, OneNote, and learning process at par with modern ready education for students and believes that having access to the right tools from18 Microsoft will be a game changer.

Microsoft Student Code.Fun.Do applications, and has seen many success storiesPartners emerge from it. Sanket Ghorpade, winner of Our annual hackathon series, Code.Fun.Do, has the Imagine Cup India 2015 under the WorldThe Microsoft Student Partners program been particularly successful. Held exclusively for Citizenship Category, launched his project intorecognizes the achievements of student leaders the students of each of our partner campuses, it a company, Manage Code Cultivate. Based infrom Showcase Schools. We offer them additional is open to students from all streams. It gives them Mumbai, the company provides a solutionleadership opportunities and skills, and work with an opportunity to learn how to build modern, called “Brain Board” a Windows desktopthem to drive innovation and support integration real-world applications that leverage the latest application that helps users to communicateof technology in their classrooms and with peers, technology platforms including Mobile, Cloud, even if he is not able to physically move andeducators, and staff. IOT, and Cognitive Services. verbally challenged.The Student Partners are nominated by their The hackathons are preceded by fast-paced, The competition features three categories:respective schools and collaborate with a hands-on talks and demos that orient studentsglobal community of student leaders from to key concepts needed to build apps for modern • World citizenship- Itseeksideasfocusedonsolvingother Showcase Schools to share best practices. platforms such as smartphones, tablets, gaming global problems in areas such as health, environment,These students get access to exclusive Microsoft consoles and the cloud. A 20-hour overnight and human rights.products, and opportunities to interact with coding competition follows under the proctorshipprofessionals and attend global conferences. and guidance of experts from Microsoft or • Innovation- It seeks ideas that appeal to consumerThey work closely with the MIE and Microsoft Microsoft-appointed training partners. Top teams audiences, as well as inspire and delight a widerto host events and workshops, and assist them from the college-level hackathons join a 3-month audience.with trainings. long online Code.Fun.Do Finalists Forum, where India’s best student developers get the • Games- It challenges teams to develop innovationsMicrosoft Academia opportunity to refine their winning ideas and take that raise the bar in the global game revolution.Accelerator them to the next level, supported by Microsoft mentors. The Imagine Cup continues to witness strongWe launched the Microsoft Academia Accelerator participation from India. This year, more thanprogram in 2014 with the objective of building a Imagine Cup 15,000 students registered from 1,600 schoolsdeep, long-term association with the academia. and colleges across the country. The top threeUnder this program, we collaborate with leading Now in its 15th year, the Imagine Cup is an annual teams in India from amongst 27 finalist teams willengineering colleges and business schools global competition sponsored and hosted by represent India at the upcoming worldwide finalsin India to foster the spirit of innovation and Microsoft to bring together young technologists in July in Seattle, USA, to compete with globalentrepreneurship among students, and help the worldwide to help resolve some of the world’s teams for a prize of USD 100,000.faculty with curriculum development and delivery. toughest challenges. It encourages the next generation of computer science students to 19The Microsoft Academia Accelerator program team up and use their creativity, passion andhas grown its partner base to 18 of India’s knowledge of technology to create innovativefinest technology and business institutes, andis receiving extremely positive response fromstudents and faculty alike.

The Top 3 entries from Imagine Cup in a chosen area by leading experts from India 2017 around the world. It aims to introduce students and researchers to important new areas and • Content Holmes from BITS Pilani: A one- the latest results and to provide a forum for click AI based online parenting solution researchers to interact. The 2016 Summer that will help keep children secure from School, co-organized by Microsoft Research cyber bullying and adult content online. and the Department of Computational & Data Sciences at the Indian Institute of Science, • Mi-amigos from Chameli Group of Bangalore, focussed on the area of Internet of Institutes: An app that assists and diagnoses Things (IOT) It addressed both theoretical as well Alzheimer’s and other degenerative as practical aspects of the chosen area and is diseases in a quick and easy way. The app targeted at faculty members, research scholars, hopes to reduce medical expenses and masters and senior undergraduate students. A man hours involved. by-invite only event, it was attended by over 100 students and faculty members from 22 institutions. • PocketConfident AI from IIT Hyderabad: the first ever AI powered virtual life coach RX Labs that guides users on self-development, needs, goals and aspirations. It is available Most undergraduates are often unaware about across all messaging platforms (web, what a career in research entails and Microsoft Skype, slack, Facebook, Microsoft teams) feels it is important to highlight the path of in real time. research to students. The RX lab program aims to give students exposure to a researchMicrosoft Research environment at premier institutes such as IITs(MSR) academic and IITS. MSR works with faculty members andoutreach program enables them to take students from nearby non-PHD granting institutes as summerIn order to foster innovation through research, interns for up to 12 weeks. The program hasMSR offers several programs and grants to received enthusiastic response over the yearsuniversity students and researchers. and produced several entrepreneurs. 175 students received internships in FY17 acrossThe MSR India summer school five institutes and the total funds disbursedseries, held in collaboration with the Indian amounted to INR 12,00,000.Institute of Science (IISc), consists of lectures Travel grant for students20 Grant for students: MSR offers sponsorship for eligible research students to present their work to institutes outside India, with them minimum grant amount being INR 75,000 per student. A total of 60 students received the grant in FY17.

Innovation for societal welfare Connected Eyes and Microsoft Intelligent Network for Eyecare citizenship at Microsoft India Enabling Cybersecurity engagement center – commitment to the ‘Digital India’ vision Accessibility and inclusion© Microsoft 2017 21

Microsoft India is committed to addressing Microsoft India announced the Microsoft in the mixed language, while speaking throughsocietal challenges in the country through Intelligent Network for Eyecare (MINE) in applications such as Cortana or Skype translator.innovative use of technology and cloud December 2016 in partnership with five global By building computational techniques and Naturalcomputing. Today, more and more people are eyecare partners. MINE is a mission-driven global Language Interfaces for mixed-script, mixed-codeusing the transformative power of the cloud to consortium of like-minded commercial, research, text and speech, Project Mélange enables us toimprove their lives and businesses. and academic institutions that collectively work design end-user applications and experiences that on diverse datasets, including the rate of change cater to the linguistic behavior of multilinguals. ToAdvanced analytics, mobile devices, artificial of myopia in children, conditions that impact know more about Project Melange, click here.intelligence, machine learning, robotics, and children’s eyesight, predictive outcomes ofgenomics are transforming every aspect of refractive surgery, optimal surgery parameters, as Digital Village – Harisal how we live, communicate, work, and learn. We well as ways to personalize a surgery. By applyingare bringing Predictive Analysis and Machine advanced analytics with Microsoft machine The ‘Digital Village’ project in Harisal is aLearning technologies to education, healthcare, learning technology to derive insights, MINE partnership between the government ofand agriculture in partnership with several drives strategies to prevent avoidable blindness Maharashtra and Microsoft India to create astate governments. Our integrated cloud- and increase efficiency in the delivery of eyecare technology-enabled village with a provision forfirst, mobile-first solutions improve processes, worldwide. MINE is based on Microsoft’s Cortana Internet and digital literacy. Harisal, a tribal villageproductivity, mobility, and accelerate India’s digital Intelligence Suite. with a population of two thousand, was chosentransformation. due to its nodal location for over 50 villages in Enabling the Melghat region, which face challenges suchAs part of our efforts to build a cloud for global as malnutrition, poor quality of education andgood, we also offer our Microsoft Azure suite of Project Mélange unemployment.cloud services to non-profit organizations to enablethem to achieve more through increased insights, Microsoft India recognizes the cultural andefficiency, and impact. It integrates seamlessly linguistic diversity in the country and aimswith the existing IT infrastructure and scales as to foster a more pluralistic, equitable, andthe non-profit grows, giving them the ability to inclusive society. In a multilingual societyharness the power of Microsoft’s datacenters for like ours, people rarely use a single languagea wide range of capabilities and scenarios. Non- while communicating with each other; insteadprofits can use Azure credits to purchase all Azure they tend to use a mix of several languages –workloads created by Microsoft. a phenomenon known as code-switching or code-mixing. Project Mélange endeavors toConnected Eyes and improve the performance of systems such asMicrosoft Intelligent Machine Translation to reveal the true meaningNetwork for Eyecare of code-mixed sentences by analyzing and understanding code-switching behavior at theThere are 285 million visually impaired people formal structural level as well as the functionalin the world, of which 55 million reside in India. level. This allows us to process mixed language,Almost 80 percent of these cases could have and to model conversations and dialogues inbeen prevented with early intervention and a multilingual setting better than before. Withcorrect treatment. Mélange, we aim to use artificial intelligence to enable a multilingual user to converse naturally22

The project began in May 2016 and the residents of Sangam FoundationHarisal now have access to the Internet, which wasset up first via TV White Spaces and now through Sangam Foundation started as Massively Empoweredbroadband. Connectivity has also facilitated the Classroom (MEC) at Microsoft Research to understand thelaunch of other digitally-enabled facilities such as a online education ecosystem in India. It follows a blended-common services centre, computer and technology- learning model to engage with students, teachers, andenabled education, telemedicine and eyecare, and institutions simultaneously, and enables a self-sustainedagricultural and banking services in the village.. Watch ecosystem of community learning, teaching, and evaluation.the Harisal story here. Sangam Foundation is available for testing.Connectedness is the keyGovernment citizen centre Computer aided education Providing over 40 services to 10 villages Digital enablement of schools and Over 1400 users of Setu services anganwadis Over 300 Aadhaar registrations 501 students benefiting through e-learningTelemedicine and Eyecare Skilling through Digital Classrooms 16 telemedicine sessions 15 youth trained for ICT Groundbreaking interventions for 77 57 youth digitally literate critical patients Over 30 women participating in Eyecare OPD for 521 villagers tailoring training 3,636 students (29 schools) screened for eyecare Banking 5,100 JAM account holdersAgriculture (m-Krishi intervention and ATM set up with support from Bank of Virtual Agri Services - VAS) Maharashtra, 1,975 ATM users 400 users of Internet banking 68 farmers registered on VAS app Organic farming groups of 23 farmers m-Krishi project to reach 52 villages 23

Cybersecurity people with impairments. We collaborate with Accessibility features are factored into theEngagement Center governments, industry, academia, and NGOs early stages of product planning, research– commitment to the to develop innovative solutions that remove and development at Microsoft, making us‘Digital India’ vision barriers to accessibility. Our accessibility the industry leader in building products initiatives are focused on four key areas: that are safe and easy for anyone to use.A data-driven economy can flourish only when Our commitment to accessibility begangovernments, businesses, and individuals access • Accessibility in Products: Microsoft creates over two decades ago, and continues withcloud computing with the confidence that their technologies that are accessible by design, each new product we develop.data is secure. In line with our commitment to the that enable everyone to personalize their PCs‘Digital India’ program, Microsoft India launched to make them more comfortable and easier to Product localizationa CyberSecurity Engagement Centre (CSEC) in use.September 2016. Located in Delhi, the center is Microsoft Windows and Office has been localizedaims to foster deeper cybersecurity collaborations • Leadership and Awareness: Microsoft is a to include 14 Indian languages. We havewith public and private sector organizations, global leader in the sphere of accessibility. introduced proofing tools as an added feature ingovernments, and academic institutions, and to We continually raise awareness of accessible the Microsoft Office Suite for Hindi and severalbuild a trusted and secure computing environment technology by publishing in-depth information other Indian languages, to deliver an improvedin the country. The CSEC provides a robust security about accessible technology, and empowering customer experience.layer for critical information infrastructure, and accessibility trainers and experts.helps to reduce digital risk in the country. The Tech4InclusionCSEC also enables customers to tap into a pool • Innovation: Our concept of ‘Inclusiveof resources such as security specialists and Innovation’ combines the principles of user- To ensure that accessibility is integrated intotechnologies at Microsoft. This is Microsoft’s centered design, accessibility, and usability with all aspects of Microsoft’s community work ineighth CyberSecurity Center in the world and will forward-looking design trends to reinforce the India, we launched the Tech4Inclusion programserve as a dedicated hub for Microsoft in India. value of creating products and services that are in partnership with Charities Aid Foundation designed to accommodate a variety of users to implement integrated skill-building andAccessibility and environments. employability initiatives for organizations, andand inclusion people with disabilities. The program covers • Collaboration: Microsoft works in close regions in Karnataka, Telangana, and DelhiAccessibility is at the core of Microsoft’s collaboration with state government bodies NCR and our collaborative partners includemission of empowering every person and and nodal IT agencies to create glossaries, FAME India, Sarthak Education Trust and Ashrayorganization on the planet to realize their which are used to create local language Akruti. The four legs of the pillar are:full potential. Applications such as Windows interface. We conduct Accessibility Learningand Office have been developed in such Sessions aimed at building awareness amongst Direct skilling initiatives for 250 youtha way as to be accessible to everyone – special educators and non-profits, who work with disabilitiesregardless of age or ability. Features such with students with disabilities, so that theyas the narrator, magnifier, and on-screen may optimize the use of technology in their • Training courses and mentoring on IT sector skillskeyboard make computing possible for teaching. We also actively engage with student and developer communities to ensure that • 80 percent of the trained youth will be placed24 accessibility is a key feature of applications. in jobs

Capacity-building of 20 NGOs engaged in Coding for students with skill-building programs for PWDs learning disabilities• Enhance their capacities to maximize impact As part of Hour of Code 2017, Microsoft of trainings commemorated the Computer Science Week and the Week of Empowerment of• Ensure quality in their training programs People with Disabilities together by hosting and modules a YouthSpark Live event promoting coding and computational thinking for children.Scale up and manage employability portal We partnered with Tamana, a non-profit• Knowledge platform for resources on organization, to host 85 students with Mobile vision employability and livelihoods for PWDs developmental disabilities and autism rehabilitation unit enrolled in special wings of 19 mainstream• Interactive communication channel between schools in the national capital region and Microsoft has collaborated with Sankara Eye stakeholders 40 special educators, parents and experts Hospital in Bengaluru to launch Maitri, a to introduce coding and computational customized rehabilitation bus that visits remoteNetworking and policy advocacy for PWDs thinking promoting inclusive IT-based villages in Karnataka to identify citizens suffering opportunities. from vision problems and provide comprehensive• Stakeholder engagement for resources-sharing rehabilitation services. Maitri provides these and for mainstreaming learnings Tamana also launched the HOPE services to visually impaired patients at their Application—a Kinect based therapeutic- doorstep. Microsoft has contributed by way of• Formation of a consortium, and policy advocacy educational application to enhance funds to build and launch the bus. The program cognition, fine motor & joint attention in intends to serve 50 villages, with a population ofSkilling of people with children with autism and special needs. almost 50,000, in the Hoskote taluk of Bangaloredisabilities Rural district. Microsoft aims to follow this event with theWe are in partnered with Bangalore based development and launch of a substantiveSamarthanam Trust to facilitate basic livelihood skill program to promote coding, computationaltraining and accessible employment opportunities thinking and technology skills for youthto people with disabilities. We have two active with development disabilities, autism andskilling centres in Anantpur and Guntur, Andhra special needs. Pradesh to provide holistic technology driventraining for improving communication skills,accent training, customer service, soft skills,client relations and conflict management. 25

PHILANTHROPIES Skilling for livelihoods ICT enablement of weavers and artisan clusters Tech4Good Employee giving Water Sanitation & Hygiene (WASH)©26Microsoft 2017

Microsoft India has been committed to serving 01 Education and skilling of underserved Impact so farthe local communities since the company’sinception. Community development is an youth, children, and women 4,22,000 youth placedintegral part of the activities of all Microsoft 5 Youth Spark granteesentities in the country. We believe that 02ii. Coding and computer science skilling for technology is a powerful force for improving 8 partner NGOspeople’s lives and overcoming India’s socio- employment 98 Youth Spark centerseconomic challenges. Building on over 25 yearsof giving, Microsoft Philanthropies was created 03iii. Technology-enabled learning for 1,425 CTLCsas a separate unit in December 2015 to bring 2,800 entrepreneurialthe benefits of technology to people who need inclusion of youth with disabilitiesthem the most, and to non-profit organizations venturesthat work to address society’s most pressing YouthSparkissues. Over a year, Microsoft Philanthropies 27has invested over 10 million USD in cash and Microsoft YouthSpark goes beyond philanthropytechnology to transform the way non-profits and brings together a range of global programsdeliver impact in India, offer educational that empower young people with access toopportunities to the next generation, and technology and better education, and inspireextend support during humanitarian crises. Our them to imagine the opportunities to realize theircommunity development initiatives also cover potential. YouthSpark is an important pillar ofskilling, employability, entrepreneurship, women Microsoft’s corporate citizenship efforts, and hasempowerment, employee giving, sanitation been on the forefront in achieving Microsoft’sdrives, and opportunities for the disabled. vision of helping India realize its potential since 2004. Initially launched as Project Jyoti in India,Skilling for with dedicated centers to support training inlivelihoods vocational and digital literacy skills for youth from underserved communities, the program hasWe recognize that a majority of India’s population grown in scope over the years. It now seeks towill qualify under the ‘working age’ category by create opportunities for youth to learn not onlythe year 2022. For India’s economy to develop information communications technology, butand remain competitive in the world markets, also computer science. It teaches them about theit is imperative to bridge the widening gaps in world around them, empowering them to becomethe required and available skill levels. We are well-informed citizens and imaginative creators.committed to the government’s Skill India visionand work towards providing the underprivileged In the last one year alone, Microsoft has providedwith the right kind of skills to explore sustainable training to more than 30,000 youngsters, of whichlivelihood options in a technology driven world. about 18,000 have been placed in jobs; aboutOur skill development efforts therefore focus on: 1000 have started their own entrepreneurial ventures; and 2,600 were inspired to continue education and training in computer sciences. Microsoft has also provided cash grant support to NASSCOM Foundation and QUEST Alliance for investing in the development of coding and computer science training modules for youth.

DigiGirlz first pitch for Bodhi Tree Skills at a YouthSpark practices. It is available online, hosted on an Azure Live event, where she met some amazing supported platform with an integrated assessmentMicrosoft launched DigiGirlz with the aim people who inspired her to think of using component. Participants get free certificationof introducing young women to computer technology to reach a lot of people. upon completion of the course.science, and inspiring them to break down anybarriers they may face while pursuing studies Soon, Bodhi Tree Skills was set up. A socialin Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math. business initiative, Bodhi Tree Skills is trains,The program provides middle- and high-school mentors and supports rural college graduatesgirls opportunities to learn about careers in to empower them to explore and choosetechnology, benefit from mentorship of Microsoft the best career option-either by joining theemployees, and participate in hands-on computer workforce or pursuing higher education. Sheand technology workshops in the course of a day- has also launched a website and is workinglong event organized by Microsoft employees on towards developing an app specificallyour campuses. During the event, the students designed for rural college graduates to accessinteract with Microsoft employees and managers opportunities.to learn about careers in technology, and to getan inside look at what it’s like to work at Microsoft. Ashweetha - the inspirer and mentor that sheThe event includes career planning assistance, is, was also a Youth Panelist at our YouthSparkan overview of technology and business-related Live event this year which brought togetherroles, thought-provoking exercises, and Microsoft 300 young girls for coding, she laid emphasisproduct demonstrations. on the importance of knowledge of Computer Science in this world and how it impacted her CASE STUDY life, making her from a “First Time User to Becoming and Enabler”. Ashweetha Shetty – reaching the unreachable Build your business: An entrepreneurship curriculum A YouthSpark Beneficiary - CEO and Founder of Bodhi Tree Skills: An endeavor to equip Developed by Microsoft in partnership with the rural college graduates with professional International Youth Foundation, and localized by skills self-development, allowing them to QUEST Alliance for an Indian context, the Build explore and choose career opportunities. Your Business Curriculum is designed to introduce young entrepreneurs to the basic ideas, activities, Ashweetha, a first generation computer and skills needed to successfully launch and grow learner from her family, was 20 years old a small enterprise. It covers essential steps such when she first used a computer. She is an as market research, developing an effective sales alumnus of the YouthSpark Live Program, pitch, and ways to obtaining start-up capital. The where she was trained on entrepreneurial curriculum is designed as a series of modules, skills using the Build Your Business and features several case studies in India, to Entrepreneurship Curriculum. She made her provide students with insights into local business28

Supporting education for a training on trade and computer skills, academic Growth Gene project better tomorrow material, and financial support to pursue college- – CHORD level education.Microsoft also supports projects that work on a The Growth Gene Project is a community developmentholistic development model not just addressing initiative by CHORD (Child Welfare and Holisticthe educational needs of underserved people, Organisation for Rural Development) in collaborationbut also in providing development support in the with Microsoft India. The project focuses on bringingcommunities. Three such projects are currently intrinsic growth and development in Yellamabanda,being implemented in Telangana, Andhra Pradesh the largest urban slum in Hyderabad, between 2015and Karnataka. and 2018, through a three-pronged approach:Project BOSCO - Bangalore • Provision of employable skill training in tailoring,Oniyavara Seva Coota and computer applications, to 450 women, (150 women every year)Microsoft India, in partnership with BangaloreOniyavara Seva Coota, has launched a project • Rescue, rehabilitation, and education of 450to rescue and rehabilitate street children in children including child laborers and schoolBengaluru. Under this project, children rescued dropouts (150 children every year)from the streets are provided with vocational • Sensitization and awareness - building through community awareness programs, plus orientation and counseling for women Through this project, we hope to set up an education-employment cycle that will enable future generations to step out of child labor. So far, 300 children have been enrolled in the bridge school and 220 women have received skill training. Thirty of these women are now employed in the training-cum-production unit that has been set up under the project, and are earning an income for their families. Some have found jobs in local businesses, while some others have set up businesses of their own. Knowledge lab project - Vidyanikethan Microsoft India has embarked on a project to build digitally-enabled knowledge labs in schools, 29

with a view to contribute to the educational Recognizing these challenges, Microsoft India, communicate and connect with markets andinfrastructure in the country. To begin with, we in partnership with the Digital Empowerment customers online. So far, the project has touchedhave established computer laboratories in four Foundation, launched DigiKala - a project aimed more than 22,000 weavers and 9,000 handloomgovernment schools in the south of Bengaluru at the inclusive and decentralized use of ICT stations in these regions. For more information,with a combined strength of almost 1,026 and digital tools in critical aspects of cluster visit the DigiKala Web Portal.students. The project also focuses on creation development such as scaling up weaving skills,and maintenance of library spaces, and the design, marketing, and entrepreneurship, besidesprovision of science kits for students in addition creating sustainable livelihood options for theto the upgradation and maintenance of sanitation youth in these clusters.facilities. The underlying objective of the projectis to instill a sense of pride amongst students The model is replicable and the project is currentlyand enrich their learning experience, resulting in being implemented in the Nuapatna and Barpaliimproved attendance. The enhanced facilities will districts of Odisha. The weaver communities inencourage conceptual learning among students these regions have been trained to use the mobileand improve their learning outcomes, while the applications ‘Sprightly’ and ‘Kaizala’, developed bylibraries will serve as a source of reference on a Microsoft to help businesses create marketing andvariety of topics, both within and outside the promotional content, and keep track of inventorycurriculum. and team members. The apps not only simplify business operations, but also help the weaversICT enablement ofweavers and artisanclustersIndia is home to more than 470 traditional, skill-based handloom clusters that offer the secondlargest employment opportunity in the country,after agriculture. However, these clusters areunable to sustain their livelihoods due totheir unorganized nature, dispersed structure,inadequate working capital, inadequateinfrastructure, poor institutional framework, lackof education among workers, and disassociationfrom modern technologies. Under MicrosoftPhilanthropies, we also try to revive of someof India’s fading and forgotten indigenoushandloom forms.Digikala: Integrated digitaldevelopment in Odisha30

Project ReWeave: Reviving • Established connections with NHDC depots to The inspiring story oftraditional handloom art source hank yarn, and with Veda Agrofarms for Saroja, a craftswomanforms in Telangana indigo dyes Saroja, 34, was born and brought up inWe started in April 2016 with five weaving • Convinced 10 cotton farmers to produce a traditional Banjara tribal family. As aclusters in the State of Telangana. Each cluster organic cotton for organic handloom weaving young girl, Saroja started picking up craftrepresents a distinct style or variation in the skills, and later, developed her needleworkprocess of weaving. We looked at the weavers’ • Secured bulk orders and orders for corporate skills as well. Under the Digikala project,lives and livelihoods, and identified problems gifting and event giveaways, in addition to Saroja received training in designthat needed to be resolved. traditional products development and insights on colour combinations. Saroja also trained inWe have partnered with Chaitanya Bharati, a • Provided quality assurance soft skills at the National Institute ofVishakhapatanam-based non-profit organization, Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises,to work towards building sustainable handloom- • Trained 10 banjara craftswomen and 125 Hyderabad. The trainings brought aboutbased livelihoods for the weavers in these clusters. women from slums in garment-making a remarkable improvement in Saroja’sThe scope of intervention includes counseling skills and business abilities. Today, Sarojathe weavers, conducting training workshops, • Connected weavers with end customers; is a seasoned craftswoman, sellingsecuring customer orders for them, repairing ensured they receive a fair price beautiful needlework blouses and kurtas,their looms, sourcing yarn and other raw material and earning INR 12,000 a month. She isfor them, and supporting them throughout the We seek to collaborate with the Government now gearing up to try and impart her skillsprocess. We have participated in four national in scaling up the program further and to 10 other women.exhibitions during the year, showcasing and implementing it in other clusters. We also intendselling their products. to leverage technology platforms for marketing 31 the products, and expand the distribution reachMicrosoft India is now setting up a technology to international markets.training center, where weavers can use designsoftware to create motifs and have an onlinesales presence. Microsoft is providing thefunding and machines for the center, while theGovernment of Telangana is providing 2,500square feet of space to set it up.The impact of the project,so far, has been as follows:• Worked with 25 weaving families, each representing three generations of weavers• Conducted two workshops on natural dyeing with participation from more than 50 artisans

Tech4Good continued engagement between technologists, Technology social innovators, and the NGO community, for SocialThe Tech4Good program is in line with Microsoft for greater efficiency in the use of technologyIndia’s commitment to working towards a digitally through: Goodinclusive society and ensuring that the benefitsof technology reach the underserved sections. • Trainings and webinarsUnder this program, Microsoft works with non-profits to provide them with greater access to • ToolkitsMicrosoft Cloud. It offers a single window for theirtechnology requirements: training, understand • O365 Deployment Centreand advice on IT requirements, softwaredonations, and mapping future technology needs • NGO Connection Days 2.0right up to adaption of advanced technologiesand trends. Since 2006, we have donated over Solutions: Support non-profits to createINR 4.35 billion in software products to non-profits technology that improves their communitiesto aid their community development initiatives. through:This includes access to Microsoft offerings andvolume discounts through Microsoft licensing • Generators, hackathons, and other eventsfor non-profits. The program is managed byMicrosoft India in partnership with NASSCOM • Technology for Social Good competitionsFoundation. There are mainly three parts to theprogram: Trained through workshops – 2800Software Donation: Help NGOs create maximum from 1600 NGOs impact through optimal implementation with a robust set of technology offerings: Number of NGOs supported: 600 • Cloud for non-profits Worth of s/w • Hardware discounts/donations donated: 450 crore • Strategic donations and grantsCurriculum Donation: Microsoft provides its Digital Literacy Curriculum to NGOs interested in imparting basic computer literacy to disadvantaged sections. Microsoft has invested towards localization of the curriculum into Hindi, Tamil, Gujarati and Malayalam in order to maximize reach and impact.Community and Capacity-building: Facilitate32

CASE STUDY - 1 CASE STUDY - 2 Our employees also have the opportunity to give back to the community by supporting a cause ofChild MISS Habitat for humanity their choice through a certain percentage of their pay. We recognize that even small contributionsChild MISS (Management Information System Habitat for Humanity works with low-income by employees can have a huge, positive impactand Services) is a comprehensive child tracking families to build homes, and to repair and on the lives of the underprivileged. There aresystem, developed with the intention of rehabilitate houses, in the belief that everyone three aspects to this program:creating a network that contributes to speed, should have a healthy, affordable place theyprocess, structure, knowledge, and services can call home. Microsoft India has provided • Cash contributions by employees throughfor the care, protection, and development of Habitat for Humanity with a customized Office payroll deductionvulnerable children through the intervention 365 package and a stabilized mail server, alongof NGOs and government bodies. It is the with its OneDrive and SharePoint platforms. • Microsoft Match program with annual limit ofresult of a collaboration between Don Bosco These products have enabled Habitat for INR 250,000 per employee in the EngineeringNational Forum for the Young at Risk and App Humanity to increase data storage, ensure team and 50,000 for all other employees.Point Software Solutions. The solution has website protection, and improve internalbeen hosted on the Microsoft Azure public operations and communication. • Employee Volunteering Policy of threecloud platform and granted USD 30,000 in working daysAzure credits to be used over three years. Employee GivingThis helps with scalability and backup, and During 2016–17, employees donated INR 29.5 millionincreases the efficiency and speed of access Microsoft employees are passionate about towards the funding of 140 NGOs as compared toto critical data. The cloud-based infrastructure offering monetary help to address important INR 23.1 million the previous year.also makes it extremely reliable, especially in issues facing our local communities, and thetimes of natural disasters, when incidences of world at large. It is part of our culture, and howmissing children are generally higher. we live our mission of empowering every person and every organization to achieve more.Find video stories here. Keeping this in mind, Microsoft India started the Employee Giving Campaign in 2000. It is, to date, the largest corporate giving program in the world. Our employees participate in the annual Giving Campaign, which is held every year during the month of October, and donate to a charity regularly. The funds raised through the Giving Campaign are equally matched by Microsoft before being handed over to trusted non-profits. 33

Giving back to the community is not just Furthermore, in a month-long engagement, an annual event at Microsoft. Microsoft’s the IT team volunteered at the Amar Jyothi longstanding commitment to philanthropy is Foundation in Delhi, training two students with evident in the efforts to support education disabilities to compete at an IT Challenge based of young children from Lotus Petal on Microsoft’s Office suite and MIT Scratch, hosted Foundation School in Gurgaon. A BPO team in China. Both participants, Nishtha and Punyat, has been volunteering every Wednesday bagged the 2nd position in the Scratch challenge since March 2016 to conduct support and a gold and silver medal, respectively, in the classes and weekly engagement sessions to individual office suite challenges. enhance communication skills of students.34

Water Sanitation & to bring about a positive behavioral change in matters of hand-washing and menstrual hygiene,Hygiene (WASH) their families to lead a healthier lifestyle. environmental hygiene, and open defecation. Microsoft is supporting the construction ofSanitation4Education Bhagavatula Charitable Trust collected data separate latrine blocks in all the schools for girl such as school strength with gender bifurcation, students. Water tanks are being installed toSanitation for Education’ was launched in existing water facilities, the condition of urinal provide clean, hygienic water for drinking andpartnership with Charities Aid Foundation and toilet facilities, and data related to personal cooking purposes.to ensure the functioning and maintenance and menstrual hygiene practices of girl students. The project has impacted 8,461 students to date –of facilities for sanitation and hygiene in Sanitation drives were conducted in all these 3,764 girls and 4,787 boys.every school in India. Microsoft contributed schools with active participation of students,INR 14 million to this program, which will teachers, and community members. School-level 35benefit nearly 30,000 students from 42 schools trainings were conducted to increase awareness inacross three states in India. The objective isto provide young children, especially girls,with access to sanitation facilities, and engagerelevant stakeholders to build capacities forthe sustainability of the program. Sanitationfor Education is aligned with the government’s‘Swachh Bharat Swachh Vidyalaya’ initiative.Water and sanitation project:Bhagavatula charitable trustMicrosoft has collaborated with theBhagavatula Charitable Trust to addressproblems related to water disposal andsanitary practices in high schools in the tribalareas of Visakhapatnam district. The lack ofsanitation facilities there is one of the mainreason for girl children dropping out fromschool. Also, the water facility in cookingareas is also an issue in several places.To help address these issues, we haveextended support to 25 high schools in thedistrict to provide access to clean water fordrinking and cooking purposes, and water fortoilets. The project aims to improve personalhygiene among students, and inspire them

OUR PEOPLE Compensation and benefits Programs for employees Employee wellness and safety Culture of appreciation Diversity and inclusion3©6Microsoft 2017

The Microsoft Compensation Programs forCulture and benefits employeesOur people are our biggest strength. We Our compensation and benefits policy is Mindful of the holistic well-being of everyone atprovide them opportunities to grow, both at a instrumental in our efforts to attract and retain Microsoft India, we organize events and activitiesprofessional and a personal level, and help them the best talent in the industry. The policy is round the year to keep up the levels of vitalityrealize their potential. We work to create a culture based on the idea of ‘Pay for Performance’, which and excitement in our offices. Some of these arethat inspires everyone to seek meaning and pride enables meaningful reward differentiation based listed below:in their work, and give their best to their job and on impact and team results.to their community. Our culture is centered around • Confluence: Started in 2008, Confluencedelighting our customers, experimenting with new Microsoft employees are eligible for a is Microsoft India’s signature diversity andideas, failing fast and learning from our failures to combination of rewards comprising base inclusion conference that brings togetherbuild innovative products. pay, performance bonus, stock awards, and employees on a single platform to listen and benefits. We offer several benefits such as learn from company’s leadership and externalThe Microsoft culture is manifested child care, tuition assistance, vehicle lease and inspirational personalities, and participate inthrough three distinct areas: relocation, which an employee can opt for, collaborative learning events. Focused on the should the need arise. three pillars of diversity – abilities, gender and• Customer-obsession: We are passionate about generational, the forum focuses on expanding helping our customers achieve more. We listen to Our policy covers not just monetary aspects, inclusive practices, and the opportunities and them, and learn from them. We deliver solutions but is designed to support our employees challenges faced by different employee groups. that don’t just meet business needs, but often non-monetary needs. We believe that happy surprise and delight our customers. employees are productive employees. By • Bring Your Child to Work: welcome our offering flexible work timings, teleworking, and employees’ children into our office for a day of• Diversity and Inclusion: Microsoft is a place the option of working from home, we encourage fun and learning where employees can be who they are. We value employees to find a healthy work-life balance. diverse perspectives. As a result, we have better • Management Excellence Community: a peer- ideas, better products, and happier customers. We have doubled the maternity leave for women driven community of managers who learn and employees to six months in February 2016 prior share best management practices from each• One Microsoft: We are a family of individuals to legislation. Additionally, they can opt for other at a truly global company, united by a single unpaid leave of up to three months, and enjoy mission. We work together, build on each other’s flexible work hours for up to two years. We also • Garage: an initiative to encourage employees to ideas, and collaborate across boundaries to appreciate the fact that fathers need to spend hone their creative side bring the best of Microsoft to our customers and time with their newly born babies and all male to the world. employees can avail six weeks of paternity leave. • The ‘Guardian’ app: aimed at promoting women The same leave entitlements apply to those who safetyWe believe in building and sustaining adopt a child or who choose to have a child viarelationships with our people, and this reflects surrogacy. In April 2017, we announced a new We also support Employee Resource Groupsin everything we do, right from recruitment to Family Caregiver Leave which entitles every and Employee Networks, which provide culturalprofessional and personal support. We go the employee to 4 weeks of paid leave every year awareness and social networking opportunities,extra mile to ensure the comfort and well-being at full pay to take care of an immediate family and are linked to the overall business goals ofof our employees while they scale new heights. member with a serious health condition. the organization. One of the largest employee 37

resource groups is Women@Microsoft, which service, equips our employees to meet life’s Springboardstrives to develop and support female employees challenges in a mature and balanced manner.at Microsoft through opportunities such as global Professional counselors from Microsoft CARES Our Springboard program helps womenconferences, networking events, and mentoring. assist them with developing coping skills to help make an easy transition back into theThese members voluntarily serve as internal them maintain an emotional balance. corporate world, post a sabbatical, withresources to ensure that diverse perspectives are the flexibility to choose the duration andincluded in business operations, marketing, and Culture of even the work hours, giving ensuring anproduct development activities. appreciation easy rerturn to workEmployee wellness We understand that even small acts of appreciation Codessand safety help in keeping employees motivated and letting them know that their hard work is truly valued. Through Codess, we engage with our localWe believe in inculcating a culture of wellness We have initiatives like Wall of Fame and Send a communities to promote gender diversityamong our employees. Our comprehensive Kudos, which help to maintain a healthy culture in the field of engineering. The programinsurance policy offers nine different options that of appreciation. focuses on empowering, educating, andcover employees and their families – employees celebrating a community of womencan choose the plan that suits them best. Not Diversity and coders, who are interested in shaping theonly does our Benefits Policy include insurance inclusion technology innovations of the future. Itcover but we also encourage our employees to offers them a platform to network withproactively care for their health and stay fit. We seek to be open to recognizing our own each other, share personal and professional biases and changing our behaviors so that we experiences, and learn from their sharedWe cover OPD, dental and vision expenses as well can tap into the collective power of everyone. We knowledge. Young women coders in Indiaas executive health checks for every employee and don’t just value differences; we seek them out, were introduced to this initiative in 2016their dependents. In addition to this, we sponsor and invite them in. Our diversity emerges from through Microsoft India. This year, Codessand organize on-site diagnostic and doctor our unique experiences and skill sets. has received more than 1200 applicationsconsultations camps at our offices. from over 40 colleges across the country.Through our wellness brand—LiveWell365—wefocus on building awareness. From webinars ondifferent health aspects to quarterly newslettersand programs. Employees can access theLiveWell365 wellness portal serves as a single-point destination for everything related towellness. In 2016, we moved from broad-basedprograms and general awareness, to targetedwellness initiatives establishing programsspecifically for diabetes management, weight lossand cholesterol management.Microsoft CARES, a confidential counselling38

ElevateElevate is a reverse mentoring programat Microsoft that leverages the power ofgenerational diversity amongst our teams.It aims to connect leaders with millennials,enabling learning for our current aswell as our future leaders. The millennialmentors share their perspectives, thoughtsand ideas in 1:1 sessions with the leadermentees. The leaders gain from anobjective view of ground realities andfresh perspectives, while our mentors getthe opportunity to also learn from theexperiences of these senior leaders. InFY 2017 Elevate was conducted across 4cities during Confluence week, it receivedencouraging feedback. 16 senior One IndiaLT members had 1:1 reverse mentoringsessions with 16 diverse employees, onskills of leader’s choice (such as howmillennials view careers). 39

WORKING RESPONSIBLY Human rights Ethics and standard of business conduct Privacy and data security Sourcing from indirect suppliers Environmental sustainability©40Microsoft 2017

Our long-standing commitment to being agencies, and government officials. Microsoft’s for responsible business practices, and for howresponsible in everything we do reflects in our Standards of Business Conduct are the they treat the people who work for them. Clickrespect for our stakeholders in the ecosystem foundation of our commitment to engage with here to know more about our sourcing practices.we operate in. We have a wide range of policies, all these groups in a respectful, ethical manner, inpractices, and programs pertaining to human compliance with all legal requirements. Click here Environmentalrights, ethical business conduct, data privacy and to know more about our ethics and standards of sustainabilitysecurity, and environmental sustainability. We business conduct.adhere not only to our global policies, but to the Commitment to environmental sustainabilitylaws of the land, and its anti-corruption policies. Privacy and data underlines every aspect of our company. We security believe that technology can empower peopleHuman rights and organizations to achieve a more sustainable We set stringent privacy standards and adhere future. We apply technology to minimize theMicrosoft respects human rights, and takes to them. We have developed industry-leading environmental impact of our business operationsall necessary measures to protect them – a privacy policies, compliance programs, and and our products. Microsoft India’s commitmentfact that is reflected in the way we do our security measures, which we apply across our cloud to environmental sustainability is articulatedbusiness. We work with some of the world’s computing ecosystem. We strive to be transparent in our environmental principles and climateleading human rights organizations to apply in our privacy practices, offer meaningful privacy change policy statement. We invest in programstechnology for the advancement of human choices, and responsibly manage the data that we – involving facilities, commuting, recycling waste,rights, and we expect employees, partners, store and process. and more – that reduce environmental impactsuppliers, customers, and governments to across our business operations. The entireshare our commitment in this regard. It is extremely important for us to ensure data company, including our data centers, has been security for our customers. Our cybercrime experts carbon-neutral since 2013.We respect the rights of our employees focus on two areas: fighting malware and reducingin accordance with the ILO Declaration on risk, and protecting the vulnerable population LEED gold certificationFundamental Principles and Rights at Work. - especially the young and the elderly. As partOur policies, including the Equal Employment of this mission, we have set up a Cybersecurity The Hyderabad Real Estate and Facilities (RE&F)Opportunity Policy, the Anti-Discrimination Engagement Center in New Delhi, which is part of team has achieved the Leadership in Energy andand Harassment Policy, and our Standards of a global network of eight centers. Environmental Design (LEED®) Gold certificationBusiness Conduct, incorporate this protection. for three buildings on our Hyderabad campus, after Sourcing from two years of working with the U.S. Green BuildingEthics and standard indirect suppliers Council. The LEED Gold certification—a greenof business conduct building certification program that recognizes We screen our indirect suppliers on an ongoing best-in-class building strategies and practices—Trust is paramount to realizing our mission of basis against 23 different ethical, social, and is an example of the RE&F team’s commitmentempowering every person and every organization environmental risks by country and by commodity to sustainability. The Hyderabad campus hasto achieve more. We build trust by making category, and apply assurance requirements for also been recognized for its landscape, havingethical choices, and acting with integrity in our suppliers that pose the highest risk. We strive to bagged the first prize at the Garden Festival 2016dealings with customers, partners, competitors, ensure that our suppliers uphold high standards organized by the Department of Horticulture,shareholders, suppliers, representatives, regulatory Government of Telangana, twice in a row. 41

Water conservation and Waste management Water conservationwaste management • Zero Waste discharge status • Automated Centrifuge System that treatsOur Real Estate and Facilities (RE&F) team 20,000 liters of waste water in an hourimplements waste minimization programs • 670 kg of plastic and 600 kg of thermocolsuch as office supply reuse, recycling, and recycled every quarter • 63,774 KL of waste water treatedcomposting. Although our operations are notwater-intensive, we promote water conservation • More than 14.7 tons of paper waste • 30 million liter capacity reservoir to storemeasures at our facilities. The RE&F team has recycled every 90 days rainwater for the irrigation of 20 acres ofintroduced several water conservation initiatives landscaped gardensat our Hyderabad campus including rainwater • Approximately 4 tons of gypsum land filledharvesting, sensor-based taps, aerators for taps, every quarter • Low-flow fixtures and sensor-based urinalseffective recycling, reusing water to maintain our installed in toilets save up to 20 percent ofgreen cover, and storing water for contingency • 84 tons of metal waste recycled annually water consumption (approximately 2,000to avoid business impact. KL/month) • Construction waste recycled to build other facilities, such as a parking bay, within • Dawn and dusk watering practices to campus reduce wastage by water evaporation • Reduced carbon footprint through usage of up to 66 percent of regionally sourced construction material - steel, cement, fly ash blocks, sand, granite, tiles, and aluminum42

Energy efficiency measures Sustainability initiatives by employeesWe have implemented several energy efficiencymeasures at our Hyderabad campus, which has We believe that each one of us is responsible forresulted in power-saving of 17,52,270 units over a sustainability. Our employees engage in plantingspan of one year. These measures include: saplings every year on World Environment Day. We also participate in Earth Hour by turning off non-• Installation of efficient water-cooled chillers essential lights for one hour. Our Hyderabad campus instead of air-cooled chillers, which reduce boasts of 40 percent landscape area with indigenous energy load by approximately 10 percent plant species, many of which are contributed by our employees. The Campus also actively participates in• High-performance design envelops to reduce sustainability activities during the World Earth Day, heat and light coming into the building (solar wherein this year, approximately 100 kg of eWaste heat gain coefficient 0.25) was collected from employee contributors, for onward disposal.• Visible light transmittance of more than 30 percent, maximizing passage of natural light, Contribution and collaboration are the cornerstones by using double-glazed façade glass of Microsoft’s sustainability initiatives, and we work with Governments, policymakers, and NGOs to• Installation of motion sensors in all conference address key environmental issues that affect our rooms, boardrooms, and workspaces to reduce business, employees, and the communities we electricity wastage serve. We continue to drive policy development and research with a wide range of diverse groups to• Installation of energy and water meters achieve a more sustainable future. 43