Volkswagen India breaks ground at drought-affected

Naiphad village for constructing water bunds

Volkswagen India commits INR 51 lakhs towards CSR project in droughtaffected village of Naiphad in Khed district, close to its Pune Plant
The construction of new water bunds and repairs undertaken will increase
water reserves by 100,000 meter cube
The project undertaken by Volkswagen India will address the needs of over
500 families of the village

Pune, May 26, 2015: Volkswagen India initiated a CSR project at Naiphad village in
Khed district by conducting the ground-breaking ceremony for construction of water
bunds. The INR 51 lakh-project will contribute to the Government of Maharashtras
Jalyukt Shivar Abhiyan, which aims to make Maharashtra drought-free by 2019.
Volkswagen India Private Limited strengthened its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)
activities by commencing a new project for improving water reserves at a droughtaffected village in Khed district. Naiphad, located close to Bhimashankar, is the second
village at which Volkswagen India has undertaken a project to overcome water scarcity.
With this, Volkswagen continues its global tradition of supporting social projects in the
region around its production facilities.
A lot of villages in Maharashtra are facing water scarcity which affects not only the
agricultural activities but also the daily life of the villagers. Through our efforts of
increasing the water reserves in Naiphad, we expect to improve the living conditions in
the village in a sustainable manner, said Mr. Peter Raussendorf, Executive Director HR
& Admin at the ground-breaking ceremony.
As a responsible corporate, Volkswagen India focusses on giving back to the society
through activities which help the needy to overcome their daily challenges in life. The
project undertaken at Naiphad would include constructing two new water bunds, desilting of lakes and water streams as well as repairing old structures on the water stream.
Consequently, these activities will result in raising the ground water table, better retention
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of water for agriculture and domestic use, better channelizing of rain waiter in main
stream and a sustainable improvement in the water level in the wells.
Our project at Naiphad village will increase the water conservation by over 100,000
meter cube which is almost 50% more than what the existing structures offer which will
bring the total capacity to over 300,000 meter cube. The additional retention of water
will address over 75% requirement of drinking water for the entire population of the
drought-affected village, added Mr. Raussendorf.
This village was recommended, from a total of 15 shortlisted options, by officials from
Government of Maharashtra under its project Jalyukt Shivar Abhiyan. Volkswagen
India had done a similar project at Gulani, Khed which improved the water situation in
the village. The efforts were widely appreciated by Government of Maharashtra.
Additionally, Volkswagen India has undertaken other CSR activities in the past such as
H1N1 vaccination to over 1500 school children, supporting Inter-Mission Industrial
Development Community College in Chakan with sponsorship, donating an ambulance to
the Red Cross, building an additional block at Zilla Parishad School in Nighoje and a
donating a bus to the Inter Mission Care and Rehabilitation Society in Paud.
About Volkswagen Group India: With its headquarters in Pune, Maharashtra, the Volkswagen Group is

represented by five passenger car brands in India: Audi, Lamborghini, Porsche, KODA, and Volkswagen.
The Volkswagen Group has been present in India for the last 14 years and began its India journey with the
entry of the KODA brand in 2001. The Audi brand and Volkswagen brand entered India in 2007, while
Porsche brand and Lamborghini brand followed in 2012. Each brand has its own character and operates
as an independent entity in the market. Volkswagen Group India has over 25 models in India and over
240 dealerships and is operating through two plants Pune and Aurangabad. The Pune Plant has a
manufacturing capacity of 130,000 cars per year (in current two-shift system) and is currently
manufacturing Volkswagen Polo and Vento and KODA Rapid. The Aurangabad Plant caters to various
premium and luxury models of Audi, KODA and Volkswagen sold in India and has an annual capacity of
approximately 89,000. Volkswagen Group India is a part of Volkswagen AG, which is globally
represented by 12 brands - Audi, Bentley, Bugatti, Ducati, Lamborghini, Porsche, Scania, SEAT, KODA,
Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles (Volkswagen Nutzfahrzeuge), MAN and Volkswagen Passenger Cars.

Volkswagen Group India Communications

Contact: Hermann Prax / Adhish Alawani
Phone: +91-8554997356 / +91-7875557435
E-Mail: hermann.prax@volkswagen.co.in / adhish.alawani@volkswagen.co.in
6-Degrees PR
Contact: Naina Shetty / Nanditha Harnath
Phone: +91 9819703379/ +91 9619855092
E-mail: nainas@sixdegreespr.co.in, nandithah@sixdegreespr.co.in
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