From building warships for the Indian Navy to helping young tribal girls build sporting careers, Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers Ltd. (GRSE) is taking its social responsibility efforts beyond the shipyard.
GRSE’s CSR initiative ‘Hockey for Her’ has won the CSR Times Award 2026, recognising the company’s efforts to empower underprivileged tribal adolescent girls through sports and promote inclusive community development.
The award was presented at the 13th National CSR & ESG Summit & Awards 2026, held at Le Meridien, New Delhi. Organised by CSR Times, the summit was themed “Role of Responsible Businesses for Inclusive Bharat” and brought together policymakers, industry leaders, CSR professionals and corporate representatives.
From Shipping to Hockey
The ‘Hockey for Her’ initiative is being implemented by GRSE in partnership with Child Rights & You (CRY) in Khunti district of Jharkhand. The programme uses hockey as a platform not only for sporting development but also for building confidence, skills and opportunities among girls from underprivileged tribal communities.
More than 100 young athletes are currently benefiting from the programme. Participants receive professional hockey training along with sports kits, nutritional support, periodic medical check-ups and life-skills development.
The initiative is also beginning to create a pathway for talented players to progress into competitive hockey. Several participants have competed in district-level championships, while some have secured selection to the Khunti Hockey Federation and the Centre of Excellence (CoE), Khunti.
For GRSE, the recognition highlights how a public sector enterprise traditionally associated with shipbuilding can create social impact far beyond its core industrial operations.
Creating Opportunities Through Sport
The programme seeks to address multiple challenges faced by underprivileged tribal adolescent girls by combining sports training with health, nutrition and life-skills support.
By providing access to structured coaching and sporting infrastructure, ‘Hockey for Her’ aims to help participants develop their abilities while opening opportunities to compete at higher levels.
The progress of several young players into district-level competitions and institutional hockey programmes demonstrates the potential of the initiative to create a longer-term sporting pathway for girls from the region.
GRSE’s Wider CSR Commitment
The CSR Times Award is also a recognition of GRSE’s broader focus on using its CSR programmes to contribute to socio-economic development.
GRSE, a Navratna Defence Public Sector Undertaking under the Ministry of Defence, has a history stretching back to 1884. The company was taken over by the Government of India in 1960 and has since evolved into one of India’s leading defence shipbuilders.
The company has built more than 800 platforms, including 118 warships for the Indian Navy, Indian Coast Guard and friendly foreign countries, according to the company.
While shipbuilding remains at the heart of GRSE’s operations, initiatives such as ‘Hockey for Her’ illustrate another dimension of the organisation — using its CSR efforts to support communities and create opportunities for young people.
The CSR Times Award 2026 therefore represents more than another corporate accolade for GRSE. It puts the spotlight on an initiative where hockey is being used as a vehicle for empowerment, helping tribal girls in Jharkhand move from the margins of opportunity towards competitive sport and greater possibilities for their future.
