HCLFoundation to strengthen grassroots sports ecosystem in Nagpur

Page Publish Date
5 min. read
Page Publish Date
5 min. read

MoU signed with Nagpur Municipal Corporation to expand sporting opportunities for students, underserved children in Nagpur

Nagpur, India, June 24, 2026: HCLFoundation, which drives the corporate social responsibility agenda of HCLTech in India, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) to strengthen the grassroots sports ecosystem in Nagpur under its Sports for Change special initiative. The MoU was signed on World Olympic Day on June 23.

As part of the collaboration, dedicated training programs will be conducted in fencing, rugby and archery at designated NMC sports facilities. The initiative will provide access to daily training opportunities for participants, with a strong focus on inclusion, ensuring that 80% of participants are students from NMC schools and 20% are underserved children from surrounding communities.

HCLFoundation will deploy trained sports professionals, including coaches, while both organizations will jointly support participant mobilization, training and performance development.

Ms. Neeta Thakre, Mayor, Nagpur Municipal Corporation, said, “Sports play an important role in shaping confident, healthy and resilient communities. Through this partnership with HCLFoundation, we are strengthening opportunities for children and youth across Nagpur to access quality coaching, sports infrastructure and structured training. We are confident that this collaboration will help identify and nurture emerging talent while fostering a stronger culture of sports participation across the city.”

“Sport has the unique ability to inspire, unite and transform lives. At HCLFoundation, we believe that every child, regardless of their socio-economic background, deserves the opportunity to learn, grow and thrive through sports. This partnership with Nagpur Municipal Corporation reflects a shared commitment to strengthening grassroots sports ecosystems and creating pathways for young people to access quality sporting opportunities. By combining infrastructure, expertise and community engagement, we aim to foster an environment where talent can be identified early, nurtured consistently and encouraged to dream bigger,” said Dr. Nidhi Pundhir, SVP, Global CSR, HCLTech and Director, HCLFoundation.

HCLFoundation's Sports for Change initiative harnesses the transformative power of sports to foster inclusion, leadership, confidence, resilience and holistic development among children and youth from underserved communities. Since its inception, the initiative has reached more than 74,000 children and youth across India through grassroots sports programs. More than 22,000 young athletes have participated in Sports for Change national tournaments, while over 160 sports scholarships have been awarded to support excellence in sports through coaching, sports equipment, nutrition and access to training facilities.

The partnership with Nagpur Municipal Corporation marks another step in HCLFoundation's ongoing efforts to strengthen local sports ecosystems and create equitable opportunities for children and youth to learn, play and thrive through sports.

About HCLFoundation

HCLFoundation delivers the corporate social responsibility agenda of HCLTech in India. The Foundation contributes to national and international development goals by investing in long-term sustainable programs and special initiatives with thematic focus on education, nurturing grassroots sports, health and sanitation, skill development and livelihood, environment and disaster risk reduction and response management. To ensure equitable development, child protective strategies, inclusion and gender transformative approaches are at the core of all the programs of the Foundation. To date, the HCLFoundation has positively impacted over 8.5 million lives. To learn more, visit www.hclfoundation.org

About HCLTech

HCLTech is a global technology company, home to more than 227,000 people across 60 countries, delivering industry-leading capabilities centered around AI, digital, engineering, cloud and software, powered by a broad portfolio of technology services and products. We work with clients across all major verticals, providing industry solutions for Financial Services, Manufacturing, Life Sciences and Healthcare, Technology and Services, Semiconductor, Telecom and Media, Retail and CPG, Mobility and Public Services. Consolidated revenues as of 12 months ending March 2026 totaled $14.7 billion. To learn how we can supercharge progress for you, visit hcltech.com.

For further details, please contact:

Nitin Shukla, India 
nitin-shukla@hcltech.com 

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CSR HCL Foundation Press release HCLFoundation to strengthen grassroots sports ecosystem in Nagpur