1. Home
  2. Press Release
  3. Feb. 10, 2009

Posted on Feb. 10, 2009

NDTV - TOYOTA GREENATHON: INDIA'S FIRST EVER 24 HOUR LIVE TELEVISION

  • Toyota reiterates its commitment towards a greener tomorrow
  • 24 hours of nonstop television dedicated to creating awareness about environmental issues
  • Rs. 2.40 crores of donations will light up 80 villages with solar powered lanterns

Bangalore, February 10, 2009: NDTV, in association with Toyota Kirloskar Motor (TKM), telecast a first of its kind 24-hour nonstop programming - THE NDTV - TOYOTA GREENATHON - urging Indian citizens to take a pledge towards a greener tomorrow.

The NDTV - Toyota Greenathon was inaugurated by Dr. R.K. Pachauri, Nobel Prize winner, Chairman of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and Director-General of The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) on the banks of the Yamuna river.

Sharing his views on The NDTV - Toyota Greenathon, Mr. Hiroshi Nakagawa, Managing Director, TKM, said, "At Toyota every issue that concerns the environment is our concern. As part of our CSR programme in India, TKM has various ongoing activities that create awareness amongst the local community about the benefits of a greener tomorrow. The "Open Up Tomorrow, Today" campaign in collaboration with NDTV is one such major initiative and we are privileged to be associated with it."

Speaking about the campaign, Dr. Prannoy Roy, Chairman, NDTV, said, "I am deeply touched by the success of this 24 hr campaign. Almost a year back when we started the campaign with the support of Toyota, our objective was to spread the message of a greener tomorrow, to save our planet Earth. On seeing the response from all parts of India, we believe we have managed to begin a real movement which must be carried forward. The campaign's success has created tremendous awareness and hope for the cause of cleaner environment."

Added Mr. Nakagawa, "TKM's new automobile manufacturing plant in Bidadi, Karnataka, will be the most environmentally friendly in India and will set the benchmark for future facilities in the country."

Actor Shilpa Shetty adopted 4 villages and set the momentum to be the first donor followed by Shahrukh Khan and the Billu Team who adopted 5 villages. Akshay Kumar's son- Aarav became the youngest donor of the campaign by adopting a village. Mr.Lalit Modi adopted the largest village without lights while actor Vivek Oberoi who also sponsored one village, pledged to continue the good deed every year. Also stepping forward were Sanjay Dutt and family who adopted 2 villages; cricketer Yuvraj Singh; campaign ambassador Preity Zinta; Preity's mother; actor Arjun Rampal and Nina Pillai, amongst others.

The NDTV - Toyota Greenathon started across the NDTV network on February 7, 2009 at 7.00 pm. A host of events were organized throughout the country as a part of the Greenathon:

  • Cleaning up the Yamuna - The NDTV-Toyota Environment Campaign in partnership with an NGO Swechha held the first ever 24-hour Yamuna clean-up drive on the 7th and 8th Feb '09. In an effort to bring the cause of the Yamuna to the minds of citizens and the government, people from all walks of life including activist Nafisa Ali, designer Rina Dhaka, etc. along with huge numbers of school children joined hands to leave a visibly cleaner Yamuna. This activity also witnessed active participation by TKM top management, including MD Hiroshi Nakagawa and EMC Koji Nagata, who joined the crowd at the banks of the Yamuna to contribute to the clean-up drive.
  • Rock Concert at the Yamuna - Performances by some of the best known Indian rock bands like Parikrama, Mrigya, Soulmate, Menwhopause and Advaita amongst others, at the venue of the Yamuna, created a charming backdrop to the Yamuna cleaning drive.
  • Mumbai City clean up drive - The campaign's brand ambassador Preity Zinta swept the Mumbai city clean in an effort to leave it free from plastic.
  • Marathon Man - Model, actor and our Marathon Man Milind Soman ran for 24 hours supporting our cause of saving the environment. Starting at 8:15 pm from Yashraj Studios, Mumbai on 7th Feb '09, Milind ran for 60 km in 24 hours and raised INR 30,00,000 for the cause.

Some of the special programmes on environment will were showcased were:

  • A musical extravaganza where some of India's most popular film stars - Bipasha Basu, Govinda, Madhuri Dixit, Dia Mirza, Arshad Warsi performed with Shiamak Davar's troupe. Some of the country's talented singers- Sunidhi Chauhan, Shaan, Kailash Kher, Sukhwinder Singh performed at this event.
  • Children of the Environment Films - Short documentary films on children affected by climate changes and environmental degradation were be telecast throughout the 7th and 8th of Feb '09.
  • Spoofs - NDTV's puppet team showcased a series of spoofs on environmental issues and current affairs.
  • Green Gadget Hour - Rajeev Makhni took the viewers through some of the trendy new gadgets which are environmentally friendly at 12 noon 8th Feb 09.
  • Organic Food - NDTV's food connoisseur Seema Chandra along with Ritu Dalmia shared tips on organic and healthy food that leaves the least carbon footprint.
  • Morning Raga Session - A one-hour session of classical morning ragas with Ustaad Amjad Ali Khan and Hari Prasad Chaurasia took viewers closer to nature, on 8th Feb '09 at 7am.

About TKM's CSR campaigns:

TKM has invested approximately Rs.52.6 crores in its CSR initiatives over the last ten years and has undertaken various initiatives, some of which are:

  • The Toyota Safety Education Programme (TSEP) - started in July 2007 in Bangalore was aimed at creating awareness about traffic safety among children and 20 schools and 20,000 students initially participated. In July 2008, it was launched nationally in Delhi and the programme will target 1,00,000 students across five cities. The investment for this project has been Rs 7.3 crores to date.
  • The Toyota Technical Education Programme (TTEP) - launched in 2006, is aimed at enhancing the skill sets and employability of students of the Industrial Training Institute (ITI) in the 15-18 years age group. TTEP aims to support the ITI's in the country to develop highly skilled young talented technicians for the automotive industry and thus improve their productivity. In 2007-08, 350 students graduated from the TTEP programme where Toyota dealers employed 220 students and the rest were employed by allied industries. They have tied up with 14 institutes/ schools. The total investment for this project will be Rs 4.3 crores by the year 2009.
  • The Toyota Technical Training Institute (TTTI) - launched in August 2007 is an initiative to prepare industry-ready technicians and to provide free training & education to intelligent but financially poor students from rural areas and make them employable. It is the first training school to be established outside Japan with a three-year course with practical training at the TKM plant. The students are also given a stipend between Rs.1800 -Rs. 2220 together with a fellowship of Rs.7000- Rs.9000 on securing good percentages in the exam. Rs. 30 crores has been invested in the TTTI as on date.

For more information about The NDTV - Toyota Greenathon campaign please visit http://green.ndtv.com/greenathon.aspx