At ChangeinContent, we have said it before, again and again, through our articles, that women’s empowerment and sustainability are not two separate lanes. They move together because women have always practised sustainable living. Yet they are the ones who face the harshest blows of the climate crisis. The problem has always been the policies and environmental programs that excluded them. However, a new initiative is taking a different route. Project Malar by Renault Nissan is more than a CSR initiative, but a movement.
As conversations around gender equity and climate resilience take centre stage, this project reminds us that actual progress is not achieved in silos. The combination of women-led entrepreneurship and clean transportation can drive India’s urban future forward—one E-Auto at a time.
Project Malar, an initiative launched by RNTBCI (Renault Nissan Technology & Business Centre India), shows that we can achieve women’s empowerment through sustainable and community-driven initiatives.
Project Malar empowers 20 women with E-autos
RNTBCI, based in Chennai, supports the global operations of the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance. Known for its focus on electric vehicles, connected mobility, and digital innovation, the company plays a significant role in engineering future transport. RNTBCI is turning its expertise into action by supporting grassroots initiatives that support women’s empowerment and sustainable livelihoods.
Under its CSR program ‘Our Neighbourhood,’ RNTBCI launched Project Malar to help women become self-reliant through green mobility. The word “Malar” means “bloom” in Tamil. It reflects the project’s aim of supporting growth, confidence, and opportunity for 20 women from Chennai and Chengalpattu. The women were selected after a thorough screening process that included application reviews, personal statements, and local engagement.
Through this initiative, RNTBCI is offering a complete support system. Each woman receives skills training, mentorship, and tools to manage a small business of her own.
Project Malar by Renault Nissan: A full development program
The women undergo in-depth training in several areas. It includes road safety, customer interaction, budgeting, navigation, cybersecurity awareness, financial literacy, and local marketing. The sessions aim to build practical skills that help run their E-Auto services as self-reliant entrepreneurs.
Once they complete their training and receive licenses, each woman will be handed an electric auto-rickshaw (E-Auto). For the next 18 months, the women will continue to receive mentoring, guidance in managing earnings, and financial advice. The goal is to help each participant earn at least ₹16,000 per month.
To build long-term financial discipline, the women will open bank accounts with UPI access and save ₹1,500 every month. These efforts promote savings, planning, and confidence in handling money, which are essential for financial stability.
Women as local changemakers
Project Malar’s key focus is promoting cleaner, quieter cities through women. By giving women E-Autos, the project also supports green mobility. Electric vehicles reduce air and noise pollution, especially in crowded areas where public transport struggles to keep up.
This ties in with RNTBCI’s broader mission of making urban mobility more sustainable. The use of E-Autos reflects their commitment to cleaner transport options while placing women at the centre of this shift.
The company believes that sustainable policies include everyone. “Through Project Malar, we’re giving 20 women the training, resources, and electric vehicles they need to lead as local entrepreneurs,” said Debashis Neogi, Managing Director at RNTBCI. “It’s a step forward in building sustainable and self-reliant communities.”
District Collector of Chengalpattu, Sneha D, also praised the effort. She called Project Malar a thoughtful and meaningful move to support women’s economic growth.
Building a stronger tech workforce for women
RNTBCI has not limited its support for women to mobility alone. It has made consistent efforts to create a more inclusive workplace in the tech industry. The company was recently named one of the ‘Best Firms for Diversity & Inclusion in Tech for 2025’ by The Rising, powered by Analytics India Magazine.
Through its ISIT-Women in Tech forum, launched in 2022, RNTBCI continues to invest in women professionals. The forum offers mentorship, onboarding programs tailored for women, and quarterly networking opportunities. One highlight was the all-women hackathon #SheCodes, held in February 2024, which attracted over 180 participants. Women pitched more than 60 ideas in areas like AI, code quality, and customer experience.
Additionally, 25 women tech professionals received coaching in cloud technologies and earned Google Cloud certifications. These efforts show the company’s commitment to supporting women leaders across multiple fields.
RNTBCI has received recognition for building a supportive workplace for women. It was listed among the 100 Best Companies for Women in India in 2022 by the AVTAR Group and Seramount. More than 300 companies from different sectors took part in the evaluation, and RNTBCI ranked among the top 100. It marks the fifth year in a row that the company earned this distinction.
The final thoughts on Project Malar by Renault Nissan
Project Malar may be small in number, but not in vision. It proves how inclusion, sustainability, and local women entrepreneurship can work as well as grow together. By providing electric vehicles, the initiative supports women-led transport services while also helping reduce air and noise pollution in high-traffic urban areas. Programs like Project Malar should not remain limited to select regions or small pilot groups. They must become models for how local governments, companies, and communities can close the inclusion gap in sustainability.
Changeincontent Perspective
At Changeincontent, we believe the future of sustainability is incomplete without gender inclusion. Project Malar by Renault Nissan shows that meaningful change happens when corporate responsibility is rooted in community empowerment. As the climate crisis grows, we need more initiatives that treat women not just as beneficiaries but as leaders of the green revolution.
Also Read: Women empowerment at Vedanta: 21% women in the workforce, 28% in leadership, targets 30% by 2030.
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are based on the writer’s insights, supported by data and resources available both online and offline, as applicable. Changeincontent.com is committed to promoting inclusivity across all forms of content. We broadly define inclusivity as media, policies, law, and history. It encompasses all elements that influence the lives of women and marginalised individuals. Our goal is to promote understanding and advocate for comprehensive inclusivity.
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