Social and Economic Contribution of the BABINA Group

Corporate Social Responsibilities (CSR)

BABINA Group actively discharges its Corporate Social Responsibilities across many fronts to benefit the state’s people. The following are important CSR activities by the GROUP that have a positive impact on society:

Cervical Cancer Screening:

The Anjana Phukan Memorial Foundation, Guwahati, has launched an early cervical cancer detection program in Assam and Northeast India (ASMI project), with BABINA Diagnostics, Imphal, as the diagnostic partner. This initiative was conceived and initiated by Dr. Diganta Barua, an orthopaedic surgeon based in Guwahati, in loving memory of his wife, Mrs. Anjana Phukan, who passed away from cancer at a young age. The program is a tribute to her life and a commitment to prevent similar tragedies by promoting early detection and timely treatment of cervical cancer among women in the region.

BABINA Diagnostics, Imphal, plays a crucial role in the project by providing free laboratory support for cervical cancer screening, confirmatory testing, and standardised reporting, thereby ensuring accuracy, quality, and timely follow‑up of cases. The ongoing project has also been strongly supported by Mr. Ron Barua, whose continuous involvement and guidance have been instrumental in its successful implementation and expansion. Through this collaborative effort, the Anjana Phukan Memorial Foundation aims to increase awareness, improve access to screening, and ultimately reduce the burden of cervical cancer across Assam and Northeast India.

By June 2025, the ASMI project had provided over 5,000 women with free Pap tests and actively supported early cervical cancer diagnosis and prevention efforts. It remains an ongoing project.

Free from Hepatitis C project:

The Community Network for Empowerment (CoNE) is a non-government organisation (NGO) based in Imphal, Manipur, that mainly supports people who use drugs, especially those living with HIV and related conditions like Hepatitis C. CoNE helps connect individuals to health services, harm reduction strategies, and advocates for the community. As a community-led group, it collaborates with government programs, medical centres, and private labs to provide testing and links to treatment. The organisation also focuses on Hepatitis C by raising awareness, educating the public, holding sessions about risks from injecting drug use and unsafe medical practices, and promoting prevention, testing, and effective treatments. Community-Based Screening & Testing Linkages include identifying at-risk groups (e.g., people who inject drugs, those with HIV, their families) for antibody screening, then facilitating HCV RNA/viral load tests and coordinating diagnosis with labs and treatment centres.

Treatment Linkage & Support assist individuals in accessing government or private treatment, helps with documentation and follow-up, offers counselling on adherence and managing side effects, and provides advice on preventing reinfection. BABINA Diagnostics, a leading diagnostic chain based in Imphal, Manipur, offers a wide range of laboratory tests, including Hepatitis C tests such as HCV antibody, HCV RNA, and liver function tests (LFTs). Through its partnership with the CoNE, Babina Diagnostics plays a crucial role in improving access to Hepatitis C care for vulnerable communities. CoNE refers community members needing Hepatitis C testing directly to Babina Diagnostics branches. In some projects, these referrals may include negotiated or subsidised rates for specific tests, making essential diagnostics more affordable for those facing financial barriers. Some collaborative programmes aim to create a seamless process for individuals: starting with community outreach, followed by referrals for testing at Babina Diagnostics, efficient tracking of results, and subsequent linkage to appropriate treatment centres. This integrated approach reduces the risk of losing patients to follow-up and ensures that those who test positive for Hepatitis C can begin treatment promptly.

Within structured projects—such as those supported by donors or government initiatives—CoNE and Babina Diagnostics coordinate closely on data collection and reporting. This includes tracking the number of tests performed, identifying positive cases, and monitoring follow-up actions. Such collaboration is crucial for evaluating and strengthening the community’s overall response to Hepatitis C. Based on data collected during the camps and follow-up studies, analysis reports have been published in international journals. “Outcomes of a community-led comprehensive HCV and HBV care provision model, including same-day HCV test and treat to facilitate micro-elimination of HCV among PLHIV & PWID in Manipur, India” was a study that was presented at an international conference and later published.

BABINA Diagnostics and HIV/AIDS Initiatives:

Manipur Network of Positive People (MNP+), an NGO based in Imphal, prioritises effective community engagement and involvement. The team is committed to making essential prevention, treatment, care, aftercare and support services for PLHIVs (People Living With HIV) and MARPs (Most-at-risk Populations) in which all persons living with and affected by HIV/AIDS enjoy equal rights and dignity. MNP+ formulate and implements people-friendly laws, policies and programmes to facilitate accountable governance. BABINA Diagnostics partnered with the MNP+ to work towards an HIV-free Manipur and provided services, predominantly essential laboratory testing for affected people at a subsidised rate or, as required, free of cost.

BABINA Group and COVID-19

To support the Government’s drive against COVID-19 by vaccination of the eligible population, BABINA Diagnostics, AOI- BABINA Speciality Hospital, conducted free vaccination. A total of three thousand people were vaccinated by July 2021. Additionally, BABINA Diagnostics collaborated with the Institute of Bioresource Development (IBSD), Imphal, on SARS-CoV-2 genome sequencing by providing positive samples confirmed in the diagnostic centre and participating in the research activities. BABINA Diagnostics introduced, for the first time in the private sector, RT-PCR COVID-19 testing. AOI-BABINA Speciality Hospital opened a 20-bed COVID-19 ward during the second wave of the pandemic, providing essential patient care.

Promoting football and sporting events by the Group

Manipur is known as the “Sporting Power-House” in the country. The Group has been an avid supporter of many sports events and organisations. The Classic Group of Hotels promoted the NEROCA Football Club (NEROCA FC), an I-League club, from 2015 to 2020. NEROCA football club is the first club in the state to have participated in the Indian Football League (I League). Classic Football Academy (CFA), sponsored by the PAAMEL Foundation of BABINA Group, focuses on grassroots-level football development in the state, supporting marginalised boys and achieving positive results. The Babina Group 65th Sir Churachand Singh KCSI, CBE (CC) Meet 2025-26 is scheduled to kick off on April 6, 2026, at Mapal Kangjeibung, Imphal. CC Meet is the oldest club-level open football tournament in the state. We are privileged to sponsor such a prestigious football tournament. The group also supports other sporting events from time to time.

PAAMEL Foundation

It is a non-profit organisation, an initiative of Babina Group of Companies. At the core of the foundation’s work is the belief that everyone deserves opportunity. Guided by the Paamel, it is driven by a conviction that all children should have a chance to thrive. It mainly focuses on improving the lives of children, families, and communities through better education, health, and economic stability. It takes deliberate action to challenge the status quo. We believe in what Jane Goodall said, “What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make”. The primary objectives are to support the development of underprivileged sections of society and to improve the quality of life for the most marginalised people, ensuring their fundamental rights and dignity through health, education, and economic development, and restoring childhoods to children and sustainability to individuals and communities. We also believe in “Hope is the last thing ever lost.”

It was launched on 15th January 2022. The activities include promoting children’s education, spreading mass education among the public, working for the physical and moral welfare of the community, and providing relief to people affected by natural calamities. The other activities include organising youth leadership training and entrepreneurship development programmes, as well as seminars, conferences, workshops, and symposia in various locations. Additionally, it undertakes any other activities from time to time that are essential to achieving these objectives. The foundation also visits orphanages, old-age homes, homes for the mentally retarded or disabled, and other underprivileged (Below Poverty Line) children’s homes across the state, organising meetings and collecting data and requirements, which are then reviewed by the Foundation to determine the necessary assistance.

Babina Group of Companies actively participates in its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives through the Paamel Foundation and plans to raise funds via donations, subscriptions, and financial support from members, companies, the government, and local bodies. However, so far, the foundation has conducted its activities solely with CSR funds from the BABINA Group.

The key activities of the PAAMEL Foundation are in the following areas of community support since its inception in 2022:

Supported marginalised groups through educational and welfare programs. B.B Paul Mental Development Home, Mongshangei Lai Leirak, Imphal West, Manipur. Items included plastic chairs, sweaters, mattresses, bedsheets, a whiteboard, a tin roof, and food supplies. Dated 9th April 2022.
On May 28, 2022, donations, including tracksuits, bedsheets, mattresses, whiteboards, racks, plastic chairs, mosquito nets, tables, and food items, were distributed at Hope Home for Girls in Takyel Khongbal, Imphal West; Porei Nawakon Girls’ Home in Achanbigei, Imphal East; and Yaibilen Boys’ Home in Keibi Sanapat, Imphal East.
Primary Health Centre, Paomata, Senapati. Donated an Infant Warmer on 28TH MAY, 2022. It was presented to the authority in a simple function organised at the conference hall of BABINA Diagnostics at Porompat, Imphal East.
Langol Old Aged Home, Langol, Ima Leimarel Senior Citizen Home, Centre for Upliftment of Rural Women Association Senior Citizen Home, Bashikhong Chanura Sinlon Lup. Items include bedsheets, chairs, water pumps, Sintex tanks, tables, mosquito nets, adult diapers, towels, electric bulbs, and food items. Dated 9th June 2022.
On 25th March 2023, the All Manipur Disabled & Handicapped Persons Development Agency, Singjamei Chingamakha Kshetri Leikai Nambul Mapal, Society for Disabled Care in Hiyangthang, and All Manipur Handicapped Persons Welfare Association in Haobam Marak Keisham Leikai received various items, including leg crutches, a laptop, a printer, an almirah, a table, a ceiling fan, and chairs, from the Paamel Foundation.
Dignified Children Home Lei-Ingkhol, Chingmeirong, received Items donated by the Paamel Foundation, including pillows, sports shoes, racks, tables, chairs, mosquito nets, and food supplies, on 25th March 2023.
MS Nichongwar Chiru House, Senapati District, was provided with the roofing materials for repair and reconstruction on 27th April 2024.
109 families affected by the hailstorm in Manipur were provided financial assistance on May 5, 2024.
The children of the Hope Home for Girls, Takyel Khongbal, Imphal West, were served dinner on June 13, 2024.
Loitang Khullen Tree Plantation at the Classic Football Academy campus was conducted on 23rd June 2024 as an initiative to save Mother Earth.
Lunch was served to the internally displaced people (IDPs) staying in the relief camp at Sendra Hillock, Ithing on January 6, 2025.
4th State Level Differently-Abled Persons Sports Meet 2025 at CYLC HAO Ground, Singjamei, Chingamathak, Imphal was supported by financial sponsorship. The Sports Meet was held on 5th March 2025.
“IN THE MARGINS 0.1″, a three-day community program and Yaoshang Sports held at Laishoi Village, Thanga, Manipur, on March 15, 16, and 17, 2025, was provided financial support.
Paamel Foundation provided dinner on 8th November 2025 to Porei Nawakon Children Home for Girls, Achanbigei, Imphal East and The Hope Home for Girls, Takyel Khongbal, Imphal West.
Lunch was provided to the IDPs of Sendra Hillock Relief Camp, Ithing on 5th January, 2026. These programs are ongoing and will continue.