Role of NGOs in implementing CSR projects in India

India is one of the fastest developing economies in the world today. This is quite expected as industrial development is happening across the length and breadth of the country. India is now attracting foreign investment in interesting numbers and a huge boom in growth is expected in the coming few years. While one section of the country is experiencing tremendous development, there is another section of the country which needs special intervention to bring it up to speed.

Rural transformative development programmes in India

Rural development is an aspect that has been discussed has been a part of industrial development discussion in the country. This is because rural development has to go hand in hand with industrial development, for the benefit of the country’s growth. For this reason, the concept of corporate social responsibility is the one which is stressed upon. Corporate social responsibility is the community development programme that every corporate in the country should undertake, in a way as to return to the community what it has taken from them.

The Indian government has made it mandatory for most large corporates to dedicate a certain amount of their profits in CSR projects in India. NGOs play an important role in ensuring the implementation of these CSR projects. Initiatives of NGOs are:-

-          These NGOs work in sync with the government departments.

-          NGOs enjoy the benefit of having a greater understanding of the locality, better rapport with the locals and trusted resources who know the best approach to implement programmes.

-          Several corporate have undertaken rural development programmes in India. There are several local and international NGOs too who have initiated programmes for the upliftment of rural India.

For instance, the Reliance Foundation has made several interventions to help villages enjoy benefits of the development in the country. The foundation has taken initiatives to create sustainable livelihood options in rural India, facilitated community empowerment and undertaken institution building for the benefit of villagers in India.

Through such intervention, the foundation aims to help rural India come up to speed with rest of the country. India is an agrarian country and a major portion of the population is involved in agriculture for its livelihood. With such advancements happening in the country, it is important that positive impact of these developments is felt in rural India too. The foundation has been involved in creating avenues for inclusive growth in the country for years and aims to bring about a holistic growth scenario in the coming years. With this objective, Reliance Foundation is a major facilitator of CSR in India. 

A snapshot of the Reliance Foundation School

India has emerged as one of the biggest IT hubs in the world. With several educational institutes and IT companies, India is one of the most sought after countries for its IT solutions. There are several IT colleges in the country. However, one of the most respected universities is the Dhirubhai Ambani University, which offers a number of undergraduate and postgraduate programmes in information technology.

This university is situated in Gujarat and offers admissions to Indians and NRIs through an entrance test. Some of the courses offered in this state-of-the-art university include B.Tech ICT, M.Tech ICT, M.Sc IT, M.Sc in ICT and Agriculture and Rural Development and Doctor in Philosophy. This university boasts of the best in technology infrastructure. Optical fibre connectivity between buildings, computing and communication resources, payment system through smart cards, IT infrastructure and electronic access controls are some of its key features.

India is a land of opportunities for those seeking education. The comprehensive structure of the Indian education system is what has earned it its reputation across the globe. However, there are several underprivileged students in the country who cannot afford education in reputed educational institutes in the country due to financial constraints. The Dhirubhai Ambani Foundation of Reliance Industries is dedicated to providing equal education opportunities to its students.

The Reliance Foundation School is another venture by the prestigious Reliance Group to provide an enriching educational experience to students. The school uses the National Curriculum Framework and NCERT guidelines to prepare its syllabus. The major objective of this school is to bring about holistic development of students through its curricular and extra-curricular activities.

Besides teaching students in a modern, technology enabled environment about the best and latest in school curriculum, the school also instils in children the values of integrity, courtesy, humility, sound work ethics etc. The ulterior objective of this school is to develop students into responsible citizens, besides grooming them into well-read individuals using educational programmes that are par excellence.

Each classroom in this school has audio-video facilities and is internet enabled. The school also has well-equipped laboratories, computer labs, libraries, an amphitheatre, multi-purpose halls, outdoor play areas, a music room and dance studio,  a medical room, a counselling centre, a cafeteria etc.

The Dhirubhai Ambani foundation is dedicated to providing quality education facilities to Indian students. Besides the university and school, the Reliance Foundation also offers the Dhirubhai Ambani scholarship to meritorious students. Until now, this scholarship has been offered to as many as 10,000 students.