The capital city of Bihar state, Patna used to go by many names – Pataliputra, Patalipattan, Pataligram, Kusumpur, and Azimabad. Patna district is the most populated in all the districts of Bihar. It is one of the oldest inhabited places in the world, its history and tradition dating back to the dawn of civilization. Ancient Patna was the seat of power and capital of many kingdoms like Haryanka, Nanda, Magadh, Mauryan, Sunga, Kanva, Gupta, Pala and Suri.

Patna has long been a major agricultural centre of trade and industry. The region is famous for the medium-grained Patna rice. It is an important business centre in eastern India. Major industries in the city include leather, handicraft and food processing. There are four industrial areas in Patna – Patliputra, Fatuha, MIP Bihta, Bihta. Food processing is the sector rising the fastest, because of the availability of surplus agro products in the district.

Patna is also a preferred destination for execution of CSR initiatives of companies. In FY 2023, the district was the second largest recipient of CSR funds in Bihar at Rs 26.54 crore. The top three areas of focus for the CSR programs were: health, education and environment with respective spending of Rs 19.55 crore, Rs 4.52 crore, and Rs 1.05 crore.

Let us look at the top CSR projects in Patna.

YIAL initiative by Bal Raksha Bharat

The YIAL (Youth Innovation and Action Lab) initiative by Bal Raksha Bharat in Patna is an incubation and accelerator program designed to empower marginalized youth and adolescents to become entrepreneurs and community change-makers. Through YIAL, participants identify local challenges and develop innovative solutions, focusing on sectors such as farming, goat rearing, mushroom cultivation, stitching centers, broom making, and food carts.

In Patna, the program operates in two urban wards (covering six slums), where youth collectives receive training, mentorship, and seed funding to pilot and scale their business ideas. The initiative unfolds in three phases: incubation (training and idea development), marketplace pitching (presenting ideas for seed money), and business acceleration (mentorship and business growth support). The aim is to equip young people with 21st-century skills, enhance their entrepreneurial capacity, and help them overcome socio-economic barriers, ultimately fostering sustainable livelihoods and broader community development.

Takeda India

Takeda India, in partnership with the National Centre for Vector Borne Diseases Control, the Bihar Health Department, and the Rajendra Memorial Research Institute of Medical Sciences in Patna, has supported the establishment of two specialized health centers in Saran (Chapra) and Purnea (Dhamdaha) districts of Bihar. These centers focus on improving the diagnosis and treatment of leishmaniasis, a neglected tropical disease transmitted by sandflies, bringing advanced care closer to communities most at risk. By refurbishing laboratories and wards, the initiative enables district hospitals to handle complicated cases such as visceral leishmaniasis (VL), VL co-infections, and post-kala-azar dermal leishmaniasis (PKDL), conditions that previously required patients to travel to Patna for treatment.

Beyond patient care, the centers also serve as hubs for training healthcare workers, helping them develop the necessary skills to test and treat various forms of leishmaniasis effectively. This approach not only addresses immediate health needs but also ensures that expertise in managing the disease is retained and strengthened within local health systems. As part of a broader effort to eliminate visceral leishmaniasis in India, the initiative reflects a collaborative, sustainable model that aligns with national health priorities and supports ongoing public health improvements in Bihar.

Gnarly Troop adopts village

Gnarly Troop, a non-profit organisation has adopted the Bakhari Village (Paigambarpur Panchayat) of Muzaffarpur in Bihar to facilitate major societal transformations among around 1500 villagers in the area.

Post adoption of the village, the non-profit has established a rural development centre, community hall for farmers, women, and children, library for students, and an open sky campus for Paigambarpur Panchayat meetings and for the higher authority members of the village. At the open sky campus, every Sunday, the Gnarly Troop organises a meeting where the members of the Panchayat and other higher authorities of the village discuss the development of the area and the prospects of future growth. During the meeting, the members of the Panchayat and representatives from the non-profit also addressed issues like banking services, government forms, etc., and provided solutions to the residents of the village.

The Bakhari Village of Muzaffarpur in Bihar has around 586 voters who are over 18 years of age and over 900 children; with the male-female ratio being 1:1.2. The major occupational income of the villagers is through wages, and the number of students enrolled in an educational institution is 134. Around 60 per cent of men and women depend on the hiring for work in and at agriculture land. With the help of the Gnarly Troop, employment in private jobs has been increased by 17 per cent, claimed an announcement from the non-profit.

Indian Oil Corporation’s robotic scavenger

In a bid to end the practice of manual scavenging in Patna, IOCL (Indian Oil Corporation Limited) has funded a mechanised sewage cleansing bot. ‘Bandicoot’ is a robotic manhole-cleaning system that costs Rs. 40 lakh. Municipal commissioner Himanshu Sharma formally launched the scavenging machine in the city jointly with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) – Bihar.

The management panel stays outside the manhole and the spider-like construction with an arm and 4 legs enters the manhole and clears the silt and blockages. The management panel helps in internal inspection with the assistance of infrared cameras. UNFPA – Bihar hired an expert agency to operate the cleaning bot as part of the MoU that the Patna Municipal Corporation has signed. Bandicoot has two interconnected buildings.

ISM Patna’s education programmes

International School of Management, Patna conducts various CSR activities to help children and youth who cannot afford quality education. Students of ISM Patna conduct computer literacy classes for the students of the primary schools of nearby villages. A batch of 15 students is selected and they are brought to the Institute’s lab every Saturday for close to 3 months. The Institute conducts English and communication training through the use of Language Lab facility at the campus. Training modules are specifically customised to cater for the needs of students from nearby villages.

The institute has installed an Internet Kiosk at the campus to help people from nearby villages who are seeking information regarding crop varieties, current market rates of their produce, weather forecasts, information regarding doctors, etc.