CSR in Bihar needs a lift from India Inc. The second most populated state in India (As of 2023, Bihar had an estimated population of 126,756,000), Bihar boasts rich cultural ties and houses ancient places of worship for Buddhists, Hindus, Sikhs and Jains. However, unemployment is rampant in Bihar. Its fertile plains stand on the lower rungs of corporate social responsibility.

In FY2022-23, the state received CSR support from over 286 companies, amount to Rs. 235.37 Cr. The top three areas of focus for CSR initiatives in the state included health, education, and rural development that received CSR funds worth Rs. 133.37 crore, Rs. 58.26, and Rs. 30.42 crore respectively. The top three spenders in the state include Power Grid Corporation of India (Rs. 45.45 crore), NTPC Limited (Rs. 37.48 crore), and HDFC Bank Limited (Rs. 16.73 crore).

Despite its size and population, Bihar has received less than 1% of the corporate citizenship funding from public and private sector companies. If companies invested in livelihood, rural and skill development projects for CSR in Bihar, it would change the ground reality.

Top CSR Projects in Bihar

Nevertheless, various government-owned organisations like REC and NTPC, and private companies like HDFC Bank and JM Financial are making strides in the welfare of the State. Here are some of the successful initiatives for CSR in Bihar.

Bharat Petroleum making Bihar greener

Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) started an afforestation project in Bihar in August last year with the aim of increasing greenery across forest areas in the state. BPCL in collaboration with the Department of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change, Government of Bihar, and its NGO partner is deploying 100,000 seedballs across three significant forest regions provided by the forest department, as per an anouncement.

The “Aranya” project in Bihar will cover 50 hectares across three key forest areas, focus on Umga Pahadi in the Madanpur Forest of Aurangabad, the Rajauli Forest Area in Nawada, and the Brahmyoni, Dungeshwari, Pretshila, and Barabar Hills in Gaya. The use of aerial seeding technology through drone deployment will allow for efficient and effective reforestation in areas that are otherwise difficult to reach.

This initiative not only aims to restore forest cover but also to involve local communities, promoting environmental awareness and creating economic opportunities.

Maruti Suzuki to automate 5 driving test tracks in Bihar

Maruti Suzuki India Limited (MSIL) signed the Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) with the Transport Department, Government of Bihar in December last year to automate driving license test tracks at Bhagalpur, Darbhanga, Gaya, Purnia and Saran. The MoA was signed in the presence of Sheela Kumari, Hon’ble Transport Minister of Bihar and Sanjay Kumar Agarwal (IAS), Secretary, Transport Department, Government of Bihar. The MoA was signed by Navin Kumar (IAS), State Transport Commissioner, Government of Bihar and Tarun Agarwal, Senior Vice President, Corporate Social Responsibility, Maruti Suzuki.

With zero human intervention, the Automated Driving Test Tracks are aimed to make license testing more comprehensive, efficient, and transparent. The rigorous and standardized evaluation process is designed to assess candidates according to the Central Motor Vehicle Rules (CMVR). Test results are also automatically generated.

Over the past years, Maruti Suzuki has systematically automated 27 driving test tracks across Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Bihar, and Haryana. The Company is in the process of setting up 12 additional ADTTs in Uttar Pradesh, according to a press release.

Eye Care Academy launched in Bihar’s Mastichak with CSR support

Standard Chartered Bank in partnership with Akhand Jyoti announced the launch of an Eye Care Academy in Mastichak, Bihar, as part of their ongoing commitment to empowering underprivileged communities through education and healthcare initiatives. The Standard Chartered-Akhand Jyoti Eye Care Academy aims to provide comprehensive optometry education and training to 95 girls from underprivileged backgrounds over a span of four years, enabling them to attain a Bachelor of Optometry degree.

The academy will offer a comprehensive curriculum, hands-on training, and mentorship opportunities, equipping students with the expertise and confidence to contribute effectively to the field of optometry upon graduation. Post completion of this training, they will be empowered to practice their skills with Akhand Jyoti, one of the leading eye care institutions in India or with any other institution depending on their requirements, as per an announcement.

India bears a substantial burden of blindness, with one-fourth of the world’s blind population. The economic impact of blindness in India is staggering, with an estimated Rs. 159 billion in costs and Rs. 2,787 billion in lifetime losses.

Mobile Medical Van in Katihar, Bihar for marginalized communities

Aster Volunteers, the global CSR arm of Aster DM Healthcare, flagged its latest Mobile Medical Service unit aimed at assisting rural villages of Katihar, Bihar, India. The newly launched unit, equipped with state-of-the-art facilities, aims to deliver essential medical and healthcare services directly to disadvantaged individuals, significantly enhancing healthcare accessibility.

The new mobile unit, introduced by Aster DM Foundation Kochi, India in association with Focus India and IIFL Samasta is equipped with a telemedicine setup. This enables comprehensive diagnostic and specialty medical services to those in need in remote areas. The mobile medical unit will provide consultation, first-aid treatment, and other essential medical services directly to communities in need. The vehicle shall be launched in Mansahi block, Katihar which would extend its medical intervention also to Barari, Korha, Hasanganj, Manhari, and Amdabad blocks, covering approximately 15,000 beneficiaries in a year.

Aster Volunteers Mobile Medical Services (AVMMS) is a one-of-a-kind CSR initiative by Aster DM Healthcare aimed at bridging the gap in healthcare accessibility by providing free medical camps and disaster aid support to needy communities in remote areas. Since its inception, AVMMS has treated over 1.4 million individuals across India, the Middle East, and Africa, positively impacting lives in regions with limited or no access to medical facilities. The initiative has a global network of over 40 units, with future expansions underway for new units in West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, J&K and Gujarat states in India.

Adarsh Gram by JM Financial

Since 2017, CSR of JM Financial has been working in Jamui district of Bihar, one of the 115 Aspirational Districts identified by the NITI Aayog. The CSR strategy is intensive development across 15 villages and extensive development in over 200 villages of Chakai, Jhajha, Khaira and Sikandra blocks.

The Adarsh Gram (Model Village) Development Project has been undertaken to facilitate comprehensive rural development harnessing available natural resources, and village capacities to transform 15 identified remote villages in Sikandra block, into self-reliant, models of change. Initiated in March 2018, the CSR project has been working with over 3,000 marginal and small farmers enabling them to realize their potential and linking them to higher income-generation practices.

The soil in Jamui holds immense potential, despite the water scarcity – a fact that was less exploited by our farmers, prior to our technical inputs. JM Financial Foundation, the CSR wing of the investment banking firm, imparts knowledge and skills to farmers through practical demonstrations, inputs for crop diversification and increased yield, and links them to larger avenues for the realisation of enhanced livelihoods. The Kisaan Pathshala (Model Farm) is a 2.5-acre plot curated and cultivated with a wide variety of crops, vegetables, fruits and flora to enable farmers to observe and explore the potential held by the natural resources surrounding them.

While agriculture remains central to the Adarsh Gram Development Project, no development is complete without the community being educated amply to achieve a higher quality of life. Consequently, in order to strengthen the learning bases of government school-going children in their early years and crucial later years, five Vardhman Gyan Kendras have been initiated and run across five villages. These centres cater to students in grades 1 to 4 and 8 to 10, helping them gain a stronger hold over English, Math, Hindi and Science.

REC Limited

REC Limited (formerly Rural Electrification Corporation Limited) is a Navratna company under the administrative control of the Ministry of Power. In 2020 itself, REC launched CSR projects worth Rs. 32 crore in Bihar. R K Singh, Union Minister of State for Power and New and Renewable Energy inaugurated most of these initiatives digitally.

A slew of schemes in Muzaffarpur worth Rs. 24 crore include construction of a 100-bed waiting hall for the attendants of patients, multipurpose hall and incubation centre at Muzafarpur Sadar Hospital and procurement and installation of 25 incubators at district hospital and PHCs. Also, a 200-bed rest room for patient’s attendants will be constructed at Sri Krishna Medical College and Hospital.

Additionally, Singh dedicated CSR projects undertaken by REC Ltd worth Rs 1.64 Crore at Koilwar in Bhojpur district through videoconferencing. A total of 14 schemes were launched, including eight schemes for construction of PCC roads, three for LED, solar and high-mast lights and three for the construction of community halls. Besides these schemes, the minister had launched 77 schemes worth Rs. 6.99 crore on Barhara block office premises in Bhojpur district for CSR in Bihar.

HRDP by HDFC Bank

Over 45 million of Bihar’s rural population subsists on less than a dollar per day. Agriculture, once its economic bedrock, suffers due to reasons ranging from flooding to inadequate farming methods. This results in mass migrations, which bring with it its own set of problems such as exploitation, food insecurity and health degradation.

HDFC Bank’s Holistic Rural Development Programme (HRDP) has enhanced the social, physical and institutional infrastructures of over 95 villages across 7 districts of Bihar. HDFC Parivartan, in partnership with the Aga Khan Rural Support Programme, works toward empowering rural communities through both collectivisation as well as the promotion of individual enterprises. It promotes Self Help Groups as self-reliant institutions that aim at providing residents with financial inclusivity, livelihood enhancement and other crucial improvements.

To ensure sustainability is to ensure the preservation of natural resources; this becomes especially pertinent when it comes to modern agriculture. Four villages in the district of Samastipur – Pahepur, Bishnapur Bande, Narayanpur Dadhiya & Garuara – were hence the site of the bank’s organic farming training programme.

Realising the need for alternate livelihood in the region, Parivartan introduced beekeeping to 8 villages in the districts of Darbhanga, Vaishali & Muzaffarpur. Under the CSR initiative, beneficiary farmers were trained in the basics of beekeeping and provided with the necessary tools such as honey extractors, trays, bee nets etc. In Muzaffarpur, the intervention has already been completed and the honey production process is currently underway. In order to ensure its sustainability, the CSR initiative is maintained by the beneficiaries themselves in each location.

STEM for Girls by IBM

‘STEM for Girls’ is a corporate social responsibility initiative by tech giant IBM, primarily aimed at improving education-to-work and career pathways for girls who are studying in government schools. The programme includes imparting training in digital literacy, coding and technology skills; 21st-century skills and career development, with an aim to enable girls’ empowerment and increase their interest in STEM education and careers.

The demand for a highly qualified workforce in India is quickly increasing with the acceleration of emerging technologies like AI. IBM STEM for Girls features a comprehensive approach that builds technical capabilities as well as life and self-actualization skills.

IBM signed an MoU with The Department of School & Mass Education, Government of Bihar to introduce IBM STEM for Girls across 30 high secondary schools across three districts that will advance the skills and careers of close to 13,000 students in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) fields. The collaboration is part of a three-year programme between IBM and the state government to increase the participation of girls and women in STEM careers.

Rodic Consultant Pvt Ltd’s Women Empowerment and Skill Development Program

In a significant stride towards community wellbeing, Rodic Consultant Pvt Ltd, sponsors a Women Empowerment and Skill Development program in the interior of Bihar. As a CSR initiative, the company has come as a financial supporter in setting up various centers for training women in the Jamui district of Bihar where women from underprivileged communities will be given free training in sewing and embroidery. The training programs are conducted by Lok Sewak Sansthan a registered NGO in Sono, Jamui. The program focuses on imparting sewing and embroidery skills to tribal women in the 20-30 age group.

This training initiative is an ongoing program that has now entered into its second phase. Inaugurated in the month of November and has expanded to three units, with plans underway to open the fourth unit soon. The total number of women enrolled in the training program has reached an impressive count of 90, reflecting the widespread enthusiasm and participation from the local community.  Rodic’s emphasis on skill development aligns with the nation’s overarching Mahila Vikas and Swrozgar missions for women and community development creating equal opportunity for economic growth and development for the neglected ones living in the backward areas of the country.

By sponsoring training sessions conducted by Lok Sewak Sansthan in Jamui, the company aims to the upliftment the status of the marginalized women in these regions. Women from diverse backgrounds exhibited remarkable progress in acquiring sewing and embroidery skills. This training program underscores the positive impact of corporate initiatives in promoting skill development and community empowerment.

In addition to its community development initiatives, Rodic as an engineering and digital innovation consultant has also made significant strides in healthcare digitalization in the remotest areas of Bihar where access to health facilities has been a challenge for the state. Furthermore, the company has a history of undertaking initiatives towards women’s development through various other activities.