Andhra Pradesh, the state with rich and vivid history is known for being the source of the world-famous Koh-i-Noor diamond and many more diamonds in its Kollur mine. The state also is known as the ‘rice bowl of India’ for being a major producer of rice. The Telugu speaking state is first to be created on a linguistic basis, making it important for its art and culture. Let us look at top CSR projects in Andhra Pradesh contributing to its development.

In FY 2023-24, Andhra Pradesh was recipient of Rs. 954.65 Cr. in CSR funds from 824 companies. The top three areas of focus for CSR initiatives in the state were Education which received Rs. 361.44 Cr. through CSR initiatives, Health received Rs. 266.21 Cr., and Rural Development that received Rs. 168.41 Cr. in CSR funds. The top recipient district in the state was Chittoor which received Rs. 167.84 Cr. in CSR funds followed by Prakasam at Rs. 164.11 Cr., and Bhilwara at Rs. 151.33 Cr.

Top CSR projects in Andhra Pradesh

Rs 50 Lakhs donated to Smart Andhra Pradesh Foundation

Maize-based specialty products manufacturing company Paramesu Biotech Limited has donated Rs 50 lakhs to the Smart Andhra Pradesh Foundation. The donation was formally presented by the company’s Managing Director, Ananda Swaroop Adavani, to Lokesh Nara, Minister of Human Resources Development department in the Government of Andhra Pradesh at his Undavalli residence last week. The purpose of the donation is to improve educational standards in the region.

Smart Andhra Pradesh Foundation (SAPF) is an independent body with an eminent advisory board comprising corporate and social development leaders. SAPF aims to promote the Brand Andhra Pradesh with a focus on an inclusive, sustainable society under the visionary leadership of Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu.

CSR initiative to Skill Students for Careers in Aerospace Manufacturing

Boeing India and the Learning Links Foundation (LLF) recently announced the completion of the third batch of graduates from their industrial training program in aerospace manufacturing in Andhra Pradesh. With a fourth batch underway, this youth skilling program will train a total of 127 students by April 2025.

Mathukumilli Sribharat, Member of Parliament in the Lok Sabha, felicitated the graduates of the third batch at the Government Polytechnic College in Visakhapatnam. He said, “The Government of Andhra Pradesh is committed to fostering progressive policies and strategic collaborations to provide access to world-class education and training to the students of our state. This program not only enhances employment opportunities for our young skilled population but also reinforces the state’s position as a hub for advanced manufacturing and aerospace innovation.”

Community development initiatives Launched in Kurnool with CSR support

Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages (HCCB) launched a series of community initiatives in Kurnool, Andhra Pradesh in February this year, under its comprehensive CSR program: Project SHINE. These include implementation of sales and marketing training for youth, installation of water filtration units, electric vehicles (EVs) for waste collection, and Water Access, Sanitation, & Hygiene (WASH) programs.

The FMCG Company aims to bridge the skill gap by providing youth with sales and marketing training at nine colleges to improve employability and career prospects. These programs are tailored to meet the diverse needs and proficiency levels of young people from various backgrounds, ensuring active and practical learning.

With an aim to enhance financial and economic inclusion, HCCB is also conducting Digital and Financial Literacy training for local women Self-Help Groups in Kurnool. Beyond training, the company also provides tools like sewing machines to empower the local women.

As part of its WASH initiative, HCCB has installed water filtration units at the Government General Hospital, Kurnool, providing easy access to clean drinking water. The company is also conducting WASH sessions in schools and communities covering essential topics such as personal hygiene, proper handwashing techniques, good sanitation practices, adolescence, and the prevention of communicable diseases. HCCB has also donated electric vehicles (EVs) for waste collection to the Kurnool Municipal Corporation, supporting efficient urban waste management.

CSR of Aurobindo Pharma

Aurobindo Pharma Foundation (APF), the philanthropic arm of Aurobindo Pharma Ltd, launched its hi-tech centralized kitchen at Perumallapuram, in Kakinada SEZ in Andhra Pradesh last year. This centralized kitchen is the fourth one to be built by Aurobindo Pharma Foundation in collaboration with Hare Krishna Movement Charitable Foundation (HKMCF). The kitchen, which has a capacity to produce 5,000 breakfast meals per day, has a built-up area of 5,500 sq. ft. spread across 2 acres of land donated by Kakinada SEZ Limited.

The centralized kitchen is completely powered by solar equipment. The food prepared mainly caters to the students studying in 41 Government schools in the region. The kitchen has sophisticated automated equipment such as an Idly batter dispenser, dough kneader, sambar cauldron – double jacketed (1200 litres) with auto-dispensing setup, vessels sterilization stands, etc., to maintain the highest quality, hygiene, and speed while preparing the meals so as to retain nutritional values, from the time of preparation to the time of serving the needy.

Along with the Inauguration of this kitchen, “Swasthya Ahara” – A free breakfast program in Government schools was also started. Swasthya Ahara is a free breakfast program primarily concentrated on providing hot and nutritious breakfast to the underprivileged children of Government Schools. Providing access to nutritious food which will go beyond nutrition, Swasthya Ahara aims to aid in the enrichment of underprivileged children fostering optimal growth and development. The programme will be implemented across 41 government schools spread across 36 villages of U. Kothapalli and Thodangi mandals.

Aurobindo Pharma Foundation, previously collaborated with HKMCF to construct 3 centralized kitchens in Narsingi at Hyderabad, Mahabubnagar in Telangana, and Srikakulam in Andhra Pradesh, which is running successfully. As per an announcement made by the company, this Kakinada project has an outlay of INR 12 crores and will cover the construction cost of the kitchen, along with the required infrastructure and operational costs of the kitchen for 4 years.

Aurobindo Pharma Foundation launched a newly constructed Government Junior College building at Somalingapuram village and panchayat, Merakamudidam Mandal, Vizianagaram district.  With a built-up area of 14000 sq. ft. in extent of 1.80 acres land, the building consists of 12 classrooms that includes a laboratory room besides a Staff room, Principal Room, Cycle shed, separate toilet blocks for Girls, Boys & Staff, Compound wall and other Infrastructure (dual desks, chairs, chalk boards and wardrobes). The college building will be inaugurated on 26 February 2022.

Total CSR funds of INR 3.30 Crores for the construction of this college wherein INR 2,60,00,000 was spend by Axis Clinical, INR 51,00,000 was spent by Trident Chemphar Ltd and INR 19,00,000 was spent by the Aurobindo Pharma Foundation for the establishment of Government Junior College at Merakamudidam, as per a statement issued by the company.

In July this year, 2500 cycles were distributed to the girl students of various government schools across Andhra Pradesh. Each cycle costs Rs 6500 which has been purchased with the corporate social responsibility (CSR) funds of Aurobindo Pharma Foundation.

Aurobindo Pharma Limited in association with Shreya Life Sciences and Axis clinicals provided Rs 6 lakh worth breath analysers and 20 high voltage rechargeable LED torch lights to Ranasthalam police station in the month of July 2023. While breath analysers are needed to check the alcohol consumption level among the drivers on the national highway and other routes, high voltage LED torch lights come handy during patrolling in remote areas.

CSR of Gland Pharma

Gland Pharma Limited, a leading manufacturer of high-quality injectables, performs Corporate Social Responsibility through its public charitable trust, Gland-Fosun Foundation. The company’s ‘Free Breakfast Programme’ is providing free breakfast-cum-health support to underprivileged children studying in Government schools and lactating and expecting mothers in Anganwadi centres of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.

This programme was started on 14th November 2019 on the occasion of Children’s Day. Presently, the company is feeding more than 16,000 children from 83 government schools. Of these, 43 schools are in Hyderabad, 40 are in Vishakhapatnam. Many students from government schools come from financially poor background. They are children of construction workers, migrant workers, daily labourers etc. who are benefitted through this initiative.

The company provides CSR funding support to Akshaya Patra Foundation, who is their implementing partner. They have huge community kitchens in Hyderabad and Vishakhapatnam. They have specialised vehicles to convey these meals in hot and hygienic condition to all the beneficiaries. They provide meals on time in the morning, which enables these children to have a good and filling breakfast at the beginning of their school routine.

Apart from this, with an aim to improve government schools in the state, Gland Pharma funds infrastructure development, renovation works, including additional classrooms, staff rooms, laboratories, dining halls, kitchens, stores, assembly stage, toilet blocks, drinking water facilities, compound walls, playgrounds etc.

They also sponsor ‘Vidya Volunteer’ teachers/non-teaching staff in schools that face a shortage of them, and provide teaching boards, chairs, dual-desks, dining tables and other essential furniture.

Also, to address systemic gaps that prevent underprivileged school children from pursuing experiential STEM learning, the company has implemented a ‘Janyaa Lab-In-a-Box’ (JLIB) program in 11 government high schools, in association with an education-specialist NGO. The JLIB kit, with its 340 Science/Math experiments, provides hands-on learning that can be applied to the students’ lives and benefit their families/communities. It promotes their problem-solving and creative thinking, builds a strong foundation for STEM learning relevant for vocational pursuits, and makes them future-ready with demand-driven skills.

CSR of ITC Limited

ITC’s CSR projects include promoting education, conservation of natural resources, health and sanitation; animal husbandry; improving agricultural practices; waste management and disaster management among others.

The Primary Education Programme aims to provide children from weaker sections of society in the company’s factory catchments. The company spent towards promoting education and special education in the state.

ITC’s Social and Farm Forestry initiative has led to improvement in pulpwood and fuelwood availability in Andhra Pradesh and a few other states.

The ‘Village Adoption Programme’ pioneered by the company’s Agri Business covers 228 model villages in the states of Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. This initiative is aligned to the Prime Minister’s Sansad Adarsh Gram Yojana (SAGY), an initiative to promote holistic rural development.

ITC has adopted a multi-pronged approach towards improving public health and hygiene. To make potable water available to local communities in two districts of Andhra Pradesh, Reverse Osmosis (RO) water purification plants were set up in villages where the water quality was poor. ITC’s initiatives focus on creating replicable, scalable and sustainable models of municipal solid waste management that can be implemented to ensure that zero waste goes to landfills. The company has also spent towards improving agricultural practices in the state.