The Chhattisgarh government has launched an initiative to strengthen women and child welfare programmes through long-term Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) partnerships with industries. The Women and Child Development Department held a state-level meeting in Raipur to formulate a strategy for expanding corporate participation in areas such as nutrition, child development and women’s empowerment.

Officials said the proposed collaboration aims to improve the implementation of government programmes by combining public initiatives with corporate resources and expertise. The department also identified several priority projects that could be supported through CSR funding.

Government Invites Long-Term Industry Participation

The meeting was held at the Circuit House in Civil Lines, Raipur, and was attended by senior departmental officials and representatives of various industrial organisations.

Chairing the meeting, Principal Secretary of the Women and Child Development Department Shahla Nigar said the holistic development of women and children remains one of the state government’s foremost priorities.

She stressed that active participation by industries could significantly improve the reach and effectiveness of government welfare programmes. According to Nigar, CSR partnerships could provide fresh momentum to initiatives related to nutrition, early childhood care, women’s empowerment, the strengthening of Anganwadi centres and innovation-driven programmes.

Calling for sustained collaboration, she said, “With your cooperation, we will build a Golden Chhattisgarh.”

Focus on Nutrition, Child Development and Women’s Empowerment

Women and Child Development Department Director Dr Renuka Srivastava said the department is working across three key areas: women’s empowerment, child protection, and children’s health and nutrition.

She said CSR support could help upgrade Anganwadi centres by improving infrastructure and providing quality learning material, digital resources, nutrition support, safe drinking water, sanitation facilities and sports equipment.

Srivastava added that corporate partnerships could also help expand innovation-based initiatives designed to improve children’s learning, health and overall development.

Department Identifies Priority CSR Projects

During the meeting, officials presented a list of projects that could be implemented in partnership with industries under CSR initiatives.

The proposed projects include programmes to eradicate malnutrition, modernise Anganwadi centres, develop nutrition gardens and promote the plantation of Moringa trees.

Other priority areas identified by the department include early childhood development, disability-friendly infrastructure, health and nutrition initiatives for adolescent girls, and capacity-building programmes.

Representatives from participating industries expressed interest in supporting the proposed initiatives and shared suggestions on potential areas of collaboration under various government schemes.

Coordination Mechanism to Be Developed

Officials decided that the department and industry representatives would establish a regular coordination mechanism to identify priority projects and implement them in phases.

The department emphasised that CSR collaboration would extend beyond infrastructure development to include holistic child development, quality early childhood education, nutrition, digital empowerment, innovation and greater community participation.

To facilitate implementation, the department plans to establish a structured system for regular dialogue, coordination and review with participating industries. The mechanism is expected to improve project planning, execution and monitoring while aligning corporate resources with the state’s development priorities.

The department also highlighted existing digital platforms supporting CSR collaboration, including the Ministry of Women and Child Development’s ‘Pankhuri’ portal and the Chhattisgarh government’s State CSR (SAR) portal. Officials said these platforms would help strengthen long-term corporate participation in programmes related to nutrition, child development, women’s empowerment and community welfare across the state.

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