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.
Where does Andhra Pradesh stand
As per data from National CSR portal, Andhra Pradesh holds the 6th rank in terms of the top 10 states getting CSR expenditure in India with Maharashtra, Gujarat and Karnataka leading the way. In the financial year 2020-21, the total CSR expenditure in Andhra Pradesh has been Rs 662.39 crores, with a total of 598 companies investing in 14 districts of the state under 10 different sectors.
Top 3 districts enjoying CSR benefits
The top 3 districts to get CSR benefits in Andhra Pradesh are respectively Visakhapatnam (amount spent towards CSR 49.25 cr), Kurnool (45.19 cr) and East Godavari (26.74 cr). Nellore, Chittoor, Krishna, Guntoor, West Godavari, Anantapur and Vizianagaram feature among the rest of the top 10 districts enjoying CSR benefits in the state.
Top 3 sectors
The top 3 sectors in which most of the CSR activities have been performed in the state are
• Health, eradicating hunger, poverty and malnutrition, safe drinking water, sanitation (CSR spent 253.24 cr)
• Education, Differently Abled, Livelihood (CSR spent 144.06 cr)
• Rural Development (CSR spent 140.14 cr)
Top 3 companies
The top three companies spending for CSR in Andhra Pradesh in FY 2020-21 are respectively ITC Limited (172.05 cr), Reliance Industries Limited (111 cr) and Infosys Limited (43.5 cr).
ITC Limited
Headquartered in Kolkata, West Bengal, ITC is one of India’s foremost private sector companies and a diversified conglomerate with businesses spanning Fast Moving Consumer Goods, Hotels, Paperboards and Packaging, Agri Business and Information Technology. The Company is acknowledged as one of India’s most valuable business corporations with a Gross sales value of Rs 90,104 crores and Net Profit of Rs 15,058 crores (as on 31.03.2022).
ITC is the country’s leading FMCG marketer with its brands being Aashirvaad, Sunfeast, Yippee!, Bingo!, B Natural, ITC Master Chef, Fabelle, Sunbean, Fiama, Engage, Vivel, Savlon, Classmate, Paperkraft, Mangaldeep and Aim among others. It is also a market leader in the Indian Paperboard and Packaging industry, Agri Business and a pre-eminent hotel chain in India. ITC’s wholly-owned subsidiary, ITC Infotech, is a specialized global digital solutions provider.
It is ITC’s policy: – To formulate CSR Programmes towards achieving one or more of the following:‒ enhancement of environmental and natural capital; rural development support; promotion of education; preventive healthcare, sanitation and drinking water; creating livelihoods, especially for those from disadvantaged sections of society; sports promotion.
– To develop self-reliance among people at the grassroots, especially women, since these are prerequisites for social and economic development.
– To pursue affirmative action interventions like skill building and vocational training, thus enhancing employability and generating livelihoods the disadvantaged.
– To carry out CSR Programmes primarily in areas that fall within the economic vicinity of the Company’s operations so as to supervise them closely and ensure maximum impact.
– To promote sustainability in partnership (SDG 17) with industry associations, like the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) through the CII-ITC Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Development, the goal being a multiplier impact.
Highest spender in CSR projects in Andhra Pradesh, the company has spent Rs 172.05 crores for CSR in Andhra Pradesh in the FY 2020-21. These include CSR projects like promoting education and special education; conservation of natural resources and maintaining quality of soil, air and water; social forestry; health and sanitation; animal husbandry; improving agricultural practices; solid waste management; vocational training and disaster management among others.
Some of their top projects in the state:
>>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. 6 new RO plants were established in FY 2020-21 taking the total to 148, which provide safe drinking water to over 1.8 lakh rural people.
>>Solid Waste Management- 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.
Reliance Industries Limited
RIL has been one of the largest companies in India for the better part of the last two decades. It leads the corporate world in net profits every year. Reliance Industries Ltd. was established in 1973 by India’s most celebrated entrepreneur Dhirubhai Ambani who is revered for his rags-to-riches story. The Company owns businesses engaged in energy, petrochemicals, textiles, natural resources, retail, and telecommunications.
CSR activities of Reliance Industries Limited are carried out in India through Reliance Foundation. The Reliance Foundation was founded in 2010 and has a comprehensive approach towards the development of India. The Foundation addresses some of India’s most pressing development challenges in the fields of Rural Transformation, Health, Education, Sports for Development, Disaster Response, Arts, Culture and Heritage and Urban Renewal.
According to Reliance Corporate Social Responsibility policy, sustainable development is at the core of its business decisions, and therefore it has aligned its sustainability strategy with its business goals. RIL CSR works with underserved people who often do not have access to knowledge or information on best practices and continue to be vulnerable. Reliance engages directly, which creates multiple opportunities to empower the marginalized and deprived sections of the society ending up making a meaningful difference in the lives of the people. The companies social initiatives have impacted over 5.75 crore people across India in more than 50,600 villages and 200 urban locations.
Second highest spender in CSR projects in Andhra Pradesh, the company has spent Rs 111 crores for CSR in Andhra Pradesh in the FY 2020-21, with the focus being mostly on Covid relief, healthcare and rural development projects.
Some of their top projects:
>>The company delivered disaster relief and information services during floods in Uttarakhand and Andhra Pradesh. Reliance supported farming communities in the aftermath of the floods in Godavari district, Andhra Pradesh, in August 2020 to safeguard crops.
>>Reliance Foundation distributed food to the marginalised and under-resourced communities during the lockdown. Mission Anna Seva provided cooked meals, ready-to-eat food packets, food coupons, dry ration kits to communities in Andhra Pradesh and some other states.
>>Reliance works to address gender inequality, especially in rural areas. In FY 2020-21, Reliance focused on livelihood trainings in collaboration with various agencies for economic empowerment of self-help groups with end-to-end mentorship, bank and government department linkages.
>>The Reliance Foundation Digital Classrooms programme provides digital education tools to government schools in remote locations of the country. The programme has empowered teachers and impacted students in schools across Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and a few other states.
Infosys Limited
Infosys is the flagship company of India’s mighty ITES (Information Technology Enabled Services) sector. Along with sustained financial performance, the company was an early adopter of Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives.
Infosys addresses some of India’s most pressing development challenges in the areas of Education, Rural Development, Gender Equality & Women Empowerment, Environment Sustainability, Preserving National Heritage & Culture, Hunger, Poverty, Malnutrition and Health.
Infosys Foundation has been spending on development projects through its CSR initiatives before it became mandatory for companies in India to spend 2% of their net profits on Corporate Social Responsibility Activities.
Third highest spender in CSR projects in Andhra Pradesh, the company has spent Rs 43.5 crores for CSR in Andhra Pradesh in the FY 2020-21, with the focus being mostly on Art and Culture, Animal Welfare and other projects.
In the FY 2020-21, Infosys Foundation has spent towards construction of a protection wall at Cherlopalli Zoo in Kurnool district of Andhra Pradesh.
The company has also aided flood relief efforts in different locations across Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Uttarakhand.
Other companies spending towards CSR in Andhra Pradesh
Divi’s Laboratories Limited, Amara Raja Batteries Limited, GAIL (India) Limited, Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Limited, Gangavaram Port Limited, Asian Paints Limited and Adani Krishnapatnam Port Limited feature among the rest of the top 10 companies spending towards CSR in Andhra Pradesh.
