Bhubaneswar, located in Khordha district of Odisha is the state capital and the second most popular tourist destination after Puri, which is a major hub of religious tourism due to the age old Shree Jagannatha Temple. Bhubaneswar popularly known as the city of temples boasts of tourist attractions like the Lingaraj Temple, Udaygiri & Khandagiri Caves, Nandankanan zoo, Rajarani Temple, Shree Mukteswara Temple and Dhauli Shanti Stupa among others. The Adivasi Mela, which is hosted around January-February every year, offers glimpses into Odisha’s tribal lifestyle and culture.

Bhubaneswar enjoys Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) benefits mainly from PSUs operating in Odisha. In FY 2022-23, Khordha district received Rs 62.43 crore CSR funds from 132 companies. The top three spenders include Indian Oil Corporation Limited, Indusind Bank Limited, and Infosys BPM Limited that spent Rs 12.1 crore, Rs 7.03 crore, and Rs 6.15 crore respectively. Let’s look at some of the top CSR initiatives in Bhubaneswar.

CSR of Mahanadi Coalfields Ltd to skill train youth

Mahanadi Coalfields Limited (MCL) one of the major coal producing companies of India and one of the eight subsidiaries of Coal India Limited signed two Memorandums of Understanding (MoU) with CIPET, Bhubaneswar for skill training development projects in September, 2023.

Under these projects, 1000 youths from Odisha will be provided skill training in machine operator courses while 40 youths will be trained under ITI courses. All the courses are residential which will be provided at skill training institutes of CIPET, Bhubaneswar. Mahanadi Coalfields Limited will be providing Rs.11.70 crores to these projects under its CSR initiative project ‘Kovida-2’.This is one of the many developmental projects which is being undertaken by MCL to generate sustainable livelihood for the youths in Odisha.

CSR of NALCO at AIIMS Bhubaneswar

In February this year, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya inaugurated additional facilities – a Dharmasala, a new Trauma Centre, and a High Energy Linear Accelerator (HELA) Machine virtually at AIIMS Bhubaneswar in Odisha. Constructed with generous Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) funding from National Aluminium Company Limited (NALCO), a CPSE, the three-story Dharmasala building boasts a capacity of 492 beds distributed across 159 rooms. It features distinct male and female blocks, each equipped with dining facilities. The accommodation is affordable, providing patients and their attendants with a unique and unprecedented lodging option within the state and among the recently established AIIMS facilities.

CSR of Bharat Electronics Ltd for school students

Indian Government-owned aerospace and defence electronics company Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) established 28 Smart Classrooms at Sainik School, Bhubaneswar, at a cost of Rs. 65 Lakh in December, 2023. BEL has installed 75″ Touchscreen Smart Panels to convert conventional classrooms to Smart Classrooms. The Smart Panels are pre-loaded with digital educational content as per CBSE Syllabus and cover all subjects.

The Smart Panels modernise the method of rendering education through integrated learning technologies, illustrative content & visual demonstrations to explain concepts, thus ensuring active participation of students, encouraging their curiosity and creativity within the everyday learning environment and making learning fun and interactive.

As a corporate entity, BEL’s CSR activities are aimed at inclusive growth, holistic community development and empowerment of marginalised and underprivileged sections in and around its areas of operation.

CSR of ICICI Foundation at IIT Bhubaneswar

Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bhubaneswar, in association with ICICI Foundation, the Corporate Social Responsibility arm of ICICI Bank undertook tree plantation using the Miyawaki Method in its campus on 6th January 2024. The programme was jointly coordinated by the Horticulture Department and CSR Wing of IIT Bhubaneswar.

Miyawaki is a technique pioneered by Japanese botanist Akira Miyawaki that helps build dense, native forests in a limited space and short time. This distinctive technique plants saplings of different native species to grow plants, resembling the natural forests. Using this tropical restoration method, around 12000 saplings featuring 38 native plant species were planted inside the premises of the campus of IIT Bhubaneswar.

The IIT Bhubaneswar campus, situated at the foot of the historic Barunei hillock, maintains outstanding landscapes. It spans about 4 km2 and is home to more than 50,000 evergreen and deciduous flower and fruit trees, including Bauhinia, Coconut, Guava, Mango, Jamun, Papaya, Grapefruit and Foxtail Palm.