Indore is the largest and the most populous city in the state of Madhya Pradesh. It is the commercial hub of the state and is consistently ranked as the cleanest city in the country.

Indore is known for its rich cultural heritage, unique cuisine, and historical landmarks such as Rajwada palace and Lal Bagh Palace. It is also a major hub for manufacturing and service industries, including automobile, pharmaceutical, software, retail, textile trading, and real estate. This makes it a popular destination for CSR initiatives in Madhya Pradesh.

In FY2022-23, Indore was the third largest recipient of CSR funds in Madhya Pradesh. The district received Rs 55.09 crore from 201 companies in the given period. The top three contributors in the district were Kansai Nerolac Paints Limited that spent Rs 5.7 crore, HDFC Bank Limited that spent Rs 3.82 crore, and Agarwal Coal Corporation Private Limited that spent Rs 3.02 crore.

The top areas of focus for CSR initiatives in Indore included education, healthcare and environment with a respective spending of Rs 25.31 crore, Rs 18.98 crore, and Rs 5.65 crore each.

Top Companies for CSR in Indore

PNB Housing Finance

PNB Housing’s CSR arm – Pehel Foundation – in collaboration with Muskaan Dreams, has launched the Digital Shaala Project. It is a transformative initiative aimed at advancing STEM education and bringing tech based innovations to classrooms.

Digital Shaala is aligned with the New Education Policy (NEP 2020) which outlines Access, Equity, Quality, Affordability and Accountability. The project is designed to enhance learning experiences for students in grades 5-8 while equipping teachers with essential digital skills to create future-ready classrooms.

The initiative is set to redefine education with the integration of advanced digital tools and technology in schools. It is impacting over 6500+ students and 200+ teachers across 20 government schools in Bhopal and Indore.

Under the project, the classrooms have been equipped with modern tools such as e-learning platforms, high-speed internet, and preloaded offline academic content tailored to subject and grade levels. Designed to promote blended learning, this initiative will ensure that students gain stronger conceptual understanding, while teachers are empowered to embrace digital pedagogies that make learning engaging and impactful.

Digital Shaala operates as a comprehensive model to ensure sustainable change, focusing on four key aspects: providing access to digital classrooms, training teachers to adopt digital pedagogies, offering continuous support for implementation, and advocating for digital inclusion at the district and state levels.

HDFC Bank

HDFC Bank’s CSR initiative, Parivartan, is actively contributing to sustainable development in Indore and surrounding rural areas. One of its key ongoing projects focuses on improving agricultural productivity by bringing unirrigated land under irrigation. As part of this initiative, HDFC Bank has been working to develop water conservation structures and promote sustainable farming practices. The project aims to transform 200,000 acres of unirrigated farmland into productive agricultural land by 2025, directly benefiting marginal farmers earning less than ₹60,000 annually. This effort not only enhances food security but also boosts rural incomes by enabling farmers to cultivate crops more effectively.

Additionally, the Parivartan program in Indore includes promoting organic farming and providing skill training to farmers for better resource management. The initiative also supports education through scholarships for underprivileged students and infrastructure upgrades in government schools, such as smart classrooms and sanitation facilities. These interventions align with HDFC Bank’s broader vision of fostering rural development, improving livelihoods, and empowering communities. By focusing on these targeted efforts, the bank is creating measurable impact in Indore and contributing to inclusive growth across rural India.

Kansai Nerolac Paints Limited

Kansai Nerolac Paints Limited (KNPL) was the highest CSR spender in Indore in last financial year. The company has undertaken impactful CSR initiatives in the district, particularly through its Livelihood and Skill Enhancement Program. This program, implemented in partnership with local NGOs like Kasturi Mrig Vidhya Vihar Samiti and Karamdeep Foundation, focuses on empowering painters and artisans by providing them with advanced vocational training.

The initiative includes classroom sessions, mobile training academies, and hands-on workshops to enhance technical skills in decorative painting, wood finishing, and construction chemicals. In FY 2022-23, KNPL conducted over 1,458 training sessions across various regions, including Indore, to help painters improve their craft and adapt to industry standards.

Agarwal Coal Corporation Private Limited

Agarwal Coal Corporation Private Limited has been an active CSR contributor in Indore through its flagship project, the Chameli Devi Yog Kendra, implemented by the Balaji Sewarth Vinod Agarwal Foundation. This initiative focuses on promoting holistic wellness by preserving and popularizing traditional Indian practices of yoga.

Under the project, the Kendra would help the individual in following a healthier lifestyle through advice on physical, mental, and spiritual well-being. Currently, four centers have been established in Indore, with plans for more to come up across the city and eventually nationwide. These centers provide structured yoga sessions led by experienced instructors and workshops on diet and lifestyle changes to improve overall health.

The influence of this scheme regarding goodwill in health and wellness in Indore is considerable. The centre has made yoga very easy to bring into the daily lives of thousands of people, bringing about improvements in fitness with mental clarity. By giving traditional practices contemporary meaning, the initiative makes a bridge between heritage and contemporary life. The tradition has been very simply and beautifully made into an emerging advocacy for a more sustainable health culture requiring lesser and lesser medical care.