Bhopal, the capital city of Madhya Pradesh, is known for being one of the greenest cities in the country. The city is known across the world for the unfortunate industrial accident more commonly known as ‘Bhopal Gas Tragedy,’ in 1984. The accident has caused long-lasting damage to the public health, groundwater and overall ecosystem of the city. This makes it highly eligible for CSR investments.
Bhopal was the second-largest recipient of CSR funds in FY 2020-21 in the state of Madhya Pradesh. The district of Bhopal received a total of Rs. 32.19 Cr. of CSR funds from 50 companies. The top three spenders in the district were Northern Coalfields Limited which spent Rs. 20 Cr. in Bhopal, NHDC Limited, which spent Rs. 2.83 Cr. and Trident Limited, which spent Rs. 1.06 Cr. on CSR initiatives in the region in the given financial year. The top three areas of focus of the CSR initiatives were Health, Education and Environment.
Top Companies for CSR in Bhopal
Western Coalfields Limited (WCL)
Western Coalfields Limited (WCL) in a new CSR initiative has tied up with the Central Institute of Petrochemical Engineering and Technology (CIPET), Bhopal to train 57 rural youth living in and around its operations as Machine Operators and in Plastic Processing.
The six-month fully residential and employment-oriented training course is approved by the National Skill Qualification Framework and National Skill Report Committee. 29 youth will be trained at the CIPET Bhopal centre and 28 will undergo training at the Chandrapur centre under this skill development training course.
Samsung India
Samsung India has added new Samsung Smart Healthcare centres at Government hospitals across the country, as part of its citizenship initiative, helping Covid Warriors perform faster Covid-19 diagnosis. The new hospitals where Samsung Smart Healthcare centres are located are in cities such as Mumbai, New Delhi, Lucknow, Bangalore, Bhopal, among others. This addition takes the number of hospitals in the country covered under this citizenship program to 142. Samsung Smart Healthcare centres are equipped with modern Digital X-ray and Digital Ultrasound machines made by Samsung.
Samsung’s innovative Digital X-ray machines are being utilized for faster Covid-19 diagnosis at these government hospitals. Feedback from hospitals indicates that these Digital X-ray machines, which are portable, are extensively being used for in-room diagnosis of patients.
The Digital X-ray machines have also helped government hospitals improve efficiency and increase diagnostic capacities, as the output from these machines can be monitored by doctors directly on a computer screen, doing away with physical X-ray films. The output provided to doctors is of very high quality, helping them make a quicker and better diagnosis.
Patients from economically and socially weaker sections of society have benefitted from the Samsung Smart Healthcare program. Doctors, technicians and radiologists are also trained to handle state-of-the-art diagnostic equipment and software.
Mahindra and Mahindra (M&M)
M&M implemented Integrated Watershed Management Programme as a Private Public Partnership model with the Government of Madhya Pradesh in Bhopal, and in Hatta with the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD), to increase the groundwater table of the region. Implemented in 48 villages (35 villages in Bhopal and 13 villages in Hatta), this project will help increase agricultural productivity and improve the overall standard of living, benefitting 38,447 people residing in these villages. The project was accorded with the honour of the National Priority Area Agriculture and Rural Development for Integrated Watershed Management Programme in MP at National CSR Awards organised by the Ministry of Corporate Affairs in 2019.
