Govt eyes CSR activities to develop 1K villages in State
After the implementation of the Jal Yukt Shivar Abhiyan, which aims to conserve water in droughtprone areas of the state with the help of the corporate sector, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has launched a programme to transform 1,000 villages with the help of the corporate sector.
On Thursday, the government and top industrialists, philanthropists, civil society and NGOs met formally to discuss the initiative. Around 60 dignitaries including Ratan Tata, Ronnie Screwvala, Anand Mahindra, Rajashree Birla and Amitabh Bachchan attended the high profile meet.
According to Fadnavis, the government aims to bring together the existing corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities carried out by the corporate sector and NGOs with the State government’s flagship programmes. “Currently, the development work through CSR is scattered and this initiative will consolidate the efforts. Our idea is to bring all the resources, knowledge, technology etc together,” Fadnavis said during a media interaction.
To achieve this, the government will soon form a trust or set up a company with a governing council headed by the chief minister. “Total 500 villages will be suggested by the partnering agencies, while the balance 50 per cent will be villages where the Human Development Index is low. Of these 50 per cent villages, half of them will be chosen from the tribal areas,” Fadnavis said.
Fadnavis added that the development activities will be based on the requirements of the village. “We will not have a single package for all villages. It will be decided depending on needs of the village. But the common minimum would be water conservation, health, education,” he said.
Ratan Tata, Chairman Emeritus of Tata Sons, said, “It makes one very proud that the chief minister has taken a bold step to initiate this forward-looking move to transform the hinterland of Maharashtra and make it a prosperous part of our country, and Tata Trust is proud to be a part of it.”
Veteran actor Amitabh Bachchan, who has been part of many social awareness programmes of the central and state governments, said that this mission is a convergence of the campaigns he has been part of. “Awareness and communication are an important element in the initiative and that is where I have volunteered to give my services. If my face and my voice can make the people aware of what the chief minister has initiated and if it can be converted into his vision, I would be the happiest person,” Bachchan said.
Fadnavis added that the government is working towards starting development work on 100 villages by October 2.