Bajaj commits ~5,000 cr for social impact in 5 yrs
The Bajaj group on Friday committed ~5,000 crore to social impact initiatives over five years with a sharp focus on skill development under ‘Bajaj Beyond’ — the group’s new identity for all its corporate social responsibility (CSR) and charitable programmes.
The idea is to give benefit to over 20 million youth and enable them to take advantage of the employment and entrepreneurial opportunities offered by India’s growing economy.
“CSR should mean constructive social reforms. Words alone don’t change the world, unless words are put into action,” said Rajiv Bajaj, managing director (MD), Bajaj Auto, at the Akurdi campus near Pune.
Niraj Bajaj, chairman, Bajaj Auto, said: “As stewards of the Bajaj legacy, we recognise our responsibility of giving back to the society. Our new initiative, Bajaj Beyond, truly goes beyond mere training programmes. What we have launched is a holistic approach that trains and prepares first-generation graduates from smaller towns and cities to realise their full potential.”
Shekhar Bajaj, chairman and MD, Bajaj Electricals, pointed out that the initiatives have demonstrated ‘transformative’ impact.
In the last 10 years, the Bajaj Group has contributed close to ~4,000 crore towards various CSR initiatives. They are mostly focused on skilling and education, health, livelihood, water conservation, and several other areas of development.
One of the major initiatives in recent times has been the Bajaj Engineering Skills Training (BEST) programme (launched in 2023). It aims to enhance the skills of engineering and diploma graduates in the latest technologies relevant to Industry 4.0.
With the flagship centre in Pune (with 120 students), the programme is now scaling up — there are plans to establish 15 centres across India.
Similarly, Bajaj Finserv’s Certificate Programme in Banking, Finance and Insurance (CPBFI) is working to bridge the skill gap by linking industry with academia. It is enabling first generation students from Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities to take advantage of employment opportunities in the financial services sector.
Around 53,000 graduates have already taken the course, said Sanjiv
Bajaj, chairman & MD, Bajaj Finserv.
Around 66 per cent of course takers are first-generation students and 70 per cent are women. He added that the aim is to cover 400,000 young graduates under the CPBFI programme in the next five years. Bajaj Finserv has forged a partnership with the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) and All-india Council for Technical Education (AICTE), under the aegis of the ministry of education.
Water conservation has been another focus area. The Bajaj Water Conservation Project, which empowers communities to manage water resources, was launched in 2015, across 161 villages in Aurangabad district. Over ~140 crore was dedicated to communities for preventive healthcare, water, and sanitation in the waterscarce regions of Vidarbha. Rajiv Bajaj said that launching BEST last year has been a ‘valuable learning’ experience for them. “It gave us a very clear picture of the critical gap between theoretical education and practical skills needed in the manufacturing industry.”
Niraj Bajaj declined to comment when asked about the issue of political funding.