Now Reading: Shivakumar urges industries to channel CSR funds to rural schools
-
01
Shivakumar urges industries to channel CSR funds to rural schools
Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar on Friday called on private companies and schools to use Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) funds directly to improve government schools, bypassing government channels. Speaking at the…
The Story in Brief
Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar on Friday called on private companies and schools to use Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) funds directly to improve government schools, bypassing government channels. Speaking at the Greater Bengaluru IT Companies and Industries Association CSR Summit in Bengaluru, he said the state aims to develop 2,000 government schools with CSR support. He argued that quality rural education would curb migration to cities and noted that many teaching posts remain vacant.
Shivakumar urged IT firms to adopt schools and provide computers, laboratories, and buildings while keeping their brand identity. He flagged irregularities in the 25% seat reservation for poor children in private schools and said a separate IAS officer will monitor CSR spending. He added that Karnataka could attract nearly Rs 10,000 crore annually in CSR funds, but only Rs 3,394 crore was spent in 2024-25.
The Indian Opinion
Shivakumar’s direct-approach model bypasses bureaucracy and could speed up school upgrades, but it also risks companies cherry-picking easy projects while neglecting the worst-off schools. The narrative that CSR is mere tax-saving for firms ignores genuine contributions by Infosys and Wipro, yet the lack of transparency in company-led projects remains a real concern. Will the new IAS officer publish auditable data on which schools get what? That will separate real reform from cosmetic branding.
Source: indiatoday.in
This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
