Patna: Bihar Chief Secretary Pratyaya Amrit on Friday urged corporate entities and public sector undertakings to align their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) spending with the state government’s development priorities, particularly government school infrastructure and child nutrition.
He was chairing an orientation programme on the effective implementation of the Bihar State Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Policy 2025, attended by representatives of central public sector undertakings (CPSUs), major corporate groups and banking institutions.
Finance Department Secretary (Expenditure) Rachna Patil and other senior officials were also present.
Emphasising children’s welfare as a priority, Amrit urged companies to allocate a significant portion of their CSR funds towards improving infrastructure in government schools and colleges. He also called for support to provide ‘food baskets’ to improve children’s health and nutritional status.
Two routes for CSR fund utilisation
The chief secretary outlined two funding mechanisms available to companies under the Bihar State CSR Policy 2025.
Under ‘Route 1’, donors can transfer their CSR funds directly to the Bihar State CSR Society. Under ‘Route 2’, companies can select specific projects listed in the ‘project shelf’ on the CSR portal and transfer funds directly to the respective implementing agencies.
Amrit urged government officials and corporate donors to use these mechanisms with commitment to ensure effective implementation of CSR projects.
Six-stage implementation process explained
During the programme, Rachna Patil made a detailed presentation on the Bihar State CSR Policy 2025, explaining its objectives, vision and implementation timeline.
The presentation outlined a six-stage process covering the entire cycle, from initial registration to the final utilisation of funds.
In his concluding remarks, Amrit appealed to participating organisations to contribute towards the state’s inclusive and sustainable development. He emphasised that CSR funds should be managed through a transparent system to maximise their social impact.
PSUs, banks and corporates participate
Representatives from several central public sector undertakings, banks and corporate organisations participated in the orientation programme.
The participating public sector undertakings included Indian Oil Corporation, NTPC, Bharat Petroleum Corporation, Hindustan Petroleum Corporation, Life Insurance Corporation of India (Bihar), Power Grid Corporation, REC and Steel Authority of India.
Banks represented at the meeting included State Bank of India, HDFC Bank, Punjab National Bank, Bank of Baroda, Union Bank of India, IndusInd Bank, Canara Bank, Central Bank of India, UCO Bank, YES Bank, Axis Bank, ICICI Bank, Indian Bank, Bank of India and NABARD.
Corporate participants included ITC, Aditya Vision, Shree Cement, L&T Energy – Carbonite Solution, Maruti Suzuki India, Zerodha, Coca-Cola, EPIC Agro (Campa Cola), Adani, Bihar Distillers and Bottlers and Parmamn Nutri.
