Eluru: Call to involve in community development programmes

Eluru: District Collector V Prasanna Venkatesh has called upon the industries and public sector organisations to participate in the implementation of community development programmes such as education, medicine and environmental protection through Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).

A meeting was held with the members of the CSR Fund Monitoring Committee under the auspices of the District Industries Centre at the Collectorate here on Wednesday.

Venkatesh explained that if the industries spend funds under CSR according to their own plans, there may be an audit problem and there will be a chance for unimportant matters. 'If the government or other organisations takes up the same programme, there is a possibility of non-stop duplication. Hence, if they put their proposals before the district CSR committee, such problems will not arise. If the committee reviews and approves the respective proposals, relevant certificate will be issued to the companies,' he added.

The Collector stated that according to section 135 of the Companies Act, 2013, companies with a net profit of Rs 5 crore and above are required to spend at least 2% of their annual net profit under CSR. He said that steps were taken to set up a trauma care centre at Bhimadole CHC as there is no such centre to provide emergency treatment to those, who suffers injuries in road accidents on the national highway of over 100 km from Vijayawada border to Rajahmundry. The Collector informed that an industrialist came forward to construct the required building and other infrastructure facilities such as medical equipment.

He informed that a special programme is being taken up to increase haemoglobin in pregnant women suffering from anaemia by supplying more nutritional food to them. He suggested contribution to such programmes through CSR. Besides these, CSR funds will be spent for providing special facilities for games to increase learning skills among the children in Anganwadi centres. He said a special power point presentation will be arranged soon on the utilisation of funds for more innovative public utility works under CSR in the district.