GMR fuelling change via CSR activities

GMR Group founded by Grandhi Mallikarjuna Rao is one of the fastest growing corporates in India with interests in airports, energy, highways and urban infrastructure. Interestingly, the diversified group is equally active in taking up corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities.   

The group’s charitable activities started in early 90s. Later, with a belief that corporates have a special and continuing responsibility towards social development, the group formed a separate institution called GMR Varalakshmi Foundation (GMRVF) for undertaking CSR activities on a large scale. Registered as a Section-8 not-for-profit company and governed by a Board of Directors comprising eminent personalities in different fields, the foundation has its own professional staff drawn from top academic institutions who are dedicated to the cause of community development. 

GMR Group’s CSR activities aim at making sustainable impact on the human development of under-served communities through initiatives in education, health and livelihoods. Towards this, the Foundation is currently working in about 200 villages/urban communities across 25 locations in India. It works mainly in four thrust areas – education; health, hygiene and sanitation; empowerment and livelihoods; and community development. 

Education 

In education space, GMRVF is running an engineering and degree colleges in AP apart from running four schools. GMR Institute of Technology, recognized as one of the best engineering colleges in Andhra Pradesh and India, offers both UG and PG courses. Careers 360, The Week, GHRDC-CSR, and Dataquest ranked GMRIT among the top 75 engineering colleges in the country and among the top five private engineering colleges in Andhra Pradesh. The institute also received Outstanding Engineering Institute South Award and Best College in Engineering in Andhra Pradesh Award. Some of the seats in all the educational institutions are reserved for under-privileged students. 

Under the Gifted Children scheme, over 250 bright, under-privileged children are supported for their complete educational expenses by the Foundation, from Std. 1 to their first job. All supports are provided to these children to aspire and fulfil their educational dreams. Foundation also supports the education of poor students by facilitating scholarships and educational loans. About 7000 students have received this support.

Foundation also focuses 

on improving the infrastructure facilities and quality of education at Government schools  and pre-schools. 300 Govt schools are supported by the Foundation, reaching out to over 55,000 children. 

Health, hygiene, sanitation

A 165-bed multi-specialty hospital has been established in Srikakulam to serve the communities in this area by offering world class treatment at affordable prices. GMRVF has also set up a 30-bed hospital in Odisha and an 8-bed hospital at Kakinada in Andhra Pradesh. GMRVF is providing health and emergency services to the under-served communities by running 30 medical clinics, 2 ambulances and 10 mobile medical units. These facilities are serving about 10,000 people every month. It has also constructed 28 public toilets in both rural and urban locations to improve sanitation facilities which are used by about 40,000 people per month. Several school toilets have been constructed/renovated apart from supporting over 1000 families for the construction of Individual sanitary lavatories. Many awareness programmes are organized by the Foundation on health and hygiene related issues which have shown lot of impact on the health status of the communities. 

Empowerment, livelihood

The Foundation runs 13 vocational training centres in different locations through which about 6000 youth are trained every year in different skills. Over 55,000 youth were trained so far in GMRVF’s training institutes with over 80 per cent settlement. Foundation is also supporting about 300 women Self Help Groups and the products made by women’s groups are marketed through shops at Hyderabad Airports, office sales, exhibitions and through online stores etc. Further, Foundation supported over 1,700 rural families for farm and non-farm activities to supplement their families’ incomes. Further, the community development initiatives of the Foundation focus at establishing village libraries, promoting youth and children’s clubs and also on generating awareness among communities on lot of social and environmental issues. 

The Foundation has received several awards for its pioneering work in various key areas. The awards include Golden Globe Tigers Award for Excellence and Leadership in CSR 2017, EPC World Media Award for Outstanding Contribution to CSR 2016, etc. With its interventions in the areas of education, health, livelihoods and community development through its foundation, GMR Group is touching the lives of lakhs of people. It is the resolve of the Group to support the Government in making India as one of the leading Nations in the World by creating both physical and social infrastructure and the group seeks to be a key contributor in the inclusive growth of the nation.