The NBFC’s CSR programmes focused on youth skilling, child education, healthcare, disability inclusion, child protection and environmental initiatives.
NEW DELHI (India CSR): Bajaj Finance Limited, a non-banking financial company, reported a total Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) spend of Rs 364.48 crore in FY 2025-26 across 217 projects, with programmes focused on youth skilling, child education, healthcare, disability inclusion, child protection and environmental sustainability, according to the company’s annual report.
The company’s prescribed CSR obligation for the year stood at Rs 333.97 crore. Of this, Rs 318.81 crore was spent during the financial year, while Rs 15.16 crore relating to ongoing multi-year projects was transferred to an Unspent Corporate Social Responsibility Account in accordance with applicable provisions of the Companies Act, 2013.
The report also places Bajaj Finance’s CSR activities within the wider Bajaj Beyond initiative, under which the Bajaj Group has announced a commitment of Rs 5,000 crore over five years with an objective of reaching two crore people through skilling and community development programmes.
Bajaj Finance’s CSR portfolio during FY 2025-26 covered education, livelihood, skilling, child health, disability inclusion and child protection. Several interventions were implemented with specialised non-profit organisations and institutional partners.
CSR Spending
Bajaj Finance reported a prescribed CSR obligation of Rs 333.97 crore for FY 2025-26.
According to the source material, the company spent Rs 318.81 crore directly during the financial year. A further Rs 15.16 crore was associated with ongoing projects and transferred to the designated Unspent CSR Account.
The report separately states a total CSR spend of Rs 364.48 crore across 217 projects.
The apparent difference between the reported total CSR spend of Rs 364.48 crore and the statutory obligation figure of Rs 333.97 crore requires closer reading of the signed CSR annexure. It may reflect project accounting, earlier-year commitments, excess expenditure or another reporting classification.
The available source does not separately identify administrative overheads, impact assessment expenditure as a monetary amount, previous-year excess set-off or the exact treatment of any spending above the prescribed obligation.
These figures should therefore be verified against the company’s statutory CSR disclosure before publication as final audited numbers.
Bajaj Beyond
Bajaj Finance’s programmes form part of Bajaj Beyond, a wider group-level social impact initiative.
The Bajaj Group has committed Rs 5,000 crore over five years under the programme, with a stated objective of reaching two crore people.
The initiative focuses particularly on youth and children, with an emphasis on economic self-reliance, employability and community development.
For Bajaj Finance, this translated into investments in skilling, education, healthcare and inclusion.
The company’s CSR model combines direct implementation, institutional partnerships and projects delivered by specialised social-sector organisations.
Youth Skilling
Youth employability remained a major focus area during FY 2025-26.
Under SKILLSERV, Bajaj Finance reported training 50,475 students through self-implemented programmes.
A major component was the Certificate Programme in Banking, Finance and Insurance, or CPBFI, which recorded 45,389 enrolments.
The 120-hour programme is aimed at first-generation graduates and students from Tier 2 and Tier 3 locations, with training in banking, finance, insurance and workplace skills.
The company also supported training in areas such as gold loans, microfinance and housing finance.
Other livelihood programmes reached 1,500 artisans for self-employment and 848 people for healthcare-related occupations, including nursing and paramedical roles.
Across broader livelihood and enterprise interventions, the company reported supporting 122,895 individuals for entrepreneurship and self-employment.
The annual report provides substantial participation data, though additional information on placement rates, salary levels, employment retention and enterprise survival would help assess longer-term livelihood outcomes.
Child Education
Education-related programmes reached 540,224 children during FY 2025-26, according to the report.
The company’s school development approach included the 5S Model School framework.
The model focuses on five areas: Sundar, Safal, Saksham, Surakshit and Shala, covering physical infrastructure, learning effectiveness, student capabilities, safety and school culture.
Interventions also included foundational literacy and numeracy, mental health support and digital learning.
The broader project lifecycle data supplied with the report places cumulative or lifecycle beneficiaries in child education at 585,810.
The difference between annual beneficiary figures and project lifecycle figures should be clearly distinguished when interpreting impact.
More detail on learning outcomes, attendance, retention rates and school performance would allow a stronger assessment of educational results.
Child Healthcare
Bajaj Finance reported that health-related programmes reached 35,912 children during FY 2025-26.
The company supported specialised care in areas such as cleft lip and palate treatment, Type 1 diabetes, paediatric cancer, epilepsy and malnutrition.
Under the Gifting Smiles programme, more than 4,000 cleft lip and palate surgeries were reportedly supported across Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh.
Impact assessment findings cited in the source material stated that 80.39% of participating children experienced improved speech clarity after treatment.
Another programme, Phulwari in Madhya Pradesh, supported 1,200 infants and toddlers from tribal families.
The report states that 81% of participating children recorded weight gain.
These outcomes provide useful programme-level indicators, though the underlying assessment methodology, sample size and follow-up period are important for interpreting the findings.
Disability Inclusion
Programmes for Persons with Disabilities formed another major component of the company’s social portfolio.
Bajaj Finance reported supporting 390,369 Persons with Disabilities across rehabilitation, medical support, education and inclusion initiatives.
During FY 2025-26, 21,877 persons with disabilities received skilling support.
Through the Youth4Jobs Grassroot Academy, 1,463 youth with disabilities were trained.
The programme reported a 55% placement rate.
The company’s disability programmes also included early identification, counselling and support for children with physical or intellectual disabilities.
Project lifecycle data cited in the source material places cumulative beneficiaries under physical and intellectual disability programmes at 429,094.
The report would be strengthened by information on job retention, income changes, type of disability, assistive devices provided and post-placement support.
Child Protection
Bajaj Finance also supported child protection programmes aimed at reducing trafficking, abuse, exploitation and child labour.
The company reported reaching 26,072 children through such initiatives during FY 2025-26.
The approach included support for Model Child Care Institutions, community awareness and capacity building.
The report refers to partnerships with organisations including the Kailash Satyarthi Children’s Foundation.
According to the source material, programme interventions contributed to legal aid and counselling associated with 58 convictions in child sexual abuse cases.
More than 3,400 stakeholders were also trained.
These claims should be understood within the context of the specific partner programmes rather than attributed solely to Bajaj Finance’s intervention.
Employee Volunteering
Employee participation formed a smaller but visible part of the company’s social engagement.
During FY 2025-26, 435 employees contributed 536.5 volunteering hours.
Activities included awareness programmes on child safety and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, as well as career guidance, artificial intelligence awareness and interview preparation sessions for students.
Employee volunteering is separate from statutory CSR expenditure but can complement formal social programmes.
The company’s reporting indicates a structured approach to participation, although the social outcomes of volunteering activities were not separately quantified.
Project Aranya
Environmental initiatives were also included in Bajaj Finance’s CSR and sustainability activities.
Under Project Aranya, the company reported supporting the planting of 202,000 saplings across 53 cities in 12 states during FY 2025-26.
The report also states that an internal behavioural-change initiative involving a workforce of more than 69,000 people helped eliminate over 3.5 crore paper cups since April 2025.
The sapling plantation programme is relevant to community environmental work, while the paper cup reduction initiative relates more directly to internal sustainability practices.
These should therefore be presented separately when analysing statutory CSR and operational ESG performance.
For plantation programmes, survival rates, species selection and maintenance periods are important indicators of long-term environmental value.
Impact Assessment
Bajaj Finance reported that 22 CSR projects underwent independent impact assessments during FY 2025-26.
Independent assessments can provide evidence on whether projects are meeting intended social outcomes and can help companies refine future interventions.
The report cites findings from selected projects, including improved speech outcomes following cleft-care interventions.
However, the source material does not provide the total impact assessment expenditure, names of all assessment agencies, methodologies or detailed findings for all 22 projects.
Publishing project-wise summaries would help researchers and stakeholders assess the quality of evidence supporting the reported social impact.
Project Reach
The annual report provides both current-year and project lifecycle beneficiary figures.
Project lifecycle data supplied in the source material lists 585,810 beneficiaries under child education, 63,342 under child health and 429,094 under physical and intellectual disability programmes.
It also reports 387,350 beneficiaries under prevention of mortality, 53,274 under child protection, 158,205 under youth skilling for employment, 122,895 under youth skilling for enterprise and 888,101 under other programmes.
These categories should not automatically be added together and treated as unique individuals unless the company confirms that there is no overlap between programmes.
Similarly, lifecycle beneficiary figures may include people reached in earlier years and should not be presented as FY 2025-26 beneficiaries unless specifically identified as such.
Clear separation between annual reach, cumulative reach and unique beneficiaries is important for credible CSR reporting.
Governance Outlook
The company’s CSR programmes are governed through board-approved policies and annual action plans.
Its long-range strategy for 2026-30 identifies empowering society as one of the areas connected with broader business responsibility.
The source material also refers to future targets involving tree plantation, employment of persons with disabilities and solar financing.
These forward-looking goals fall partly within CSR and partly within broader ESG or business initiatives and should not be treated as completed CSR outcomes.
For FY 2025-26, the most significant reported social interventions remained youth skilling, education, child health, disability inclusion and child protection.
Key Facts Table
| Particulars | Details |
|---|---|
| Company | Bajaj Finance Limited |
| Financial Year | FY 2025-26 |
| Business Sector | Non-Banking Financial Services |
| Reported Total CSR Spend | Rs 364.48 Cr |
| Prescribed CSR Obligation | Rs 333.97 Cr |
| Direct CSR Spend | Rs 318.81 Cr |
| Amount for Ongoing Projects | Rs 15.16 Cr |
| Total Projects | 217 |
| Group Initiative | Bajaj Beyond |
| Bajaj Beyond Commitment | Rs 5,000 Cr over five years |
| Group Reach Target | 2 Cr people |
| Skillserv Students Trained | 50,475 |
| CPBFI Enrolments | 45,389 |
| Children Reached Through Education | 5,40,224 |
| Children Reached Through Health | 35,912 |
| Persons with Disabilities Supported | 3,90,369 |
| PwDs Skilled | 21,877 |
| Child Protection Beneficiaries | 26,072 |
| Employees Volunteering | 435 |
| Volunteering Hours | 536.5 hours |
| Project Aranya Saplings | 2.02 lakh |
| Cities Covered by Project Aranya | 53 |
| States Covered by Project Aranya | 12 |
| Projects Impact-Assessed | 22 |
Frequently Asked Questions
How much did Bajaj Finance spend on CSR in FY 2025-26?
The company reported total CSR spending of Rs 364.48 crore across 217 projects.
What was Bajaj Finance’s prescribed CSR obligation?
The prescribed CSR obligation for FY 2025-26 stood at Rs 333.97 crore.
How much was transferred for ongoing CSR projects?
Rs 15.16 crore was transferred to an Unspent CSR Account for ongoing projects.
What were Bajaj Finance’s main CSR focus areas?
The company focused on youth skilling, child education, healthcare, disability inclusion and child protection.
How many students were trained under Skillserv?
Bajaj Finance reported training 50,475 students under its Skillserv initiative.
How many CSR projects underwent impact assessment?
The company reported independent impact assessments of 22 CSR projects during FY 2025-26.
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