KHARAGPUR: Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is a buzz word in organizational philanthropy. The industrial houses are making significant contributions to the society, public welfare, environment, education, health etc. through their CSR programs.
IIT Kharagpur has been the beneficiary of several such programs especially with regards to technology development for the rural population around Kharagpur, West Midnapore district, and southern Bengal.
Organizations like Microsoft India Development Center at Hyderabad, Infosys Foundation at Bangalore, Balmer & Lawrie at Kolkata, Tower Research at Gurugram and National Backward Classes Finance & Development Corporation at Delhi have already collaborated with IIT Kharagpur as CSR partners.
The Institute took a step further and launched its own community welfare activities in these areas. The students and faculty of the Institute have engaged in these activities over several years offering free education, rural infrastructure development, vocational training etc.
In a recent initiative, the Electronics & Electrical Communications department of the Institute facilitated setting up a computer training center at the Beldiha Shri Ramakrishna Ashrama located in Hooghly district. The Center is providing certified training to economically deprived meritorious students with necessary job skills in office management, graphics designing, accounting and videography.
“India has a burgeoning middle class and our real challenge is to offer skilled workers from this economic segment as well uplifting those in the poorer sections of the society. This initiative is a gift from IIT Kharagpur, which has a huge rural and semi-urban population in close proximity. We consider it as our responsibility towards the society and the country to serve these people beyond the scope of IIT’s research and technology development and offer them a better economic standing in life” said Prof. Sudipta Mukhopadhyay, faculty at the Dept. of Electronics & Electrical Communications at IIT Kharagpur.
“On receipt of these computers, our computer centre had been started functioning. Now regular classes in two batches are held for the learning to the underprivileged section of the society. Donation of these computers helps immensely of our organization working for the poor & socioeconomically backward classes of the surrounding locality” said Swami Shantananda, Secretary, Beldiha Shri Ramakrishna Ashrama.
