Engineering Impact: How Larsen & Toubro Reached 1.9 Million Lives Through Record CSR Initiatives

NEW DELHI (India CSR): Larsen & Toubro Limited (L&T India), a leading Indian multinational engaged in EPC Projects, Hi-Tech Manufacturing, and Services, significantly amplified its commitment to social responsibility in the Financial Year 2024-25. The company reported a substantial increase in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) spending, surpassing its own ambitious targets and reinforcing its dedication to fostering inclusive growth and strengthening India’s social infrastructure. With focused interventions across key thematic areas, L&T positively impacted the lives of millions, demonstrating that sustainable business growth goes hand-in-hand with societal well-being.

Table: L&T India’s CSR performance in FY 2025:

Category	Details
Total CSR Spend (FY 2025)	Rs 163.65 crore
CSR Obligation for FY 2025	Rs 151.95 crore (after adjusting excess of Rs 12.66 Cr from previous year)
Excess CSR Spend (FY 2025)	Rs 11.70 crore (available for set-off in future)
Core Focus Areas	Water & Sanitation, Education, Health, Skill Development
Total Beneficiaries Impacted	Approx. 1.9 million
Beneficiary Target (New)	2 million
Beneficiaries by Sector	Water & Sanitation – 5,86,851Education – 2,85,580Health – 10,09,069Skill Building – 17,750
Women & Marginalized Beneficiaries	100% in skill and educational infrastructure programs
Rainwater Harvesting Infrastructure	4.5 million kL annual potential
Additional Water Availability	3.2 million kL/year (over past 3 years)
Employees Engaged in Volunteering	9,590 through L&T-eering initiative
Major Rural Programs	ICDP, Unnati Watershed Development (Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu)
New Watershed Blocks Added	2 blocks in Pachapalayam, Tamil Nadu
Expected Additional Watershed Beneficiaries	8,000 over 3.5 years
CSR Capital Assets Created/Acquired	1,339
Recognition & Awards	Golden Peacock CSR Award 2024India CSR Investment in Sustainability Award
Aspirational Districts Covered	Visakhapatnam (AP), Dhubri (Assam), Hazaribagh & Ranchi (Jharkhand), Balangir & Kalahandi (Odisha), Moga (Punjab)
CSR Oversight	CSR & Sustainability Committee (as per Companies Act, 2013)
Impact Assessment	Conducted by Thinkthrough Consulting for 27 projects (FY 2022-23 projects assessed in FY 2024-25)
Transparency & Grievance Redressal	Public disclosure, community grievance mechanism, 20-day response timeline
Certifications	CEO/CFO certified fund utilization as per approved purposes

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Exceeding the Mandate: Record Spending Detailed

For the financial year ended March 31, 2025, L&T India reported a total amount spent on CSR Projects (other than Ongoing Projects) of Rs 155.45 crore. Including administrative overheads of Rs 7.77 crore and spending on Impact Assessment of Rs 0.43 crore, the total amount spent for FY 2024-25 reached Rs 163.65 crore. This figure comfortably exceeded the company’s CSR obligation for the year, which was calculated as 2% of the average net profit of the previous three financial years, amounting to Rs 164.61 crore. After adjusting for Rs 12.66 crore of excess CSR amount spent during FY 2023-24 and utilized in FY 2024-25, the spend obligation was Rs 151.95 crore. The actual spend resulted in an excess amount of Rs 11.70 crore for FY 2024-25, available for set-off in succeeding financial years. This robust financial commitment highlights CSR as deeply ingrained in the company’s values, long before it became a statutory mandate.

Strategic Focus Areas: Pillars of Social Infrastructure

L&T’s CSR efforts are guided by an overarching mission to strengthen India’s social infrastructure, focusing on strategic pillars that address critical societal needs. These core areas include:

Water & Sanitation: Initiatives in this area aim to ensure access to safe drinking water, promote rainwater harvesting, soil and moisture conservation, and enhance groundwater levels. This is facilitated through community-based institutions and integrated approaches to improve sanitation, health, education, and livelihoods.
Education: Projects focus on improving access to education, increasing enrollment in pre-school and neighborhood schools, enhancing the quality of learning through better infrastructure and teaching processes, and promoting STEM (Science Technology Engineering and Math) learning.
Health: Efforts are directed towards improving access to quality healthcare, expanding the infrastructure of health centers, and increasing the number of people availing quality healthcare.
Skill Development: This pillar aims to enhance the employability of youth by increasing training capacity and improving infrastructure at skill development centers.

The company’s CSR Policy provides detailed mechanisms for undertaking these programs in accordance with the Companies Act, 2013.

Impact on Millions: Beneficiary Reach Expands

The tangible impact of L&T’s CSR initiatives is best measured by the number of lives positively touched. In FY 2024-25, L&T’s CSR activities impacted approximately 1.9 million people. This achievement significantly surpassed the company’s initial target of reaching 1.7 million beneficiaries by FY 2025-26, demonstrating the effectiveness of focused and scalable interventions. Building on this success, the company has set a new target of reaching 2 million beneficiaries through its CSR projects.

A breakdown of beneficiaries across the key thrust areas reveals the breadth of the impact:

Water and Sanitation: 5,86,851 beneficiaries.
Education: 2,85,580 beneficiaries.
Health: 10,09,069 beneficiaries.
Skill Building: 17,750 beneficiaries.

Notably, 100% of beneficiaries in skill training programs for women and youth, and those benefiting from enhanced educational infrastructure in schools, were from vulnerable and marginalized groups.

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Noteworthy Initiatives and Contributions

Beyond the core pillars, L&T implemented several significant initiatives during the year. The Integrated Community Development Programme (ICDP) continued its work strengthening rural communities through holistic and participative engagement. The Unnati watershed development programme was expanded to two additional blocks in Pachapalayam, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu. This expansion is designed to combat water scarcity and bolster agricultural resilience, with an expectation to benefit an additional 8,000 individuals over the next 3.5 years, enhancing community livelihood and water resource sustainability.

The company’s watershed development projects in water-stressed areas also contribute to its Water Neutrality target by augmenting water availability for the community. These initiatives created infrastructure with a rainwater harvesting potential of 4.5 million kL annually, providing an estimated 3.2 million kL of additional water availability for the community each year over the past three years.

L&T also continued its focus on Accessible Healthcare through L&T Health Centres and worked towards linking CSR interventions with Government Schemes and Programmes. The National Skill Development Mission was supported through L&T CSTIs and STA at Madh. Employee engagement was encouraged through the L&T-eering: Employee Volunteering Initiative, where 9,590 employees dedicated their time and skills to various social causes, including mentoring underprivileged children, medical camps, blood donation drives, and environmental initiatives like tree plantations. The company also created or acquired 1,339 capital assets through its CSR spending during the financial year, with details available on its website.

CSR projects were also undertaken in designated aspirational districts across India, including Visakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh), Dhubri (Assam), Hazaribagh and Ranchi (Jharkhand), Balangir and Kalahandi (Odisha), and Moga (Punjab). The Heavy Engineering division received recognition for its community development initiatives, winning the ‘Golden Peacock Award for Corporate Social Responsibility’ for 2024 and the “India CSR Investment in Sustainability Award” at the India Climate Samman 2025.

Governance, Transparency, and Accountability

L&T emphasizes building long-term, trust-based relationships with all stakeholders, and effective governance is key to its CSR approach. The CSR function is managed by a dedicated Corporate CSR Team, supported by teams at campuses, area offices, and project sites, as well as trusts like the Prayas Trust and L&T Public Charitable Trust (LTPCT). The CSR & Sustainability Committee, established as per the requirements of the Companies Act, 2013, oversees the company’s CSR programs. The composition of this committee, the CSR Policy Framework, and the CSR Annual Action Plan for FY 2024-25 are publicly disclosed on the company’s website.

Transparency is further ensured through mechanisms for receiving and redressing community grievances. Concerns can be submitted in writing via email or letter to local Project Heads/Coordinators or directly to Corporate CSR, with a commitment to provide feedback within 20 days. An independent Impact Assessment of 27 CSR Projects implemented in FY 2022-23 was carried out in FY 2024-25 by Thinkthrough Consulting, with reports available on the company’s website.

This assessment confirmed the relevance, effective implementation, meaningful impact, and sustainable design of the initiatives. The CEO/CFO also certified that CSR funds disbursed were utilized for the approved purposes and manner. While the BRSR report is prepared on a standalone basis, the detailed CSR spending and impact information provide a clear picture of the company’s dedication to social upliftment.

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Looking Ahead: Sustained Commitment

The excess spending in FY 2024-25 and the upward revision of the beneficiary target to 2 million signal L&T’s continued commitment to inclusive growth and community empowerment.

By embedding sustainability and social responsibility at the core of its operations, L&T aims to generate enduring value for all its stakeholders, including the communities it serves.

The focus remains on impactful social engagement and contributing to national development, solidifying L&T’s position as a responsible corporate citizen.