HCL Foundation to invest Rs 110 cr in UP's village development project

Funds to be utilised for the 'Samuday' project that was launched in Hardoi district around two years ago

HCL Technology’s corporate social responsibility arm HCL Foundation would pump in Rs 110 crore into a village located in Uttar Pradesh’s Hardoi district. The funds will be utilised for the ‘Samuday’ development project that was launched in the district around two years ago.

The project, which covers around 720 villages and around 90,000 households, is aimed at registering improvements across various socio-economic verticals such as education, livelihood, health, infrastructure, sanitation and agriculture.   

“We have lined up an investment of around Rs 110 crore towards this initiative during the current financial year,” Project Samuday Director Navpreet Kaur told Business Standard this afternoon.

The Foundation had invested Rs 100 crore last year towards the same project, said the firm. Moreover, the company plans to invest a similar amount in the project every year, as long as the initiative continues to be active.

Kaur said once Samuday achieved its objectives during its tentative time span of five years (2015-20), it could be replicated in other districts and states, depending on the learnings and blueprint prepared after the its five-year run.

Earlier, UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath unveiled HCL Foundation’s biggest social initiative in the state that involves the creation of model villages in UP.  So far, more than 500,000 people have benefitted under the existing project.

Speaking on the occasion, CM Adityanath urged corporate majors like HCL to adopt more villages in the state, besides asking them to partner with the government to enable faster socio-economic development in UP.

The UP government was working towards creating a conducive investment environment in the state, said Adityanath, while giving assurances to major companies and investors that his government would facilitate business and social initiatives taken by them.

However, he underlined that unless there was awareness towards social issues in the society, government policies would not be able to make a significant dent in terms of improving development levels. He, consequently, called upon the private companies to chip in and take steps to spread awareness among the masses.

Over the last two years, Samuday had set up over 380 information and communication technology-based classrooms and enrolled close to 2,000 adults under its literacy programme.

Besides, it had engaged 5,000 farmers under various interventions and constructed 5,500 toilets in rural areas of the state.

The HCL Foundation is also providing funds for the setting up of 49 mini-solar grids across 63 villages.

Apart from this, HCL Founder Shiv Nadar’s philanthropy arm Shiv Nadar Foundation, which has been running two boarding schools for the underprivileged rural children in UP, has invested nearly Rs 500 crore towards this initiative so far.