Bharti commits Rs 200 cr for village schools

The Mittal brothers ""Rakesh, Sunil and Rajan "" of Bharti Airtel today pledged Rs 200 crore from their personal wealth to set up primary schools in villages across the country.

Firm believers in large-scale operations, the brothers are targeting a few hundred schools in co-operation with village panchayats.

Though a name for the schools is yet to be finalised, they might be called either "Bharti Vdyalayas" or "Bharti Pathshalas".

The initiative, to be carried out through the Bharti Foundation, will provide mid-day meals and lay special emphasis on the girl child. Bharti's partners and suppliers like Warburg Pincus and IBM have also pledged $1 million each to the foundation.

Announcing this, Bharti Enterprises Chairman and Managing Director Sunil Mittal said the plan had been under formulation for some time now.

"This is also a response to the political leadership highlighting the need for affirmative action from corporate India," he said.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had said at the CII annual meet last month that corporates need to fulfill, their social responsibilities, especially towards the weaker sections of society.

In true Bharti style, the ramp up is going to be fast and cost-effective. "We are planning to open a few hundred schools within the next 18-20 months. These are likely to be 2-3 room schools, which will include facilities such as a computer and a library. Each centre will be able to house between 75 and100 students and will have provisions for mid-day meals for all children," Mittal added.

Elder brother Rakesh added village panchayats would have to pitch in with land. "The foundation is already in discussions with several panchayats for land. The building of schools will start in six months' time and the first few schools will be set up around Ludhiana, followed by east India," he said.

Each school will entail a capital expenditure of Rs 10-15 lakh and an annual operational cost of Rs 5-7 lakh. The foundation will also set up training facilities for teachers across the country to ensure good quality of education.