From bleak to beaming: A CSR project transforms a village in Chhatarpur of MP

Sravani Sarkar

NewsBits.in

Bhopal: A year ago, Nandlalpura village in Chhatarpur district, was another typical village of Madhya Pradesh infested with multiple socio-economic issues and lacking on basic facilities. The atmosphere was gloomy there at the best.

But now, the faces of children are lit up with smile while that of elders is awash with happiness and contentment – sure signs of the massive transformation that the village has undergone during past 12 months.

“Now there are so many facilities available in our village - clean water to toilets, roads, solar lighting, livelihood opportunities and better education facility for our kids. I cannot express my happiness in words. It is difficult to believe that this is the same village that we have been residing in since generations,” Hazari Lal Patel, 45, a local farmer beams as he says this.

The major transformation in Nandlalpura, part of Nayagaon Panchayat in Rajnagar block has been possible due to a corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiative by LT Foods Limited & Fair Farming Foundation (FFF).

Nandlalpura was adopted in August end 2015, and within a year, many basic necessities have been fulfilled and upgraded, Amit Singh, CSR Project Head told NewsBits.in.

The school now has better classroom infrastructure, clean drinking water supply, a resource centre with a non-formal education teacher to impart computer literacy. Attendance has gone up manifold.

Toilets have been built in every household, solar street lights and bio-gas (for cooking) units have been put up.

Livelihood opportunities have been created by the way of setting up of dairy farm, poultry farm and register file making unit. The units are maintained by a village level committee inclusive of 12 women.

“The units are now self-sustained and generating income of about Rs 50,000 per month collectively. The committee takes all the decisions,” Singh said.

Committee President Rekha Patel, 28, says, “Initially marketing posed a challenge for us but we managed to ensure local marketing, which reduced the cost as well as problem of transportation. This initiative from company is providing direct and indirect employment to the village people. It created a regular source of income by unfolding a great opportunity for the rural people.” 

Ranu Patel, 25, housewife mentions a year ago they had to take water from an open well where often dead animals and birds would float. Diseases were rampant. But now water storage tanks with filters have been installed, providing clean water.

Ramabai Vishwakarma, 52, says toilets at home has made them safe and freed them of the regular embarrassment of open defecation.

Upasana, class 4 class student in the village said; “I did not see a computer before, but now I can write few lines in both Hindi and English on computer. It’s very interesting.”

Singh said the company plans to support the initiatives for at least another three years. Meanwhile two or three additional villages are to be adopted in the same block by end of this year for betterment of lives of people.

“This is a story of how CSR can transform the backward villages into the sustainable model villages. A profound change has taken place here and we hope many other corporate houses will take similar initiative and reach out to remote villages for common good,” Tapan Ray, President, FFF says.