In five months,BMC’s CSR projects attract tepid response

While a leading financial services company has agreed to procure water purifiers to conservancy workers at 243 BMC chowkies,a software firm is expected to fund the diet of 45 TB patients every day at a civic hospital in Malvani-Malad.

Other proposals which are reportedly in the final stages are a zero waste management plan in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit of KEM hospital and a proposed waste segregation project in all BMC establishments including ward level offices and other departments.

“We have received a good response from some corporate houses. The companies have been very forthcoming but progress is slow due to procedural issues,” said Prachi Jambhekar,Assistant Municipal Commissioner (CSR Cell) at BMC.

The CSR cell was the brainchild of Municipal Commissioner Sitaram Kunte,and it has a ‘menu card’ of projects from which companies can select the projects they want to support give for.

While CSR cell has been set up with support from the Tata Institute of Social Science,Reliance Foundation,the project partner will provide the resources and funds to run the cell in the first year.

The BMC,which has an annual budget of over Rs 27,000 crore,is seeking funds for various projects including geriatric care mobile medical units,rain water harvesting for major municipal premises,development of gender resource centre,self-defence training for girls at BMC schools,ventilators for Kasturba hospital,scholarship for children of class IV MCGM employees and spoken English training for Std IX students in BMC.

“As per the government’s guidelines,the corporate sector is mandated to set aside two per cent of their net profit towards CSR initiatives. The CSR cell will help leverage the CSR funds and establish a channel for tapping resources,” Municipal Commissioner Sitaram Kunte had said while presenting the BMC budget for 2013-14.