Coal India to spend Rs 235 cr on improving sanitation

In response to the call given to the corporate sector by PM Narendra Modi for ‘Clean India’ initiative, Coal India on Tuesday said it will spend Rs 235 crore on building toilets and improving sanitation in schools and households of underprivileged.

“The amount of Rs 235 crore would be utilised for creating modern sanitation facilities in schools operating in the command areas of CIL’s (Coal India) subsidiary companies and in the villages of economically backward districts which lack toilet facilities identified by coal companies through a baseline survey,” the PSU said in a statement.

The fund is 50 per cent of the company’s total Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) war chest of Rs 470 crore budgeted for the ongoing financial year, it said.

The company will engage various NGOs for the construction of toilets as well as undertake awareness campaigns for better sanitation, it said adding that a total of around one lakh households would be benefited by the sanitation initiative.

“This apart, around 6,000 toilet facilities would be built in schools. This hygiene drive is targeted to be completed within March 2015, through engagement of NGO agencies by coal companies,” it said.

CIL’s mining operation are currently in 429 mines spread across eight states —— West Bengal, Jharkhand, Odisha, MP, UP, Chhattisgarh, Maharastra and North Eastern states.

On Monday, infrastructure major Larsen & Toubro had said it will construct 5,000 toilets.

Earlier, Sunil Mittal-led Bharti Enterprises’ development arm, Bharti Foundation, had also announced investment of up to Rs. 100 crore for constructing toilets in Ludhiana over the next three years.

Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) had pledged Rs. 100 crore towards financing hygienic sanitation facilities for girl students across 10,000 schools while Vedanta Group announced building of 10,000 more toilets in addition to 30,000 which it has already constructed in collaboration with Rajasthan government.