Kolkata, Jul 24 (PTI) The West Bengal government, several corporate houses, and UNICEF have decided to work together for the development of children and address the issues that affect them the most.
Members of Assocham, BCCI, Bharat Chambers, FICCI, MCCI and the eastern Region of CII expressed their desire to invest in children to secure their futures under the funds allocated for corporate social responsibility (CSR), a UNICEF release said on Thursday.
Representatives of these chambers took part in a roundtable meeting titled ‘Matching Grants to Needs’, organised by the UN body in collaboration with the West Bengal government.
The state government has launched a CSR portal to help corporates invest their CSR funds in various development projects that the West Bengal government identifies across the state, it said.
“A portfolio of projects based on the needs of the children, which the corporates can take up to utilise their CSR funds, has been put up in the CSR portal. This is an attempt to help match the needs of the society with your CSR funds,” Shashi Panja, Minister of Women and Child Development and Social Welfare and Industries, Commerce and Enterprises, said at the round table on Wednesday evening.
She also said that corporates always looked for innovative solutions, and UNICEF works globally on issues of children.
“As a result, this tripartite initiative is going to deliver on the children’s issues,” Panja said, adding that the initiative prioritises the needs and the corporates to find a project that interests them.
The joint work would explore avenues for CSR investments in child health, child nutrition, adolescents and youths, climate resilient systems, focusing on communities vulnerable to natural disasters, education, skill development and social protection of marginalised groups of children.
Citing that UNICEF has been working with the Government of India for more than 75 years, Cynthia McCaffrey, UNICEF Representative in India, said that the dialogue created hopes and ambitions for advancing the well-being of children and families.
“We are stronger together – bringing knowledge, expertise and the drive to increase capacity and convene professionals and civil society organisations to enable support to meet the needs of communities,” she told the chamber members.
Earlier, she made a presentation of UNICEF’s work for children to the representatives of the corporate bodies and recounted her experience of visiting an Anganwadi centre, a health and wellness centre, a government hospital, Kanyashree Club, a centre for children with disabilities and school children during her visit to the state.
The corporate body representatives shared with the minister and UNICEF officials the various social development schemes they have taken up in the state.
They promised to go back to their members and discuss the opportunities that this tripartite initiative offers.
“UNICEF, being a partner of the West Bengal government, we hope that this dialogue will help to transform our expertise, which corporates can use to plan their investments for the development of children,” Monjur Hossain, chief of UNICEF in West Bengal, told the gathering.
State government officials urged the leaders of the industries to get their companies registered with the CSR portal.
“Projects worth Rs 450 crore have already been uploaded in the portal, and 37 industrial houses have registered with it. The portal offers projects that suit the interests of the corporates,” Sanghamitra Ghosh, Principal Secretary of Women and Child Development and Social Welfare department, said at the programme. PTI RG SBN NN SBN
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