Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s pet project Swachh Bharat has not exactly swept Corporate India off its feet. Only a few companies have come forward to contribute to the government’s Swachh Bharat Kosh.
One year to the date of Modi creating the Clean India fund, donations of a mere ₹349 crore have been received.
Top private sector donors include Larsen & Toubro Ltd, the Bajaj Group, and ITC Ltd, according to the Finance Ministry in a reply to a Right to Information application, filed by the author. The fund, aimed at mobilising contributions for sanitation activities across the country, was set up in November last year under the Finance Ministry.
“Since its inception, donations of ₹349 crore have been received from different organisations and individuals in the Swachh Bharat Kosh, of which ₹113.06 crore have been already disbursed for repair/construction of dysfunctional toilets in government schools in various States,” said the Ministry, adding that a balance of ₹235.94 crore was available in the SBK account as on October 3.
While Larsen & Toubro contributed ₹60 crore to the fund, Bajaj Group donated ₹20 crore and ITC has given ₹10 crore. The largest donation of ₹100 crore, however, came from Mata Amritanandamayi Math last month.
Among public sector firms Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd (BHEL) and Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd contributed ₹20 crore each to the Kosh.
The Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd and IFFCO are also listed as top donors by the Ministry, each contributing ₹10 crore to the Fund.
In April, the BSE donated ₹1.01 crore.
Part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Swachh Bharat Abhiyan to build toilets and end open defecation in the country, the Kosh aimed “to facilitate channelisation of philanthropic contributions and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) funds” towards the cause, according to the Finance Ministry.
Donations to the Kosh were granted 100 per cent tax exemption and as an added incentive Prime Minister Modi personally acknowledges all donations that exceed ₹20 crore by companies and ₹1 crore by individuals.
One of the reasons cited for the industry’s lukewarm response is that most have their own CSR projects. Industry body CII, for instance, had announced plans to construct 10,000 toilets in government schools.