HDFC Bank has been operating in the state of West Bengal for five years under its CSR program #Parivartan. Over 17,000 households have benefited from Parivartan’s beneficial outreach throughout this time.

In 2019, HDFC Bank Parivartan began its efforts in West Bengal by offering scholarships to youngsters from disadvantaged backgrounds. Rural Development, Education Promotion, Skill Development & Livelihood Enhancement, Healthcare & Hygiene, and Financial Literacy & Inclusion are the five main focal areas of the Bank’s Parivartan initiative.

Purulia, Bankura, South 24 Parganas, North 24 Parganas, Murshidabad, Howrah, Jhargram, Birbhum, Bardhaman, Dakshin Dinajpur, and Nadia are the 11 districts in West Bengal where HDFC Bank Parivartan has a general presence.

Key interventions in West Bengal

• Livelihood enhancement of farmers

Four districts and seventeen blocks are implementing Project STREE (Social and Transformative Rural Economic Empowerment), a program aimed at empowering farmers and rural communities. Over 10,000 female farmers are now shareholders in 18 Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs) that have been institutionalized under the scheme. Interventions such as the adoption of Good Agricultural Practices, improved inputs, crop advising, sorting, grading, packaging, and storage for guaranteed market linkage are directly affecting an extra 24,000 people. Backward and forward linkages are used to span the five crop value chains.

Under other schemes throughout the state, 66,000 more farmers have benefited from various income development assistance.

• Skilling initiative

To meet the job needs of urban youth, five cutting-edge skill centers are operating in the Kolkata area. Over 3,000 young people are receiving training at reputable companies with full placement assistance.

• Natural Resource Management

In the water-stressed regions of Bankura, Purulia, Murshidabad, Jhargram, and Birbhum, targeted development projects on natural resource management are being carried out. In order to expand the irrigation command area by more than 6000 acres, more than 250 water harvesting structures have been developed. This is increasing the amount of water that can be stored, which opens up more opportunities for subsistence through cattle and aquaculture.

• Rural Development:

A Holistic Rural Development project has been put into place in 15 villages on the Sundarbans’ disaster-prone Sagar island. Access to clean drinking water, smart school infrastructure, renewable energy, coastal land restoration, and other resources has benefited almost 4,000 households.

“At HDFC Bank, we focus on fostering socio-economic development by empowering communities and creating positive change at the grassroots level. To accomplish these objectives in the state of West Bengal, we have started a portfolio of projects. With a focus on livelihood, education, skill development, natural resource management, and community well-being, we are dedicated to promoting sustainable development” said Ms. Nusrat Pathan, Head of CSR.

For the fiscal year that concluded in March 2024, HDFC Bank was one of the nation’s largest CSR spenders. The Bank invested Rs 945.31 crore in national CSR projects as of March 31, 2024. By reaching over 10.19 crore beneficiaries nationwide as of March 2024, the Bank further increased its influence.

Priyanka Dutta