OREANDA-NEWS. Mr. A.M. Naik, Group Executive Chairman, Larsen & Toubro, announced a major CSR initiative that would add traction to the 'Swachh Bharat Abhiyan' programme recently launched by the Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi on Independence Day. Observing that the objectives of L&T's ongoing CSR programme were aligned to the mission of 'Swachh Bharat Abhiyan', Mr. Naik said that the Company would set in motion the process of building 5000 toilets.

L&T along with L&T Public Charitable Trust are committed to building India's social infrastructure. The investments will cover water supply & distribution, sanitation facilities, healthcare facilities and skill training institutes.

As 'Builders to the Nation', L&T will leverage its strong presence in the engineering, construction and infrastructure sectors, to reach out and build social infrastructure for the weaker sections of society. Over the years, the company has strengthened its social capital by improving the lives of the individuals in the communities it works with. In the last year alone, it has impacted over 8 lakh beneficiaries through various social interventions. Over two and a half lakh children have benefitted through education programs that focus on enriching learning, while also providing hygienic sanitation facilities in schools. Pre-school programs also benefit to children at anganwadis and balwadis. In addition, over 5 lakhs individuals benefited from L&T's healthcare programs and 45 thousand unskilled youth per year were made employable through skill training institutes set up by the company. These actions flow from the belief that helping people from the lower strata of society and school drop-outs to acquire the skills to earn a living is more beneficial in the long run than just doling out aid.

L&T's CSR initiatives work towards the following outcomes in programs based on need assessment:

Water & sanitation (availability of clean drinking water and hygienic sanitation facilities)

Improved access to education (increased enrollment in pre-school children attending neighborhood schools) and improving the quality of learning (better school infrastructure, better teaching-learning process)

Improved access to quality health care (expanding infrastructure of health centres, increased number of people accessing quality health care Skill development Enhancing the employability of youth (augmenting training capacity, improved infrastructure of company managed skill development centres)

Mobile vans extend the outreach of L&T's health care initiatives far beyond cities with established medical facilities. The Company has a fleet of Health Care Vans which travel from village to village providing medical services to the needy. Each van carries a team comprising a doctor, paramedical staff and medicines for common illnesses.

In addition, L&T's 'Science on Wheels' project is adding significant value to education. Mobile vans equipped with the facilities of a science laboratory visit village schools and enable children to observe and participate in science experiments. Students and teachers have reported that the 'hands-on' experience in subjects like physics, chemistry, biology etc are proving to be interesting and valuable.

L&T also collaborates with premier institutes and non-government organizations to ensure effective implementation and monitoring of its community initiatives. L&T also plans to harness technology and employ innovative approaches to address the issues that communities face.