New Delhi: Country's largest carmaker Maruti Suzuki India (MSI) has earmarked Rs 140 crore for various CSR activities, including road safety initiatives, for the current financial year.
As part of various activities planned during the fiscal, the company is looking to explore innovative technology in the area of road safety for traffic management and control as part of its corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives. It has also included healthcare as a focus area under community development.
"Through CSR projects, we aim to create positive impact. The quality of life in the adopted villages has improved, over 90 per cent of the individual household toilets constructed are used regularly," MSI Head of CSR Ranjit Singh told PTI.
There is an increase in the pass percentage of students in the supported schools, he added. MSI has adopted 14 new villages in last three years. The company's board has already approved Rs 140 crore for CSR activities in 2017-18. The carmaker had invested Rs 89.45 crore in 2016-17, 140 per cent more than 2014-15 and 14 per cent more than 2015-16 on CSR activities.
Last fiscal, it trained 2.95 lakh drivers in safe driving while adding 40 new driving training schools making it 400 across 190 cities. It also released a comprehensive pan-India road safety index. Besides, it doubled recruitment of ITI students across its dealer service network. Over, 2,200 students were placed during the last fiscal as against 1,100 in 2015-16.
The company said it upgraded 25 new ITIs in last three years under skill development programme. MSI has earmarked a total of Rs 4,500 crore capex for the current financial year.
The amount would be spent on various activities including replacement of machinery, R&D and marketing initiatives. On R&D alone, the company plans to invest in the range of Rs 700-1,000 crore during the year. MSI had earmarked Rs 3,500 crore capex last fiscal.
