IIT Kharagpur partnering NGOs, corporates to shape their CSR initiatives

KOLKATA: Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kharagpur is gearing up to partner with corporate houses and NGOs to shape up their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives.

Dean of Alumni Affairs and International Relations of IIT Kharagpur, Prof. Siddhartha Mukhopadhyay said that for years the premier institution has been doing research work and apart from publishing them and obtaining patent for the same, the institute wished the works created an impact in the society.
"Helping the corporate and NGOs reach their CSR goals with our technology will be our way of giving it back to the society," Mukhopadhyay said at a CSR seminar on Monday.
"We are also looking at collaborating with industries from Germany and France working in India for their CSR initiatives here," he said adding the Indo-German Chamber of Commerce (IGCC) too has expressed interest to collaborate with the institute.
IGCC Kolkata Executive Sharon Mogose said, ?When we came to know about the technological interventions at IIT Kharagpur which can be used in a CSR context, we felt that this would be an interesting area for our members to explore for potential collaborations."
The Shrachi group has already expressed interest to tie-up with IIT Kharagpur for its WASH (Water, Sanitation, Hygiene) project.
?We are among the pioneers of bio-toilets in India. The work being done by IIT Kharagpur in the area could be of great use for us. We have already written to the institute expressing our interest for an MoU to facilitate us with technology on bio-waste management," Business development head ? WASH, Shrachi, Sudip Sen said.
More than 50 projects are presently active or ready to be operational at the institute, which is aligned to the CSR strategies of different companies, an IIT Kharagpur spokespersn said.