State Bank of India has come out with a SBI Gram Seva, a new CSR initiative aiming to adopt some 500 villages over the next 3 years. The bank’s SBI Foundation will take up the initiative, which will develop villages in collaboration with the gram panchayats. M.K. Rekha, MD of SBI Foundation, said the Foundation will collaborate with local NGOs and gram panchayats and bridge the gap between the facilities and services provided by the government and the basic requirements of the locals in the villages. The project will cover areas like health, education, environment, women empowerment, livelihood, skill development and developing infrastructure. The aim is to link the specific government schemes to the individual in the villages. The bank has launched the project in 10 villages in 6 states – Bihar, Jharkhand, Assam, Uttarakhand, Maharashtra and UP.
