Coastal Talk News | Bengaluru
"Children in rural areas must develop. Every child in rural regions should be capable of competing at a global level," said Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar. He was speaking after participating in the "'Nanna Shaale, Nanna Javabdari' (My School, My Responsibility) CSR and Individual Contributors Programme" held on Wednesday at the Banquet Hall of Vidhana Soudha.
During this event, 15 MoUs were signed to develop 56 schools at a total cost of Rs 206.10 crore. Prior to this, in 2026, 18 MoUs were executed to develop 33 schools at a cost of Rs 85 crore. Another 12 MoUs to develop 23 schools at a cost of Rs 64 crore are currently near the signing stage.
"If at least 1,000 schools are reached under the CSR scheme in the coming 2 to 3 years, Karnataka will create a new history in the entire country."
Recalling how the CSR rule requiring companies to spend at least 2% of their profits on society was brought under the leadership of former Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh, former President Pranab Mukherjee, and Sonia Gandhi, CM shared that he himself comes from a rural background and has been in public life for a long time.
"Bengaluru's population has grown from 40 lakh in the past to over 1.4 crore today, and the city has over 1.35 crore vehicles. According to recent surveys, the state's urban population is likely to rise to 69%–70% by 2047," he said. "Every parent, including drivers and small farmers, considers good education for their children as their true asset. People migrate from rural areas to cities seeking employment and quality education for their children. By providing high-quality primary education in rural areas itself, if we can retain people in their native villages for at least 15 years, the pressure on cities can be reduced" he said.
