Tamil Nadu, March 27: The Coimbatore district administration, in collaboration with the Tamil Nadu State Planning Commission, hosted a Regional Convergence Conclave on Wednesday to attract corporate social responsibility (CSR) contributions for the development of nine underdeveloped blocks under the Focus Blocks Development Programme (FBDP) across eight districts.
District Collector Pavankumar G. Giriyappanavar, who chairs the FBDP District Committee, emphasized that the initiative aims to strengthen public infrastructure and improve living standards for economically disadvantaged households by integrating existing government schemes with CSR and Corporate Environment Responsibility (CER) funding. He highlighted Coimbatore’s strong ecosystem of CSR initiatives and civil society organizations, making it a key hub for such development efforts.
The nine blocks, identified across Coimbatore, Erode, Namakkal, Salem, Tiruppur, The Nilgiris, Krishnagiri, and Dharmapuri, were selected based on Key Development Indicators (KDIs). R. Srinivasan, a full-time member of the State Planning Commission, explained that development is assessed using 50 KDIs and 106 sub-indicators across seven key areas:
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Health
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Social Welfare
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Education
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Skill Development & Employment
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Agriculture & Allied Activities
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Economic Growth
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Infrastructure
Government initiatives targeting these indicators will be prioritized in these underdeveloped blocks to accelerate their growth. Mr. Srinivasan also emphasized that, beyond financial support, NGOs and private sector expertise will be considered and evaluated for effective implementation.
In Coimbatore district, a total of 45 projects focusing on health, education, and infrastructure have been proposed, with an estimated budget of ₹10.87 crore. The conclave also featured discussions on region-specific development needs and showcased successful CSR initiatives from the region. Additionally, 14 private organizations were recognized for their outstanding contributions to social development.
