Channel CSR funds for rural education and skill development, Lanka Dinakar urges Union Education Minister

Lanka Dinakar, Chairman of the Twenty Points Programme Implementation Committee, Government of Andhra Pradesh, has urged Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan to frame clear guidelines for directing Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) funds towards upgrading educational infrastructure and promoting skill development for the underprivileged.

In a letter personally handed over to the Minister in New Delhi on Tuesday, Mr. Dinakar referred to recent remarks by RSS Sarsanghchalak Mohan Bhagwat advocating the use of CSR resources for affordable healthcare and quality education.

He noted that while the Centre has made significant strides through flagship schemes such as PM SHRI Schools and the Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan, there remains vast untapped potential to utilise CSR funding, especially in rural and aspirational districts, to bridge gaps in educational access and quality.

Mr. Dinakar suggested that CSR support could help modernise classrooms and school infrastructure, enhance access to digital learning tools, improve internet connectivity in remote areas, establish vocational training centres for employable skills, and provide scholarships to meritorious students from disadvantaged backgrounds. He also stressed that such initiatives should be in line with the National Education Policy (NEP), blending moral and cultural values with technological advancement, and promoting the principles of Sanatana Dharma alongside innovation-driven education.