West Bengal's social welfare schemes key to social upliftment: UNICEF Official

Kolkata: West Bengal government's social welfare schemes, including Kanyashree and Rupashree, have been instrumental and key drivers for the social upliftment of our state, said Chief of Field Office of UNICEF-West Bengal Monjur Hossain said.

He was speaking at the 'Impact East 2024 conclave organised by Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) Eastern Region in Kolkata.
Kanyasree, which helped in girl child education is a brainchild of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee which has received United Nations' recognition.


Hossain praised India's significant achievement in the complete eradication of polio and outlined the huge potential lies in leveraging the human capital available in this part of the country through skill development.

He focussed on the necessity of achieving sustainable development goals towards a holistic approach of creating a children friendly society. He also emphasized the importance of collaboration between the government, non-government organizations, and other key private stakeholders in capacity building and the effective utilization of CSR funds.

Highlighting that the Eastern Region contains 25 percent of the country's aspirational districts but receives only 6 per cent of total private development capital, Sourav Roy, Chief – CSR, Tata Steel Limited said. He said there should be greater emphasis on deepening social impact through more effective allocation of CSR funds.

Prashant Kumar Hota, President, Group Head CSR, Education and Sustainability of Jindal Steel and Power Limited stated that policymakers should play a crucial role in creating effective policies to ensure that the impact of CSR funding reaches the people at the last mile. Around 50 NGOs participated in the initiative, alongside key stakeholders from the private sector.