Date:05/05/2006 URL: http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2006/05/05/stories/2006050504630100.htm

Back Bharti charts Rs 200-crore primary education project

Our Bureau

RURAL REACH

MR SUNIL MITTAL

New Delhi , May 4

The Bharti Group today announced a corpus of Rs 200 crore to set up primary schools across rural India.

The project, being implemented through the Bharti Foundations, envisages setting up a few hundred schools over the next 18-20 months.

Foreign investors in Bharti's telecom company Bharti Airtel - Vodafone and Warburg Pincus - have also committed to support the foundation.

Announcing the initiative, Mr Sunil Mittal, Chairman, Bharti Enterprises said, "I have taken inspiration from people like Bill Gates, Chairman of Microsoft. We have picked up primary education as a mission under the banner of Bharti Foundation."

The Foundation will also set up Teachers' Training facilities throughout the country to improve the quality of education at a much larger level. Mr Rajan Mittal and Mr Rakesh Mittal are also contributing to the foundation.

The Bharti Foundation has already started discussions with the Panchayats in the identified villages for land.

Each school will entail a capital expenditure of Rs 10-15 lakh and Rs 5-7 lakh operational expenses.

Mr Mittal said if required, more funds would be pumped in to meet the targets. The schools under the program would be called Bharti School.

"We shall be collaborating with various NGOs, overseas bodies and village panchayats for the purpose," Mittal said.

To begin with, Bharti would be starting schools in Ludhiana in Punjab followed by Eastern India.

Special focus would be given to disabled children and girls.

The schools would be up to class V and state board curriculum would be followed.

This would also provide employment to the women in the village who would be engaged to prepare the mid-day meal scheme.