NEW DELHI: Samsung R&D Institute – Bangalore (SRI-B), Samsung‘s largest R&D centre outside Korea and Government of Karnataka today donated 550,000 notebooks and one lakh stationery items to 2,100 government schools in Kolar and Ramanagar districts of Karnataka.
In the fifth edition of the notebook donation drive for around one lakh students studying at government schools, volunteers from SRI-B reached out to schools in six Talukas of Kolar district (Kolar, Malur, KGF, Mulbagal, Bangarpet and Srinivaspura) and one Taluka of Ramanagar district (Magadi) to distribute notebooks and stationery items.
The notebook donation drive was conceptualized five years ago when Samsung employees, on a field visit, interacted with students of different government schools to understand their challenges and more importantly, the reason for attending school. A majority of students said they come to school only for mid-day meals. They also mentioned that they lacked necessities like notebooks and stationary items. Engineers at SRI-B formed a volunteer group and along with the CSR team has been conducting donation drives, bringing the focus back to education and helping arrest school drop-out rates.
“We urge more corporates to come forward and participate in the development process of our region. These students are our future and I appreciate Samsung’s efforts towards the development of rural areas of Kolar. We seek continued support to brighten up the lives of these children,” said Shri Manjunath, District Collector, Kolar.
“Samsung has undertaken conscious efforts towards the development of young minds in this region. The continued collaboration with Karnataka government is a testimony of our commitment and we feel deeply satisfied to see our young talented engineers participate with enthusiasm. While we continue to make the lives of our consumers better with our innovations, we will also focus on contributing to the development of our country with sustainable initiatives,” said Dipesh Shah, Managing Director, Samsung R&D Institute – Bangalore.
Since 2015, members of the volunteer group, ‘SEVA’ and the CSR team at SRI-B have contributed over 850,000 notebooks to over 70,000 school students across 1,200 government schools. With the latest drive, they would have contributed over 1,400,000 notebooks. The team has also initiated the construction of a new school building in Kolar district and has installed water filters in 85 schools in the district.
Samsung has had a strong relationship with Karnataka. The state is home to Samsung’s largest R&D centre outside Korea, the world’s largest mobile experience centre, the Samsung Opera House and the recently launched cinema LED screen at Swagath Cinema, Bangalore.
