Infosys, India’s second-largest IT services companies is setting up 10,000 toilets in rural Karnataka as a part of its commitment to social causes. The project is being undertaken by Infosys Foundation which was established by the company in 1996 to support the underprivileged sections of society.
Infosys executive co-chairman S Gopalakrishnan said the foundation has already delivered 5,000 of those toilets while the rest will be delivered shortly. The toilets are being set up individual houses which do not have such facility.
This is not for the first time that Infosys is working for the cause of rural population in Karnataka. In 2009, when the northern districts of the state were severely affected by floods after torrential rainfall, Infosys had supported the state government by building over 2,200 houses for the people who had lost their houses. The Foundation had spent about Rs 30 crore under the North Karnataka Flood Relief Programme.
“The main aim of Infosys Foundation is to give back to the society. During the flood, we built 2,200 houses which have already been handed over. The Foundation is now committed in building 10,000 toilets in North Karnataka,” Gopalakrishnan said.
He said the company is encouraging its employees to volunteer in various community development projects. “We also want to develop our employees as good corporate citizens so that they behave as good citizens wherever they are. We are encouraging them to volunteer in community development projects at places where they are located.”
Infosys Foundation is headed by Sudha Murthy, wife of Infosys co-founder and chairman Emeritus N R Narayana Murthy, as the Chair Trustee.
Gopalakrishnan said the company transfers up to one per cent of its profits to the Foundation every year.
