Bridging The Urban-Rural Education Gap In India Through CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) Initiatives: A Conceptual Study With Special Reference To Sustainable Development Goal 4 (Quality Education)

Department of Commerce, (Graphic Era Deemed to be University, Dehradun, India )

^* corresponding author:himani.pant10@gmail.com

Abstract

Education plays a pivotal role in fostering the socio-economic development of any nation. Because of persistent urban-rural education gap in India, the country faces challenges in achieving Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG 4) – Quality Education. The current study is conducted to investigate the role of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives in addressing this gap, for which a comprehensive study is conducted to identify CSR initiatives undertaken by the top companies in bridging the urban-rural education gap prevailing in India. Further the study also aims to identify various challenges encountered by companies while aligning their CSR initiatives towards achievement of global goal of sustainability (SDG4). The paper also gives recommendations in meeting out these challenges.