Highway Touch Point. A CSR initiative?

In December, Union Textiles Minister Dharmendra Kashyap inaugurated Village TahTajpur’s Highway
Touch Point (HTP), which is supposedly a social business venture focused at
development of rural population. The idea is to allow villagers to manage the
touch points where highway commuters can buy products prepared by
the village community while stopping for using public facilities or
refreshments.

The Highway Touch Point is located at the entrance of village
TahTajpur in Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh. IL&FS Transportation Networks Ltd
(ITNL) is calling the project its corporate social responsibility (CSR)
initiative for it is expected to help villagers in generating income and create
employment opportunities for them.

The HTP will be managed by the Village Development Committee (VDC)
formed by the people of TahTajpur. The VDC is entering into an arrangement with
zari workers and other craftsmen who can commercially benefit through the
initiative.

‘Over a period of time, ITNL will like to set up HTPs at different
scales and levels in other parts of the country,’ read a statement from Ashutosh Chandwar, regional head and vice
president (North) of ITNL, in the company’s media release shared with
CauseBecause.