Bharti, Google join hands to promote education in rural India

Vice Chairman and Managing Director , Bharti Enterprises, Rakesh Bharti Mittal (right) and Chief Business Officer, Google, Nikesh Arora during a Press Conference in New Delhi on Monday. Photo: S. Subramanium

Bharti Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Bharti Enterprises, on Monday said it has received $5 million funding by search engine giant Google to support its Satya Bharti schools.

“Google will provide financial support of $5 million to upgrade and support 50 Satya Bharti elementary schools, run by the Bharti Foundation,” Bharti Enterprises Vice-Chairman and Managing Director Rakesh Bharti Mittal told reporters here.

These schools, present in the states of Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh, will now be named Satya Elementary schools, he added.

“Globally, Google donates about $150 million every year to support various initiatives on education, healthcare, etc. This is our first such initiative in India and we hope to continue the good work,” Google Chief Business Officer Nikesh Arora said.

Bharti Foundation provides education to underprivileged children in rural areas. It runs 236 primary schools and one senior secondary school. Going forward, an additional 15 primary and four senior secondary schools are scheduled to be opened in the next academic year.