Madhya Pradesh: ICICI
Foundation for Inclusive Growth, the CSR arm of ICICI Bank, has taken up a set
of initiatives to protect wildlife, restore forest habitat and support village
communities in and around the Satpura Tiger Reserve in Narmadapuram district.
This initiative is part of a
larger conservation effort as per banks ESG report FY26. The Bank allocated ₹9.94 billion
towards Corporate Social Responsibility in fiscal 2026, up from ₹8.01 billion
in fiscal 2025. Till March 31, 2026, its programmes have benefitted
19.83 million lives across India, supported conservation work in 83 forests and
tiger reserves across 21 states, helped plant more than 5 million trees since
fiscal 2022, and created an annual water storage capacity of 34.37 billion
litres.
Since 2022, ICICI Foundation
has been working with the Madhya Pradesh State Forest Department to strengthen
protection inside the reserve and to help families living around it. The work
has reached more than 16,000 people across 89 villages and created an annual
water storage capacity of 42.4 crore litres.
One of the clearest results has
been the return of the Hard Ground Barasingha, an endangered swamp deer and the
state animal of Madhya Pradesh. A 20-hectare enclosure with 1,800 metres of
fencing and a pond of 14.34 lakh litres was built inside the Pachmarhi
Biosphere Reserve. Since 2022, the number of Barasingha there has grown five
times to 79.
To make water available for
animals through the year, the Foundation revived 79 ponds and built 74 new
ones, together holding 25 crore litres a year. Over 2,000 hectares of land were
cleared of invasive brushwood and weeds. Forest patrolling and fire prevention
were improved with two patrolling vehicles, 20 fire blowers and 270 trap
cameras. Seven borewells at patrolling camps and 27 solar borewells inside the
forest now supply water and power without any grid connection. Seventy five
local people trained as forest guides are now employed at the Pachmarhi
Biosphere Reserve.
Work with villages has moved in
step. The Foundation built 111 ponds and gave farmers 1,200 sprayer pumps, 700
solar traps, 2,700 crop cleaners and 3,300 grain storage units to support
better farming and reduce losses after harvest. It also helped 126 women
through 13 Self Help Groups. Farmers in these villages now earn an additional
₹37,000 a year on average.