CASE Construction Equipment, a brand of CNH Industrial, has flagged off a new CSR initiative - LEAD (Livelihood & Entrepreneurship Awareness Development), to encourage entrepreneurship among rural youth in India. The project focuses on subsidiary income generation avenues in the agriculture and infrastructure sector through awareness and training programmes. In the first year, the brand is aiming to impact over 30,000 young aspirants across 3000 plus villages.

The LEAD project is a door-to-door awareness program to educate youth about the entrepreneurial ventures in local regions across India, under agriculture, rural industries (poultry, dairy, bee farming, and fisheries), and rural infrastructure (road construction initiatives and irrigation). The initiative, which is planned till 2024, focuses on interacting with local youth to stem the tide of migration to urban areas in search of jobs and also encourage reverse migration.

Speaking about the project, Sunil Puri, Managing Director, Case Construction - India and SAARC said, "As a socially responsible brand, we are delighted to introduce one more CSR initiative to promote livelihood and entrepreneurship amongst the youth. We firmly believe that rural entrepreneurship is a crucial driver of inclusive economic growth in India. Through Project LEAD, we aim to provide the necessary tools and resources to local communities to contribute towards the country’s economic progress. The programme will also help aspirational young people from rural India to become self-reliant.”

With the backdrop of challenges such as unemployment and economic disparity existing in rural areas, CASE has committed to supporting the development of rural entrepreneurship in India and finding innovative solutions to the unique problems faced by the communities, with the support of local partners and stakeholders.

CASE offers a full range of construction equipment in the country and is a leader in the Vibratory Compactor segment. The company produces Made-in-India products from its state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Pithampur, Madhya Pradesh for domestic as well as over 75 export markets.