Canara Bank has been a pioneer in initiating and implementing multifaceted and innovative programmes aimed at the development of people from the lower strata of the society. The Bank has been playing a lead role and trying to bring about a transformation in rural areas.

The Bank in its endeavor to promote rural development set up Rural Development section at its Head Office during 1980 and Canara Bank Platinum Jubilee Rural Development Trust during 1982.The Trust has been renamed as Canara Bank Centenary Rural Development Trust (CBCRD Trust) in the Bank’s centenary year.

Unemployment is one of the major socio-economic problems of our country.
The causes of unemployment are multifarious. To eradicate this problem, it is necessary to provide opportunities to unemployed youth through Skill, Vocational and Entrepreneurship Development Training to set up and run small and micro enterprise units for gainful employment and sustainable income generation.

In this direction, the Bank has set up a chain of fourteen specialized, exclusive self-employment training institutes under the management of CBCRD Trust. The network of Training institutes comprises of three exclusive artisans’ training institutes, three exclusive Information Technology Training institutes, one exclusive self-employment institute each for Women,SC/ST and Minorities respectively and five self employment training institutes.

Rural Development and Self Employment Training Institutes (RUDSETIs) is another joint venture of Canara Bank’s CBCRD Trust with other organizations and today 20 RUDSETIs, set up across the country, are also engaged in tackling the unemployment problems.

To address the acute shortage of drinking water in remote rural villages, CBCRD trust is implementing Jalayoga-a scheme which provides access to safe drinking water in remote villages mainly comprising of SC/ST population.