A country of myriad contradictions, India has grown to be one of the booming economies in the system and an increasingly significant player in the upcoming global management. But, on the other hand, it lags behind in many areas of the human development index.
What surfaces is a picture of the irregular allocation of resources, which contributes to the underdevelopment. Resources in the current context would include CSR funds based on Corporate profits.
In the past couple of years, CSR as a notion has been the center of many deliberations and study. It has risen in significance both academically as well as in the industry sense. It seizes a spectrum of conditions and standards for regulating a company’s addition to social progress. This blend of governing as well as societal demand means that businesses have to continue their CSR activities in a more professional manner.
India has a long legend of paternalistic humanitarianism. The method, though commended recently, has been followed since early times, although informally. Scholars such as Kautilya from India and pre-Christian era sages encouraged the idea of moral systems being a crucial part of doing everyday business. There has been awareness recently that business cannot thrive in solitude and social development is needed for a sustainable increase. A model CSR method has both ethical and reflective dimensions, especially in India where there is a broad gap among divisions of people in terms of revenue and the socio-economic situation.
Education
Research shows that provisioning infrastructure assistance is a popular movement in the education realm, taken by roughly 85% of businesses. The material, teaching supplies, books, furniture and building of libraries and schools, consists of the role of implementing educational infrastructure. Granting scholarships to students is another regular CSR venture being followed with 65% of companies. There is an indication that many organizations are working on schemes to enhance the quality of education by providing coaching classes for children, training primary and secondary school educators in different and refined teaching methods and learning aids. Many organizations are also found to be coming up with their own schools. Another increasing trend is to support the funding by building capacities in diverse areas to enable sustainable growth & impact.
Health Care
In this division, we find that companies are organizing fitness camps to volunteer health assistance and raising mindfulness on health problems. Infrastructural and material support is another popular action in the healthcare domain. It includes medical equipment, ambulances, clinics, health centers as well as renovation and construction of hospital buildings. Water sanitation, child health, and maternal care are other chosen areas of interest.
Environment
India fights massively with environmental issues. Air and water pollution are prevailing. CSR drives pointed toward the improvement of the environment include go-green actions like tree plantation initiatives to raise awareness on afforestation, attempts to save water and knowledge on disposal of waste.
Corporates are wary of supporting issues & causes which are at times logger-heads with developmental activities. Another area of concern that has been flagged off are CSR activity that could potential land in political controversies.
Livelihood
Many organizations support skill improvement through vocational training and career guidance to develop skills, employability of applicants, and finally their earning potentials. Some activities initiated by businesses have also incorporated improving the awareness of people in their own area of operation, such as teaching farmers about modern and enhanced farming techniques.
Rural Development
About 60% of companies have been acting toward the betterment of rural areas by providing support in the building of dams, renovating of pumps and construction of roads to improve commute. Companies have also been striving for rural advancement by organizing awareness camps for concerns like domestic brutality, infanticide and the absolute importance of education.
Social Enterprises
Small and medium social enterprises significantly contribute towards India’s financial success. The business projects of these enterprises are presented near locals. This allows them to be conscious of community requirements, manage prospects and develop CSR programs appropriately. This area investigates the option of offering collaborative CSR activities. It can also be used by other businesses to maximise the result of their CSR drives while decreasing the operational expenses for fund control. Collaboration also proves a worthy contender in the aim to control environmental and social issues, by businesses that are trying to build moral supply chains and gain recognition from the international community.
Reporting:
KPMG India director, Santhosh Jayaram says “The Indian government has urged businesses to invest in and report on social activities. Since 2013, it has been compulsory for big companies to report on CSR projects initiated and to disclose details including spending on these schemes in their annual statement. Along with a demand for the top 100 listed entities to report, India now has the highest CSR reporting rate worldwide.”
The necessity to learn and act upon the notion of corporate social responsibility has increased momentum in the recent past not just in the legal rule but also in judicial activism. Besides the constitutional and legislative responsibility, it becomes an ethical obligation not only of individuals but of the corporate organizations to protect and improve the quality of life.
Vardaan’s CSR Services
Vardaan enable corporates to achieve their Responsibility goals by offering services such as consultation on social responsibility, diagnostic process, policy making scheme, plan implementation and impact measurement. Contributing to this cause can help India escape poverty and claim their right to education, good living standards, and a better future.
References:
http://forbesindia.com/blog/the-good-company/the-changing-landscape-of-csr-in-india/
http://www.norwayemb.org.in/News_and_events/Business/Corporate-Social-Responsibility-CSR-in-India-2014/#.V_3oL-B96M-
http://www.legalservicesindia.com/article/article/corporate-social-responsibility-and-environmental-protection-1920-1.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evolution_of_corporate_social_responsibility_in_India
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/business/India-leads-in-CSR-spending-growth/articleshow/51173712.cms
http://www.mondaq.com/india/x/366528/Corporate+Governance/Corporate+Social+Responsibility+Indian+Companies+Act+2013
Image References:
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The backbone of every society is education. But what weighs the most is the quality of education. In India, out of the 239 million students enrolled for classes I – XII, only a handful receive the quality education with qualified teachers and education aids. UNICEF states that 40-50 percent of the children from 16-18 years are dropping out of schools to go on to becoming child laborers denying themselves access to quality education.
The Indian corporate sector has a big opportunity to play an impactful role in changing this by adopting different ways to improve the quality of education.
