CSR and Sustainability in India: Transforming Burdens into Boons! by Sam Desouza


CSR and Sustainability in India: Transforming Burdens into Boons! by SAM DESOUZA
Article Posted: 09/19/2011
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CSR and Sustainability in India: Transforming Burdens into Boons!

Business,Business News

Indian Ngo projects provide you the opportunity to serve the poor and the needy and make them feel equally loved and cared for. You can Sponsor a child in India and watch him or her grow to be worth member of the society. ">Now CSR is becoming increasingly prominent in India because companies are realising that inclusive and sustainable growth is very important for them. Several CSR initiatives have been implemented in India since 1990s. “Desirable Corporate Governance: A Code” established by CII confederation of Indian industry is one of the earliest voluntary codes. One of the major reasons why growth of CSR is rapid in India is because of state of the nation. India is still a developing country where skewed development is very visible, people living in shacks next to swanky apartments, unemployment, poor healthcare, and poor sanitation. The government of India only has limited resources to tackle these problems so the private sector has to put in its help somewhere. Today CSR in India has gone beyond mere donations and charity and is now approached in a more organized way. Now companies have CSR teams which set annual targets and goals and also allocate separate budgets. They also have analysis teams which study how to make CSR more profitable and marketable. They are mostly related to the company’s business expertise and employees form the backbone for all these programmes. Employees volunteer their skills for the upliftment of local communities and thus it brings in a sense of goodwill among them too. Corporate Social Responsibility And Sustainability Among Indian Companies Conglomerates like Tata, Birla, and IOC have been doing CSR right from their inception. From a survey conducted by times of India it was found out that Tata leads the pack with a share of 67% which is distantly followed by Infosys at 13%.Various organisations have their own approaches towards CSR. For example companies like Maruthi Suzuki, Unilever, and Bharath petroleum adopt villages and help setup vocational training centres, provide education, improve sanitation, etc. SAP is working closely with an Indian NGO Hope foundation to eradicate poverty across India and has even setup ‘The SAP Labs Centre of HOPE’ in Bangalore. ITC provides a percentage of money they get out of sale of its products in improving literacy thus doubling it as a marketing strategy. People think they are indirectly contributing to a cause by buying ITC’s products. IT sector companies use their employees directly as it relates to the moral sense of the employees too. With Corporate Social Responsibility in India having got hold of a new facet in the recent years, more and more companies are progressively realizing that it is an altruistic investment, which fetches multiple benefits to the company. To promote this, all CSR activities are being planned in alignment with the corporate business strategies. CSR has been largely positive in India and has been very instrumental in sustainable development. When a child living in a slum is transformed as a boon to society instead of a burden to the society CSR indeed shines!

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