Corporate Social Responsibility:

It was heartening to note that the first statement made by the new incoming
President Mr. Niranjan Mohanty was about Corporate Social Responsibility.
At the Outset the corporate world must realize that Corporate Social
Responsibility is about inclusive growth and not about charity.
The concept of all inclusive Growth has been well defined in Shanti mantra in our
Kato Upanishad at least FOUR Millenniums back. The Mantra reads as:
“OM SAHANA VAVATU SAHANA BHUNATTU
SAHA VIRYAM KARAWAVAHAI
TEJASVINAVADITAMASTU
MA VIDVISHAVAHAI
OM SHANTI SHANTI SHANTI OM”

Together may we be protected

Together may we be nourished
Together may we work with great energy
May our journey together be brilliant and effective
May there be no bad feelings between us
Peace, peace, peace
Mr. JRD Tata the visionary and industrialist, though much before CSR became a
buzz word, observed “ In a free enterprise, the community is not just another
stake holder in Business. But it’s in fact the very purpose of its existence.

No truer words have been said about CSR much before this acronym gained coinage
and became a popular jargon. Unlike several other acronyms and jargons parroted
this has to delivered with hard core fundamental work.

There is no particular definition of CSR. It has been defined by World Business

Council for Sustainable Development a CEO led institution stated:-
“Corporate Social Responsibility is the continuing commitment by business to
behave ethically and contribute to economic development while improving the
quality of life of the workforce and their families as well as of the local
community and society at large"
Internationally CSR is the responsibility of the Corporate world towards its
customer and several segments of the society. In India it would stand modified to
principally cover the under privileged class of society as target beneficiary.
The Corporate World’s three primary considerations and in that order are Profit,
People and Planet. Well Profit generation need not be elaborated upon. The third
“P” i.e., Planet is covered under Pollution Control, Kyoto Protocol and several
similar legal and quasi legal regulations. For the second and most important “P ”
i.e., People there is no legal regulation. The CSR covers that second “P”.
Through Globalization the Corporate India has recorded a healthy 9.4% growth. Yet
the Rural Bharat distinct from this Corporate India lives at or below subsistence
level. Whereas Economic Capital has had a tremendous growth, the social capital is
required to be nurtured through CSR.
The Vision 2020 of India becoming a super power by 2020 as perceived by our ex
president Mr. Abdul Kalam is nearly impossible to achieve unless some hard core
fundamental work is done amongst the under privileged class and they are brought
into the mainstream and rendered productive and contributors to the GNP
India is a very large country with a mega population of 1.2 billion people. The
Corporate world rarely has the infrastructure and professionalism to deliver
quality and cost effective CSR projects.
There are several GENUIN NGO’s doing exemplary work in several fields. A marriage
between these NGO’s and Corporate world could usher in a very different and
vibrant India.
A 2001 survey showed that 80% of the Public believed that the ‘ The Public
interest’ could be best served by NGO’s and only 67% believed the Corporate world
could do so. Hence as per popular perception and common logic, delivery and
execution by NGO’s and Corporate World’s participation in financing and
supervision would be an ideal partnership.
The concept of sustained growth and vision 2020 could become a reality only trough
this cohesive effort.