HelpYourNGO - Webinar Transcript

<div class="markdown markdown-main-panel enable-updated-hr-color" dir="ltr" id="model-response-message-contentr_78bb034dcba699b2" style="--animation-duration: 600ms; --fade-animation-function: linear; animation: 0s ease 0s 1 normal none running none; appearance: none; background: none 0% 0% / auto repeat scroll padding-box border-box rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); border: 0px none rgb(27, 28, 29); inset: auto; clear: none; clip: auto; color: rgb(27, 28, 29); columns: auto; contain: none; container: none; content: normal; cursor: auto; cx: 0px; cy: 0px; d: none; direction: ltr; fill: rgb(0, 0, 0); filter: none; flex: 0 1 auto; float: none; gap: normal; hyphens: manual; interactivity: auto; isolation: auto; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; marker: none; mask: none; offset: normal; opacity: 1; order: 0; outline: rgb(27, 28, 29) none 0px; overlay: none; padding: 0px; page: auto; perspective: none; position: static; quotes: auto; r: 0px; resize: none; rotate: none; rx: auto; ry: auto; scale: none; speak: normal; stroke: none; transform: none; transition: all; translate: none; visibility: visible; x: 0px; y: 0px; zoom: 1; margin-top: 0px !important; font-family: "Google Sans Text", sans-serif !important; line-height: 1.15 !important;"> Nasher, I was seeing that you were quite in agreement with the points that both Pius and Praveen made, especially with respect to doing CSR in a more organized way. Can you tell me how we can get corporates to be more serious about their CSR? I mean, a common routine that I hear from corporates is that at the end of the day, they view their CSR as something like a compulsory charity tax. And this is literally, quote unquote, from some companies, that, you know, "It's far more easier, some additional to health, education, and I'll give it. But I mean, you're making me do impact, video monitoring, and evaluating, or making me go through all this rigmarole. It's easier for me if I give you two percent as my charity tax and be done with it." And certainly, SMEs, small industries, are literally saying, "I mean, the easiest way perhaps for me is to give it to PM CARES or Prime Minister's National Relief Fund and that's it." After that, if I give it 40 or 50 lakhs, nobody is going to ask, "Did you do impact assessment? Did you do monitoring and evaluation?" I gave it, and my CSR compliance is over. And this is also a reality. So how do we make CSR interesting enough for them? First of all, please understand that India is probably among just one or two countries that has mandated CSR. Even in the US and UK, it is not mandated, and yet companies do it and make it an important component of their business. Why? Because they see an enlightened interest in doing CSR. There is no one who is monitoring them, no one is telling them, "Have you done any? Have you done monitoring and evaluation? Do you have a CSR committee? Have you spent two percent?" None of that. And look at the CSR in those MNCs all over the world, and you will find that CSR is given that importance because they see CSR as an investment in the economy. It's an investment in the community. Companies do realize that you cannot have islands of prosperity in a sea of poverty. It's as simple as that. You got to do it. Companies cannot say that people will buy my products if the people are poor. You've got to ensure that the people rise above a certain economic level. You cannot say that in an uneducated community my business will thrive. You need that HR, you need to develop skills, you need to invest in education so that you get that right HR. So CSR is an investment in the community. CSR is an investment in the economy, and this is where we have failed to promote CSR. We have unfortunately reduced CSR to, "If you meet this stuff, done over net worth, profit, calculate two percent. As per Schedule Seven, these are the things you can do. Make sure there's a CSR committee, make sure it's a board-driven process. Have you monitored it? Have you evaluated it? Have you done an impact study?" Talk of impact. I mean, you want that after three years, you want that impact to be... Now, do you think impact can be measured after three years? Or at least a minimum of one year of completion? Impact sometimes cannot be seen for the next 50 years. Yes, you can evaluate, you can see outcome, you can use a theory of change, but impact is a term… And you make that mandatory. If you are spending more than 10 crores in a year, then impact assessment is necessary for you. You cannot spend more than five percent or 50 lakhs, whichever is less, on impact assessment. How is this going to... who arrived at these figures and how? And sorry, I get a little carried away with these kinds of issues, but I'm just expressing. Right, right. Now, I think the bit that you mentioned about impact and quantifying impact, rather, was quite aptly summarized by Mr. Einstein when he said that not everything that counts can be counted, and not everything that can be counted actually counts. Let me add to this. The doyen of Indian industry, JRD Tata, at one of the Rotary functions, was asked long before he died, "How would you like to see India?" And people thought he'd say, "I would like to see India as a superpower, as a super economic power," and he says, "I would like India to be a happy country." Do not forget this doyen of Indian industry. "I want India to be a happy country." Can you measure happiness? The happiness quotient which Bhutan is known for? That is the essence of CSR. </div>

How can we get Companies to be more proactive about their CSR commitments?

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