CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

CSR should not be legally mandated, philanthropy must come from within, says Azim Premji
Premji, who donated Rs 7,904 crore in donations last year (Rs 22 crore a day), also highlighted that the Covid-19 crisis was a "wake up call" to look at fundamental issues like the need to improve public systems like health, and changing the structure of society to become more equal and just.

Industry seeks participation in COVID-19 vaccination programme: CII
The industry body has suggested that industry be involved fully in the ma...

Tata Trusts rejigs governance structure to ensure stricter audits and tighter internal controls
In the new structure, the delegation of power...
Consumer-facing cos approach the govt with proposals to vaccinate their employees
At present, the government has prioritised health care workers, police personnel, elderly people and those with comorbidities in the first phase of the vaccination roll out. It is being suggested that companies use their corporate social responsibility funds to inoculate their workforce.
The great switch: Top executives are leaving cushy corporate jobs to work in social sector
Professionals have been increasingly moving to nonprofits in the past three-four years but the experience of the pandemic in 2020 has expedited this process. Individuals, who were considering moving sometime in the future, felt a sense of urgency to take the leap sooner.
India Inc nudges top leadership to score green goals
Many others that have already been linking the environment to leadership KRAs are increasing the percentage of payouts, creating new roles for chief sustainability officers or aligning goals to performance targets of all staff.
View: Companies using CSR funds to vaccinate staff may set a dangerous precedent
In the current financial year, most companies are spending their CSR funds towards Covid containment or relief measures. For some companies, CSR donations have also become a way of greenwashing their image, or to forge good relations with GoI. There have been instances of companies donating crores to ‘PM Cares’ while laying off employees at the same time.
India Inc seeks to use CSR funds for staff vaccination
The recommendation came from the industry association FICCI and consultancy firm EY, who have estimated that 30 crore (22% of population) prioritised individuals will be inoculated by August 2021 and another 50 crore by the end of 2022.
Vedanta chairman Anil Agarwal to set up 500 Nand Ghars in Uttar Pradesh
“We would be jointly developing 500 Nand Ghars in UP with focus on improving health and nutritional outcomes for women and children,” said Vedanta’s Chairman Anil Agarwal in a media statement on Monday.
Covid vaccine distribution by companies may be covered under CSR
Widening the scope of activities under the ambit of CSR to include vaccine distribution related spending is one of the options being examined by the government.
The Old Story of Business: Towards a better capitalism
The traditional view of a business’s purpose is that profits are all that matter. For at least the last 10 years that view, that we will call 'The Old Story of Business', has come under increasing attack and scrutiny.
Why are this year's Annual Reports special but not very useful?
Thanks to Covid, the annual reports are not as awaited this time around as in earlier years. This is because the data disclosed by companies for the year before the Covid crisis does not resonate much with the investing world that is receiving it amidst the crisis.
Industries should spend funds on CSR activities to help build a better India, says MoS Thakur
The minister also requested the industry to create more awareness to contain pollution of rivers and also help the government in its fight against coronavirus. On rising pollutant levels in rivers like Yamuna and Ganga post lockdowns, the minister said that lesser pollution in rivers in the last two months showed that it is the industry which was the main source of pollution.
ETIG Analysis: Why is CSR set to turn from 'good to know' to 'need to know' for investors?
A Sebi-constituted panel in its report last month has, among others things, proposed the allowing of CSR spends to be traded between companies with excess CSR spends and those with deficient CSR spends on the social stock exchange.