Very good exercise of compiling info on 500 + other CSR activities.

 

Out of 500 almost 227 have zero rating - meaning no CSR activities or details not available on website/annual report? About 19 have 4/5, 89 have 3/5, 76 have 2/5 and 79 have 1/5 rating. I searched the website but could not get the basis for rating them.

 

Now about the Qs put up.

1. This needs a very elaborate treatment and will need some time to structure. I have studied CSR and there are many views on how corporates/businesses can formulate their CSR policy & programmes.

2. Again needs a structured reply. Ratings should be based on various parameters. Perhaps CRISIL or such rating agencies who have kind of green ratings should help develop a CSR rating system.

3. First of all companies have to know their own reasons for going in for CSR. Is it i) because it is an in thing ii) for tax benefit iii) for valuation iv) for shareholders' perception v) for matching the competitor with CSR vi) for better market share vi) for charity - clubbing it with CSR vii) philanthropic feelings of employees as well viii) genuinely concerned for giving back to the society ix) undoing the damage done to local people & environment (kind of "so choohe khake billi chali haj") & assauge local people's feelings of alienation in development process or kind of winning over some section of the local populace giving them running of the CSR work etc.

 

Then there is this question of whether the company has genuinely looked at its business practice and accepted the responsibility for the fall out which could be depletion of resources (e.g paper industries felling trees and reducing green cover), emitting green gases (chemical industries say at Lote Parsuram), polluting water & taking away people's livelihood (Patalganga), or simply creating solid waste and not disposing properly ( e.g MIDC, Andheri) and the list could be of any length.

 

Having looked at their own business fall out in terms of nuisance to the society, environment, the company can set out an agenda for CSR. e.g Patalganga damange is irreversible with highly toxic water entering fields rendering it useless for farming & traditional fishing in the creek is also out. The jobs created by the industries are taken up by outsiders who are qualified but local people are not. In such case, how to include local people in the company's business through i) suitable placement, ii) placement after suitable education & training iii) giving preference for realted business like transportation, supplies and help them develop such small businesses etc. Merely creating educational insitutions and some charitable activities do not ensure ultimate outcome in terms of reinstating lost livelihoods. 

 

Another example is that say in MIDC, Andheri, their association initiates solid waste management and clean environment activities with active support from employees. A detailed plan with executing responsibility taken up on rotational basis by employees would go a long way and will create jobs for rag pickers and sanitary workers. Often I wonder that right out side the gate & compund walls of classic offices in MIDC, there is cess pool of muck. This is the municipality's responsibility, the company would argue but who is municipality? Does it have a face and nose to wrinkle? No, but company's bosses and staff members have those noses to inhale still no action is taken .

 

Regards

surekha52@gmail.com