Kasmin Fernandes

Corporate Social Responsibility and sustainability are being used by businesses interchangeably. While the government of India envisioned CSR to catalyse philanthropic effort among businesses, sustainability – or core-business sustainability – entails transforming a company’s business model to achieve sustainability outcomes. Core business sustainability refers to the integration of the principles of sustainability into the business’s...

Did you know there's a Tibetan Medicine Centre in Bengaluru city established by none other than the Dalai Lama himself? “My grandfather and father were big followers of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. My father had met him during one of his visits to Bengaluru, and that’s when he asked him about setting up...

Social mobility is the extent to which people are able to move between socio-economic strata during their lifetime and between generations. In societies with low social mobility like ours, a person’s background often predetermines the upper limit of education they would attain, the type of work they would do and the level of income...

India’s electricity demand is projected to grow at 9.9% yearly towards 2025 driven by its sheer size and economic growth. The demand dipped temporarily in 2020 due to Covid-19 induced lockdowns, but it not only rebounded to match the pre-COVID level but ended up exceeding 2020 highs in early 2021. Renewable energy will be the...

Greenhouse gas emissions constitute a significant portion of a business’s total carbon footprint. Recognising these emissions as a part of one’s own carbon footprint could lead to large-scale change. There is an emerging trend among businesses to set internal carbon prices or apply internal carbon taxes. According to the report Reducing Risks, Addressing Climate Change...

Corporate Social Responsibility has emerged as a strong mechanism for businesses to affect community-based water projects. Between 2014 and 2019, CSR has funded over Rs. 5,018 crores in environmental sustainability, Rs. 2,087 crores in sanitation and Rs. 824 crores in safe drinking water in India according to a report by the United Nations Development...

Artificial intelligence in agriculture is attracting the attention of technology bigwigs like IBM. At a time when the whole world is disrupted by COVID-19 and social distancing is the norm, electronic mandis, for example, could offer an excellent way for transactions between farmers and customers in the post-COVID world. Manoj Balachandran who heads CSR at...

“I strongly believe that those of us, who are privileged to have wealth, should contribute significantly to try and create a better world for the millions who are far less privileged.” - Azim Premji These words of wisdom come from one of the world's wealthiest as well as benevolent business tycoons. As of June 2021, his...

Online delivery apps need to use some of their resources in training and capacity building of restaurants for improving food safety and hygiene rather than focusing only on deep discounts and aggressive marketing. Government agencies like FSSAI (Food Safety and Standards Authority of India) are responsible for setting food safety standards, conducting inspections, ensuring that...

Coral reefs, also known as sea rainforests, support a diverse range of marine species as well as the livelihoods of coastal communities. The Tata Chemicals plant in Mithapur is near the Gulf of Kutch Marine National Park, which is a Biodiversity Hotspot and protects coral reefs. Based on field observations and a review of...

World Bicycle Day 2021 is being observed today at a time when lockdowns are being eased out here, and lifted in other parts of the globe, lending the annual day renewed importance. Cycling is being viewed with fresh eyes as “green recovery” becomes a buzzword in the “new normal” of the post-COVID-19 world. Eco-friendly, ridiculously...

Among the highest spenders on corporate social responsibility, the State of Karnataka enjoys the warm support of corporates, mostly comprising technology companies that are conscious of societal welfare. Private companies in Karnataka spend CSR funding largely on health, education and environmental initiatives. Organisations like Infosys, Wipro, Accenture, Biocon, Sobha, Bosch, ABB India, Titan have not...