Ease Of Doing Business: India Risen From 130th To 100th This Year

By

-

November 2, 2017

According to the World Bank, India’s rank on ‘ease of doing business’ scale has risen from 130th to 100th this year, helped by a slew of reforms in taxation, licensing, investor protection and bankruptcy resolution.

“In 2014, we were 142nd and then (in) last two years, we improved to 131st and 130th. These are not generalised rankings. It happened in specific areas and they take tough parameters for that ranking,” Arun Jaitley, Finance Minister of India, said in a press conference.

The “highest jump” in ranking was possible as significant improvements in all the 10 judging parameters were made in last 3-4 years “so that it becomes easy to do business in India,” he added.

The World Bank, he said, has named 10 countries where structural reforms have been taken and “India is one of them.”

Mr. Jaitley said that in 3 years the ranking has improved from 142nd to 100th and sufficient work is ongoing in areas that India lags behind.
The World Bank says India still lags in areas such as starting a business, enforcing contracts and dealing with construction permits.It takes 30 days now to register a new business, down from 127 days 15 years ago, but “the number of procedures is still cumbersome for local entrepreneurs who still need to go through 12 procedures”, it said.

Elaborating on the ranking, he said there have been significant improvement parameters such as protecting minority investors interest after changes were made in company law. “We are now ranked 4th in the world. This is the biggest jump in this field.”

In availability of credit, India is ranked 29th. “Biggest jump is that improvements which we have done on the taxation front. Till last year, out of 189 nations, we were 172nd. It means paying taxes were a very cumbersome process and we were down. But this year we have moved up 53 places,” he said.

Also, with the enactment of the new bankruptcy law, India’s ranking on insolvency resolution has also improved.

The ranking does not include the impact implementation of Goods and Services Tax (GST) has created as the cut off for judging the business environment was June 1. “In the coming years, we are expecting to get the credit for this,” he said. Besides, there are some areas where the government has done a lot of work and work was still in progress, which will get reflected in numbers in coming 1-2 years, he said. Giving examples, he said India is ranked low at 164th in the enforcement of contracts but with arbitration, act will help improve this.

Similarly, states are being impressed upon to give building construction permits online and fast permissions are handed out.

The finance minister said the government was seriously taking up the 3-4 issues where India still lags behind so that in next 1-2 years there is an improvement of 20-30 points in the ranking. “If you see the first available data for August and now September, I think every data that is coming out seems to be in the more positive zone,” he said. Mr. Jaitley said that reforms are a continuous process.

(NDTV)

Thank you for reading the story until the very end. We appreciate the time you have given us. In addition, your thoughts and inputs will genuinely make a difference to us. Please do drop in a line and help us do better.

Regards,
The CSR Journal Team

Subscribe

Circular Economy – Pollution Control Re-Invented!

By

Anirban Ghosh, CSO, Mahindra Group

-

November 1, 2017

Change of focus is never an easy transition for a large organisation. Getting people to think differently from what they are used to can be quite a task. If there is also a change of name, the identity crisis becomes stronger. Ask any woman the question “What’s in a name?” when she is getting married and you will get a very good answer! For a statutory and regulatory government body the issues may well be similar!

Today the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) mandate, as mentioned on their website, is to:

Advise the Central Government on any matter concerning prevention and control of water and air pollution and improvement of the quality of air.
Plan and cause to be executed a nation-wide program for the prevention, control or abatement of water and air pollution;
Co-ordinate the activities of the State Board and resolve disputes among them;
Provide technical assistance and guidance to the State Boards, carry out and sponsor investigation and research relating to problems of water and air pollution, and for their prevention, control or abatement;
Plan and organise training of persons engaged in programme on the prevention, control or abatement of water and air pollution;
Organise through mass media, a comprehensive mass awareness programme on the prevention, control or abatement of water and air pollution;
Collect, compile and publish technical and statistical data relating to water and air pollution and the measures devised for their effective prevention, control or abatement;
Prepare manuals, codes and guidelines relating to treatment and disposal of sewage and trade effluents as well as for stack gas cleaning devices, stacks and ducts;
Disseminate information in respect of matters relating to water and air pollution and their prevention and control;
Lay down, modify or annul, in consultation with the State Governments concerned, the standards for stream or well, and lay down standards for the quality of air; and
Perform such other function as may be prescribed by the Government of India.

The CPCB is a body that represents the command and control approach to ensure compliance. At the time of its creation in India, this was perhaps the right approach. But an opportunity for evolution from the command and control to collaborative and value accretive has presented itself. For a while let us suspend disbelief on whether it can happen.

Thus far we were happy if pollutants were managed well and did not harm the environment. The methods we have adopted have had limited effect. Our processes left the non-hazardous waste out of the CPCB ambit and that led to the disaster we know as landfills. Given CPCB’s experience in pollution control, the logical next step is to leverage its competence to repurpose waste materials so that they do not end up in landfills but create value for society. In other words, facilitate the creation of a circular economy.

This evolution will require transition to a collaborative approach. Organisations will start seeing CPCB as a partner that helps add value rather than a “policeman” that demands compliance. CPCB will then trigger innovation to rejuvenate the environment rather than just prevent its degradation. Repurposing waste materials, both hazardous and non-hazardous, will reduce the use of virgin materials and that in turn will reduce the energy intensity of human life. Clearly graduating from pollution control to a circular economy benefits the world in many ways and who better to make this happen than the tsars of pollution control – CPCB!

Nothing signals change of focus better than a change of name. What if “waste” was no longer called “waste” but was referred to as “by-product”? Waste is thrown away, while by-products are used to create value. The re-designation will immediately transform the way organisations deal with the issue and the way CPCB enables them.

Enabling a circular economy is a far higher purpose than pollution control. Fortunately it builds on the existing knowledge, skills and competencies of CPCB. The Corporation – CPCB partnership will become far more cordial, perhaps even friendly, were this transition to happen. And a change of name from “Central Pollution Control Board” to “Central Circular Economy Promotion Board” would send the right signals to people inside and outside CPCB.

This is very important for a rapidly growing, urbanising, industrialising economy like India. The ill-effects of the current path of development are clearly visible in the overflowing landfills that sometimes catch fire and at other times collapse under their own weight, worsening air quality that, post Diwali in Delhi, improves to being “very poor”, polluted water bodies such as moribund rivers like the Yamuna, desecrated flows of the Ganga and the foam, froth and fire that characterise some of the lakes of India’s premier software city.

But all is not lost. India has a long way to go and a quick course correction can undo the mess. Just like Singapore went from being filthy to being squeaky clean some decades ago. And this can happen with a change in focus from pollution control to rejuvenating the environment, from managing waste to enabling a circular economy, from command and control to collaboration. Renaming “waste” as “by-product” and changing the name of “Central Pollution Control Board” to “Central Circular Economy Promotion Board” would enable greater chance of success for the new area of focus.

Anirban Ghosh is the Chief Sustainability Officer at the Mahindra Group. He has been working with Group in Sales, Marketing, and Strategy since 1999 and has been recognized as a distinguished CSO in his current role. A gold medal-winning engineer from Jadavpur University, Calcutta, Ghosh has pursued doctoral studies in Marketing Management at IIM Ahmedabad. He enjoys music, reading, traveling, driving, cricket and tennis. He is an active public speaker and has represented the nation at the Festival of India across multiple nations.

Views of the author are personal and do not necessarily represent the website’s views.

Thank you for reading the story until the very end. We appreciate the time you have given us. In addition, your thoughts and inputs will genuinely make a difference to us. Please do drop in a line and help us do better.

Regards,
The CSR Journal Team

Subscribe

Channelling Investment Into Sustainable Development, Uncertainties Expected

By

The CSR Journal

-

October 31, 2017

The trade outlook for the Asia-Pacific region is positive for this year but some uncertainties are forecast for 2018, the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) said in its report.

The report entitled, ‘Channelling Trade and Investment into Sustainable Development’ emphasises that cutting trade costs and deepening regional cooperation are key to ensuring the benefits of trade and investment can be shared across the region. Such policy mix may result in $100 billion more exports for the region annually. Export growth is forecast at 4.5 per cent for 2017 and foreign direct investment is also expected to rebound this year, building upon fast growth in green field investment in 2016 and continued investment liberalisation.

United Nations Under-Secretary-General and ESCAP Executive Secretary Dr. Shamshad Akhtar, emphasised that an integrated approach to trade and investment liberalization is essential to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the region, but that SDG-targeted trade and investment policies and complementary domestic policies need to mitigate social and environmental impacts of trade and investment.

“The impact analysis of different policy scenarios featured in the report make it clear that SDGs cannot be achieved through protectionist policies,” said Dr Akhtar. “What we need is targeted trade and investment liberalisation policies that are more inclusive and mindful of the social and environmental dimensions of sustainable development.”

The report noted that the expected growth of exports by developing Asia-Pacific economies is 4.8 per cent while that by developed countries in the region is 3.3 per cent. Countries previously affected by the slowdown of global value chains, such as Republic of Korea and the Philippines, are expected to enjoy significantly better trade prospects this year. At the same time, the rising prices of industrial commodities and fuel will contribute to dynamic growth for commodity exporters such as Australia, India, Indonesia, Islamic Republic of Iran, Kazakhstan, and others.

The study also anticipates that the export volume of Asia-Pacific region in 2018 will grow more modestly than in 2017 at 3.5 per cent while the import volume will increase by less than 3 per cent.

The report proposes a policy framework to further enhance the contribution of international trade and foreign direct investment to sustainable development. It also provides estimates of the economic, social and environmental impacts of alternative regional trade and investment liberalisation policy scenarios, when implemented alone or in conjunction with selected domestic social and environmental policies.
The trade outlook for the Asia-Pacific region is positive for this year but some uncertainties are forecast for 2018, the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) said in its report.

The report entitled, ‘Channelling Trade and Investment into Sustainable Development’ emphasises that cutting trade costs and deepening regional cooperation are key to ensuring the benefits of trade and investment can be shared across the region. Such policy mix may result in $100 billion more exports for the region annually. Export growth is forecast at 4.5 per cent for 2017 and foreign direct investment is also expected to rebound this year, building upon fast growth in green field investment in 2016 and continued investment liberalisation.

United Nations Under-Secretary-General and ESCAP Executive Secretary Dr. Shamshad Akhtar, emphasised that an integrated approach to trade and investment liberalization is essential to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the region, but that SDG-targeted trade and investment policies and complementary domestic policies need to mitigate social and environmental impacts of trade and investment.

“The impact analysis of different policy scenarios featured in the report make it clear that SDGs cannot be achieved through protectionist policies,” said Dr Akhtar. “What we need is targeted trade and investment liberalisation policies that are more inclusive and mindful of the social and environmental dimensions of sustainable development.”

The report noted that the expected growth of exports by developing Asia-Pacific economies is 4.8 per cent while that by developed countries in the region is 3.3 per cent. Countries previously affected by the slowdown of global value chains, such as Republic of Korea and the Philippines, are expected to enjoy significantly better trade prospects this year. At the same time, the rising prices of industrial commodities and fuel will contribute to dynamic growth for commodity exporters such as Australia, India, Indonesia, Islamic Republic of Iran, Kazakhstan, and others.

The study also anticipates that the export volume of Asia-Pacific region in 2018 will grow more modestly than in 2017 at 3.5 per cent while the import volume will increase by less than 3 per cent.

The report proposes a policy framework to further enhance the contribution of international trade and foreign direct investment to sustainable development. It also provides estimates of the economic, social and environmental impacts of alternative regional trade and investment liberalisation policy scenarios, when implemented alone or in conjunction with selected domestic social and environmental policies.

Thank you for reading the story until the very end. We appreciate the time you have given us. In addition, your thoughts and inputs will genuinely make a difference to us. Please do drop in a line and help us do better.

Regards,
The CSR Journal Team

Subscribe

A Continuous Deterioration In Healthcare, For How Long?

By

Vaibhavi Khanwalkar

-

October 30, 2017

Healthcare has been a major concern for the rural sector in the country. Access to medical help in cases of emergencies is an issue the government has not been able to tackle, despite its surveys and policies. A big problem is the financial risks that rural households face due to lack of adequate facilities. The Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana (RSBY) was an ambitious scheme launched by the government in 2008-09 to provide financial cover to families in villages for their medical needs. According to a Scroll.in report, after 8 years of rolling out the scheme and spending close to Rs. 5000 crores on it, sadly there are no visible results.

The RSBY had sought help from the private and the public sector to provide funds for this scheme. It covers Rs 30,000 annually for every family. The programme engages a network of about 8,700 hospitals and 14 insurance companies from both the sectors. It has funded over 14 million hospitalisations so far. This is still way below the expectations of the RBYS. In India, the size of a family, a rural family especially, is a minimum of 4 people. There is no way that Rs 30,000 could suffice for them, especially since they have to rein in travel and stay expenses in urban cities. The amount is inadequate and exhaustive. Families have to travel to metropolitan cities to find the services they need. Recently it was reported in the Indian Express that a young girl with a spinal cord injury had to travel over 450 km to reach Mumbai for her treatment.

The Scroll report states that the policy had made only marginal difference in reducing the health expenditure of the families in rural India. The number of families enrolled in RSBY is 36 million, which is almost 60% of the families living in the districts where this scheme was implemented. The enrollment was done on the basis of census data provided by the state governments. The outreach of the programme has been a big issue, apart from the inadequacy of funds. Health benefit schemes in remote areas, bank upon the communication from the government. It is important to make the beneficiaries aware of the policies. Plenty families are not aware of the scheme, the benefits it entails, who to reach out to and avail of the said benefits. The question arises, where has all the money gone, if it has not impacted even 10% of the beneficiaries it aimed to reach?

For almost 9 years, funds have been coming in for this scheme and it has been going to waste. Policy decisions demand follow up audits to make sure that the money is being put to good use. The ever-increasing holes in the programme could have been attended and come to light sooner. A policy has to be backed up with practical results on the ground for an effective outcome.

Thank you for reading the story until the very end. We appreciate the time you have given us. In addition, your thoughts and inputs will genuinely make a difference to us. Please do drop in a line and help us do better.

Regards,
The CSR Journal Team

Subscribe

Plethora of Stock of Human Competencies-Indian Orphans

By

Jaya Chandrashekhar, Former Central Govt. Officer

-

October 28, 2017

The plight of million orphans of India is a matter of serious concern and calls for concerted action in right earnest. The numerous orphans constitute a stark reality of our country.

Who is an orphan? The orphan child sans parent or parents or any close kin to call its own is as significant a person in the society as is any other child. All children in an orphanage are huddled to sleep on the floor side by side due to the paucity of space. It is an open secret that these infants are not cuddled or fondled. The boy or girl lacks confidence as an adult. These children have aspirations and they ought to be nurtured. Are not these toddlers the responsibility of the society as its members?

They are a source of abundant human capital for the nation. Therefore the State has to ensure that they are moulded to right thinking, courageous, tenacious and responsible individuals.

India has a cornucopia of human resources in the form of orphans. According to statistical reports, the foundlings constitute a whopping 4% of the country’s population of twenty million children 0.3 % of these are children whose parents are dead while the rest are children who are destitute, abandoned by their parents or entrusted to the Institutions for care, good health and education by marginalised families. Some of the destitute children have fled their homes due to parental/step parental tyranny.

There are orphanages run by the State, Christian missionaries, Madrassas, Temples, Parsis and numerous organisations –NGO(s).There are many orphanages not registered under the Juvenile Justice Act, even though mandatory.

There are many orphanages which are exemplary in their care of these children. However, there are frequent newspaper reports and media reports on the web alongside television serials of the appalling conditions in many of the illegal orphanages.

A.) In some of the unlicensed orphanages, the children are continuously sexually harassed.

B.) Many orphans are in the clutches of local goons who deprive them of limbs and eyesight and force them to steal, beg, carry drugs and deliver the petty cash to the thugs;

C.) Young girls are sold to dons by some of the unauthorised orphanages on a periodic basis as a part of immoral trafficking, both within the country and outside.

The outcome is disorientation of these parentless children. This is evidenced by children attempting to flee from orphanages. The purpose of these orphanages is shelter, nutrition, health care, vocational guidance and education. There is an eternal negation of the aforementioned purpose. This situation stares at one in the face and is unfortunate. Further, the orphans are totally malnourished and look half their age.

There are many orphanages not registered under the Juvenile Justice Act, 2000, though mandatory.

It is here that the Corporate Social Responsibility should undoubtedly step in and play a stupendous role in transforming the lives of the destitute children. The Corporate Sector will be able to bring sunshine and hope to these million foundlings.

The numerous business houses, both government and private are implored upon to bring the institutionalised care of the orphans within the ambit of Corporate Social Responsibility, in right earnest in accordance with Companies Act, 2013, Sch.VII.S.135, subsection.iii, read with the Companies (CSR Policy Rules) 2014.

The answer to the solution of neglected orphans is CSR only. India can rise to new heights with sustained human resources underlined with fervour and lustre. These children may be encouraged to take up vocational courses, conventional Degree courses, skills as emphasised by the P.M., teaching, catering, fashion designing, tailoring, horticulture and research in fields of arts, science and commerce, engineering, armed forces, medicine, sports and or various academic courses. Further, better medical care will be ensured when orphanages are managed by Companies.

At the moment companies involved are Satyam Computers, which built orphanages in Karnataka. Aditya Birla is managing an orphanage in Chembur, Mumbai. Hindustan Unilever is associated with an orphanage run by the Missionaries of Charity in Mumbai. Tatas’Thelma in Worli, Mumbai is another brilliant example. These companies among a few others constitute an inspirational story of CSR for orphanages.

It is a fervent appeal to the Corporate Sector of India CSR for this objective. Let our country leap to new heights of self-sufficiency with bounteous positive human capital. CSR offers a ray of hope for millions of orphans in India.

The author Jaya Chandrashekhar was an Income-tax Officer and recently quit after decades of service. She also compered for the Yuva Vani English, AIR for a short while. Jaya has a keen interest in socio-economic issues and contributes to the GOI Portal, Indian Express amongst several others. In her spare time, she enjoys yoga and cooking.

Views of the author are personal and do not necessarily represent the website’s views.

Thank you for reading the story until the very end. We appreciate the time you have given us. In addition, your thoughts and inputs will genuinely make a difference to us. Please do drop in a line and help us do better.

Regards,
The CSR Journal Team

Subscribe

NTPC Gives Funds To Construct Toilets

By

Vaibhavi Khanwalkar

-

October 27, 2017

As part of their CSR activity, NTPC officials handed out cheques of Rs 4000 to the people of 46th division in the presence of Corporator Somarapu Lavanya for construction of individual sanitary latrines in Ramagundam, Telangana state. An attempt to support the Swacch Bharat Abhiyan and making the state open defecation free, NTPC gave away 82 cheques to the people. As reported by The Hans India, the CSR team of the firm also audited the activities carried out in 2016-17, regarding solar energy, construction of classrooms in schools and medical equipment in the local hospitals.

Battling open defecation was a major part of the Abhiyan and many cities, after incessant campaigning, have declared themselves as open defecation free. It was found that it was not necessarily true. Just constructing toilets does not solve a problem of this magnitude. The government started the drive by installing toilets in all the slum areas and kaccha houses in the cities. For this, workers were sent to the slums and they constructed toilets. However, it was found that the toilets were of no use because there were drainage and clogging problems. Due to waterlogging, the toilets were becoming the source of water-borne diseases like Malaria. The condition of the public toilets is also very bad, and it is unusable since many do not have doors or proper pipelines and water supply.

Swacch Bharat Abhiyan gets funds from both the center and the state governments. It also gets help from the corporate sector in a big way. According to the India CSR Outlook Report 2017, Rs 502 Cr CSR funds were spent on the Swacch Bharat Abhiyan, which is almost 7.3% of the total CSR spent in the year 2016-17. Pledging support to the government, corporates like Indian Oil, Dabur, TCS, GAIL and NTPC are the frontrunners in this domain. First of its kind, this cleanliness movement marked its third year on October 2nd. It was launched by the Prime Minister as a people’s participative movement to make the country clean and hygienic. But after three years, the results are yet to be seen on the remote scale.

Similarly, CSR projects simply directed funds to the government or carried out awareness drives. What NTPC is doing is slightly different, since it is directly giving the money for construction to the people. The drainage problem has to be solved by the municipal corporations, though. If that issue is not solved, there is no point of constructing toilets. It is important for the company to follow up and audit that the funds are put to the intended use.

Thank you for reading the story until the very end. We appreciate the time you have given us. In addition, your thoughts and inputs will genuinely make a difference to us. Please do drop in a line and help us do better.

Regards,
The CSR Journal Team

Subscribe

Mumbai Police To Accept Funds From Corporate Houses

By

Vaibhavi Khanwalkar

-

October 26, 2017

Mumbai Police is set to establish a police foundation for the betterment of the force and the welfare of the police personnel. According to a Times of India report, CM Devendra Fadnavis-led home department of the Maharashtra government gave permission to the police commissioner Datta Padsalgikar to register the foundation as a public trust. This foundation is the first of its kind. The government also allowed this trust to accept donations from the corporate houses, as part of their CSR activities.

In the Companies Act, 2013, the welfare of army personnel and their family members is one of the mentioned provisions. The engagement of the corporates with the army, however, has been very limited in this capacity. Corporates like P&G, IDBI and D-link are among the few who have been active in helping the army veterans and their families.

This is the first time that a police department will be an option for the corporate houses’ CSR funds. According to the report, several private organisations and leading industrial houses were ready to contribute to the modernisation and welfare of personnel from funds available under corporate social responsibility.

The funds will be distinguished in such a way that there is no conflict of interest while collection. Only highly credible bodies/persons will be allowed to donate to the Mumbai Police Foundation. The functions or the duties of the police force cannot be compromised due to these donations. A draft of the trust deed and other incidental matters will be examined by the law and judiciary department before an application is made to the charity commissioner for registration of the trust.

Padsalgikar was quoted saying in the report, “Its activities will be completely transparent and available for public scrutiny. Eminent people from different walks of life will be trustees. The trust will have the right to reject donations if the credentials of the donors are doubtful.”

The main aim of this foundation is to aid the welfare of the police, in terms of healthcare, education, housing and many other benefits. In most of the cases, the police forces are managed by the state governments. After the delinking of the central government from the National Scheme for Modernisation of Police, the scheme is not active due to the unavailability of funds. With the help of corporate funding, not only professional but also the personal scenario will be mended for the police forces. It depends on the kind of response and participation that this foundation receives from the CSR wing of corporate houses.

Thank you for reading the story until the very end. We appreciate the time you have given us. In addition, your thoughts and inputs will genuinely make a difference to us. Please do drop in a line and help us do better.

Regards,
The CSR Journal Team

Subscribe

Falling Hunger Rank Sees Relief Initiation in Haryana

By

Neha Bilandani

-

October 25, 2017

The recently announced Global Hunger Index (GHI-2017) is indeed an alarm bell for India. The country ranked 97 in GHI-2016 but has slipped to 100 this year.

Concerned about India’s falling rank on the Global Hunger Index, ISKCON Food Relief Foundation’s Haryana chapter is launching a campaign against hunger. This will aid in eradicating hunger and malnutrition from Haryana.

As per Haryana government’s Vision 2030 Document, released recently by chief minister ML Khattar, hunger eradication from the state is one of its foremost goals. In keeping with the state government’s vision, the foundation is to launch the campaign #ZeroHungerHaryana.

The campaign will bring together the government, corporate houses, MNCs, startups, celebrities, activists, and volunteers in support of the cause. United with the mission to eradicate hunger,the Foundation will work to enhance its kitchen capacity and reach so as to provide nutritious meals to more and more people.

Talking about the hunger index, Dhananjay Krishna Das, Vice Chairman, ISKCON Food Relief Foundation, Haryana said, “GHI measures hunger not as lack of food but in terms of nutrition. The index has different parameters like under-nourishment (insufficient food or calorie intake), child wasting, child stunting and child mortality. We should not misinterpret the fall in rank as rise in starvation. It’s all about a complete, nutritious meal. We will do all that we can with our given resources to help beat hunger in the state.”

The food distribution system has improved and poverty is on the decline. But studies show that food subsidy and monetary benefits do not reflect in nutrition measured by per capita calorie intake, per capita protein intake, and per capita fat intake. There is a huge population that keeps complete nutrition on least priority and sticks to eating only to kill hunger. This is one reason why direct benefit transfers (DBT) are not recommended as a replacement of meal programs.

The war against malnutrition and hunger has to be fought on multiple fronts: better governance of nutrition-focussed schemes for children and mothers, improving access to safe drinking water and sanitation, and better access to health services for the poor.

Growth-stalled state of Haryana

34% of children under 5 years of age are presently stunted (height for age), 29.4% are underweight (weight for age) and 21.2% are wasted (weight for height). In last 10 years, the percentage of wasted children in Haryana has increased by 2.2% and the proportion of severely wasted children has increased from 5% to 9%.

Haryana faces a challenge given that WHO considers poor nutrition the single most important threat to world health. Malnutrition also compounds issues related to poverty, trapping individuals in its vicious cycle.

“Our vision is to ensure zero malnutrition amongst children and adequate, and safe and nutritious food for all residents of Haryana, particularly women of reproductive age, children and extra-vulnerable populations,” added Dhananjay.

Thank you for reading the story until the very end. We appreciate the time you have given us. In addition, your thoughts and inputs will genuinely make a difference to us. Please do drop in a line and help us do better.

Regards,
The CSR Journal Team

Subscribe

India Tops In CR Reporting, But Quality Of Disclosures Needs Improvement: Study

By

Neha Bilandani

-

October 24, 2017

India has emerged as the top country for reporting corporate responsibility information in the annual financial report of companies, but the quality of disclosures has to improve, according to a KPMG survey.

KPMG has published this survey on CR Reporting since 1993. The 2017 survey is the 10^th edition, with research carried out from across 49 KPMG member firms including India. Each member firm reviewed annual financial and corporate responsibility reporting by the largest 100 companies, by revenue, in their own country. The survey refers to two research samples – The N100 – the largest 100 companies in each of 49 countries: 4,900 companies in total and the G250 – the largest 250 companies in the world, making it the most extensive survey ever.

With the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) mandating the top 500 listed companies to disclose their non-financial performance, India scores high in this parameter. Strong regulatory policies have ensured that 99% of the companies have reported on their sustainability performance

In February, 2017, SEBI asked the top 500 listed companies to adopt Integrated Reporting on a voluntary basis. This has resulted in some early adoption in the space, but it is yet to gain momentum. Integrated Reporting acceptance is low with 5 companies publishing the same.

CR reporting rates in Asia Pacific have stabilised following a surge of 8% points between 2013 and 2015. Several countries with the highest CR reporting rates in the world, such as Japan, India, Malaysia and Taiwan are in the Asia Pacific region.

As Human Rights reporting is one of the core principles of the National Voluntary Guidelines, issues related to the same features quite prominently in the CR/Sustainability disclosures. 95 companies acknowledge Human Rights as an issue to their business well above the global average.

Taking a stance on climate related issues, the business risks of climate change have been acknowledged by 34 companies in their non-financial disclosures. From the minority that acknowledge climate change as a risk 31 companies have responded along with carbon reduction targets.

Commenting on regulation driving human rights reporting in India, Santhosh Jayaram, Partner, Sustainability Services, KPMG in India, said, “From a corporate reporting point of view, the Business Responsibility Report (BRR), an annual disclosure mandated by the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), requires the top 500 listed companies to report on nine core principles, one of which focuses on human rights. This mandate can be credited as the driver for most of India’s top 100 companies proactively disclosing their performance on human rights practices while also substantiating the same through existing policies and mechanisms.”

The survey explored trends in Sustainable Development Goals, which have been gaining momentum in India and its acceptance is slowly increasing. Yet the reporting or linkage of SDGs in India is below the global average of 39%. 18 companies have linked their business activities with the SDGs in their sustainability reporting.

Thank you for reading the story until the very end. We appreciate the time you have given us. In addition, your thoughts and inputs will genuinely make a difference to us. Please do drop in a line and help us do better.

Regards,
The CSR Journal Team

Subscribe

Aster Gives Liver Patients New Lease Of Life

By

The CSR Journal

-

October 23, 2017

Every year, over 2,000 children require organ transplants in the country, but only 100 can afford it, which highlights the big requirement in the area. As transplants are expensive, parents and relatives find themselves at the crossroads for want of money with the sudden healthcare cost. Realising the growing need, Aster Hospital in the city has started a unique Integrated Liver Care Programme which takes the help of crowdfunding to raise funds. Also, the Pravin Aggarwal Fund matches every rupee raised.

“Relying only on media appeals was not helping many. Luckily, in 2015, we were able to put together a plan which was a matching scheme of raising money through crowdfunding. We also took the help of corporate social responsibility initiatives,” explained Dr. Sonal Asthana, Senior HPB and Multiorgan Transplant Surgeon at the Aster Integrated Liver Care Programme. Dr. Asthana and his team at the hospital perform the transplant.

He said, “With this four-way matching system, the parents of the child requiring the transplant, the hospital, the crowdfunding platform and also the Pravin Aggarwal Fund are not under pressure.” The programme, however, caters only to children below 18 years of age.

With this unique programme, the eligible family does not have to bear the huge cost of the transplant, but only a portion of it. “A transplant costs somewhere between Rs 15 and Rs 18 lakh and the family has to bear only Rs 2.45 lakh. Logically, we cannot reduce the cost of the procedure as it will affect the quality. We strive to reduce the amount that the patient has to pay and the rest is matched by the crowdfunding platform called Milaap, Pravin Aggarwal Fund and our hospital in terms of hugely subsidised treatment. The programme that started in April 2016 has seen some 30 successful transplants and a majority of the beneficiaries are children below five years of age. Also, funding for three transplants is underway.”

He said, “This programme has helped families from disadvantaged backgrounds, like taxi drivers or small-time agricultural labourers, who cannot afford such a cost burden,” he added. The initiative has been acknowledged by other hospitals with a few already starting similar initiatives of their own.

He said, “Not everyone can apply. Most importantly, we make sure that the patient clinically needs a transplant. After we establish that a child is eligible for a transplant, we identify a donor and most of the time the child has a parent who is willing to be the donor and the only shortfall is the money. After that, we start fundraising.” But the fundraising happens after a detailed psychosocial assessment by a group of doctors at Aster.

According to Dr. Sonal, raising money through crowdfunding platform is not tedious as people come forward to help. “On an average, within 7-10 days, we are able to raise the funds required and some 400-500 people contribute to every campaign and it is a collective effort,” he added.

(The Deccan Chronicle)

Thank you for reading the story until the very end. We appreciate the time you have given us. In addition, your thoughts and inputs will genuinely make a difference to us. Please do drop in a line and help us do better.

Regards,
The CSR Journal Team

Subscribe

NewsWeekPRO

THECSRJOURNAL .cls-1{fill:#be0000;}.cls-1,.cls-2{fill-rule:evenodd;}.cls-2,.cls-3{fill:#fff;}

Hindi Manch

Editor's Pick

THECSRJOURNAL