Thecsrjournal App Store
Thecsrjournal Google Play Store
May 4, 2025
Home Blog Page 1146

Why India’s New Maternity Law Is Bad News For Women

By
The CSR Journal
-

The Maternity Bill has been in force since 1 April, bringing in a host of issues in its wake. There have been over the economic forces that come into play while implementing the tenets of the Act, with HR managers across disciplines trying to find solutions to their specific requirements within the framework mandated by the government.

Unfortunately, some talent managers are now thinking twice before hiring women employees because it means they have to pay for a resource who may go on leave for 26 weeks. They are also not eager to set up childcare infrastructure which may or may not be used by the employees.

The government could have given employers the space to come up with a plan that works best for their employees. For instance, there are companies that are located far away from residential neighbourhoods. Parents are often averse to the idea of bringing their children to work if there’s a long daily commute involved. For some companies, the issue is also the male-female ratio. Even if they have a significant number of employees, some of their centres may have a larger number of women than men. A childcare/crèche facility may be desirable in one company location and not in the other.

The cost of setting up crèches or sending employees on 26 weeks of paid leave is now to be borne by the company. The government could perhaps consider providing incentives such as tax breaks to parents, following the SODEXO model which has worked out quite well. It could also consider providing tax exemptions and subsidies for employees who are new parents. What the government did with CSR initiatives—making them tax-free and hence attractive to socially responsive companies—could also be emulated in the case of the Maternity Bill.

According to a Bloomberg report published in 2016:

“India’s female workforce participation rates peaked at 37 percent in 2005 and fell to 27 percent as of 2014, according to data from the World Bank. The U.S. rate declined from 58 percent to 56 percent during the period, the data show.”

Another report by Bloomberg-Quint cites the following statistics:

“Only 23.7 percent of eligible Indian women are part of the workforce. Compare that to 75 percent of men.
In urban areas, this number drops further to only 16 percent. For men, the comparable number is 69 percent.
Even for those women who are part of the workforce, the unemployment rate is high. 8.7 percent compared to 4 percent for men.“

It will take a more concerted and sustained effort to improve these numbers.

It is not enough to force the Maternity Bill upon employers. It is also important to create a work culture that encourages better gender-sensitivity, safer modes of transport for women, street lighting and overall awareness. Some MNCs and tech companies have also started programmes such as “bring your mother-in-law to work” and “take your child to work” days to help key family members understand the importance of the work that most women do.

It’s also important that employees and parents understand how the Bill may have encouraged fly-by-night operators who wish to make the most of this scramble to provide childcare support for women employees. They need to exercise caution before signing up with a service provider that does not comply with industry standards of quality and qualifications of the staff. The Maternity Bill can only succeed if all stakeholders take a more calibrated approach towards implementing it.

(HuffingtonPost)

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

Business Environment In India Is Better But Not Good: Michael Porter

By
The CSR Journal
-

A handful of corporate titans, young entrepreneurs and researchers on Wednesday got an opportunity that even some students of Harvard Business School do not get. They got a crash course in business and economics from Michael Porter.

The business strategist and economist teaches at Harvard. A student who wants to attend his lectures has to clear a special test.

But in Mumbai on Wednesday, delegates at an event got to hear Porter’s views on India and its prospects.

When he had visited India 14 years ago, people were “obsessed with talking about electricity” as the major challenge. The economy has improved a lot since, but much remains to be done, Porter suggested. “The business environment is better but it is not good. Infrastructure is better but it is not good,” he told the delegates, many of whom paid about Rs 25,000 to listen to and interact with him.

But, Porter’s bet is still on India, rather than China. The difference in growth rates between the two countries is closing and India could catch up with, and perhaps even overtake, the levels of its larger neighbour, he said. “We need this incredibly complex democracy to win.”

The event came a day ahead of a NITI Aayog lecture in Delhi that he will give, in the presence of prominent ministers and policymakers. “The harmonised tax system to be implemented is an important move,” Porter said, adding that the government seemed to be taking steps in the right direction.

The economist, who recently turned 70, embodied the demeanour and voice of a younger man. The venue, the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel in Colaba, was filled to capacity by the time he began speaking,  about 350 people in attendance.

At the back-to-B-school moment, India Inc’s personalities took notes, raised their smartphones to take photographs of PowerPoint slides, and posed questions. Porter was invited by the Institute for Competitiveness. The professor used three short sessions to explain key concepts he has developed over the years and outlined his views on the Indian economy.

He began by talking of how businesses often confuse “goals” with a “strategy”, and struggle to align various aspects of the business to achieve this strategy.

Later during a “fireside chat” with ITC Chief Executive Officer Sanjiv Puri, he was asked how to balance a company’s desire to be competitive, with the larger expectation of employing more people. In Porter’s view, given the abundance of unmet needs in the country, such synergy would be easy. Services that emerge to take care of these needs would create jobs for the young, growing demographic, he observed. “Most of the growth in India will be domestic.”

But the academic went on to lay a charge on the audience, saying it was not up to the government or non-profit organisations to influence social progress. “The societal needs we live in the middle of are business opportunities.” He described at length the idea of “creating shared value”, which he had first illustrated in the Harvard Business Review.

He said he wanted companies to use an alternative model, in place of traditional philanthropy or corporate social responsibility. “Businesses acting as businesses, rather than charitable givers, will be the force that addresses social issues.” According to him, companies — including Jain Irrigation working on water conservation, and Aravind Eye Care tackling cataract treatments — are on this path already.

There are challenges, he admitted, responding to questions from the gathering. Around 26 per cent of the top 300 companies have not even met the minimum requirement of CSR investment, one audience member pointed out. Companies would have to be persuaded to think social, the strategist said. “The government will need to give out prizes and incentivise such action.”

If his vision of shared value was implemented, Porter reckoned employees would want to work for companies and citizens would respect these companies.

Best known for developing the “five forces model”, used to gauge the profitability and attractiveness of any industry, Porter is among a few in Harvard University’s tenured faculty to be given the title of university professor. Competitiveness has been a constant theme of his examinations. He is also researching how “divisive politics is standing in the way of social progress.”

(Business Standard)

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

‘CSR By Global Brands Must Look Beyond Tier-1 Of Leather Supply Chain In India’

By
The CSR Journal
-

Ethical trade and corporate social responsibility (CSR) may be the stated top priorities of global brands, but most high-end leather footwear, garments and accessories brands sourcing goods from three Indian hubs — Agra, Kolkata and Tamil Nadu — are unaware of poor wages, caste and gender discrimination, appalling working conditions and environment hazards beyond the first-tier of the supply chain, says a recent report by a Dutch non-profit organisation, ICN.

“We believe companies should increase the traceability and transparency of their full supply chain up to the level of tanneries and sub-contractors. Of the 13 reacting companies (to whom reports were sent), only two brands (Adidas and C&A) publicly disclosed the tanneries on their corporate website. C&A is increasing its supply chain transparency and is planning on disclosing second tier suppliers, including tanneries, on their corporate website in 2017,” says a report “Do Leather Workers Matter?” by India Committee of the Netherlands (ICN).

Export of leather goods account for nearly 75% of total exports to the US, the UK, Germany, Italy, Hong Kong, the UAE, Spain, France, the Netherlands, China, Vietnam and Belgium. The top global brands that source from India include Armani, Bata, DKNY, Hush Puppies, Nike, Adidas, Puma, Versace, Zara, Tommy Hilfiger and Marks & Spencer, among others.

The leather sector is said to employ 2.5 million people, mainly Dalits and Muslims. About 30% of the workforce is women, many of whom are home-based workers, says the report, drawing from interviews with 166 workers of 46 companies and 14 home workshops in 2011 and 2012 in the three producing hubs of India, which together account for 60% of the country’s tanning capacity and finished leather production.

The report found a wide gap between the price of the end product and wages in all three hubs.

Workers’ wages

“According to one recent source, the workers’ wages make up only 2% of the final price of the shoe, while the brands keep a quarter of the price and one third goes to the retailers,” says the report, citing a study that estimated that the piece rates for home-based women stitching uppers for a pair of shoes was around Rs 10 while the retail price of the shoe might be £100 (about Rs 8,400), varying across brands.

In the Vaniyambadi-Ambur cluster in Tamil Nadu, “one group of workers, who produce bags for an export company, receive Rs 90 (about €1.19) for a bag. On average piece rate workers make Rs 3,500 (about €46.34) per month,” said the report.

In footwear production, almost all interviewed labourers said they got piece-rate wages at Rs 5-10 per piece. “On average, workers make Rs 80-25 per day, which is mostly below the legal minimum wage for the footwear sector in Tamil Nadu, being Rs 121.91 a day for footwear workers”, said the report

In Agra, none of the interviewed workers received the minimum wage for skilled workers, even though they had all worked in the leather industry for over five years.

Pollution hazards

Noting that the tanning industry causes one of the world’s worst polluting problems, mainly because of intensive use of chrome, the report said “up to 250 kg of chemicals are used for the production of 500 kg leather.”

The major environmental hazard relates to the dumping of solid and liquid waste, which holds leftover chrome and other dangerous compounds. Also, the tanning process of one tonne of hide generally produces 20-80 cubic meters of waste water. As a result, an estimated 2,000-3,000 tonne of chromium ends up in the environment of India every year.

(Hindu Business Line)

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

Versova Beach Issue Resolved, But What Is Next?

By
Balbir Singh Aulakh
-

Part of the city’s coastal flora and fauna, the Versova beach in Mumbai’s western suburbs, is one of the dirtiest beaches. Starting in October 2015, the world’s biggest beach cleaning initiative took 85 weeks to get completed. Afroz Shah, a lawyer at Bombay High Court, started off with his 84-year-old neighbour Harbansh Mathur. “The first day, we filled four-five plastic bags with garbage and we were so happy,” Shah said.

The task ahead for Versova Residents’ Volunteers (VRV), the residential group of volunteers heading the clean-up drive, as Shah describes was a case of “participative democracy at its best”. In their enormous action to clear and protect the Versova beach, VRV were supported by Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC); while it also inspired support from United Nations and similar-thinking citizens. “It was fascinating to see people from the film industry, police, lawyers, fishermen and other walks come together for one cause,” expressed Shah.

On Saturday afternoon, Shah shared a picture of the Versova beach on Twitter emphasising on maintaining the cleanliness. “This is Versova beach an hour back. Week 85 of cleanup. Versova beach is gorgeous and clean now. We have done our bit. We need to maintain it.”

Shah, who was honoured by UN with ‘Champions of the Earth Award’ for his efforts to initiate the world’s largest beach clean-up, is determined to continue his efforts and fight the battle against ocean litter. The growing involvement of citizens, personalities from film industry, police, lawyers and the fishermen community helped complete the overhaul.

In October last year, Erik Solheim, head of UN Environment, who volunteered with VRV for waste collection at the beach said, “His [Shah] efforts, and the hundreds of volunteers he’s inspired, is a wonderful example of citizen action and reminds the rest of the world that even the most ambitious, global agreements are only as good as the individual action and determination that brings them to life.”

The accomplishment has received lots of praise and acknowledgement over the past few days. It is important to understand and act upon, as Shah stated in 2016, “Institutionally, they will have to put up some sort of mechanism.” The growing problem of garbage disposal in Mumbai is not a new discovery, as issues surrounding the Deonar dumping ground still remain unaddressed. With unsystematic dumping techniques causing health problems and affecting the quality of coastal waters severely.

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) had awarded Shah the UN’s top environmental accolade — Champions of the Earth award — at Cancun, Mexico, making him the first Indian to achieve such a feat.

(inputs from Livemint and Hindustan Times)

About the Author

cd

Balbir Singh Aulakh is a 20-year-old Mass Media graduate, who is an extremely passionate writer about football. He has past experience of covering Indian football for Football Counter as a Sports Correspondent. He is a contributor at TheHardTackle and possesses experience working in electronic and digital media. Based in Mumbai, he aims to pursue his Master’s degree in Public Policy. You can contact him via e-mail at balbirsinghaulakh@gmail.com.

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in the article are solely those of the author in his personal capacity and do not in any way represent the views of any entity, organisation that the author may have been associated with.

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

Abortion Kills 20 Lakh Women Every Year: Survey

By
Neha Bilandani
-

According to a recent survey, 13% of 1.5 crore women who opt for abortion to terminate their pregnancy, lose their lives every year.

Executive Director of Population Foundation of India, Poonam Muttreja, who works in the field of women’s interest and family planning, said that this information was provided by the International Institute of Gutmaker and the Indian Institute of Population Sciences in a report submitted to the government.

“A paucity of knowledge of family planning and ignorance is the main reason for these deaths. To prevent such deaths, an extensive work across the country is needed,” she added.

But now the figures of the government and other organisations are the same. According to them, 1.5 crore women get abortion every year, out of which 13%, i.e. about 20 lakh women, die. This figure incorporates cases of illegal abortions made to conceal crime

According to the first official figures, only six lakh women had abortion recorded every year, while the figure of non-governmental organisations was 10 million.

“From the developed countries like the US to the under-developed African countries, the situation is critical due to lack of awareness and knowledge of the family planning,” she pointed out. “Awareness can reduce death by more than 50% annually,” said Muttreja.

The budget for health and family planning was proportionally very low. It is 4.5% in South Africa, 3.7% in Thailand, 4.7% in Brazil, 3% in China and 3.1%Russia. While in India, it is only 1.33%.

Referring to the hygiene campaign, she said, “If the campaign starts with primary health centres, then half the diseases can be reduced. Apart from this, we have to work on social awareness too.”

Arun Nair, who works with Marie Stopes International (MSI), said, “There are challenges in the way of introducing the slogan of “Child by Choice not by Chance” and the role of women in family is important.”

The MSI has been working in the field of family planning in 13 districts of Rajasthan since 2008. “It would be better, if more private hospitals and NGOs are pooled in by the government. Although the government is doing its best,” he opined.

But on the contrary, an RTI query has revealed that for the first time in this decade, the number of abortions in Mumbai has fallen. But are abortions on the decline in the country as a whole?

“Going by the data that we have from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW), the trend has shown an increase in abortions,” says Poonam Muttreja, Executive Director, PFI. MoHFW data shows that despite a general declining trend in the mid-2000s, there was an uptick in the last few years for which data was available.

Another set of data comes from women themselves, through household surveys. Based on this data, nationally, the abortion rate — the number of abortions for every 100 pregnancies — has been on the decline. While data on abortion from the latest round of the National Family Health Survey is not yet available, data from the District Level Health Survey shows that abortion rates declined in most states in the period between 2007-08 and 2012-13.

Nationally, in 2014, 1.7% of all pregnancies in rural areas and 3.1% in urban areas resulted in an abortion, according to the National Sample Survey Office. This is a globally low number; the United States, for instance, has an abortion rate that is close to 15%.

Abortion remains highly restricted in India. The governing law, the Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act (1971), permits abortions before 12 weeks of pregnancy by a registered medical practitioner or before 20 weeks of pregnancy with the approval of two registered medical practitioners, but only if the mother or child’s mental or physical health is in danger. A slightly more liberal amendment is under consideration, but still does not allow abortion if the woman simply wishes to terminate the pregnancy. Only last week, an HIV positive rape survivor was denied an abortion by the Supreme Court in India because she was 26 weeks pregnant, having lost crucial weeks to the legal process.

13% of married women still report an unmet need for contraception according to the latest National Family Health Survey, and female sterilisation remains the overwhelming mode of contraception in India.

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

Corporate India Needs to Keep a Close Eye on U-17 FIFA World Cup 2017

By
Balbir Singh Aulakh
-

This year, in March, the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke about the deplorable condition of Indian football in his Mann-ki-Baat radio show. “Today our ranking in FIFA is low (163), I feel reluctant to even mention it.” It is May and India is nearing the start of FIFA Under-17 World Cup 2017, an international football tournament India has waited to host for a while.

The tournament is India’s brightest opportunity for a certain ‘roadmap’ of Indian football. So just maybe, for a nation with the largest youth population, predicting its search for daylight in football depends on teenagers shouldn’t be an odd choice.

As part of the build-up to the World Cup, the BJP government launched ‘Mission XI Million’, to make football “the sport of choice in India.” The initiative aims to bring together 11 million children to play football, as part of a “massive school engagement programme”. While the timing of the initiative is evident, its execution will be a major setback; as lack of infrastructure, education and awareness of the sports remain a core problem.

In December 2016, Bank of Baroda joined as a ‘National Supporter’ for the FIFA U-17 World Cup 2017. Later on, in March 2017, Hero MotoCorp was announced as a supporter, filling in the second of the six slots presented for the tournament. But with just over four months remaining, the remaining spots are yet to be filled.

Corporate involvement in sports is not as unusual as it may seem. Last year at the Paralympics in Rio, IndusInd Bank came forward to support few of the Indian Paralympians in their bid for international glory. In the past, India has seen the success of Indian Premier League – and more recently, successes of Indian Super League, Pro Kabaddi League and Premier Badminton League – all of these, supported by companies such as Reliance, International Management Group, Vodafone, Vivo, JSW etc. But the lack of it, in India’s build-up to the tournament has been a real setback, with FIFA still struggling to find an Indian company as an affiliate for promoting the tournament globally.

Philippe Le Floc’h, FIFA’s Chief Commercial Officer, asked Indian corporate houses to be a part of the U-17 World Cup back in March. “The benefits of being associated with the FIFA U-17 World Cup are twofold. Firstly, you have the prestige of being associated with a World Cup, the visibility from which will be huge. Secondly, you are also helping football develop in India by supporting youth development in the sport.”

Le Floc’h also mentioned, “To join us as a global affiliate would be the perfect partnership for Indian companies looking to push their products to markets outside of India.”

Though FIFA has been actively promoting the sport across India, there has been no update about interested companies for World Cup U-17’s National Support remaining slots. The government’s ‘Mission XI Million’ has made effective steps to promote football, initiating projects such as ‘Oorja’; with support from not only the sports fertility but also celebrities such as Alia Bhatt and Kangana Ranaut.

Football in India is always an uphill task with the popularity of cricket growing every day. But the Under-17 World Cup 2017 will bring the country’s football sphere and private market a great scope for participation – and possibly, India’s finest chance to introduce itself as a football superpower on the global scale.

(with inputs from Hindustan Times)

About the Author

cd

Balbir Singh Aulakh is a 20-year-old Mass Media graduate, who is an extremely passionate writer about football. He has past experience of covering Indian football for Football Counter as a Sports Correspondent. He is a contributor at TheHardTackle and possesses experience working in electronic and digital media. Based in Mumbai, he aims to pursue his Master’s degree in Public Policy. You can contact him via e-mail at balbirsinghaulakh@gmail.com.

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in the article are solely those of the author in his personal capacity and do not in any way represent the views of any entity, organisation that the author may have been associated with.

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

50 Children With Speech & Hearing Disabilities Supported With Rs. 2.65 Crore

By
The CSR Journal
-
SBI Foundation partnered with Ali Yavar Jung National Institute of Speech and Hearing Disabilities (AYJNISHD), Mumbai for providing cochlear implants to 50 children born with profound hearing loss. The cost of cochlear implants and post-operative rehabilitation will be borne under their CSR Project.
Arundhati Bhattacharya, Chairman, SBI yesterday presented an amount of Rs. 2.65 crore to Dr. A. K. Sinha, Director of AYJNISHD for the children from West Bengal. This was appreciated as it would enable the children with disability to overcome their disability and live a normal way of life with new rays of hope.
In 2015, the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities, Government of India launched the Cochlear Implant program by providing Rs 6.00 lakhs subsidy per child for parents having monthly income of less than Rs.15000/- under ADIP scheme.
AYJNISHD is the nodal Agency for the implementation of Cochlear Implant program all over India. 172 hospitals have been empanelled for the Cochlear implant surgery in Government and Private setup. 788 surgeries have been conducted so far including 50 surgeries in West Bengal. However, still there are large numbers of children waiting to undergo cochlear implant surgeries.
To augment the resources of the government and to help the children born with hearing disability this initiative will provide the opportunity to hear and speak post-surgery.
Cochlear Implant is an electronic device, which benefit the children with deafness. The internal part of the cochlear implant is placed in the skull through surgery and electrodes are inserted in cochlea by a highly trained Ear Nose Throat (ENT) surgeon. The external part of the cochlear implant: speech processor is worn behind the ear and the transmitter is held at mastoid bone externally (by pull of magnet) and connected with cord. The Audiologist switch on the Cochlear Implant and after mapping the child can hear normally. Speech language pathologists, special educators for children with hearing impairment, along with parents stimulate the child with spoken language so that child develops speech mode of communication.
Arundhati Bhattacharya met and interacted with the parents of children who underwent cochlear implant surgery and are now learning to speak.

Disclaimer: This media release is auto-generated. The CSR Journal is not responsible for the content

Majority of Indians Think Role of Women in Society is to be Good Mothers and Wives: Study

By
Neha Bilandani
-

As part of a Global Trends study, Ipsos examined global attitudes toward the role of women, parenting, and family across 22 countries by interviewing 18,180 adults.

Majority of Indians surveyed (64%) think role of women in society is to be good mothers and wives revolving around home, according to the 2017 survey.

When it comes to having children, traditional views on the family are more widespread in India.  About eight in ten (78%) Indians believe that it is better for parents of children to be married than unmarried.

Parijat Chakraborty, Executive Director, Ipsos Public Affairs is not surprised with the findings: “More Indian women maybe moving out of their homes, seeking employment and carving out a niche for themselves at workplaces, but society sees them more as accomplished mothers and wives in primary role, relegating other roles to secondary positions. Indian women cannot be seen shirking from domestic duties and winning accolades at work – at the cost of neglecting primary role that society has deemed on them.”

Interestingly, for parenting also traditional views were found to be prevalent among Indians. 72% of Indian respondents felt that there was further scope for parents to take more responsibilities for behavior of their children.

“It is encouraging to see India leading the pack on men taking increased responsibilities for home and childcare than ever before – a whopping 81% of Indians conforming to this change,” added Chakraborty.

Global Views:

The survey also shows clear differences of opinion between emerging vs established economies, between men and women, and most notably, between those with religious faith and those without.

Globally men are more likely than women to think women should be good wives and mothers (by 41% to 34% on an average), but there is an even greater divide by religious belief.  Those with religious beliefs are almost twice as likely to side with the traditional view on gender roles than those who describe themselves as agnostic or atheist (by 42% to 24%).

On an average 69% of people across the 22 countries think that men now have greater responsibility for the home and childcare than ever before (but falling to less than half in Russia and Poland).  A majority of both genders agree, although men are more likely to think they are taking up the burden than women, by 73% to 64%!

When it comes to having children, traditional views on the family are more widespread.  On average, almost six in ten (57%) believe that it is better for parents of children to be married than unmarried, while three in ten (31%) disagree.  A majority agree in 14 out of the 22 countries that there is actually a lot of variation on this question.  Over seven in ten prefer marriage in Indonesia, India, Turkey, Russia, South Africa, South Korea and the US. In four European countries the balance of opinion is the other way around (in Spain, Belgium, France, and Sweden, where people disagree it is better to be married if you are having children).

On the flip side, those with religious faith are more likely to believe in the importance of marriage than non-believers (by 62% to 42%), as are men than women (by 61% to 52%).  Perhaps unsurprisingly, there is also a difference by marital status.  Two in three (67%) of those who are married agree that it is better for parents to be married, against 38% of those living as married or in domestic partnerships, and 45% of people who are divorced.

One thing the world does agree on is that parents today do not take enough responsibility for the behaviour of their children, at 77% (just 18% disagree).  This sentiment is shared by a clear majority in every country, but especially South Africa (89%), the United States (87%) and Great Britain (85%).

Chakraborty added, “The world remains divided over the role of women, but the majority do NOT think women should stay at home and have children – although globally there is a clear difference in the views between those with religious faith and non-believers. Most people still think marriage matters if you are having children (but much less so in western Europe), but one thing it seems that does unite people around the world is a feeling that parents need to take more responsibility for the behaviour of their children – by which most mean I think, that “other” people should take more responsibility for “their” children.”

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

CSR Opportunity to Educate and Empower Masses

By
Nirbhay Lumde, CSR Professional
-

Revival of Public Libraries and Strengthening Digital Literacy Mission Is A CSR Opportunity to Educate and Empower Masses

Encyclopedia Britannica defines, “Library, traditionally, collection of books used for reading or study, or the building or room in which such a collection is kept”. A public library is a library that is accessible by the general public and usually funded by government to provide free access to information and knowledge to the public. “Public libraries exist in many countries across the world and are often considered an essential part of having an educated and literate population”, quotes Wikipedia on public library.

In India, the history of public libraries dates back to early 1910 with His Highness Sayaji Rao Gaekwad III, Maharaja of Baroda supporting development of public library system in India. Since independence, the public libraries system has been providing meaningful services to Indian population. These are also considered as community information centers providing access to a wide range of knowledge, information and network for the benefit of larger good. In the legislation, ‘Library Service’, supporting libraries comes under the purview of state governments. The central government has also undertaken considerable amount of effort to strengthen library system in India. However the system has not coped with the fast changing time, requirement and provision of accessing digital resources.

In the historical context, it is interesting to note three instances of triggering revival of public libraries in India. First one, setting up of Raja Rammohan Roy Library Foundation in 1972 by the Ministry of Culture, Government of India to promote of reading habit among the masses by spreading library services all over the country including the remotest corners in India. Second one is National Knowledge Commission’s initiative to set up National Mission on Libraries to revamp and modernise the library sector and setting standards for qualitative improvement of services including creation of national virtual library of India. The third and most of important aspect in reviving public library is in the context of Companies Act 2013 that mandates certain companies to spend 2% of net profits under Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). The Schedule VII of the Companies Act, 2013, item (v) that points to, “Protection of national heritage, art and culture including restoration of buildings and sites of historical importance and works of art; setting up public libraries; promotion and development of traditional arts and handicrafts.”

The author suggests two unique approaches to set up and strengthen public libraries under CSR in the provision of Companies Act 2013. It also stems from the belief that promotion of reading habit helps in betterment of lives. It would not be an understatement to say that supporting such initiatives could trigger social movements for bettering lives of large masses. The other reason for the endorsement of funding public libraries is limited number of companies and a miniscule amount cumulatively has been spent on such noble cause in last three years by companies. Moreover, it also helps in spreading CSR spending in not so famous items listed in the Schedule VII of the Companies Act, 2013. All these approaches are suggestive of a framework and not prescriptive in nature for companies to explore supporting such initiative under their CSR initiatives.

The first and foremost initiative to strengthen public libraries is to support Raja Rammohan Roy Library Foundation by funding its regular activities to promote setting up libraries in the country. There are also other avenues companies could explore to complement Foundation’s schemes such as supporting in book assistance program; setting up rural book deposit centres and mobile library services; sponsoring seminars, workshops and training; procurement and provision of furniture, electronic and digital equipment; and funding of construction of library buildings.

The second important aspect of strengthening public libraries in India is to align it with Digital Saksharta Abhiyan/ National Digital Literacy Mission. The Indian government has ambitious plans to impart Information Technology training to 5.25 million persons, including Anganwadi, Accredited social health activists (ASHA), and authorised agents of Public Distribution System (ration dealers). National Digital Literacy Mission defines digital literacy is, “the ability of individuals and communities to understand and use digital technologies for meaningful actions within life situations”.

Companies could explore funding of construction of additional buildings, provision of infrastructure and upgrading existing facilities within the public libraries to run digital literacy training centres along with managing their core services. The other opportunity is to strengthen the capacity of public library by providing electronic devices and computers, subscribe to internet and online journals, and fund access to digital literacy resources, human capital support, and long term commitment for virtual support through paid or employee volunteering opportunities. These help companies to complement government’s efforts in digital literacy mission while helping in revival of public libraries in the country. It also serves dual purpose of spreading access to information and imparts digital literacy to the general public.

These resource centres, in the newer alignment with digital literacy mission under Companies Act, would enable masses to participate actively and effectively in the democratic and developmental process. It also enhances opportunities for promotion of livelihood. Moreover, the close alignment of public library and digital literacy mission would certainly encourage a large number of companies to pump their CSR budgets in the right direction and paves way for large scale collaboration.

 About the Author

Nirbhay Lumde is a Corporate Social Responsibility professional and writes on current social, economic and environmental trends. He is an alumnus of IIT Bombay.

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in the article are solely those of the author in his personal capacity and do not in any way represent the views of any entity, organisation that the author may have been associated with.

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

Reducing Infrastructure Gaps Can Boost Sustainable Development In Countries With Special Needs: UN Report

By
The CSR Journal
-

Geographically disadvantaged nations and least developed countries (LDCs) in the Asia-Pacific region can boost national incomes, educational attainment and life expectancy by reducing their sizeable physical infrastructure gaps, the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) said in a new report.

The group of 36 LDCs, landlocked developing countries (LLDCs) and small island developing States (SIDS) in the region, collectively known as countries with special needs (CSN), annually require investment equal to 10.5% of their GDP to provide transport, energy, information and communications technology (ICT) and water supply and sanitation to an increasingly urbanising population, that is also highly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change.

Current levels of infrastructure funding in these countries fall short of their financing needs by about 3-4 % of GDP, according to the Asia-Pacific Countries with Special Needs Development Report 2017: Investing in infrastructure for an inclusive and sustainable future. The Report finds that a 1 per cent increase in a composite measure of these four key infrastructure elements – presented as an Access to Physical Infrastructure Index (APII) – results in a 1.19% GDP increase in the CSN group.

“As infrastructure provides wide economic, social and environmental benefits, it constitutes an essential part of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development,” says United Nations Under-Secretary-General and Executive Secretary of ESCAP, Dr. Shamshad Akhtar in the preface to the report.

“The CSN have significant deficits in common in physical infrastructure. These deficits pose a principle obstacle to the sustainable development of CSN as they limit the opportunities to expand productive capacities and improve connectivity across and between countries. Infrastructure deficits also constrain social development and weaken environmental sustainability,” Dr. Akhtar adds.

The APII evaluates the condition of these four infrastructure sectors in 41 Asia-Pacific countries over time and finds uneven progress among the CSN group, with LDCs comprising 7 out of 10 poorest-performing countries. It finds major inadequacies in transport infrastructure and energy in the LDCs, while SIDS need to strengthen ICT infrastructure, and LLDCs should prioritise investment in transport infrastructure in order to reduce trade costs.

Improvements in these infrastructure sectors in the CSN group to bring these on par with the other developing Asian countries can increase the combined national income of CSN by up to 6 per cent by the year 2030. The largest estimated gain is for Bangladesh at $35.5 billion, followed by Kazakhstan at $26.6 billion.

The Report highlights that investment in infrastructure development improves economic productivity and the quality of growth. It boosts economic growth and job creation through enhanced connectivity and production networks, promotes social development through improved access to public services and new opportunities, and enhances environmental sustainability through a low-carbon, resource-efficient and climate-resilient societal order.

As the CSN group will not be able to raise the required financial resources on their own, the Report recommends a mix of options to fund infrastructure development. Some LDCs can enhance domestic public resources, whilst other LDCs and particularly for SIDS, donor assistance will continue to be a key financing source.

In contrast, resource-rich LLDCs can continue to rely on non-tax revenues from commodity exports. The Report also recommends prioritising domestic revenue mobilisation for infrastructure investment and improving the efficiency of public expenditure, and urges private sector involvement through private-public partnerships.

1...1,1451,1461,147...1,229Page 1,146 of 1,229

Hindi Manch

Editor's Pick

© Copyright 2024 The CSR Journal. All Rights Reserved | Powered by : Inventif Web