Agriculture & Rural Development

Water-positive CSR needs more attention. Providing access to water to rural communities through CSR directly aligns with supporting UN’s Sustainability Development Goal 6 for the year 2030. Given the importance of water for life and society, it is natural that this is identified as a central issue for companies to manage responsibly through their...

Much before corporate social responsibility (CSR) contributions were made mandatory by the Companies Act of 2013, HDFC Bank was following board-approved targets and contributing to social causes. HDFC Bank CSR spend was INR 443.8 crores during the year ending 31 March, 2019, bettering the FY18 performance by 20%, according to the company's integrated Annual...

Remember the 80s song Mile Sur Mera Tumhara which became an anthem for national integration? Well, the creators of that iconic track—lyricist Piyush Pandey and composer Louiz Banks—are collaborating on water movement 'Paani Ka Teeka'. Among the top Indian musicians joining the water consciousness project are tabla maestro Zakir Hussain, ghazal legend Pankaj Udhas,...

With a view to further extend support to farmer produce organisations (FPOs) in Gujarat, the Ahmedabad branch of National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (Nabard) is in talks with CSR arms of major industrial houses including Reliance, Tata and Ambuja. Nabard is already giving financial assistance of up to ₹16 lakh to FPOs that...

Nation building is not possible without transforming India’s villages. The vast majority of rural communities depend heavily on rain-fed agriculture for their livelihoods. The availability of water and the quality of soil therefore dictate their economic health. But with the right resource management and agricultural techniques, along with skilling and training, vulnerable communities can...

Manohari Doss, leader of the Tamil Nadu Labour Union (TNLU) has been recognised as one of 17 transformative Asia Pacific women leaders at the UN – ESCAP, Asia Pacific Ministerial Conference, in Bangkok last November. She was invited to speak as a panellist at the launch of the report 'Pathways to Influence: Promoting the Role...

On one hand, the rising population of the earth demands intensive agriculture practices to ensure food security of it’s inhabitants. On the other hand, it sucks the life out of the planet slowly and gradually by soil degradation and increased carbon emissions. Its dependence on singular crops, heavy ploughing machinery, fossil-fuel-based fertilisers and pesticides...

If you ate today, thank a farmer. National Farmers’ Day aka Kisan Diwas is being observed nationwide, and it couldn’t be at a more significant time. Earlier this year, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced the promotion of Zero Budget Natural Farming in the Union Budget 2019 to boost farmer’s income and save them from...

If you ate today, thank a farmer. December 23 is observed as National Farmers' Day aka Kisan Diwas across India. Have you ever wondered, how many farmers would like to have their children follow in their footsteps? This is worrisome because we are losing out on the people who have our back when we...

As the coalition formed by the Shiv Sena, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and the Congress takes charge in Maharashtra, The CSR Journal takes a look at its Common Minimum Programme (CMP). Uddhav Thackeray, the coalition's leader, took oath as chief minister yesterday at Shivaji Park in Mumbai. We've learnt that there will be two...

Almost all the North East states and particularly Mizoram and Nagaland are least favoured destinations for corporate philanthropic activities in India in the form of their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). According to data by provided by the Minister of Finance and Corporate Affairs, Nirmala Sitharaman on November 18 in reply to a Starred Question in...

किसानों के बहाने नेता चले सरकार बनाने, ये हम इस लिए कह रहे है क्योंकि चाहे वो शिवसेना प्रमुख उद्धव ठाकरे हो, महाराष्ट्र के मुख्यमंत्री देवेंद्र फड़नवीस हो, या फिर एनसीपी सुप्रीमों शरद पवार, किसानों के बदहाली पर लगातार बैठक कर रहे है, किसानों से मिल रहे है, नेताओं का प्रतिनिधि मंडल राज्यपाल से...