Leaders Speak

With almost 60% market share in India's packaged drinking water sector, Bisleri is one of the oldest and popular brand in the country. In an interview with The CSR Journal, Parag Bengali, Director for Bisleri International Pvt. Ltd, talks about their CSR initiatives and philosophy behind the same undertaken by the organisation. Please list the major CSR...

“A whole range of programs is needed to be really effective for it to benefit a community”, says Vivek Talwar, Chief Sustainability Officer, TATA Power while in conversation with The CSR Journal. The final stage of every good program is when there is an exit strategy and the community is self-reliant.

IKEA, world’s largest furniture retail company operates its CSR activities globally through  IKEA Foundation. Patrik Antoni, Sustainability Head, IKEA India talks to The CSR Journal about CSR practices at the Sweden firm and his views on practices in India. Q: What are the key challenges when it comes to sustainability practices in India, when compared...

Dr. Andreas Lauermann, President & MD, Volkswagen India says, “There were a lot of uncertainties in the beginning as to, which activities qualify and come under CSR. The problem now is sometimes in the community itself. This is because the expectation is high and the question arises if this is a CSR activity or something...

“The ground reality is largely getting professionals to work in rural areas. Therefore, a mixed staffing process has been implemented of a few professionals and training the locals in groups” says Apoorva Oza, CEO, Aga Khan Rural Support Programme. Rural economies grow if the agriculture grows along with job creation. But it needs investment...

We decided to have a foundation so as to bring into focus the activities initiated. The PSUs and corporate have the funds, but they need the right place to invest it., says Sanjukta Raiguru, Managing Director, SBI Foundation while in conversation with The CSR Journal. She believes any activity taken-up on ground for upliftment...

Anshu Gupta realised the need of clothing for the first time during one of his visits to Old Delhi. He once accompanied a Habib, (professional unclaimed body collector) on a December night to Khooni Darwaza, an area in the heart of the city. He saw a man wearing nothing but a thin cotton shirt...

Rati Forbes, is a Director at Forbes Marshall Ltd. She is responsible for the social initiatives which the company supports; in the areas of community health, education and women's issues. The initiatives include a reading/learning enhancement program which runs in 90 low-income primary schools; catalyzing and coordinating the effective functioning of over 300 small...

Romesh Sobti is the Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of IndusInd Bank Limited since February 1, 2008. He has 33 years of banking experience in large state owned and multinational banks, including ANZ Grindlays Bank and State Bank of India. In a brief chat with The CSR Journal on the inclusion of other...

CSR has been mandated by law but there is no specific process to streamline the CSR funds to the needs of the country. This is the major deterrent in the successful implementation of CSR, according to Sweta Rawat, Chairperson and Co-founder, The Hans Foundation (THF). She also says that there is a need of...

Deval Sanghavi is a Founder & Partner at Dasra. He has been awarded the Forbes Philanthropy Award in the 'Crossover Leaders' category for 2014 for successfully transitioning from a thriving career in investment banking to work for the non-profit sector. While speaking with The CSR Journal on philanthropy and more, he says, “Solution for...

Society for Nutrition, Education and Health Action (SNEHA), is a non - profit organisation, that believes in investing in women's health and is essential to building viable urban communities. " The major drawbacks in urban slums is mostly lack of knowledge, poor nutrition and last mile implementation," says Vanessa D'souza, CEO, SNEHA, while in...