OPINIONS

As CSR provisions in the new companies Act are put to implementation on ground, debate on where and how CSR money should be spent seems to be gathering momentum. When the CSR provisions in the new act were conceived, it was estimated that quantum of CSR money would stand close to Rs 20,000 crores...

A FICCI study on Water Risks for Indian Industries (2012) found that groundwater is the major source of water for different industrial sectors across India. About 55% of those surveyed used groundwater with or without some other source of water. Clearly, this dependence on groundwater makes the industry very vulnerable to rainfall variations and...

The purpose of education is to help individuals gain skills and achieve their complete potential. Schools, universities and professional institutions are key in nurturing the intellect and curiosity of a person. Without measuring the quality of education, we are unable to define its effectiveness. There is a growing need for more sophisticated educational resources. The...

The central premise of Section 135 of the Companies Act has been to link profits to welfare, leading to betterment of society as a whole. With the advent of this section, the creators of wealth and generators of profit were forced to acknowledge philanthropy beyond personal charitable giving. Philanthropy and the development sector suddenly became...

The growing population, rocket speed of production and hyper consumerism has added huge pressure on the natural resources. It is the festival time again in India and people are immersed in celebrations. Celebrations have ethnic, cultural and religious significance. It is natural to have huge spurt of activities around celebrations due to diversity of...

The amendment of Companies Act in 2013 introduced guidelines that marked the beginning of a change of the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) landscape in India. This led to increased participation of corporates in social responsibility initiatives and enhanced CSR governance. Recent economic reforms have provided a direction for greater transparency and accountability, the influence of...

Part II of IV - Two Silver Bullets After describing the gravity and magnitude of the water scarcity in the first part, Anirban Ghosh, Chief Sustainability Officer, Mahindra Group shares the precipitating factors that have led to water scarcity. In this article which is the second of the four part series on water scarcity, Ghosh digs the...

India is a country of scale.  Together, we suffer at scale, celebrate at scale, attempt to resolve and solve at scale.  Across the country, the larger issues of poverty, illiteracy, corruption and such other evils thrive at scale.  It is only logical that when we attempt resolving such issues, solutions be crafted for scale. It is...

Stories and storytelling play a key role in the evolution of human society. Stories are manifestations and transmitters of our culture, value and heritage through the generations. Not only does storytelling shape the way society receives information, it also serves as a powerful tool to change mindsets and influence communities, thought leaders and policy...

Part III of IV- Let’s take some Action! In this article, the third of a four part series on water scarcity, Anirban Ghosh, Chief Sustainability Officer, Mahindra Group shares what we as individuals can do to address the issue In the first part of the series we found that we have a BIGGER problem than we...

India is a diverse country with varied cultures, art forms and traditions. These bring richness to the living, life and lifestyle. It reflects in arts and handicrafts that imbibe rich history, aesthetics and exquisite designs. Since the ancient times, traditional art and handicraft industry has been providing employment and livelihood opportunities. In the modern...

The “Business for Good” model proposes that a company can create social impact and also generate profits for its shareholders. This model has the potential to tackle global and local social issues using business rather than the traditional corporate philanthropy. The focus is on creating ‘shared value’, which translates to judiciously blending profits with societal...