India Inc. showed a rise of 47 per cent in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) spendings in 2017-18 compared to 2014-15, according to the KPMG India CSR Reporting Survey 2018. However, according to the survey, the CSR expenditure by Indian companies on war veterans this year accounted to only 7 crores, significantly less compared to 31 crores the previous year.
Indian armed forces are active not only during wars but also during natural disasters, rescue operations or adversities. It is reported that about 25,000 military personnel have been martyred in fighting for the country. This noble sacrifice for the nation turns out to be a huge calamity for the families or these veterans.
Apart from this, the retired army people have spent the golden years of their lives in serving the nation. After retirement, they deserve to be taken care of by the countrymen.
Since the corporates do not have an immediate connection with these veterans, they do not benefit from most of the CSR initiatives. In order to correct this, the organisations can take up several initiatives for the benefit of war widows and army veterans.
The war veterans are often not very skilled in civil jobs. The skill development program for war veterans can help them settle in the civil world smoothly and can make them confident to stand on their own feet. This also applies for war widows. Skilling them can ensure that they are able to make ends meet.
Providing them with employment is another thing that corporates can do for the welfare of the veterans and their families. This includes even giving them preferential treatment by creating space for them in the organization.
Rewarding these veterans to recognize the service they have done for the nation in form of cash or kind on special days each year, is also doable by the corporates.
These few gestures by the corporates can make a huge difference in the lives of our national heroes and their families.
