Pragati 2015, a three day national conclave organized by Vibha, a social venture catalyst kicked off on Wednesday, October 1. The conclave held with the intention to share social development stories and strategies is organized in association with Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) in Pune.
The introduction of Corporate Social Responsibility (wp) in the Indian industry has marked a new horizon. But with ample opportunities, the mandate has also brought in ample of unclear processes. “There are various challenges that are faced both by corporates and non-governmental organizations or NGOs including lack of clarity in regulatory compliance, lack of skilled wp professionals, ignorance among NGOs about processes, proper documentation and several operational challenges,” says Dr Meena Galliara, Director, Jasani Center of Social Entrepreneurship and Sustainability Management, NMIMS, Mumbai. Galliara spoke about impact assessment of projects and its importance.
Pragati, is a biennial event organized by Vibha, an international voluntary organization that boasts itself of being a social venture catalyst aiming to find, implement and spread efficient ways to bring about changes in the society.
Ron Victor, Founder President, Vibha strongly opposes on building a parallel system and insists on working with the government to improve its scalability. “Instead of building more private schools with better education, we need to try and improve the education in government schools. We cannot have a parallel system in place. We need government for better administration and so working with the government is what we should aim for. Collaborative efforts with the government also lend credibility to the NGOs and the projects undertaken by them,” says Victor.
When asked about his objective behind organizing Pragati Victor says, “Many organizations have been doing great work in different parts of the country. Brining them together provides them a platform where they can share and learn different methodologies for the implementation of their common goals of a better society. Also corporate participants here share their perspectives and make a better understanding of their value systems and processes.”
Rohit Saroj, Senior Manager, Sustainability and wp initiatives, Tata Motors says, “Companies do not always look for numbers or quantification when partnering with an NGO. Many companies also look for the success stories by NGOs while contemplating upon their partnership with that particular social sector organization.”
Vibha raises funds for various social activities across India and United States of America but have a stringent process while distributing them. “With our rigorous monitoring process, we recognize the organizations genuinely working at ground levels and scrutinize their working methodologies. After examining the NGOs with surprise visits we decide on granting funds to them,” says Keyur Shah, director, Fund Raising Programs, Vibha.
