DEC CSR Times

let’s work for a better society
An Exclusive Publication on Corporate Social Responsibility & Sustainability
DECEMBER 2014 volume 2 issue 12 `100
and its contemporary
relevance to CSR and Sustainability

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Editor
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Dr. Siddhartha Das Gupta
Special Correspondents
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Correspondents
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Manoranjan Mohanty (Odisha)
Neelesh Bhai Patel (Guj.)
Naren Shah (Guj.)
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RNI: DELENG/2013/49640
December 2014 n VOLUME 2 n ISSUE 12
With the notification of Section 135 of the Companies Act 2013 (the
Act) in the official Gazette of India, the Government has created an
ecosystem to encourage private sector’s contribution towards social de-
velopment through Corporate Social Responsibility. Though spending is
not mandatory for the covered private companies, the Act and subsequent
rules make it mandatory for them to set-up a CSR committee, develop a
CSR policy and report CSR activities and reasons if 2% of net profit has
not been spent.
Most of the covered companies have developed or are in process of de-
veloping their CSR policy. It is a good opportunity for the companies to
invest time in developing their strategic intent for CSR within the overall
framework provided in the Act. The strategic intent should highlight what
the company wants to achieve? Who are their target beneficiaries? What
aretheirneeds? HowCSRcanbeintegratedintheoverallbusinessmodel?
The Schedule VII of the Act provides range of activities that can be un-
dertaken by the companies as part of their CSR. It may be useful for the
companies to select activities that best suit their strategic intent.
At the operational level, companies shall focus on evaluating most suit-
able implementation mechanism (own Foundation, CSR department or
implementation through partners). It may be useful to adopt a mixed ap-
proach where CSR can be managed in-house through CSR department or
Foundation and implementation can be done by NGO partners, however,
due diligence of NGO partners become important to ensure better results.
CSR being a Board function now, monitoring is another important aspect
that needs to be included in the strategy. Clear monitoring mechanism and
identification of measurable progress indicators should be included in the
strategy.
Any CSR policy is futile if it is not goal oriented and spells out specific ob-
jectives that the company is looking to achieve in the social sector through
its CSR initiatives. Conducting base-line surveys may be a good idea. It
may help the company to compare baseline data with the outcomes at the
end of the implementation of the CSR programmes. The delta change shall
clearly point out the impact that the company has been able to make.
Companies having multiple projects and implementation partners may
explore possibility of developing an IT enabled monitoring framework in
order to facilitate monitoring and reporting.
Lastly, annual CSR reporting is a matter of compliance and warrants a
clear strategy to ensure that the company is able to share the outcome of
its CSR initiatives. It may be useful to develop an integrated monitoring
and reporting mechanism from the start so that the required data is col-
lected periodically and verified during the monitoring visits.
There are various thematic areas for conducting CSR where companies
can partner with the government flagship programmes in order to accel-
erate the service delivery or improve quality of services.
The Act provides a wide canvas to the companies to mould their CSR
programmes according to their priorities and community needs. The onus
is on the companies to how best utilise the flexibility they have and con-
duct CSR at the same time align it with the business objectives.
Parul Soni
Executive Director & Leader - Development Advisory Services
Global Deputy Leader - Not For Profit Organizations
Ernst & Young LLP
guest editor

Designing Climate Change Policy: How significant is collecting.... 10
ONGC’s Harit Moksh facility: A thoughtful step for the dear.... 24
CSR and Health: How companies can build a healthier India? 26
Interview: Anurag Thakur 28
Pt. Madan Mohan Malaviya - the creator of modern India 30
Snippets 32
Shabana Azmi - the ambassador of comunal harmony 38
16
4 CSR TIMES l December 2014
cover story
1436
8 6

I
ndia has demonstrated consider-
able progress in the past decade
on improving primary school ac-
cess,infrastructure,pupil-teacher
ratios, teacher salaries, and student
enrolment. Nevertheless, student
learning levels and trajectories are dis-
turbinglylow.Thecountryseemstobe
in a serious crisis, despite the imple-
mentation of the RTE Act.
While there has been a significant
increase in schooling inputs, a key de-
terminant of how these investments
translate into learning outcomes is the
structure of pedagogy and classroom
instruction. Getting aspects of instruc-
tion right is particularly challenging in
the context of rural schools where sev-
eral millions of first-generation learn-
ers have joined a rapidly expanding
national schooling system. In particu-
lar, standard curricula and teaching
practices that may have been optimal
at a time when education was more
limited may not fare as well under the
new circumstances.
Several such challenges exist in ru-
ral India and the likes of Jhabua (M.P.)
and Gonda (U.P.), which are two of the
poorest and most backward districts
of the country. Rural Female Literacy
Levels (RFLL), which is an indicator
of backwardness, is less than 40% in
both the districts. Parental ignorance,
especially that of the mother, is a ma-
jor deterrent in achieving the desir-
able learning outcomes in children.
The parents are not able to provide
any support to the child who does not
understand the basics.
Understanding the problem in these
districts, programme “Padho aur
Badho” has been taken up by AROH
Foundation under the CSR initiative of
Rural Electrification Corporation Ltd.
(RECL). Padho aur Badho is an innova-
tive after school support programme
that connects classroom teaching
learning to the child’s real world
through Project Based Learning (PBL).
The project imparts quality educa-
tionthroughremedialclassesformore
than4000childrenstudyingatvarious
Government schools in the two identi-
fied blocks. It provides for an informal
teacher hired from the community
with an explicit mandate to focus on
children in 2nd and 3rd grades who
have not achieved even basic compe-
tencies in reading and arithmetic, as
revealed in their pretest.
Having understood the significance
of the project in the area, S. Dhanraju,
CEO, Zila Panchayat, Jhabua shares,
“Literacy rate is very low in Jhabua as
it’s a tribal belt. Due to its backward-
ness the children/parents remained
unaware of the importance of quality
education. The RECL-PAB in associa-
tion with AROH is a welcome move as
the project based learning method of
education will help the primary school
going children develop the required
academic skills and I extend my full
support to the initiative of PAB for im-
parting quality education to the chil-
dren and wish for its success.”
The expanded use of community
teachers aims to address several social
challenges at the same time. Besides
providing employment (and the pres-
tige of a ‘white collar’ job) to educated
unemployed girls, who are not skilled
enoughforformalsectorjobs,buthave
more than adequate skills to impart
basic instruction to first generation
learners, the intervention has helped
in expanded use of community teach-
erstoaddressseveralsocialchallenges
at the same time. Given that the major-
ityoftheseteachersareyoungwomen,
theincomeandautonomyprovidedby
theirjobsimprovetheintra-household
bargaining positions of these women
as well as outcomes for their children.
Moreover, such a programme tries to
achieve substantial improvements in
learning outcomes at low costs since
several community teachers can be
engaged for the cost of one regular
teacher. However, continuous train-
ing, capacity building and professional
development remain natural concerns
for their career progression, and inte-
grating community teachers into a ca-
reer path helps to address dual issues
of learning outcomes and unemploy-
ment of youth.
Padho aur Badho adopts project-
based learning (PBL) methodology,
which is combined with multiple level
reinforcements to address the root
cause of low learning outcomes, i.e.
parental ignorance. The approach and
methodology, not only ensures that
children learn well, but also creates
the required environment for them to
imbibe the concepts and subjects be-
ing taken up in the class.
Each PBL module maps the core
concept of a subject to a real life sit-
uation that the child encounters out
of school in daily life. These modules
are actually developed, as per the
contextual requirement, often by
the community teachers themselves.
Nikhil Pant, an experienced teacher
trainer and child development ex-
pert, who has worked on PBL over
the last two decades and found re-
markable results not only in terms
of improved learning outcomes, but
also in enabling every child to get to
know her/his hidden potential and
then develop it further towards a
probable vocation. Once community
teachers have developed a module,
it is peer reviewed and converted
into TLM (Teaching Learning Mate-
rial) thereafter.
Once PBL gets operational after a
teacher trains his/her class in imple-
menting a project through the TLM,
the sheer implementation of the proj-
ect generates multiple reinforcements
of core concepts for the child. Thus,
even as the child fills a bucket of water
at home as part of PBL, s/he is learn-
ing basic Mathematics concepts like
addition and subtraction without ac-
tually being present in the classroom.
Reinforcement happens in a subtle
manner simply by embedding the ap-
plied aspects of core concepts into the
child’sdailylifeandsituations,thereby
increasing the time, and quality of ex-
pected learning outcomes. Parents too
get involved as they soon realise that
learningishappeningevenasthechild
is now actively participating in house-
hold and community activities.
Periodic subject-based tests are con-
ducted and the results are computed
to assess the progress of each child.
There has been a discernible improve-
ment from pre to post testing for each
of the core concept. Also, as the child
begins to gain confidence, the learn-
ing speed accelerates, which further
squeezes the gap between grade and
age. This gives AROH and its com-
munity teachers something to cheer
about as they see light at the end of the
tunnel. The programme is now part of
AROH’s core strategy on education in
sync with the current need to improve
learning outcomes in the school edu-
cation sector and even resonates with
PM Narendra Modi’s Tweet – ‘Padhega
India tabhi to badhega India’, which
puts his intent of developing India
through education to public display.
“Padho aur Badho is a wake-up call for
a nation that dares to dream of future
despite having the highest number
of out-of-school children and highest
number of drop outs in the world!,”
says Neelam Gupta, President, AROH
Foundation.
Thenexttenyearswillseethelargest
ever number of citizens in the Indian
schoolsystematanypointinthecoun-
try’s history, and it is critical that this
generation that represents the demo-
graphicdividendbeequippedwith the
literacy,numeracy,andskillsneededto
participate fully in a rapidly modernis-
ing world. In a fiscally-constrained
environment, it is also imperative to
implement cost-effective programmes
like Padho aur Badho that maximize
the social returns on any given level
of public investment. Giving a per-
spective to the future, Neelam Gupta
shared, “We need to educate our chil-
drenandeducatethemwell!That’sthe
only way to surge forward as a nation
and come out of our insufficiencies.
The only way to realise our dreams is
to impart quality education to all our
children. Special and adequate atten-
tion has to be given to children in re-
mote and backward areas like Jhabua
and Gonda, where highest levels of
ignorance and illiteracy prevail. I am
gladthatRECLhassupportedAROHto
help 4000 children get their passports
to a brighter future.” n
6 CSR TIMES l December 2014 December 2014 l CSR TIMES 7
INITIATIVE
PadhoaurBadho
takes off in jhubua and gonda
Neelam Gupta, President, AROH Foundation

M
y name is Rajat Doley.
I hail from a small
town Silapathar,
Dhemaji district in
Assam. We are a nuclear yet happy
family with my Mother Nurjahan
Doley and Father Indeswar Doley
and my younger sister Kimi R Dol-
ey. My family plays a vital role in
my life and my success. I owe ev-
erything to my family in life.
Making ends meet was not as
easy for my family as it were for
others, still my family never com-
promised on my studies. They got
me admitted in the best school of
my home town. But that was not
all. Sometimes my parents could
not arrange my school fee on time
while at other occasions, I didn’t
have money to buy books for me.
I was disheartened and discour-
aged at times due to all the pre-
vailing issues. But my parents
never gave up on me and did ev-
ery possible thing to arrange my
school fee. I would like to mention
here my uncle also. Apart from
my parents, he was the one who
has brought me up as a parent
and always stood with me during
my hopeless times. He is a huge
source of encouragement always.
I remember keenly waiting for
him whenever he was supposed
to pay a visit to us at home, as I
would make huge demands to him
for things like books, sports items,
clothes, etc, and he would fulfil all
my demands.
Till I reached class 8th, life was
a smooth sailing journey to me.
I would stay on cloud nine being
the topper of class every year. A
cynosure of my class, teachers
would pour their immense love
and blessings on me. Unaware of
the fact that life is not always a win
win situation, as I stepped into
my 9th standard, I started losing
my path and focus. I made many
mistakes; fell into a bad company
which brought a downfall to my
image. Misfortune and mistakes
hit to the extent that I was even
expelled from school. I lost al-
most everything: my grades, posi-
tion in class, trust of my parents
and teachers, dignity etc. People
would pass disrespected com-
ments at my parents, would make
mockery of me and my family.
These daily affairs would trouble
me and I was extremely disturbed.
A sense of regret would creep in-
side me every now and then. A
year went by like this, but I ques-
tioned myself constantly what
I need to do to come out of this
phase. Gradually, thinking deeply
on the aspect, I took a determina-
tion to regain my lost dignity and
bring back the same respect to my
parents as it was earlier. I thank
these mockers as they helped me
awaken and walk my path of mis-
sion. I learned from my mistakes
and moved on to reshape my life.
In 10th standard, I made excep-
tional efforts to study hard and
graduated from 10th with 86.8
percent.
This was a different stage to
what would unfold infront of me
later. I passed my 12th with 73.8
percent. It was my mom who in-
formed me about IIT after hearing
about it on a radio programme.
Since then, I have developed a
passion and love for it. I was de-
termined to crack it, but could
not make it in the first attempt.
My hopes were shattered and my
parents were not in a position to
bear my expenses again for the
next year. Then one of my friends
shared with me how challenging
it is to crack IIT without coaching.
This was the time when I heard
SUCCESS STORY
the concept of OIL Super 30 from
a friend.
My hopes got new wings and
I dreamt to rebuild my dream of
cracking IIT. But entering OIL Su-
per 30 was not a fairy tale. It re-
quired a lot of study, good prepa-
ration for the interview. It was
one of the happiest moments of
my life when I entered the prem-
ises of OIL Super 30 after clearing
the interview. I made new friends
who were very skilled. Rigrous
training and the conducive envi-
ronment of the campus of OIL Su-
per 30 made me more determined
towards my goal.
The scenario here was com-
pletely different to what I was
used to at home. The most impor-
tant of all was that I learned to
stay awake till 3-4 am. And this
I think is the most important re-
quirement to crack IIT. The staff
here was exceptionally knowl-
edgeable and highly skilled in
their subjects. Moreover, their all
over support needs a special men-
tion.
And now, when I look back at
times and think about the past
from within the premises of
IIT Roorkee, I say to myself, “It
wouldn’t have been possible with-
out CSRL and OIL India.” Some-
thing beyond my reach once,
has been made true through the
coaching and guidance I received
at OIL Super 30, a dedicated team,
my parents’ and uncle’s support
and my hard work. I owe a great
debt of gratitude to all of them for
shaping my life and making me
what I am today.
A very close observation about
life is that people judge you by
success and failure. If you suc-
ceed, they will praise you, if you
fail, they will shower your life
with criticism. But I feel that suc-
cess and failure are part and par-
cel of life. Mistakes and failures
should act as springboards of
learning and a reason to bounce
back quickly. I would recommend
the Bollywood flick “Bhag Milkha
Bhag” to my young age contem-
poraries to learn what is the main
reason of failure. The great legend
sprinter once said, “Hardwork,
willpower and dedication. For a
person with these qualities, sky is
the limit.”
In the end, I would say: be com-
mitted to your aim until it is met. I
also recall one axiom which is one
of my favourites - “It is in your mo-
ments of decision that your destiny
is shaped” – Tony Robins. n
Life serves you various kinds of sweet and sour experiences, yet your inner awakening can’t be
compared to any other aspect when it comes to bouncing back from a lost path. Rajat Doley
from Dhemaji district in Assam shares his learning about how to turn mistakes into springboard
of growth. He also shares how CSRL and OIL India Super 30 came to his rescue when he lost
every hope in life.
RajatDoley,IITRoorkee
Metallurgical Engineering
Oil India Super 30, Guwahati (2013-14)

by kavya balaji
By Kevin Williams
W
ith the UN Climate
Change Summit en-
abling more than 25
heads of state and gov-
ernment officials to convene in New
York in September, it re-focussed lead-
ers on the impacts of climate change
and demonstrated their understand-
ing of how real and costly these im-
pacts are.
With around 700,000 people around
the world participating in the climate
marches ahead of the summit, it pro-
vided a clear and present mandate for
global leaders to stay engaged all the
way to the annual Conference of Par-
ties, meeting in Paris in 2014 (COP21)
to potentially finalise an international
climate action agreement.
This article provides a holistic view
of the international climate action
conferences. With a lean approach
to steps, governments and business
should be considering, when imple-
menting and responding to climate
change policy post Paris 2015.
Putting a Price on Carbon – Key
Outcomes of the Climate Summit?
The recent UN Climate Summit in
New York, hosted by Secretary Gen-
eral Ban Ki Moon passed with many
promises,butnofirmpledges.Thekey
outcomesweresummarisedbyBanKi
Moon:
n 73 national governments, 11
regional governments and more
than 1,000 businesses and investors
showed support for pricing carbon.
Together, these leaders represent
52% of global GDP, 54% of global
greenhouse gas emissions and almost
half of the world’s population.
n EU countries pledged to reduce
emissions to 40% below 1990 levels
by 2030.
n Anewcoalitionofleaderswillmo-
bilise over US $200 billion for financ-
ing low carbon and climate-resilient
development.
It was clear a wide number of coun-
tries, the private sector, and civil soci-
ety groups voiced support for a clear,
long-term goal to shift from fossil fuel
to clean energy.
More than 100 CEOs attended the
UN Summit, with around 1000 com-
panies signalling their support for
putting a price on carbon. The sum-
mit highlighted 25 of those companies
who are taking action further inter-
nally with their organisation by:
i. Pricing carbon internally to acceler-
ate investments that reduce their own
greenhouse gas emissions; and
ii. Advocate publicly for polices that
price carbon in markets around the
world; and
iii. Report progress back on progress
towards meeting internal pricing
goals.
IKEA made ambitious company
pledge to source 100 percent of their
power from clean energy by 2020,
with the pledge designed to recruit
a total of 100 companies by 2020. To
date, more than 12 companies have
madethiscommitmenttofollowIKEA.
With business taking ambitious
pledges, this puts more pressure on
governments around the world to
havegreaterambitionwhendesigning
domestic climate change policy.
Mobilising Climate
Finance
Scaling up climate finance through in-
vestors (public and private) will be an
important aspect on the road to Paris
2015; we are clearly starting to see a
shift from millions of dollars pledges,
to the billion-dollar pledges today.
What we truly need is trillion-dollar
climate finance that is fundamental
for the future mitigation and adapta-
tion to address climate change.
First key steps have been taken at
the summit to capitalise green climate
fund, with governments, investors
and financial institutions to mobilise
US $200 billion by the end of 2015 to
support climate action – this is a sig-
nificant boost for climate financing for
developing countries.
It is now, even more important that
financial commitments need to be
honoured and not be a PR exercise,
governments need to honour and
scale up pledges. For example, major
commitments to the Green Climate
Fund at the summit by France, pledg-
ing $1 billion to the fund. Other coun-
tries need to step up to the mark by
the end of the year to reach a target of
$10 billion before next year’s COP 21
Summit in Paris – failure to mobilise
and disburse climate finance through
the green climate fund, I believe, will
impact the ambition and outcome of
Paris 2015.
Road to Paris 2015
Of course the commitments at the cli-
mate summit are only the beginning, I
would say the next step is for govern-
ments and business leaders to follow
through and implement the actions
announced at the summit. Govern-
ments must now harness this mo-
mentum to advance efforts at home
and internationally ahead of COP 20
in Lima later this year and COP 21 in
Paris-including putting forward their
national offers next year.
I would call for Ban Ki Moon to
schedule another Climate Summit
next September in the lead up to Paris,
this way it keeps climate change on
the agenda of heads of state and busi-
ness leaders in the run up to Paris
2015. It also allows for global lead-
ers to re-confirm their commitments
to be put forward earlier in the year
on emissions reduction plans both at
home and internationally.
Let’s remember, Peru will set the
tone for Paris, which will be the first
step in the agreement process. I hope
after an agreement in 2015 the hard
work on implementing climate policy
and realising the benefits to a low car-
bon word can truly begin.
Establishing a Robust Climate
Change Policy Infrastructure
Fundamental to the outcomes of
Paris 2015 and beyond, will be how
national governments successfully
implement domestic climate change
policy. From practical hands on expe-
rience of establishing and operating
UK Climate Change Policy, this re-
quires a robust framework for estab-
lishing climate change infrastructure
(the nuts bolts).
The below TBLTM framework fig-
ure 1. outlines the four elements that
define the fundamental principles
upon which government stakehold-
ers should understand and ultimately
plan for when establishing and oper-
ating domestic climate change policy:
Fundamentally Monitoring, Report-
ing Verification (MRV) data points, a
centralised Registry platform to track
assets and report on climate change
actions and importantly regulatory
oversight (Finance Governance) will
be important elements for climate
change policy developments to meet
domesticandinternationalaction(e.g.
Emissions reductions).
By taking a lean approach to climate
change regulation and through the
use of data management standards
aligned to information technology
(IT), this can enable efficiency in the
regulatory cycle by:
n Reducing administration burden
for companies governments
n Better and faster access to informa-
tion
n Automation of key requirements
(e.g. Annual data returns)
n Analytics and oversight of key data
andtrendsinclimatechangeclimate
finance information, increasing gover-
nance and credibility of regulation.
Importantly, it will also allow for im-
proved quality of data to make better
policy decisions, by:
n Consistency (setting minimum re-
quirements, ensuring consistent an
appropriate exchange of data)
n Completeness and correctness – fa-
Designing climate change policy:
how significant is collecting GHG data?
OPINION
With COP 21 fast approaching, stakes are high for a new, ambitious global climate change agree-
ment in Paris 2015. What can we learn from the recent United Nations (UN) Climate Change
Summit 2014 in New York?

cilitation of automated checking
n Increased transparency – easier
access to climate change climate fi-
nance data flows.
I would strongly advocate develop-
ing global climate change data taxon-
omy based financial reporting frame-
work XBRL, by integrating climate
change disclosure to existing financial
frameworks will focus minds of finan-
cial accounting and investor commu-
nities – which in turn will increase the
accuracyandqualityofclimatechange
data (e.g. Carbon emissions).
The Business Perspective
As countries put forward their nation-
al emissions reduction plans, business
and CEOs should be taking productive
steps to understand the risks and op-
portunities this has on their provin-
cial, national and international enti-
ties.
Typically, companies look at re-
sponding to climate change regulation
in three stages:
1. Compliance: In the initial phase,
companies often start activities re-
lated to complying with regulations.
Activities are not typically strategic or
centralised.
2. Efficiency: After first compliance
periods, companies become more
strategic by finding ways to achieve
efficiencies that will have bottom line
savings ($ dollars) such as cutting
carbon emissions. At this stage, com-
panies more often appoint senior staff
reporting to board or CEO. Many com-
panies stay at this stage without mov-
ing to innovation stage (final stage).
3. Innovation: A small number of
companies move to innovative stage
by incorporating climate change into
core of the business in ways of trans-
forming the company. This requires
innovative leaders who want to move
to envision new markets, new oppor-
tunities and new needs (low carbon
economy).
Carbon pricing will increase the cost
of doing business, both directly on
your emissions and through higher
energy prices. Many of the global
schemes being developed to reduce
emissions will also provide fines and
penalties for non-compliance with
potentially serious financial implica-
tions.
Leading companies are learning
how regulation can impact them and
preparing climate change regula-
tion implementation strategies. Early
adopters (such as Unilever, IKEA) un-
derstand the importance of collecting
GHG data to set internal baselines and
targets to stretching reduction strate-
gies over a period of time.
Governments, businesses and fi-
nancial investors are starting to un-
derstand, when competing in a global
market place; the response to climate
change regulation is fast becoming a
source of competitive advantage.
The next 12 months require true
leaderswhocandriveforwardnotonly
a global climate change deal, but put in
place strong foundations for long last-
ing business change to realise the long
termbenefitsofalowcarboneconomy
for our future grandchildren and our
grandchildren’s future children! n
The writer is CEO at Triple
Bottom Line (TBL) Group, a consul-
tancy providing climate change and
carbon market advisory services.
OPINION
CSRT
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By Ilaria Gualtieri
T
he greatest concern of
CSR practitioners is en-
suring that stakeholders
positively buy in their
initiatives. As such, when corpora-
tions communicate CSR, the biggest
risk they incur in is the credibil-
ity of their stances. From one end,
stakeholders’ appreciation can be
facilitated by an appropriate use of
communication channels and tech-
niques. For example, in the Septem-
ber issue, we have analysed how to
appropriately use websites as a tool
to effectively engage stakeholders.
From the other end, CSR communi-
cation is a double-edged sword that
may equally enhance or sink corpo-
rate reputation.
The desired outcome of CSR com-
munication is achieving potential
benefits to the company by success-
fully engaging target stakeholders.
Thus, in CSR communication, it is
important to identify clear objec-
tives and consider all the aspects
that contribute to a successful mes-
sage.
According to Roper and Fill
(2012:259), CSR communicators
shall account four dimensions: ac-
curacy, timeliness, transparency,
and credibility. Accuracy relates to
the extent, quantity, and quality of
information included in our com-
munication. In order to generate
favorable stakeholders’ perception,
it is necessary to communicate the
motivation behind the involvement,
explain the reasons for choosing a
particular cause, the overall corpo-
rate commitment to the cause (Du et
al., 2010); and, last but not least, the
eventual project outcomes. It is thus
necessary to provide stakeholders
with a brief whilst comprehensive
framework and access to relevant
information, also in support of the
transparency dimension. Similarly,
timelines involve appropriately
conveying information, including
updates and adds-on: this is particu-
larly crucial when social media are
employed.
Finally, CSR communication, which
is inherently voluntary and often
deviates in the self-promotion terri-
tory, is fraught with credibility chal-
lenges. Morsing and Schultz (2006)
observed that while the public usu-
ally reacts positively to messages
about CSR activities, there are cir-
cumstances that can lead to a boo-
merang effect. First of all, the source
of information is a critical factor:
CSR can be communicated by the
company itself and/or by a third
party. Information from the com-
pany is traditionally made through
one-way self-referential communi-
cation channels (i.e. advertising, re-
porting, press releases, or website).
Third party sources instead provide
a sort of endorsed external assess-
ment, adding credibility and value
to the information presented. Thus,
external links to social media or
beneficiaries’ website, quotes, publi-
cations or videos may enhance CSR
messages.
Few months ago I bumped on a
double spread page inside the Na-
tional Geographic displaying the
logo of the global energy giant Shell.
The first-sight genuine impres-
sion was… what does Shell have to
do with an international symbol of
environmental activism? Likewise,
what does Nat Geo share with Shell,
by definition and nature not exactly
an icon of wildlife stewardship?
Genuine PR curiosity took over, so I
started researching about the initia-
tive, which turned out to be a very
good example of the four CSR com-
munication dimension use.
Shell embarked on a three-year
CSR campaign aimed at establishing
new means for stakeholders’ dia-
logue, in partnership with National
Geographic Society (NGS). Aim is
to shed light on important environ-
ment challenges, share news, view-
point, and boost dialogue (NGS,
2014). The Great Energy Challenge
employs traditional communica-
tion channels, whilst using modern
communication in the form of vid-
eos, scientists’ blogs, e-tools, grants,
in addition to events. The initiative
employs a stakeholder information
and involvement strategy, allowing
controlled opportunities for two-
way dialogue. One of the most in-
teresting features is the use of third
parties. In this case reputed environ-
mental scientists are invited to write
articles and feature blogs dedicated
to energy, all under a carefully craft-
ed umbrella hosted in NGS website.
Overall, the project represents an
exemplar integrated marketing com-
munication campaign. Nevertheless,
it leaves bitter taste in my mouth
(and probably on other readers). Ac-
cording to the data collected, in fact,
and accounting the resources com-
mitted, the campaign seems to have
missed the expected large-scale en-
gagement goals. Generally speaking,
the company has met all the prac-
tical requirement of modern CSR
communication, in fact it:
n Partnered with a reputed entity in
the specific field selected
n Targeted a specific range of public,
environment/nature activists
n Used traditional and new media,
including opportunities for dialogue
n Included third parties: website
and scientists via blogs
Notwithstanding these basic re-
quirements are undeniably met,
something went wrong. Firstly, opin-
ion makers and web bloggers high-
lighted that the partnership, rather
than enhancing Shell’s reputation,
had weakened NGS environmental
stances. Secondly, the campaign’s
low level of social media engage-
ment reveals that experts’ blog posts
may result in a sort of unilateral or-
ganisational propaganda. Blog com-
munication in fact occurs within the
company’s own ‘value chain’ (Du et
al., 2010). This depreciates the en-
tire effort, culminating in Ashforth
and Gibbs’s self-promoter’s paradox
(1990:188). As such, although com-
munication is accurate and timely,
credibility and transparency dimen-
sions result ambiguous. CSR may
result in reputational benefits and
help ‘forgiveability’ in the event of
a crisis, but only if certain require-
ments are adhered to.
CSR’s double-edged sword nature
emerges, as CSR elicits potentially
critical stakeholders’ attention.
The lesson leant is that CSR strat-
egy and communication shall reflect
the corporate mission, values, core
business activities, and strategic
direction to support the credibility
dimension. In this sense, the “fit” or
congruence between the company
and the selected CSR initiative be-
comes central. While a low fit may
indeed dramatically affect stake-
holders’ potential reactions to CSR
activities, an appropriate fit increas-
es the chances of positive stakehold-
ers’ engagement.
A different scenario is offered by
another Shell initiative, the Eco-
marathon, a successful format that
invites student teams from around
the world to design, build, and test
energy-efficient vehicles. With annu-
al events in the Americas, Europe and
Asia, the use of traditional and new
media, and a direct reach to target
stakeholders, the campaign enjoys a
growing success (Shell.com, 2014).
The critical element is the initia-
tive’s credibility, enhanced by an
intrinsic “fit” with the company
mission, values, and strategy. The
association made with the main fea-
tures of the campaign - technology,
engineering, innovation, education/
science and environment - is suc-
cessful. The Eco-marathon challenge
is thus compatible with Shell’s prod-
ucts and expertise, and aligns with
its environmental stances, without
eliciting open criticism. Being the
fit plausible, the credibility dimen-
sion is also reinforced. It is credible
that a global energy giant invests in
initiatives that align with its core
businesses, capitalise investments
in technology and sport, and even-
tually use this framework to raise
awareness on the need to improve
energy efficiency.
In summary, corporations shall
appreciate the mutated commu-
nication climate, employing CSR
communication strategies that, in
addition to meeting the traditional
information needs, enact forms of
interaction with and involvement of
stakeholders. Within this process,
corporations shall capitalise their
core expertise, taking into account
important contextual variables in
relation to stakeholders’ engage-
ment and communication. Hence,
the four dimensions of CSR com-
munication facilitate the alignment
with stakeholders. This way CSR
communication has the potential to
benefit corporations, helping engag-
ing stakeholders successfully. n
The writer is a Corporate Social
Responsibility (CSR) and communi-
cation consultant specialised in the
Middle East and Gulf Region.
CSR credibility: what it takes
to make it a best practice?
GLOBAL BEST PRACTICES

By Pooran Chandra Pandey
C
orporate Social Responsibil-
ity (CSR) has no single uni-
versally accepted definition,
each definition that currently
exists underpins the impact that busi-
nesses have on society at large and
the societal expectations of them. Al-
though the roots of CSR lie in philan-
thropic activities (such as donations,
charity, relief work, etc.) of corpora-
tions, globally, the concept of CSR has
evolved and now encompasses all re-
lated concepts such as triple bottom
line,corporatecitizenship,philanthro-
py, strategic philanthropy, shared val-
ue, corporate sustainability and busi-
ness responsibility. Corporate Social
Responsibility (CSR, also called cor-
porate conscience, corporate citizen-
ship or sustainable responsible busi-
ness/Responsible Business) has come
to be known as a form of corporate
self-regulation integrated into a busi-
ness model. CSR policy functions as a
self-regulatory mechanism whereby
a business monitors and ensures its
active compliance with the spirit of
the law, ethical standards and interna-
tional norms. In some models, a firm’s
implementation of CSR goes beyond
compliance and engages in “actions
that appear to further some social
good, beyond the interests of the firm
and that which is required by law.” It
aims to embrace responsibility for
corporate actions and to encourage a
positive impact on the environment
and stakeholders including consum-
ers, employees, investors, communi-
ties, and others.
World over CSR has become a guid-
ing mechanism and strategy adopted
by companies to meet the rising de-
mands of the community and society
to integrate social aspirations with
profit motive. This increasing realisa-
tion is borne out of the notion that
the companies have responsibilities
towards the society, which need to be
fulfilled through consistent planning
and strategies aimed at public good.
Today, as the most progressive com-
panies move towards this direction
and focus on CSR, Global Compact is
the right platform to demonstrate na-
tionally and internationally the com-
mitment to CSR and ethical working
of the companies.
Importance of CSR
With the changing global and national
economic, political and social scenar-
io, companies all over the world have
realised that their existence is being
perceived beyond individual financial
entities bearing only financial pur-
poses. Continuous interactions with
societal stakeholders-business part-
ners, consumers, workforce and sur-
rounding community have induced a
new purpose and redefined the roles
of businesses in both society and
economy that is based upon enhanc-
ing social responsibility leading to so-
cial empowerment.
This holds true for companies seek-
ing economic enhancement who have
realised that inclusive growth en-
tails a combination of all aspects of
the environment - one within which
they are operating and second which
engages the outside community, geo-
graphical locations and the people liv-
ing in these spaces. To introduce this
principle of inclusive growth within
their work holds the terminology that
Corporate Social Responsibility has
been ascertained.
The nexus between corporates and
society has always been of a complex
nature–growingpopulation,increase
in poverty, issues of displacement,
and an ever increasing gap between
the available jobs and demand of a
skilled workforce are some of the
challenges that have been neglected
and are growing rapidly in the coming
future. This has led to the realisation
of creating social programmes and
channelising social responsibility that
entails the principles of sustainability.
It is here that the companies world
over have realised that CSR needs to
be incorporated within their business
operations and models, so as to reach
to the larger community and to wider
locations. In this context, Corporate
Social Responsibility implies that
companies indulge in initiatives that
lead to the simultaneous engagement
of a corporate with the society along
with the environment. Innovations
in business management process, in
technology and novel thinking and
approach are some of the key tools
which are imperative to this new and
revamped notion of business respon-
sibility.
Companies that are directly indulg-
ing in the development process of the
nation are required to realign their
corporate activities that meet sustain-
able requisites of the community. De-
velopment projects have posed a real
threat to the physical environment
but also on the social identity of the
company that has led these projects
indiverseareas.Itbecomesnecessary
for the companies to build their CSR
on the grounds of sustainability. Ef-
fective and timely evaluation of these
activities with accountable reporting
then becomes a prerequisite to show-
case those companies who with their
business responsibility efforts have
developed an effective and a social
brand image.
In providing a policy framework
for implementing CSR, the Organisa-
COVER STORY
United Nations Global Compact Board, headed by H.E. Ban Ki-moon, Secretary General United Nations.

tion for Economic Co-operation and
Development (OECD), pioneered the
concept of CSR by establishing a set
of guidelines for multinational enter-
prises in 1976. The purpose of these
guidelines was to improve the invest-
ment climate and encourage the posi-
tive contribution from multinational
enterprises towards economic and
social progress. This move was appre-
ciated across the globe and led to the
drafting of regulations by individual
countries, encouraging companies to
report on CSR activities, thereby in-
centivising companies who volun-
tarily report their CSR activities or by
taking measures such as mandating
CSR Reporting. Some of their policies
and regulations include Regulation by
the Malaysian Government in 2007 to
mandate all publicly listed companies
to publish their CSR initiatives in their
annual reports on a “comply or ex-
plain” basis, Regulation by the Danish
Government in 2009 directing com-
panies to report on their social initia-
tives and the British Companies Act in
2007 mandating all companies listed
intheUKtoincludeinformationabout
their CSR activities in their annual re-
ports , to name a few.
CSR in India
The evolution of Corporate Social
Responsibility in India refers to
changes over time in India of the
cultural norms of corporations’
engagement of Corporate Social
Responsibility (CSR), with CSR re-
ferring to way that businesses are
managed to bring about an overall
positive impact on the communi-
ties, cultures, societies and envi-
ronments in which they operate.
The fundamentals of CSR rest on
the fact that not only public policy
but even corporates should be re-
sponsible enough to address so-
cial issues. Thus companies should
deal with the challenges and issues
looked after to a certain extent
by the states. Although, the con-
cept existed in India since ages, it
lacked the statutory mandate, and
therefore was often carried out as
a part of philanthropic activity by
business houses and companies
working towards benefiting the so-
ciety and the community at large.
In 2008, a joint project between the
Indian Institute of Corporate Af-
fairs, Ministry of Corporate Affairs,
Government of India (GOI) and the
German Technical Agency and bilat-
eral donor GIZ led to the develop-
ment of “an Indian concept”, which
found its route through the “Na-
tional Voluntary Guidelines on So-
cial, Environmental, and Economic
Responsibilities of Business” for
CSR guidelines and reporting, bor-
rowing from Ten Universal Prin-
ciples of the United Nations Global
Compact (UNGC). In recent times,
sweeping changes were witnessed
in the realm of CSR due to the new
policy developments in form of
Companies Act 2013 and the CSR
clauses in it, mandating companies
to work on impactful projects in
CSR domain by earmarking 2% of
their profit for the purpose.
These developments have im-
pelled an increased thinking within
corporate sector, civil society and
government, at regional and federal
levels, on CSR and what constitutes
as activities within its purview.
While the corporate houses are
streamlining their systems and op-
erations to follow the current legal
mandate, the civil society is working
towards collaborating with these
corporate houses to channelise re-
sources to the communities and the
government agencies are working
towards ensuring that directives
are followed and reported on.
United Nations Global
Compact as an agency
to promote CSR
Globally, changing societal values and
consumer demands from companies
to be on the right side of social justice
issues and to act as good stewards of
the environment is moving companies
beyond just profit motive, to a strat-
egy that aims at public good. In this
scenario, UNGC and the Ten Universal
Principles espoused by it form an im-
portant agency to encourage compa-
nies to enact and support set values,
thereby setting the agenda for CSR.
UNGC is the world’s largest corpo-
rate citizenship movement, launched
in the year 2000, with an aim to con-
join private sector activities with civil
society initiatives, and for the estab-
lishment of an inclusive corporate
sustainability in the global economy. A
leadership platform with a global di-
mension, United Nation Global Com-
pact was launched by the then UN
Secretary General, Kofi Annan. The
UNGC primarily operates on four fold
realms - Human Rights, Labour, Envi-
ronmentandAnti-Corruption,andare
further dispersed into ten universally
accepted principles adopted by di-
verse signatories across geographies,
as value based approaches in achiev-
ing sustainable development. It is a
strategic policy initiative for business-
es to enable them to commit and align
their operations and strategies with
Ten Universally Accepted Principles
in the areas of Human Rights, Labour,
Environment and Anti-Corruption.
In involves various key stakehold-
ers to forge close links to undertake
development endeavors that enable
companies and organisations, as pri-
mary drivers of globalisation, to help
ensure that markets, commerce, tech-
nology and finance advance in ways
that benefit economies and societies
everywhere.
Global Compact
Network India
Taking forward this agenda of the
UNGC in the Indian context, the Indian
local arm of the UNGC, the Global Com-
pactSocietywaslaunchedinDecember
2000 with participation of leading In-
dian organisations. And, on 24th Nov
2003 in New Delhi, it was registered as
a legal entity and was named as Global
Compact Network India – the Indian
arm of UNGC. Global Compact Network
India (GCNI) is a platform, for busi-
nesses, private sector organisations,
civil society organisations public sector
and institutions. As a network, GCNI
enables aligning of various stakehold-
ers’ practices towards the Ten Univer-
sally Accepted Principles of UNGC in
the areas of Human Rights, Labour, En-
vironment and Anti-Corruption. GCNI
works towards mainstreaming the Ten
Universally Acceptable Principles in
business activities around the world,
catalysing action in support of broader
UN goals, such as the Millennium De-
velopment Goals (MDGs) and setting
thetoneforthepost2015development
agenda withinthe Indiancontext.
At present, the India network ranks
no 1 in the Asia Oceania Region and
has emerged as the largest corporate
citizenship and social responsibility
organisation in the country with a pan
Indian membership. With a member-
ship of 190 renowned organisations,
GCNI, the UNGC local network in India
has been working for the last 10 years
as a vehicle to take forward the UNGC
mandate and operationalising the Ten
Universal Principles to enable develop
companies as socially responsible part
of the society. It has been working to-
wards contextualising the principles
to the realities of the Indian scenario. It
has been working alongside corporate
sector, civil society bodies and organ-
isations contributing, nationally and
regionally, on policy issues and feels,
based on inputs of its members that it
needs to build a CSR and sustainability
platform for its members that paves
the pathway for strategic engagement
opportunities for its members both
with the government and communities
that our members represent, in areas
of their operations, both programme-
wise and region-wise.
With this mandate to take forward
the agenda on CSR and sustain-
COVER STORY
CEOs CMDs of Public and Private sector Companies operating in India during GCNI’s 9th National Convention, New Delhi.

ability in India, and the role it plays
in shaping and influencing policy
frameworks, GCNI sees this survey
as a pertinent agenda for taking for-
ward the discourse on CSR further
with its member companies and key
stakeholders. Given its affiliation with
UN, being a membership driven or-
ganisation, and with several cutting
edge research behind it, GCNI is well
equipped to carry out such a survey,
in consultation and partnership with
credible constituents.
Operationalising the
Ten Universal Principles
of Global Compact
Endorsed by Chief Executives, from
leading companies across the globe,
Global Compact is a practical frame-
work for the development, implemen-
tation, and disclosure of sustainability
policies and practices. It asks compa-
nies to embrace, support and enact,
within their sphere of influence, a set
of core values in the areas of human
rights, labour standards, the environ-
ment and anti-corruption, thereby op-
erationalisng CSR strategies and prac-
tices which delivers lasting benefits
to people, communities, and markets.
With these objectives in mind, the
Global Compact has shaped an initia-
tive, based on Ten Cardinal Principles
that provides collaborative solutions
to the most fundamental challenges
facing both business and society.
The UN Global Compact’s Ten Uni-
versal Principles in the areas of Hu-
man Rights, Labour, Environment and
Anti-Corruption enjoy universal con-
sensus and are derived from:
n TheUniversalDeclarationofHuman
Rights
n The International Labour Organi-
zation’s Declaration on Fundamental
Principles and Rights at Work
n The Rio Declaration on Environ-
ment and Development
n The United Nations Convention
Against Corruption
The UN Global Compact asks com-
panies to embrace, support and enact,
within their sphere of influence, a set
of core values in the areas of human
rights, labour standards, environment
and anti-corruption:
Human Rights
Principle 1: Businesses should sup-
port and respect the protection of
internationally proclaimed human
rights; and
Principle 2: make sure that they are
not complicit in human rights abuses.
Labour
Principle 3: Businesses should uphold
the freedom of association and the ef-
fective recognition of the right to col-
lective bargaining;
Principle 4: the elimination of all
forms of forced and compulsory la-
bour;
Principle 5: the effective abolition of
child labour; and
Principle 6: the elimination of dis-
crimination in respect of employment
and occupation.
Environment
Principle 7: Businesses should sup-
port a precautionary approach to en-
vironmental challenges;
Principle 8: undertake initiatives to
promote greater environmental re-
sponsibility; and
Principle 9: encourage the develop-
ment and diffusion of environmen-
tally friendly technologies.
Anti-Corruption
Principle 10: Businesses should work
against corruption in all its forms, in-
cludingextortionandbribery.
Withover12,000participants,includ-
ing 8000 businesses in 140 countries,
the UN Global Compact and the Ten
principles espoused by it, is acknowl-
edged as a means to not only motivate
businesses to adopt a responsible ap-
proach to management, but also to
engage businesses in finding construc-
tive, inclusive and innovative solutions
to global challenges. As social, political
and economic challenges (and oppor-
tunities)—whetheroccurringathome
or in other regions — affect business
more than ever before, the relevance
of the Ten principles assume greater
recognition, which is projected by the
increasing partnerships and collabora-
tionsthatarebeingdevelopedbetween
companies, governments, civil society,
labourandtheUnitedNations.
Some important examples of lead-
ingcompaniesoperationalisingtheTen
UniversalPrinciplesaregivenbelow:
Starbucks , a leading Coffee, Tea and
Spice production company, signed the
UN Global Compact in June 2004 and
since then has internalised the Ten
Universal Principles as a natural exten-
sion of their mission statement, which
defines their commitment to social and
environmental responsibility. In op-
erationalising the Ten principles, Star-
bucks ensures ethical sourcing of the
highest quality coffee, which includes
responsible purchasing practices, sup-
portingfarmerloansandforestconser-
vation programmes. Throughout their
operations they work towards foster-
ing a better future for farmers and a
more stable climate for the planet. As
an environmental conscious company,
it works towards significantly reducing
their environmental footprint through
energy and water conservation, recy-
cling and greenconstruction.
Tata Motors, a leading automotive
company in India and a part of Tata
Group of Companies, has incorpo-
rated Ten principles of the UN Global
Compact in the Tata Code of Conduct,
which is the guiding principle for Tata
Motors to conduct its business ethi-
cally. Tata Motors’ adherence to the
Code, in letter and spirit, ensures that
global principles of Human Rights
and Environment Protection are not
violated in carrying out its business
operations. The company has formu-
lated exclusive policies on various as-
pects of Human Rights to ensure that
the human rights of their workers and
that of the community at large are not
compromised, while operationalising
itsbusinessstrategy.Thecompanyhas
developed elaborate mechanisms and
community based programmes that
work towards providing better health,
education and employment opportu-
nities to the community. These mech-
anisms have been developed based on
a Tata Code of Conduct that embeds
the Ten principles as a starting point
for the CSR related activities being
carried out by the company.
Some new developments
in CSR
CSR as a natural extension of the work
being carried out by the companies,
is gaining currency in India and glob-
ally and these Ten principles provide
valuable guidelines to the companies
to implement CSR strategies that
benefit the society. The new policy
developments in CSR in India have
further firmed the ground for the im-
plementation of plans by companies,
which enables them to perform their
responsibility towards the society.
Following the Companies Act 2013,
which elaborated on the 2% CSR
spend by companies on CSR related
activities, the Department of Public
Enterprises, Ministry of Heavy Indus-
tries, Government of India, also circu-
lated guidelines for the Central Public
Sector Enterprises mandating them to
operationalise CSR strategies. These
guidelines draw heavily from the Ten
Universal Principles of the UNGC and
state that the Central Public Sector
Enterprises (CPSEs) are expected to
adhere to the global standards when
developing their CSR plans, keeping in
mind the UN Global Compact and the
UN Millennium Development Goals.
One of the most highlighting points
with regards to the new develop-
ment is amount of funds that would
be generated for CSR activities, which
includes 16000 companies under the
ambitofreporting.Accordingtoacon-
servative estimate, the contribution
by companies through this is pegged
at $4 billion in the first year of Compa-
nies Act 2013 coming into effect.
Such guidelines and Acts are a wel-
come step for institutionalising CSR,
as logical plan of action to be imple-
mented by the companies but much
remains to be seen, as greater clarity
is needed with regards to the tax de-
duction on 2% CSR. Besides this, the
new regulations also place the burden
of multiple reporting by the compa-
nies that are already reporting on
multiple other fronts to the govern-
ment and other agencies. What how-
ever needs to be seen is whether the
companies will go beyond compliance
to implement CSR activities that are
sustainable and have a lasting positive
impact on the society.
UN has currently been developing
post 2015 global development goals,
which will replace some of the MDGs
and retain a few, celebrating success
of achieving it and quest for a new
functional pathway for inclusive eco-
nomic ecosystems, leading to shared
value across the value chain. It will
definitely carve out a new role for
businesses worldwide in contempo-
rary development agenda. n
The writer is Executive Director,
United Nations Global Compact
Network India.
COVER STORY
GeorgKell,ED,UNGC,NewYork,Dr.M.VeerappaMoily,FormerUnionCabinetMinister,GOI,
Sudhir Vasudeva, Former CMD, ONGC and Former President, GCNI and Dr. Uddesh Kohli,
Senior Adviser, UNGC, New York launch the Business for Peace Initiative in India.
Representatives from across the globe at Addis Ababa Meeting, Ethiopia, June 2014.

By R. S. Sharat
Backdrop:
A clear and approved CSR Policy is de-
sirable for any company for more than
one reason; for good corporate gover-
nance, for placing it in public domain,
for increased visibility and transpar-
ency, for execution and monitoring,
and evaluation of the impact. It is also
required to plan and practice sustain-
able approaches in delivering CSR ac-
tivities. Many companies have realised
the advantage of putting together a
CSR Policy and Strategy much before it
became mandatory through the Com-
panies Act 2013.
Section 135 of the Companies Act
2013 makes it mandatory to formulate
CSR Policy by CSR Committee and its
recommendation to the Board. It fur-
therstatesthatthepolicyshallindicate
the activities to be undertaken by the
company as specified in Schedule VII
of the Act and that the CSR Committee
shall also monitor the policy imple-
mentation, thus making the CSR Policy
a statutory requirement.
Scope:
The CSR Policy should meet the statu-
tory requirements as per section 135
of the Companies Act and the Rules
framed thereof to implement various
social development activities. Besides
doing so, the Policy should also cover
a broad Policy Statement, Policy Objec-
tives, Approaches and methods of Pol-
icy formulation, Social Development
concepts, Policy governance structure,
and Policy Communication Strategy.
Developing CSR Policy:
ItisdesirabletodeveloptheCSRPolicy
Development Methodology, before ac-
tually developing the CSR Policy. Stake-
holder consultation both with internal
and external stakeholders are the key
to Policy Development, as this would
not only lead to policy ownership, but
also reflect the felt needs of the com-
munities. Stakeholder mapping could
includemanagementatdifferentlevels,
employees, neighbourhood communi-
ties, investors, suppliers, customers,
CSOs, media, government, regulators
at different levels etc.
Opinion and information gathering
is possible through informal meetings
with stakeholders at different levels
and required data collection can be
done through different data col-
lection tools such as structured
interviews and questionnaires.
Once the draft policy is in place, it
is essential to share the draft pol-
icy with key stakeholders to seek
their feedback before finalisation.
After the feedback is incorporat-
ed, thereafter the final draft can
be presented to the Board and the
CSR Committee for finalisation.
Policy Details (Strategy to de-
liver):
n Roles and Responsibilities: The
CSR Policy of a company should
define the roles and responsibili-
ties of the Board, CSR Committee
and the organisation, which ex-
ecutes CSR projects and pro-
grammes.
n Executing organisation: The
Company which executes CSR
programmes and activities should
decide the mode of execution and
include this in the policy docu-
ment. The options include, CSR
Functional Department at the
Company level, a Foundation of the
CompanyortobeoutsourcedtoaCSO/
NGO in the form of donation or grants.
n CSR Domains: Of the four domains -
Workplace Intervention, Market place
Intervention, Community/Society and
Environment - the company should
decide whether it would like to have
interventions in all the domains or in
selected domains.
n Area of operation: It has been the
practice in India that the companies
prefer to implement CSR programmes
and activities around its operational
sites. In this context, the company
implementing its CSR activities should
[To help readers understand the trivia associated with the Alpha and Omgea of CSR, this is the
first installment of a new series on CSR and the various stages involved. Being first and the fore-
most, here comes what it involves in “Developing CSR Policy and Strategy”]
decide whether it would prefer to take
up CSR activities around its operation-
al sites or work for the society at large
or both.
n Sectoral interventions: Programme
interventions are directly related to
the policy objectives. The objectives
can be reduction of absolute poverty,
empowerment of different communi-
ties or women’s empowerment, rights
based approach for poverty reduction,
good governance, and consumer rights
and so on. In order to achieve the ob-
jectives, the programmes and activities
are designed. However, the Social De-
velopment sectors are broadly divided
in to Health, Education, Income Pover-
tyReductionandEnvironment.Ineach
of these sectors several Programmes,
Projects and Activities could be taken
up. The policy should specify the ap-
proach for effective implementation of
these interventions.
n Primary Stakeholders and Beneficia-
ries: The Company can also decide on
the Primary stakeholder groups and
the beneficiaries of the programmes
for achieving objectives. For example,
the company can focus on women, dif-
ferentlyabled,scheduledcastes,sched-
uledtribes,minoritiesandsoon. Again
this approach depends on the policy
objectives.
n Partnerships: The Company can also
deliver programmes and activities in
partnership with other companies,
foundations, CSOs, international NGOs,
bilateral and multilateral organisa-
tions, depending upon the type of proj-
ects and the similarity of objectives of
different organisations.
Monitoring and Evaluation:
Monitoring and Evaluation should be
part of the project/programme deliv-
ery process. Monitoring is done to see
whether what is planned is being im-
plemented. If there are any concerned
areas/issues in the implementation
part, there can be mid-course correc-
tions both in the plan itself and also
the way it is implemented. Monitoring
process can be done through in-house
teams.
Evaluation is usually done through
external teams. Evaluations are done
either at the half way stage of the proj-
ects/programmes (usually after 3 to 4
years) orat the end of the project (usu-
ally 7 years). Mid-term evaluations are
usedtoreviewtheprogressandidenti-
fy issues, and at the end of term evalu-
ationsaredonetoassesstheimpactof
the projects.
Monitoring and Evaluation pro-
cesses should be built into the policy
to strengthen the execution and for
increased transparency.
Audit/Review/Controls:
It is a practice of some companies to
have company level internal audit of
the projects/programmes to improve
theefficiencyandeffectiveness.Thisis
aneffectivetooltoachieveprogramme
relevance and value for money.
Effective Management Information
Systems are made possible through
the internal Audits and Review mech-
anisms.
Reporting:
Reporting is now mandatory. How-
ever, reporting for internal purposes
is equally important. Measuring the
progress and success are important
to communicate to all the stakehold-
ers. Frequency and mode of reporting
should be part of the CSR Policy, so
that this becomes part of strategy for
implementation.
Current practices and gaps:
Most of the companies still perceive
CSR as philanthropy or utmost as com-
munity service. However, the interna-
tional best practices, the ISO 26000,
National Voluntary Guidelines and the
UN Global Compact etc. look at CSR
as good corporate governance; more
internal and less external to the com-
pany. This basic perception impacts
the policy and strategy adversely from
a more professional approach to sus-
tainable development.
Also, governance, institutional devel-
opment, social development, sectoral
issues related to Health, Education,
Income Poverty, Environment, Poverty
reduction, gender, community partici-
pation, ME etc. are professional sub-
jects by themselves. Some companies
make Policy and Strategy without the
involvement of such professionals. In
order to bridge this gap and make Pol-
icy and Strategy more robust, profes-
sional views need to be sought at the
planning stage.
As stated at the beginning, participa-
tion of stakeholders through a process
is extremely important. Only a few
companiesaregoingthroughaprocess
for developing CSR Policy and Strat-
egy. This can be addressed by engaging
third party agencies to take through
the process.
Conclusion:
It is imperative that CSR of any com-
pany would be effective, if a Policy
and a Strategy to implement it are in
place. However, the experience re-
veals that CSR would be more effec-
tive, if the focus is placed on one or
two sectors and on a few activities
rather than spreading the activities
too thin.
Also, understanding the cost ef-
fectiveness, output, outcome and
impact are very important and es-
sential for measuring the success of
the project/programme.
Finally, the Policy is as good as:
what is not planned cannot be im-
plemented. n
The writer is a freelance social de-
velopment CSR consultant with over
three decades of hands-on experience.
Developing CSR Policy
and Strategy
CSR SERIES

It was a moment of colossal grief
for Bajaj. His mother had passed
away after a prolonged illness.
He never wanted this day to come
but he knew that it was destined
to happen sometime and today
was the day. His mother had been
a social worker and had earned a
respectable name for her by serv-
ing the poor and the downtrodden.
Being an effluent timber merchant,
Bajaj wanted that the last rites of
his beloved mother be done us-
ing sandalwood. Along with some
friends and relatives, he reached
Lodhi Road Crematorium with the
mortal remains of his mother. As
required, Bajaj had already ordered
for 450 kg of precious sandalwood
for the cremation.
The precious wood was yet to ar-
rive at Antim Nivas. While Bajaj’s
family was waiting for the sandal-
wood, they saw two other families
who had also lost their dear ones
and had come for the last rites. One
of them was a poor rickshaw puller,
Naveen and the other one was an
ecologist – Kashyap, who had spent
the best part of his life towards en-
vironmental protection.
He learnt that Kashyap’s last
wish was that his mortal remains
be cremated using minimum wood
and as per Hindu tradition. On the
other hand Naveen’s family was
extremely poor and his relatives
wanted to perform the last rites at
a minimum cost.
At the crematorium, Bajaj came
across an eco-friendly cremation
system where the last rites could
be performed by using only 150
kg of wood. Bajaj wanted to carry
his mother’s legacy forward, so he
impressed upon Naveen and Kashy-
ap’s families the significance of us-
ing ONGC sponsored Harit Moksh
facility available at the cremato-
rium.
Bajaj’s decision on using this fa-
cility was further cemented due
to ONGC’s association with the ef-
fort. He was aware of ONGC’s social
commitment and was impressed
upon seeing this noble endeavour
of the Maharatna towards ecologi-
cal conservation. Also, the avail-
able facility of live webcasting at
the Harit Moksh units would enable
Bajaj’s son, who was in Australia for
a business meeting, to see the last
rites of his grandmother on the of-
ficial website of the crematorium.
As there were only two units in
operation, Bajaj displayed the char-
acteristics of generosity by offering
the facility to the other two while
waiting for 3 hours himself for his
turn. Kashyap’s last wish and fi-
nancial constraint of Naveen’s fam-
ily were also thus, adequately ad-
dressed.
ONGC has set up 30 units of Mok-
shda Green Cremation System
(MGCS) spread over 7 cities (Del-
hi-16, Ahmedabad–3, Vadodara–4,
Khambat–2, Chandausi–1, Dehra-
dun-2 and Ghaziabad-2) under the
CSR project named “Harit Moksha”.
This has resulted in saving 13,700
tonnes of wood and reduction of
26,500 tonnes of GHG emissions
annually from all the units, wherein
on an average 4-5 cremations are
carried out daily at each unit.
What prompted usage of this in-
novative technology, which works
on sound principles of thermal sci-
ence with natural drafting of air
was the fact that traditional cre-
mation sector in India consumes
nearly 4.15 million tonnes of fuel
wood annually which is harvested
from 50-60 million trees. Besides
deforestation, cremation process is
also associated with environmental
problems like air and water (river)
pollution and greenhouse (GHG)
emissions.
As a result of burning of large
quantity of fuel wood, the sector
generates nearly 8 lakh tonnes of
wood ash which eventually causes
water pollution and 8 million
tonnes of GHG emission which is a
potential source of global warming.
In addition, increasing cost of fuel
wood makes the traditional crema-
tion process unaffordable to people
from economically weaker sections.
Alternately, the electric or gas
based crematorium is a cleaner al-
ternative but public acceptance to
this mode is low, as design does not
permit users to perform important
rituals associated with the crema-
tion process. High capital, recurring
costs and non-availability of con-
tinuous electric supply are other
limitations restricting its use by the
general populace.
Mokshda Paryavaran Evam Van
Suraksha Samiti (Mokshda PEVSS)
has developed a user-acceptable
and environment-friendly Mok-
shda Green Cremation System
(MGCS) which is capable of reduc-
ing wood consumption up to 75%
besides minimising air and water
pollution.
The design of MGCS is user-friend-
ly and permits undertaking of all
traditional rituals associated with
the cremation process. The entire
cremation process is completed in
2 hours and avoids release of solid
waste to nearby water bodies. One
unit can be used multiple times as
there is provision of collecting ashes
in detachable trays placed below the
unit. Durable materials are used in
designing and fabricating the struc-
ture, as a result of which, there is
minimum maintenance required
for at least 20 years. The design is
approved by United Nation Frame-
work Convention on Climate Change
(UNFCC), World Bank and Ministry
of Environment, Govt. of India.
Against a requirement of 350-
500 kg/cremation in conventional
cremation, the MGCS requires 80-
150 kg/cremation which bring
in a direct savings of around Rs
1000-1500/- per cremation. The
total GHG emission reduces from
8 million tonnes per year to 2 mil-
lion tonnes per year.
This CSR project by ONGC has
received all round appreciation
leading to recognition in the form
of AajTak Care Award in the envi-
ronment category.
Be it Bajaj, Naveen or Kashy-
ap, ONGC has woven a common
thread for all of them. ONGC, the
company that cares, have envis-
aged a life beyond death of our
near and dear ones and has asso-
ciated itself with this noble initia-
tive which will go a long way in
not only conserving forests and
thereby protecting humanity, but
helping economically weaker sec-
tions of the society also in per-
forming last rites of their near
and dear ones with proper rituals
at affordable cost.
Well begun is half done! It is
a strong belief at ONGC and the
33,257 ONGCians are determined
to spread awareness of this inno-
vative and noble initiative to their
kith and kin so that all of them are
sensitised of this ecological con-
servation methodology. n
ONGC’s Harit Moksh facility:
We may be well aware of organisations that extend their support to mortal affairs – education,
health, sanitation et al; but ONGC goes all out to look beyond the mortal affairs. Environment-
friendly Mokshda Green Cremation System (MGCS) is such a innovative yet considerate initiative
for the deceased ones by the PSU.
INITIATIVE
A thoughtful step for
the dear departed

By Dustin Robertson
T
he world is watching In-
dia to see what impact
the Companies Act 2013
and its mandatory CSR re-
quirements will have on the coun-
try. This landmark legislation has
potential to radically transform
both the business and develop-
ment sectors on a large scale, so a
research team at Kaarak decided to
assess what companies are doing in
the area of public health, one of the
most important development chal-
lenges in India.
The main objectives of the study
were to i.) Understand what com-
panies are doing in health-related
CSR and how the Companies Act
would affect them. ii.) Discover
and document effective strategies
and good practices, then share
them in a way that would inform
and inspire other companies. iii.)
Advance the discussion and debate
on CSR in India.
Multiple methods of data collec-
tion and assessment were used
which included literature review,
in-depth interviews with represen-
tatives from companies, and analy-
sis of public information. The sam-
ple included various Indian and
multinational companies from dif-
ferent sectors and different sizes.
While the study focused on health-
oriented CSR, many of the concepts
and lessons learned are applicable
to other types of CSR as well.
Findings of the study:
huge diversity in CSR
pertaining to health
Health is a common CSR theme:
Health is consistently one of the
top three most common CSR issues
(along with education and environ-
ment). However, within this domain
there is a great diversity in terms of
specific health problems being ad-
dressed. Common issues taken up
include: nutrition, HIV/AIDS, dis-
ability, materno-infantile health,
eyesight, sanitation, hygiene, and
disease (including both communi-
cable and non-communicable). Sim-
ilarly, diversity exists in terms of
strategies adopted to address these
issues (e.g. health camps, aware-
ness campaigns, provision of medi-
cal supplies/equipment, creation/
support of community based organ-
isations, village adoption, etc.).
Reasons that companies prac-
tice CSR: Multiple business driv-
ers compel companies to carry out
CSR. Interviews with company rep-
resentatives provided a glimpse of
the factors influencing decisions. i.)
Some responded that they do CSR
because they consider their com-
munities important stakeholders.
ii.) Others cited a mandate from
higher levels of administration or
a historical tradition established by
company founders. iii.) Public Sec-
tor Enterprises (PSUs) pointed out
that they were already required to
conduct CSR by DPE Guidelines iv.)
Others felt a strong sense of respon-
sibility to their communities and
environment. v.) One company even
Health is one of the imperative elements of CSR for organisations to focus on. What develop-
ments have been made in the area so far is vital to know. Therefore, Kaarak decided to do the
needful by bringing out a study paper on health-related CSR in India. The study reveals some
recent developments and best practices in health-oriented CSR practices.
cited creating shared value (CSV),
recognising the mutual dependen-
cy of societal well-being and their
business success.
Companies deliver health-relat-
ed CSR in diverse ways: Diversity
also exists in implementation of
CSR. i.) Some companies choose to
implement their CSR directly on
their own or through a registered
trust, society or company estab-
lished by the company. ii.) Others
choose to partner with indepen-
dent agencies such as local, na-
tional or international NGOs. iii.)
There was even one example of
companies collaborating to jointly
undertake CSR. Most of the compa-
nies interviewed use a combination
of these strategies. Decisions about
implementation are often dictated
by a company’s characteristics such
as size, sector resources (not only
financial), capacity, and corporate
values.
Impact of Companies Act 2013:
When asked how the Act would
affect their CSR, interview partici-
pants again indicated a wide range
of effects. i.) One company said that
nothing would change as their CSR
activities already surpassed the re-
quirements established by the Act.
ii.) Some companies indicated slight
changes such as modifications to
their CSR policies and revision of
activities. iii.) Others reported more
significant changes such as formali-
sation of activities, increase of CSR’s
role within the company, creation
of a new CSR policy, increase of CSR
budget and restructuring internal
departments.
Companies making a
big difference in
health
Three examples of companies
from different sectors that demon-
strate three distinct ways that CSR
can have a major impact on public
health:
n Tata Chemicals: Through Tata
Chemicals Society for Rural Devel-
opment, the company actively prac-
tices “participatory development”
in over three hundred villages sur-
rounding its plant location in Babra-
la, UP. Through its health initiatives,
the company engages the surround-
ing communities and follows their
habitants to ensure high quality,
sustainable health delivery. Inter-
ventions have had a major impact
on these communities. Of particular
note are remarkable improvements
in rates of immunisation and insti-
tutionalised childbirth.
n Jubilant Life Sciences: Jubilant
(through Jubilant Bhartia Founda-
tion) tests vanguard development
models in pilot modes then con-
ducts rigorous monitoring, evalua-
tion and analysis to glean valuable
lessons applicable in other parts of
the country or even internationally.
Examples include large scale pilot
interventions carried out in com-
munity health and nutrition.
n Eli Lilly India: By recognising
the shared value that can be created
by health-related CSR, the pharma-
ceutical company seeks to advance
understanding and treatment of
diseases, through the Lilly Global
Health Innovation Campaign. The
company carries out research, re-
porting and advocacy, and demon-
strates that companies can go be-
yond merely contributing to public
health in India, and can actually be
on the forefront of responses to im-
portant health issues.
Good practices
There is not one simple answer for
the best way to do CSR. However,
some good practices seem common
among successful CSR initiatives.
n Engaging the community as a
stakeholder: Moving beyond the
models of charity and philanthropy,
successful CSR initiatives see their
target populations not only as ben-
eficiaries, but as active partners in
the development and advancement
of their communities.
n Evidence based action: Highly ef-
fective CSR is based on the current
realities of the intervention com-
munities. Top CSR initiatives start
by identifying and understanding
the characteristics of the area and
its population, including needs and
resources. Some companies choose
to conduct their own research while
others rely on local actors or inde-
pendent organisations.
n Engaging local actors and struc-
tures: Successful CSR initiatives
identify community based organ-
isations, NGOs, other companies
and government structures, and
then seek to collaborate or form
partnerships whenever possible.
This reduces conflict and overlap
while improving the validity, effec-
tiveness and impact of their inter-
ventions.
n Long-term visions: The best ex-
amples of CSR feature long-term ap-
proaches that ensure impacts will
be sustainable. Leading companies
generally plan actions in 2-5 year
project/programme modes, and
have overall visions that extend be-
yond this time frame.
The amount to be spent on CSR
(estimates range from Rs. 22,000
to 28,000 crore) is relatively small
in comparison to amounts spent by
the GOI on development. However,
CSR should not be just a drop in
India’s bucket; instead it can be a
catalyst for change and social inno-
vation. The engagement of India’s
largest companies, many of which
are entrepreneurial success stories,
can bring fresh perspectives to help
tackle the country’s most important
problems.
The way a company carries out
CSR depends on many factors such
as the company’s sector of business,
resources (not only financial), loca-
tion, history, values and corporate
culture. However, if companies take
a serious, professional approach,
they can help lead the way to solv-
ing India’s most critical develop-
ment problems. n
The writer is a team member of
Kaarak Enterprise Development Ser-
vices Pvt. Ltd, an advisory and profes-
sional services organsation. Kaarak
helps companies deliver CSR through
a diverse range of services and prod-
ucts. Learn more at http://kaarak.
in/. For full report of the study:
Dustin@kaarak.in
RESEARCH
CSR and Health: How companies
can build a healthier India?

formats of different sports have emerged like
IPL, Kabaddi League, Hockey League, Bad-
minton league et al, where do you think is
India heading? Are we on the right track?
Yes, we are certainly on the right track to
promote non cricket sports. I am a strong
supporter of different formats of games
and enjoy watching Olympics. These
leagues have generated viewership
which will encourage popularity of these
games and more youngsters to take up
the sports.
Would you like to talk about your “Youth
Knowledge Centers” initiative? What im-
pact do you anticipate through this initia-
tive?
The plan is to set up 17 Youth Knowledge
Centers (YKCs) in Hamirpur. These centers
will be equipped with latest technology with
facility of library and provisions for various
skill building, development programmes and
career counseling workshops. Besides extending
IT support to local schools for educating children,
YKCs will also provide basic computer skills to the
local population. The libraries in these centers will
provide free access of books on a wide range of subjects
to the residents. These centers will act as portals to cre-
ate awareness on government policies and schemes. In
the times to come, YKCs will be instrumental in yield-
ing high benefits for people from various walks
of life. Businessmen, shopkeepers, farm-
ers, agriculturists et al could be em-
powered immensely on various
aspects by the facility in the
future.
As India is one of the
most youthful nations
in the world, would you
like to give any message
to the youth as to what
steps should they take
for nation building?
I believe in 3 Es model of
development that focuses
on Education, Employment
leading to Empowerment of
our young population. In my
personal opinion, the young
populace of our nation should
take up social development ac-
tivities in their neighbourhood,
always participate in the demo-
cratic process and reach out to
their elected representatives
with solutions to challenges. n
INTERVIEW: ANURAG THAKUR
After the formation of the new Government in May 2014, India has been increasingly viewed as a bellwether nation
on the global map. Hopes are high on revival of various marred sectors with the launch of several path-breaking
schemes in the past few months. Anurag Thakur, Member of Parliament (Lok Sabha) and BCCI Joint Secretary shares
his views with Bachan Singh on various dimensions of growth and development happening in the nation along with
efforts being put in social space.
What is your take on the CSR Act
2013 and the work done under
the Act since it came into effect in
April this year? How significant
is the Act for India?
According to me, the Act is a wel-
come step in the right direction.
However, there is definitely scope
for improvement and our govern-
ment is deliberating on it. For ex-
ample, while the CSR law lists the
activities that can be considered
under CSR, it leaves out certain
activities that companies have
been carrying out using their CSR
funds even before the Act was in-
troduced. The eligible activities
should be expanded beyond its
current scope. One of the sugges-
tions I would like to make to be
considered, is aligning our CSR ac-
tivities with the larger post 2015
development agenda.
What is you focus area currently,
when it comes to joining hands
with various NGOs and imple-
menting agencies for work in
social space in your constituency
Hamirpur?
In my view, NGOs play a very criti-
cal role in taking the development
process forward. In fact, I am
supporting various NGOs in my
constituency Hamirpur. Several
commendable programmes are
being undertaken in areas such as
skill development, education and
women empowerment. I believe
that real development and pros-
perity will be possible only when
all stakeholders - Government,
Civil Society and Industry will join
hands and work in sync.
With the formation of new gov-
ernment in May this year, most of
the countries out there have been
looking upto India as the next
leading nation on the global map.
In order to make the anticipation
a reality, what according to you
should be the thrust areas?
Our government believes that the
manufacturing sector will be a key
driver of economic growth and em-
ployment in the times to come. We
also believe that the effective use
of technology can help meet chal-
lenges in various sectors such as
health, agriculture, education and
infrastructure. I feel elated to share
that we have already initiated a few
steps in this direction through the
‘Make in India’ and ‘Digital India’
mission.
Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan has be-
come talk of the town. You also un-
veiled the world’s largest poster
on the drive. Where can we take
India through this initiative and
what have we achieved so far in
that respect?
Looking at the scenario around, I
must say that we Indians certainly
lack civic sense. While walking on
the road or driving we carelessly lit-
ter around but we are extra cautious
while travelling in foreign countries
about not littering for the fear of lo-
cal laws. So, the PM has embarked
on this very important mission to
clean up, so that we can ensure hy-
gienic surroundings which will fur-
ther ensure a disease-free India.
Kindly share your views on ‘Saa-
nsad Adarsh Gram Yojana’. Under
the scheme, which 3 villages do
you plan to develop? Has there any
work been done in that respect?
I have adopted village Dehlan in
district Una in my constituency for
the development under SAGY. Ac-
cording to the guidelines of the
scheme, one model village has to
be developed by 2016 and other
two by 2019. At present, I have
adopted Dehlan village and have
plans to adopt the other two after
the development in Dehlan village
is completed. Albeit the guidelines
stipulate to develop three villages
by 2019, we have plans to expand it
beyond. In association with private
sector, we plan to develop at least 6
villages till 2019.
Prime Minster Narendra Modi
makes an immense use of social
media. Are you also following suit
by being proactive on Twitter?
What is your take on the usage of
social media and its role in nation
building?
Social media is a means to directly
reach out to people who are miles
away. It’s a simple, quick and di-
rect way of connecting with people.
The Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha
(BJYM) has effectively used it for
its membership campaign as well
as during the general elections this
year. Social media empowers the
people to share experiences, sug-
gestions and grievances on matters
both local as well as national. I have
been using social media for over
four years now and in my experi-
ence, it is an effective and efficient
way for both the ends to communi-
cate and gather ideas and opinions.
Over the last few years, many
‘Govt., Civil Society and Industry
should work in sync’

O
ne might see IITs and
IIMs as the cynosure for
many rating agencies
today from the Indian
land, yet this is half truth. The
complete truth is that India is a
living example of being the first
one in myriad fields. With a lin-
eage of having legends of all times
in all fields, India has had a tradi-
tion of producing a class apart.
One of the major reasons amidst
many for having people and assets
of the highest caliber is educa-
tion. One could trace out from the
traditional education system of
mentor-disciple in India from the
distant past. Teachers and educa-
tional institutes were highly re-
spected during those times while
it does not end with that period.
The spirit continued as the main-
stream to drive the entire nation in
like manner which proved India’s
mettle at global map. The continu-
ation of this lineage brought in a
mammoth outcome in the form
of Banaras Hindu University. The
internationally acclaimed Indian
university’s abode is the holy city
Varanasi. The exceptional temple
of learning sprawls over 1300
acres (5.3 km) and is considered
as one of the largest residential
universities in Asia with more
than 20,000 students. The varsity
holds an unparalleled stature and
repute which wouldn’t be easy
for any institution to match in
the coming ages. Any product is a
result of a vision or idea and the
visionary to create this Mecca of
education was Pt. Madan Mohan
Malaviya. The university which
was born in 1916 had been a re-
sult of Pt. Madan Mohan Malavi-
ya’s dream which he had been see-
ing since 1900. In the year 1884,
he became a teacher at a govern-
ment school and his interactions
with the students helped him un-
derstand their hardships and the
challenges in the Indian education
system. Having seen this, the idea
of revamping the current educa-
tional system in India germinated
in his mind.
Born in an orthodox family on
November 25, 1861 at Prayag
(Allahabad) in UP, Pt. Malaviya
was a multifaceted personality. A
statesman, prominent journalist,
a reluctant yet effective lawyer,
patriot, social reformer, a success-
ful parliamentarian, and above
all – a dynamic educationist, BHU
is the biggest outcome of his life.
The university was one of its kind
and during his time gained utmost
prominence globally.
His quest for education since
his childhood made a huge im-
pact on his accomplishments and
what he did for society and the
downtrodden. Malaviya’s father
was a learned Sanskrit scholar
and used to recite Bhagwat Katha
to earn a living, hence he also in-
herited the same love and passion
for Sanskrit. After completing his
primary education in Sanskrit at
Hardeva’s Dharma Gyanopadesh
Pathshala and later at another
school by Vidha Vardini Sabha,
Pt. Malaviya joined Allahabad
Zila School (Allahabad District
School). His natural instincts
came to bloom here and he start-
ing writing poems under the pen
name Makarand. His poems could
secure ample space in various
journals and magazines. He did
his matriculation from the then
called Muir Central College (Al-
lahabad University). As a family
with five brothers and two sisters,
managing finances for everything
for all emerged as a challenge for
the family. But a scholarship from
Harrison College’s principal ap-
peared as a blessing in disguise
for Malaviya. The scholarship
helped him complete his B.A. from
University of Calcutta. Wanting to
further pursue M.A. in Sanskrit,
Pt. Malaviya could not make it a
reality against the wish of his fa-
ther. Hence, he started his career
as a school teacher at Allahabad
District School in 1884. Having
witnessed many hardships in life
made him a humanistic figure in
society.
Time brought a shift in his life
when his refined and highly in-
spiring speech at the 2nd Indian
National Congress in Calcutta
made a huge impact on Raja Ram-
pal Singh, owner of the Hindi
weekly – Hindustan, who was
looking for a suitable editor to
turn his paper into a daily. This
was the beginning of Malaviyaji’s
career as an Editor at the Hindi
weekly in July 1887, as he bade a
goodbye to his teaching job. Two
and half years here and he moved
on to pursue L.L.B. at Allahabad.
Panditji later practiced law at Al-
lahabad District Court and Alla-
habad High Court respectively. His
quest for learning and mastering
various subjects did not see a halt,
as he moved on to become the
President of Indian National Con-
gress for two terms in 1909 and
1918. Under the British Raj, Pt.
Malaviya fought a court case for
177 convicted freedom fighters to
be hanged in the Chouri-Choura
case and freed 156 of them. His-
tory has registered his immense
sacrifices towards freedom of In-
dia. He was the leading figure in
the Non-Cooperative Movement
while actively participated in the
protests against the Simon Com-
mission. The years 1924-1946
saw him as the Chairman of Hin-
dustan Times. Under his chair-
manship, the Hindi edition was
launched in 1936 while saving the
paper from untimely demise later,
realising his vision of launching a
Delhi newspaper. He also raised
Rs 50,000 for the paper to save it
from closure.
Despite being a person of excep-
tional mastery and skills in varied
subjects and fields, Panditji’s heart
always longs for education and so-
cial reforms, hence he left his law
practice on his heart’s call. But
above all, his life shines with excep-
tional exuberance for his biggest
accomplishment in life – BHU. The
varsity has the privilege to have
produced scores of freedom fight-
ers, nationalist leaders, scientists,
technocrats, scholars, artists and
builders of modern India. The main
campus with a temple and air strip
is an architectural delight. The ba-
sis of the innovative university was
the spirit of integration, collabora-
tive new ideas and to promote cul-
ture and intellect. Malaviya’s genu-
ine concern to eradicate poverty
in India and the decline of income
of Indians as compared to the Eu-
ropeans led him to establish BHU.
As India had very strong roots of
religion and culture, Pt. Malaviya’s
vision was to encourage Science
and technology alongside and he
fulfilled his vision through BHU.
Another campus of BHU is a tes-
timony to its glory. The Barkachha
University at Mirzapur spans over
2700 acres and has 3 Institutes,
124 Departments, 14 Faculties,
4 Inter displinary Centers, a con-
stituent college for women and 3
Constituent Schools. Having a vast
range of subjects like humanities,
technology, social science, medi-
cine, fine arts, performing arts, sci-
ence et al, the varsity comprises
of 6 centres of Advanced Studies,
10 Departments with Special As-
sistance Programme and a reputed
museum. It also houses various
specialised research centers while
there have been 4 Degree Colleges
in the city which are affiliated to
it. Some other unique features of
the university are: a 927 bed hos-
pital with the latest technology
and equipment, a flying club and
facilities like printing press and
fruit preservation center. Having
more than 20,000 students from
USA, Europe, Asia, Middle East, Af-
rica etc., around 1800 teachers and
8000 non-teaching staff are enough
to keep the varsity in the league of
other Indian universities like AMU
and Nalanda.
Dr S. Radhakrishnan one said,
“Pandit Malaviyaji is a Karmayogi.
He is not only a representative of
Hinduism but the soul of Hindu-
ism. He had striven all through his
life for the Hindu ideals and we see
the combination of idealism and
practical wisdom through his life.”
India is and will always be proud
to have such a personality as
its citizen n
REFORMATION
Pt. Madan Mohan Malaviya
the creator of modern India
It is a well known fact that India has had very strong religious and cultural roots, but only that was not
enough. Moving ahead with times in any age is a universal accepted phenomenon and this was exem-
plified by Pt. MadanMohanMalaviyawholaidthefoundationforamodernIndiathroughfocusingand
promoting subjects like Technology and Science. And his biggest creation cum achievement towards
that vision of modern India was Banaras Hindu University.

DEC CSR Times

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