How can CSR meaningfully address the India development agenda?
While the world adopts the Sustainable Development Goals in 2016, (#SDCs) with 17 goals and 169 targets, to eradicate poverty, India has set its own target, aligned to the #GlobalGoals, setting ambitious targets in #DigitalIndia, #SkillsIndia and strong focus on Education, Health, Support for Girls: Beti Bhachao Beti Padao, Swachh Bharat, #InclusiveIndia, Innovation and #MakeinIndia amongst others.
The Indian Industry took up the opportunity provided by the CSR law 2013 to give back 2% of its profit to social good, finding ways and means to address local and national challenges, and trying to align and follow the national goals and call for action.
However, for CSR to meaningfully contribute to national goals and economic social development in India, companies would be required to build capacities to maximize long term sustainable impact. Knowledge practices and platforms to inform and support the CSR leader, may go a long way in helping in informed decision-making.
While the onus of moving the needle is not on the CSR leadership alone, moving from silos to inter-company collaboration space, long-term engagement in priority areas, and stronger institutional support for Not-for-Profit partners and focusing on collective impact are a few steps in the right direction.
The CSR Leadership Conference, initiated by NASSCOM Foundation in 2015, has been able to create a remarkable degree of relevance for CSR leaders from the IT-BPM (Business Process Management) Industry, practitioners and policy makers.
