Keep up the good work!

I think this is very valid question. Many of the CSR projects are just for the name sake but many are genuine. i have been involved with a CRS CDM project near Bhiwadi, Alwar Rajasthan very close to Delhi. Here we are implementing an INRM project in 17 villages of Tijara Block and the corporate has commitment for next ten years for expanding their activities in the region. The corporate has a commitment of 12 million annually for this project which is sufficiently good amount although this is much less than 1% of their total profits or income from CDM. A team of professional staff is placed for implementation of the pilot project for two years for clear objective of developing replicable models prototypes which than be replicated over large area in the similar geographical terrain.

Large number of factories are shifted out of Delhi for various reasons and all of them exploiting natural resources like any thing and non of them are actually doing any thing for recouping or recharging them. Many of them could take up similar approach and could take up projects with existing NGOs on pretty large scale and could deliver their share towards their social responsibilities.

best asif

From my consultant experience in Mauritius, CSR initiatives are largely seen as tools used to “buy the social peace” needed for sound business activities and for tourism.
It is surely true in certain ways.

For my part, I have “ideologically” solve this problem in a very practical manner.
When a company comes to me for example to carry out a social need analysis study leading to social and economic recommendations in order to improve the way of living of villagers, I perfectly know that they want this study in order to obtain the governmental permits they need to begin their activities. No doubt about it.

But what I say to myself is, even if the true reason behind is that this company is trying to obtain a permit, or to buy the “social peace”, when it implements perhaps just one on the 10 projects we have recommended, this one project is worth it. It can represent a real improvement in the life of number of people, who would have been left aside.

It is a very practical way of looking at CSR initiatives, but I think (from the Mauritian experience) that it is the most sensible one.
It is the responsibility of consultants, or CSR experts to transform what can be at the beginning just a cynical arithmetic into a real development project with an optimum impact.