CSR NEEDS ASSESSMENT

 

* Birendra K Jha
Practitioner "Social Impact Assessment Audit"; "Social Audit"; "CSR Audit";  Qualified Member of the Institute of Social Auditors of India; Director, HR Lab

During "Social Impact Assessment Audit", most of the time, what  we see, the CSR department has no any  "CSR Need Assessment". At the last hour, just for the sake of utilization of CSR fund call at random XYZ NGOs and use CSR fund in the name of discharging obligation. This is done to save from the penal  punishment for not using the CSR fund "on-time". A stringent penal punishment is there separately against the  CSR officer and Company's MD both, for not using the CSR fund. This is although a poor practice of discharging CSR Obligation. 

Sound CSR department is the one, which prepares "CSR Need Assessment". This "Need Assessment" is a very complex procedure, where expertise  is needed in determining the "Need Assessment". This "Need Assessment" is determined after long hour of specific deep research and understanding the specific need of the stakeholders. It can be cited through two cases of the  "Need Assessment" what I conducted. 

In a specific research, for understanding the "Need Assessment" of a cement manufacturing company, which is  operating in Gujarat, it was found in the specific research by me that, the cement company is mining heavily coral reef from the Gulf of Kutch, for manufacturing cement. While mining  coral reef underwater, heavy dredgers were used. The dredgers failed to segregate "ancient heritage property" which was clubbed with corals.  In this process ancient structures were also damaged. In this case the immediate "Need Assessment" of this cement company is the CSR Programs aiming at "preservation of the ancient sites". 

I shall also cite here another example. Again from the same cement company, where from a distant, cement dust is seen clearly visible. If some domestic cloth is seen hanging outside the house of the village, surrounding the cement plant,  fine particles of cement dust is seen placed over the cloth. This was assessed in research on the "Cement Industry and Its Impact on the Society". This research provided  a  specific lead to  survey the local communities and villages surrounding this cement plant. This was found that villagers are suffering from pneumoconiosis, lungs cancer,  respiratory system damage,  dermatitis, skin burn, skin irritation, eye injury, conjunctivitis, headache, fatigue,  as well as stomach and colon problem. Cement company has nothing to do with this disease. This is true. But one hidden truth is that, all these diseases are developed due to the exposure of the cement dust in the environment. A group discussion with the employees of the cement company, which are one of the important stakeholders, aimed at provision of "basic health care needs" of the village population. This also revealed that most of the employees and their family circumstances are also suffering from similar disease. The immediate CSR Need Assessment of this cement company was "Health Care for villagers."  

By now, you might have understood that how the CSR Department is doing mistakes in funding aimlessly to NGOs, which are not aligned with the  business strategy of the company. Catching the exact CSR "Need Assessment" is a very complex expertise job, sometimes it took me more than three months  to conduct the specific CSR "Need Assessment". This is not one or two days activities. Without the "CSR Need Assessment", entire CSR Team is aimless and rudderless. They are spoiling their own time and company resources. 

( The writer is a Pan India Practitioner on the "Social Impact Assessment Audit"; "Qualified Social Auditor" under SEBI Law & Company Act. He is Director, HR Lab. His "Social Audit Firm" is on the "Social Impact Assessment Audit"; "Social Audit". He provides consultation on the CSR Program Need Assessment; CSR Program Measurement; Entry & Registration- Social Stock Exchange & provides Capacity Development Training to industries on the CSR Audit.  He is  based at Delhi-NCR. He overlooked at senior position in the HR - CSR in previous MNC Company in India for more than a decade.  He may be approached at: birendrajha03@yahoo.com ) 

#CSR #SocialImpactAssessment #CSRHead    
       


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