CSR Reborn : "With Malice Towards One and All"

 

"Tare Zameen Par" ( See Excellent Theme Area - One below ),  has driven   scientific passion delivery, making it  reality.  This is   a mobile driven planetarium ; Adar Punnawalla ( See Excellent Theme Area - Two below)  a brand name with lot of hope and aspiration and Bal Raksha Bharat (  See Excellent Theme Area - Three below ) are new hope of India as new emerging  players on  the Social Sector. They need hand holding support  from the society for whom they work.   

* Birendra K Jha 

Yesterday I had been invited at the CSR Summit at the grand, beautiful and magnificent Habitant Centre at New Delhi. I have always loved to go to the Habitat Centre at New Delhi. The important  summit the SMX CSR LEADERSHIP was organized in an excellent way by the "Innoserv" and its excellent and dynamic  MD Mr Rahul Jain. Thanks to Mr Rahul Jain for inviting me and conducting the summit in an excellent way.  Some 3 or 4 panel discussions were there including the   CSR New Regulation and CSR Funding Opportunities. There are positive as well as negative assessment about this summit. The positive assessment is given at the separate area - Excellent Theme Area. The negative assessment is covered under the "Missing Area" and also at the concluding para. 

Missing Area:

What I noticed, there was a total capacity gap of the CSR Heads, who were not aware with the new provisions  and definition on the CSR Audit in terms of the  "Social Impact Assessment", "Social Audit Firm",  "Social Auditor"  and the "Social Stock Exchange". Many "CSR Heads", were not aware, what is the advantage  of getting CSR fund invested through the "Social Stock Exchange". This was completely capacity gap at the top CSR Head level.  One can imagine, the down level picture, which  is more rudderless. The panel discussion on the CSR Regulation failed to touch the bottom line new development after 1st January 2023 and the Amendment and Regulation covering the CSR Rules in the SEBI law. Similar capacity gap also found  in the NGOs or entities, who were not aware how public funding  as well as the CSR funding can be made available through the "Social Stock Exchange". 

The NGOs or entities working under Schedule VII of the Company Act 2013 or in the SDG Development Goal area, have enormous funding opportunities, which is available and waiting at the "Social Stock Exchange". Major CSR Head's  KPI, which is  monitored secretly by the HR is whether the CSR Head is capable to utilize CSR Fund "On-Time" or not. This is one area what MD is pushing the HR to monitor secretly and keep an eye on the CSR Head working pattern. If CSR Fund is not utilized "On-Time" then major penal punishment is not only awaiting for the CSR Head, but it also attracts  heat on the Managing Director of the Company, who has ultimate responsibility on the compliance. Failure of discharging social projects obligation "On-Time" and "honestly",  is now a "criminal prosecution". This is not a "civil prosecution" now. The law is changing fast and quickly to align with the SDG Goal. We have seen, how Social Projects have been aligned recently  in the  Andhra Pradesh Act  and the Telangana Act. Now mobile fast track court with first class Judicial Magistrate with court sitting in van moves behind the "social auditor". The mobile court moves at the spot and take on the spot decision based on the "social audit report", where this is deemed as an  enquiry report. Based on this report immediate disciplinary action is taken against the responsible offender, whether he is senior officer or junior employee whatever be it doesn't matter. So do not take lightly any "social project". This is not the company  discretionary,  ex-gratia area or your choice and  mercy to do something for the society. This is your obligation to return to society, from where you have earned profit.   Many CSR Head fails to differentiate between the CSR fund "Investment" and CSR fund " Utilization". If CSR Head is able to understand this difference, then they will find what the advantage they have with the "Social Stock Exchange". The CSR breed requires new grooming with laws and regulation on the CSR. The fund starved NGOs and other entities, should also know how big and enormous CSR fund is available through the "Social Stock Exchange".      

Excellent Theme Area:

Tare Zameen Par :

Some excellent theme which was presented here needs specific mention. "Tare Zameen Par" is a digital mobile planetarium. This is doing excellent job among the rural school children in educating them about our planet. This is an innovative project from the Varnaaz Technologies by its dynamic CEO Mr Dinesh Badagandi. I have advised the CEO to include "Mobile Dwarka Heritage Museum" as another portfolio on the underwater photographs of the new discovered site of Dwarka of Bhagvan Krishna after Dr SR Rao. It shall not only be a point of  green tourism but shall attract as a destination point of "underwater mobile museum".  I can assist him in getting the exact location, because my 18 years of heritage social audit is under the water at the Gulf of Kutch. Scientific and Heritage awareness now is an important field in the CSR. "Tare Zameen Par" has an excellent portfolio to get register at the "Social Stock Exchange" for getting fund support from the CSR and other sources. 

Adar Poonawalla :

Similarly, Adar Poonawalla, is a brand name which has shown how to keep city clean and provide free of cost clean drinking water. The water ATM is dispensing and supporting society in far excellent way. The Pune experiment under Mr Krishnan Komandur, who is the CEO of Adar Poonawalla has become successful. This needs expansion in major cities. This is now privately funded. It needs one or two more innovation in the pipe line. "Adar Poonawalla" can also register at the "Social Stock Exchange" and can move with strong funding support to other areas where Pune Model is required. This scheme shall fail if this project, appoints "franchisee" in other city. It has to retain the same Pune image without any franchisee support. The only bottleneck, what it obstructs for moving to another areas, is funding. This project has earned good portfolio. Enormous funding opportunities are waiting at the Social Stock Exchange. This project should register at the Social Stock Exchange. It has an excellent port folio. 

Bal Raksha Bharat :

I shall be failing in duty,  if I do not mention Ms. Yasmin Riaz. The Director Resource Mobilization, Bal Raksha Bharat. Her excellent humbleness has attracted me. She is more humble, with her excellent job in Child Care under the banner of Bal Raksha Bharat. This is working in several states of India and have impacted the lives of more than 14 million children. This is again an excellent portfolio. Rather than asking for donation from here and there, what I advise adopt funding support from the "Social Stock Exchange". If the aim and purpose is purified. Trust me funding support is not a problem, for the Bal Raksha Bharat. The short documentary running in Hindi was the excellent documentary seen so far in the CSR Summit. This documentary in very short period of half a minute, has drenched the purpose of Bal Raksha Bharat. I watched it very minutely, when others took it lightly and failed to catch the punch line.  

Give-Grant :

Last but not the least, the NGO "Give-Grant", under Mr Sumit Tayal, who is the CEO, needs to do more homework with his team and keep  data update. Once, he placed, that the Social Impact Assessment Audit Report is not available in the public domain. This is wrong. The Social Impact Assessment Report is required to be made available at the entity website as well as submitted at the Stock Exchange and Company affairs with Annual Report, if entity under Social Stock Exchange or Company Affairs, whatever be. Such report is ultimately available to the public. This is basic commonsense on Law and Regulation dealing the Social Impact Assessment Audit. Lack of understanding is surprising!   Any violation attracts the  punishment further. Similarly, he missed on the exact data figure on the number of NGO's in India. I am just citing two examples. Others who were present here came up with similar opinion on poor data validation.  The data and reporting presented by him at summit is somewhere wrong and confusing. It needs more homework and soul searching, where this entity has done mistakes. He becomes nervous somewhere, when one Mr Upadhyaya  asked him on the growing problems of  corruption, while releasing the CSR funding. He skipped the question. Rather than skipping, he should have said that the new genre of Social Audit is taking care of the SDG 16th goal - that is eradication of corruption. In social projects - corruption is there. To eliminate corruption and book real impact, the Social Impact Assessment is done. And to meet this specific  complicated audit - we are here - the new breed of the Social Auditor.       

( The writer is a Pan India Practitioner on the "Social Impact Assessment Audit"; "Qualified Social Auditor" under SEBI Law - Company Act & Consultant Social Stock Exchange. He is  based at Delhi-NCR. He overlooked HR - CSR in previous MNC Company in India. Now he is engaged as Practitioner on the "Social Impact Assessment Audit" and provide consultation and training  to industries on the CSR Audit and Social Stock Exchange. He may be approached at:

birendrajha03@yahoo.com )