NEW DELHI (India CSR): Emphasising the need for outcome-driven responsible and accountable Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), Akhilesh Kumar Dixit, CEO, Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL), last week underscored that effective CSR implementation must begin with a deep understanding of ground-level realities. He was addressing the Roundtable on ‘Emerging Accountability Imperatives in the Context of Social Investment and Sustained Impact in India’, which also marked the launch of IMPETUS – the CSR Impact Assessment Initiative.
Highlighting critical gaps between intent and impact, Dixit noted that often CSR programmes fail to deliver expected outcomes in a sustained manner due to inadequate planning and insufficient post-implementation monitoring. “CSR projects must be designed around local challenges and realities. Without continuous monitoring, verification, and accountability, even well-funded initiatives risk delivering only partial results,” he added, citing instances where projects achieved barely 40 per cent of their intended impact despite ambitious targets.
He further stressed that long-term success of CSR interventions requires shared responsibility among all stakeholders, particularly state authorities, including support for operational expenditures and regular social audits to ensure benefits reach intended communities in a sustained manner.
The roundtable also witnessed the formal launch of IMPETUS, a joint initiative of FICCI and APITCO, aimed at strengthening impact assessment, transparency, and accountability in CSR programmes. IMPETUS is designed to support organisations in moving beyond input-based reporting towards credible, outcome-oriented and impact-led CSR narratives, fully aligned with regulatory requirements and global sustainability frameworks.
Speaking on the evolving CSR landscape, Vijay Sachdeva, Member, FICCI and Head – Risk Management & Internal Audit, Chambal Fertilizers & Chemicals Ltd observed that CSR in India has undergone a decisive shift—from being viewed largely as philanthropy to becoming a strategic lever for sustainable development, governance, and long-term value creation. He noted that CSR today is no longer assessed by the quantum of spend alone, but by the quality and measurability of outcomes delivered. This transition, he said, has placed impact assessment at the centre of modern CSR practice, enabling organisations to evaluate effectiveness, optimise resource deployment, and align social investments with business strategy, ESG commitments, and national priorities. Referring to the evolving regulatory framework under the Companies Act and subsequent amendments, he highlighted that mandatory impact assessment has further reinforced the need for credible, independent, and board-level evaluation of CSR initiatives.
Rajeev Mehra, Managing Director, APITCO Ltd., emphasised that impact assessment should be viewed not merely as a compliance requirement, but as a learning and decision-support tool. Drawing from APITCO’s extensive experience with PSUs across sectors, he highlighted that meaningful impact assessment brings clarity, strengthens credibility, and enables better deployment of resources across diverse geographies and stakeholder environments. He noted that the IMPETUS initiative creates a practical and collaborative platform for PSU and corporate leaders to share real-world experiences, address on-ground challenges, and adopt assessment approaches aligned with national development priorities. Stressing that the responsibility of CSR begins after spending, he underlined that understanding what truly works on the ground is essential for achieving sustained social outcomes.
Senior representatives from corporates, and leading institutions participated in the discussion, reinforcing the need for robust impact measurement frameworks that support responsible social investments, ESG integration, and long-term national development goals. The participation of Distinguished speakers included from Central Warehousing Corporation, Hindustan Urvarak & Rasayan Ltd., ITC Limited, Nesle India Ltd., Powergrid Corporation of India, Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL), Technip Energies Ltd., VMC Management Consulting, and Waaree Group, Among others. The IMPETUS initiative seeks to enable companies to institutionalise impact assessment as a strategic tool—strengthening governance, enhancing credibility, and ensuring that CSR investments deliver measurable and meaningful social outcomes.
(India CSR)
