In 2014-15, around Rs 344 crore has been allocated by all these corporate houses towards CSR activities, an official statement said.
BHUBANESWAR: To bridge the gap in priority sectors of development, Odisha government Saturday initiated a proposal for institutionalisation of CSR funds and projects of corporate houses operating in the state.
The proposal was discussed in a meeting chaired by Chief Secretary A P Padhi who asked the industry department to prepare a data base of the industries and corporate houses that come under the orbit of CSR regulations and identify the areas of converged action. Development Commissioner R Balakrishnan suggested the department to look into various models and practices followed in different parts of the country and suggest the model most suitable for Odisha.
Industries Secretary Sanjiv Chopra said, “As per preliminary calculation, there are near about 287 corporate houses who are taking up CSR activity through their own agencies”. In 2014-15, around Rs 344 crore has been allocated by all these corporate houses towards CSR activities, an official statement said. However, the fund allocation and spending pattern show substantial disparity among the districts in availing CSR projects, the meeting felt.
While around 10 districts have received 90 per cent of the CSR resources, some have been left out. Many of the CSR projects also fail to have any countable contribution towards priority sectors of the state’s development agenda.
Most of the members emphasised on formation of a CSR council for an effective planning and implementation of CSR interventions, the statement said.
(PTI)
