The BRICS Chamber of Commerce & Industry in association with BGJC & Associates LLP organised a Round Table on “CSR Planning, Implementation & Impact Assessment” on December 18, 2020.
The Discussion was concluded by the closing remarks by Sameep Shastri, Vice Chairman BRICS CCI, who said, ‘Promoting sense of social investment is just as important as being socially responsible itself. BRICS CCI will ensure more such sustainability initiatives that will help the policy makers understand the shared objectives of CSR and towards making world a better place.’
The Round Table Discussion highlighted the relevance and importance of Corporate social responsibility (CSR) along with the multi-dimensional approach for CSR assessment to ensure the sustainability of life and business in the future.
he event witnessed the presence of the esteemed speakers like Dr Bharat Lal Meena, Director, Senior Citizen, Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment, Government of India; Dr Veerendra Mishra, Director, National Institute of Social Defence, Government of India; Amal Sinha, CEO, BSES Rajdhani Power Ltd; Pradeep Tandon, President, Jindal Steel & Power Ltd; Prosenjit Datta, Editor in chief, Prosaic View and Former Editor, Business Today; Darshan Chhajer, Partner, BGJC & Associates LLP.
The whole event was moderated by Sushmita Singha, Corporate Advisor, BGJC & Associates LLP and Advisor with BRICS Chamber of Commerce & Industry.
The Discussion was inaugurated with the welcome remarks of Sushmita Singha, who said ‘The spending on CSR is Rs 100, 000 Crore in last 5 years and are being strongly spent by the top Corporates (Ministry of Corporate Affairs Report). Hence, the table will discuss different aspects of CSR Assessment studies and envisaged results of its impacts and implementation strategies.’
Pradeep Tandon said ‘Making a CSR strategy comes with risk. It is imperative to make a balance with the local administration occupying continuous innovation and masses at large for the agenda development. All the employees should act as the ambassadors of change.’
Dr Veerendra Mishra said ‘It is important to prioritize right partners who are passionate about this subject for the CSR implementation through a transparent process.’
Darshan Chajjer said ‘Impact Assessment requires specialised team including people who have high Emotional Quotient (EQ) and understand the qualitative aspect and overall impact. It is important to have EMPATHY for this kind of work.’
Dr Bharat Lal Meena said ‘We cannot consider every senior citizen as a liability. It is the need of the hour to provide opportunities to all the senior citizens through various health services and welfare activities.’
Dr Amal Sinha said ‘In the times of COVID 19 Pandemic, CSR can act as a powerful tool where funds can be used and donated for the betterment of the society. In the wake of COVID 19, BSES donated Ambulances, PPE kits and other health supplies to the Government of Delhi. In addition to this, various community initiatives were carried like distribution of food & dry rations, e-tablets to the government schools etc.’
Prosenjit Datta said ‘It is a major mistake to scatter money in multiple projects and resultantly, a lot of resources remain significantly unutilised. It is important to focus on one thing at a time in order to maximize the efficiency for a longer-run.’
The Platform was then opened for discussion among the esteemed panellists and forum at large. The discussion focussed on analysing long-term impacts and sustainability of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and the necessity of adherence to an active CSR policy and how this may be facilitated was stressed.
