—Contributed by Veera F Mavalwala

What is Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)? A lot of persons have asked me this question. Let me explain the different aspects of CSR – All of us work for OURSELVES or our siblings, enjoy life for OURSELVES and do whatever is necessary to make OUR old age happy and comfortable. Have we thought of how – OTHERS – the not-so-fortunate people out there – probably millions – spend each day of their lives, their youth, their middle age and their old age? If we as Corporates can do something to make their youth, their middle age and their old age happier and more fruitful – that is Corporate Social Responsibility!

A very glaring example of CSR is that of the Tata Group of Companies – who built Jamshedpur and its infrastructure ONLY FOR THE BENEFIT of their employees and their families – they built schools, hospitals, training centers and housing complexes.

Tata Steel is one of the few Indian companies to be invited to join the UN-sponsored Global Compact. It has also been conferred the prestigious Global Business Coalition Award (GBC) for Business Excellence in the Community in view of its outstanding work in the field of HIV / AIDS awareness. Some of the Awards they have received for CSR are:
· The Betz Dearborn Environment Partnership Award.
· The CII-Exim Award for Business Excellence, 2000.
· The JRD QV Award, 2000.
· The Outstanding Corporate Citizen Award from The Economic Times.
· The Tata Steel Rural Development Society has won the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry award for Rural Initiatives three times.
· The company has won the National Energy Conservation Award for three consecutive years from the ministry of power, government of India.
· The Corporate Social Responsiveness Award from Business World and Compaq.
(Source: Tata Steel : Profile)

Another example of CSR is the E-Choupal initiative undertaken by ITC. Through the e-Choupal initiative, ITC aims to confer the power of expert knowledge on even the smallest individual farmer. Thus enhancing his competitiveness in the global market.

In the words of Mohanbir Sawhney, McCormick Tribune Professor of Technology, Kellogg School of Management, USA :
” A quiet digital revolution is reshaping the lives of farmers in remote Indian villages.
In these villages, farmers grow soyabeans, wheat and coffee in small plots of land, as they have for thousands of years. A typical village has no reliable electricity and has antiquated telephone lines. The farmers are largely illiterate and have never seen a computer. But farmers in these villages are conducting e-business through an initiative called e-Choupal, created by ITC, one of India’s largest consumer product and agribusiness companies.”
This is Corporate Social Responsibility!

Electrolux, under the able guidance of Mr Rajeev Karwal, the erstwhile MD, had also started a CSR Programme – Femme Force – a Self-defense Training Programme for Women. Over 600 women were trained with the basics of defending themselves in Delhi, NCR and Mumbai. The ladies – ranging from 16 to 65 – after completing the 4-day Programme – were more confident of facing any untoward incident. In fact, one such student wrote an e-mail – “Yesterday, I got chance to use the training – last night while returning from office I made complete use of the training. The man (an Army Captain) will never do anything like that in his whole life. I am more confident now.”
This, I believe is another aspect of CSR!