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No. 11 /RN/Ref./2013
For the use of Members of Parliament Not for Publication

Corporate Social Responsibility

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------The reference material is for personal use of the Members in the discharge of their Parliamentary duties, and is not for publication. This Service is not to be quoted as the source of the information as it is based on the sources indicated at the end/in the text. This Service does not accept any responsibility for the accuracy or veracity of the information or views contained in the note/collection.

Corporate Social Responsibility

The 21st century is characterized by unprecedented challenges and opportunities, arising from globalization, the desire for inclusive development and the imperatives of climate change. Indian business, which is today viewed globally as a responsible component of the ascendancy of India, is poised now to take on a leadership role in the challenges of our times. It is recognized the world over that integrating social, environmental and ethical responsibilities into the governance of businesses ensures their long term success, competitiveness and sustainability. This approach also reaffirms the view that businesses are an integral part of society, and have a critical and active role to play in the sustenance and improvement of healthy ecosystems, in fostering social inclusiveness and equity, and in upholding the essentials of ethical practices and good governance. This also makes business sense as companies with effective CSR, have image of socially responsible companies, achieve sustainable growth in their operations in the long run and their products and services are preferred by the customers. Indian entrepreneurs and business enterprises have a long tradition of working within the values that have defined our nation's character for millennia. India's ancient wisdom, which is still relevant today, inspires people to work for the larger objective of the well-being of all stakeholders. These sound and all-encompassing values are even more relevant in current times, as organizations grapple with the challenges of modern-day enterprise, the aspirations of stakeholders and of citizens eager to be active participants in economic growth and development1. The idea of CSR first came up in 1953 when it became an academic topic in HR Bowens Social Responsibilities of the Business. Since then, there has been

continuous debate on the concept and its implementation. Although the idea has been around for more than half a century, there is still no clear consensus over its definition. One of the most contemporary definitions is from the World Bank Group, stating, Corporate social responsibility is the commitment of businesses to contribute to sustainable economic development by working with employees, their families, the local
1

India, Ministry of Corporate Affairs, Corporate Social Responsibility Voluntary Guidelines 2009

-2community and society at large, to improve their lives in ways that are good for business and for development.2

Corporate Social Responsibility Voluntary Guidelines 2009 In order to assist the businesses to adopt responsible governance practices, the Ministry of Corporate Affairs has prepared a set of voluntary guidelines which indicate some of the core elements that businesses need to focus on while conducting their affairs. These guidelines have been prepared after taking into account the governance challenges faced in our country as well as the expectations of the society. The valuable suggestions received from trade and industry chambers, experts and other stakeholders along with the internationally prevalent and practiced guidelines, norms and standards in the area of Corporate Social Responsibility have also been taken into account while drafting these guidelines3.

Fundamental Principle: Each business entity should formulate a CSR policy to guide its strategic planning and provide a roadmap for its CSR initiatives, which should be an integral part of overall business policy and aligned with its business goals. The policy should be framed with the participation of various level executives and should be approved by the Board. Core Elements: The CSR Policy should normally cover following core elements:

1. Care for all Stakeholders: The companies should respect the interests of, and be responsive towards all stakeholders, including shareholders, employees, customers, suppliers, project affected people, society at large etc. and create value for all of them. They should develop mechanism to actively engage with all stakeholders, inform them of inherent risks and mitigate them where they occur.
2 3

The Challenges of Social Corporate Social Responsibility: Facts for You, May 2013, pp. 38-39 India, Ministry of Corporate Affairs, Corporate Social Responsibility Voluntary Guidelines 2009

-32. Ethical functioning: Their governance systems should be underpinned by Ethics, Transparency and Accountability. They should not engage in business practices that are abusive, unfair, corrupt or anti-competitive. 3. Respect for Workers' Rights and Welfare: Companies should provide a workplace environment that is safe, hygienic and humane and which upholds the dignity of employees. They should provide all employees with access to training and development of necessary skills for career advancement, on an equal and non-discriminatory basis. They should uphold the freedom of association and the effective recognition of the right to collective bargaining of labour, have an effective grievance redressal system, should not employ child or forced labour and provide and maintain equality of opportunities without any discrimination on any grounds in recruitment and during employment. 4. Respect for Human Rights: Companies should respect human rights for all and avoid complicity with human rights abuses by them or by third party4. 5. Respect for Environment: Companies should take measures to check and prevent pollution; recycle, manage and reduce waste, should manage natural resources in a sustainable manner and ensure optimal use of resources like land and water, should proactively respond to the challenges of climate change by adopting cleaner production methods, promoting efficient use of energy and environment friendly technologies. 6. Activities for Social and Inclusive Development: Depending upon their core competency and business interest, companies should undertake activities for economic and social development of communities and geographical areas, particularly in the vicinity of their operations. These could include:

Ibid

-4education, skill building for livelihood of people, health, cultural and social welfare etc., particularly targeting at disadvantaged sections of society. Implementation Guidance: 1. The CSR policy of the business entity should provide for an implementation strategy which should include identification of projects/activities, setting measurable physical targets with timeframe, organizational mechanism and responsibilities, time schedules and monitoring. Companies may partner with local authorities, business associations and civil society/non-government organizations. They may influence the supply chain for CSR initiative and motivate employees for voluntary effort for social development. They may evolve a system of need assessment and impact assessment while undertaking CSR activities in a particular area. Independent evaluation may also be undertaken for selected projects/activities from time to time. 2. Companies should allocate specific amount in their budgets for CSR activities. This amount may be related to profits after tax, cost of planned CSR activities or any other suitable parameter. 3. To share experiences and network with other organizations the company should engage with well established and recognized programmes/platforms which encourage responsible business practices and CSR activities. This would help companies to improve on their CSR strategies and effectively project the image of being socially responsible. 4. The companies should disseminate information on CSR policy, activities and progress in a structured manner to all their stakeholders and the public at large through their website, annual reports, and other communication media5.

Provision for CSR in Companies Bill 2012 Till date it is very difficult exercise to analyze the spending of CSR by various firms and private companies and such information is not maintained at government level, even

Ibid

-5among the top 100 firms by revenue, there are many who dont report their CSR spends or even declare the social causes they support, that is because they are not required to do so by law and no provisions for CSR exists in the Companies Act, 1956 so currently the Ministry does not maintain such details. But all that will change when the new Companies Bill, 2012 (which has already been passed by the Lok Sabha) becomes a law6. The Companies Bill, 2012 incorporates a provision of CSR under Clause 135 which states that every company having net worth Rs. 500 crore or more, or a turnover of Rs. 1000 crore or more or a net profit of rupees five crore or more during any financial year, shall constitute a CSR Committee of the Board consisting of three or more Directors, including at least one Independent Director, to recommend activities for discharging corporate social responsibilities in such a manner that the company would spend at least 2 per cent of its average net profits of the previous three years on specified CSR activities. It is proposed to have detailed rules after passing of Companies Bill 2012 by Rajya Sabha to give effect to this provision7. According to Schedule-VII of Companies Bill, 2012 the following activities can be included by companies in their CSR Policies:(i) (ii) (iii) (iv) (v) eradicating extreme hunger and poverty; promotion of education; promoting gender equality and empowering women; reducing child mortality and improving maternal health; combating human immunodeficiency virus, acquired immune deficiency syndrome, malaria and other diseases; ensuring environmental sustainability; employment enhancing vocational skills; social business projects; contribution to the Prime Ministers National Relief Fund or any other fund set by the Central Government or the State Governments for socio-economic development

(vi) (vii) (viii) (ix)

6 7

CSR Report Card: Where Companies Stand - Forbes India Magazine dated 18.3.2013 Rajya Sabha Unstarred Question No. 2986 dated 22.4.2013

-6and relief and funds for the welfare of the Scheduled Caste, the Scheduled Tribes, other backward classes, minorities and women; and (x) such other matters as may be prescribed8. The Companies Bill, 2012, Clause 135 also provides for constitution of a CSR Committee of the Board. The CSR Committee is required to; (a) formulate and recommend to the Board, a CSR Policy which shall indicate the activities to be undertaken by the company as specified in Schedule VII; recommend the amount of expenditure to be incurred on the activities referred to in clause (a); and monitor the Corporate Social Responsibility Policy of the company from time to time. The format for disclosure of CSR policy and the activities therein as part of Boards report will be prescribed in the rules once the Bill is enacted9.

(b)

(c)

(d)

The data pack compiled by CSR identity.com together with Forbes India is revealing to some extent how much each company will have to fork out on CSR when they will bound by law and their actual spending for the financial year 2012. The data is given in Annexure I10.

Guidelines on CSR for Public Enterprises The Department of Public Enterprises had issued Guidelines on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) for CPSEs in April, 2010 which have been issued formally to the Ministries/Departments for compliance in the Central Public Sector Enterprises (CPSEs) under their administrative control. Following are the salient features of guidelines on CSR & Sustainability: (i) Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainability is a companys commitment to its stakeholders to conduct business in an economically, socially and environmentally sustainable manner that is transparent and ethical.

8 9

Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 4113 dated 21.3.2013 Lok Sabha Starred Question No. 153 dated 7.3.2013 10 CSR Report Card: Where Companies Stand - Forbes India Magazine dated 18.3.2013

-7(ii) In the revised guidelines, CSR and Sustainability agenda is perceived to be equally applicable to external and internal stakeholders, including the employees of a company, and a companys corporate social responsibility is expected to cover even its routine business operations and activities. CPSEs are expected to formulate their policies with a balanced emphasis on all aspects of CSR and Sustainability equally with regard to their internal operations, activities and processes, as well as in their response to externalities11. (iii) In the revised guidelines CSR and Sustainable Development have been clubbed together in one set of guidelines for CSR and Sustainability because of close linkage between the two concepts. (iv) Public Sector enterprises are required to have a CSR and Sustainability policy approved by their respective Boards of Directors. The CSR and Sustainability

activities undertaken by them under such a policy should also have the approval/ratification of their Boards. Within the ambit of these guidelines, it is the discretion of the Board of Directors of CPSEs to decide on the CSR and Sustainability activities to be undertaken. (v) The financial component/budgetary spend on CSR and Sustainability will be based on the profitability of the company and shall be determined by the Profit After Tax (PAT) on the company in the previous year. PAT of CPSES in the Previous year Range of the Budgetary allocation for CSR and Sustainability activities (as % of PAT in previous year) 3%-5% 2%-3% 1%-2%

(i)

Less than Rs. 100 crore

(ii) Rs. 100 crore to Rs. 500 crore (iii) Rs. 500 crore and above

All CPSEs shall strive to maximize their spending on CSR and Sustainability activities and move towards the higher end of their slabs of budget allocation.

11

Rajya Sabha Starred Question No. 202 dated 12.3.2013

-8(vi) Loss making companies are not mandated to earmark specific funding for CSR and Sustainability activities. However, they must pursue CSR and Sustainability policies by integrating them with their business plans, strategies and processes, which do not involve any financial expenditure. They may also collaborate with the profit making CPSEs and assist them in ingenious ways without financial support in CSR and Sustainability activities12. (vii) Mandatory compliance with legal requirement/rules/regulations/laws in letter and in spirit will be covered under CSR and Sustainability activity. However, expenditure on such activities would not be covered by CSRs financial component and would be considered as mainstream business spend. (viii) The unutilized budget for CSR activities planned for a year will not lapse and will, instead, be carried forward to the next year. However, the CPSEs will have to disclose the reasons for not fully utilising the budget allocated for CSR and Sustainability activities planned for each year. The unspent amount will have to be spend within the next two financial years, failing which, it would be transferred to a Sustainability Fund to be created separately for CSR and Sustainability activities. (ix) From amongst these beneficiaries of CSR and Sustainability spend (financial component) of a company, the stakeholders directly impacted by its operations and activities can rightfully stake a claim for attention before others. Such stakeholders are generally located in the periphery of commercial operations of a company. The corporate social responsibility of a company towards these stakeholders extends beyond its legal obligation to compensate for, and ameliorate the impact of its commercial activities. For this reason, CPSEs must accord priority to these

stakeholders and undertake CSR and Sustainability projects in the periphery of its commercial operations on priority. (x) CPSEs are expected to take initiative to promote welfare of employees and labour by addressing their concerns of safety, security, professional enrichment and

12

Ibid

-9healthy working conditions, whether mandated or otherwise. However, expenditure on mandated activities cannot qualify for CSRs financial components13. (xi) Although CPSEs may select their CSR and Sustainability projects from a vast range of available options, priority should be accorded to activities pertaining to (i) inclusive growth of society, with special attention to the development of weaker sections of society and the backward districts of the country, and (ii) environment sustainability. CSR and Sustainability initiatives should focus on capacity building, skill development and infrastructural development for the benefit of the marginalised and under privileged sections of the local communities and also in the backward regions so that avenues are created for their employment and income generation, and they also experience empowerment and inclusion in the economic mainstream. Weaker sections would include SC, ST, OBC, minorities, women and children, BPL families, old and aged, physically challenged, etc. (xii) It is mandatory for CPSEs to take up at least one major project for development of a backward district as identified by the Planning Commission for its Backward Region Grand Fund (BRGF) Scheme, and one major project for environment sustainability. For Maharatna CPSEs, it is mandatory to take up one more major project in either of the two categories. (xiii) A Board level committee headed by either the Chairman and / or Managing Director, on an Independent Director would assist the Board of Directors to formulate CSR and Sustainability policies and oversee the implementation of CSR and Sustainability projects/activities by the CPSE. (xiv) There is emphasis on internalizing the philosophy and spirit of CSR and Sustainability within the organizational culture and ethos. The philosophy and spirit of corporate social responsibility and sustainability should get embedded in the core values of all the CPSEs, be imbibed by the employees at all levels and it should permeate into all the activities, processes, operations and transactions of the enterprise. Corporate enterprises professing t behave responsibly are expected to

13

Ibid

-10produce goods and services that are safe and healthy for the consumers and the environment, with reduced cost to the company in the long run. (xv) 5 per cent of the annual budget for CSR and Sustainability activities has to be earmarked for Emergency needs, which would include relief work undertaken during natural calamities/disasters, and contributions towards Prime Ministers / Chief Ministers Relief Funds. (xvi) Ethical conduct of business lies at the core of responsible business. To promote organizational integrity it is essential that premium is placed on individual probity of employees; transparency in all activities, dealing and transactions is encouraged; unethical, corrupt and anti-competition practices are discouraged temptation of quick returns and marginal gains in business through questionable means is resisted; and, position and situations that give rise to possible conflict of interest are avoided. (xvii) Sustainability reporting and disclosure of all CSR and Sustainability activities undertaken by a CPSE is mandatory. By reporting transparently and with

accountability, public sector companies can gain and reinforce the thrust of the stakeholders. This, in turn, would provide a powerful stimulus to their CSR and Sustainability policies and agenda, and motivate them to pursue them with greater vigour14. As per the above guidelines on CSR issued by the Department of Public Enterprises (DPE) in April, 2010, all profit making Central Public Sector Enterprises (CPSEs), including Maharatna CPSEs are required to select CSR activities which are aligned with their Business strategy and to undertake them in a project mode. CPSEs are mandated to spend their funds on CSR projects selected by them with the approval of their respective Boards. All profit making CPSEs are required to allocate budget mandatorily through a Board Resolution as percentage of net profit (previous year) in the following manner:

14

Ibid

-11PAT of CPSES in the Previous year (i) Less than Rs. 100 crore Expenditure range of CSR in a Financial Year (% of profit) 3%-5% 2%-3% (subject to a Minimum of Rs. 3 Crore ) 0.5%-2%

(ii) Rs. 100 crore to Rs. 500 crore (iii) Rs. 500 crore and above

Loss making CPSEs are not mandated to earmark specific funding for CSR activities. CSR Budget is fixed for each financial year and this fund does not lapse. It is transferred to a CSR funds in which it accumulates. Implementation of CSR activities of CPSEs is monitored by the administrative Ministries/Departments of concerned CPSEs. States/UT/PSU-wise information of CSR work undertaken by the CPSEs, including Maharatna CPSEs and the number of persons benefited therefrom, is not maintained centrally in the Department of Public Enterprises. Information furnished by Maharatna and Navratna CPSEs on total funds allocated for CSR and the funds utilized for the year 201011 and 2011-12 is given in the Annexure-II. CPSEs are free to take up CSR Projects for upliftment of weaker sections and backward districts15.

Conclusion The exact provisions of the Companies Bill, 2012 are still being debated. Once the Bill is passed in Rajya Sabha, detailed rules would give effect to the provisions of voluntary guidelines issued in 2009 to Corporate Sector (Private Companies), then Companies would be bound by legal provisions to implement Corporate Social Responsibilities 16. In case of public sectors, revised guidelines on CSR and sustainability are being implemented from 1 April 2013, as a commitment of the CPSEs to their stakeholders to conduct business in an economically, socially and environmentally sustainable manner17.

15 16

Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 2881 dated 14.3.2013 CSR Report Card: Where Companies Stand - Forbes India Magazine dated 18.3.2013 17 Rajya Sabha Unstarred Question No. 202 dated 12.3.2013

-12Annexure-I Indias top companies are ranked 1-100 based on Net Sales for the Financial Year 2012 and their spending on CSR

-13-

-14-

-15Notable Work by Some Companies Ashok Leyland Operates a FunBus in Chennai and New Delhi. This bus, equipped with a hydraulic lift, takes differently abled children and those from orphanages and corporation primary schools on a days picnic. The company also runs AIDS awareness and pr evention programmes in its Hosur factories for about 3.5 lakh drivers. Axis Bank The Axis Bank Foundation runs Balwadis which are learning places for children living in large urban slum clusters. It also conducts skill development programmes (PREMA and Yuva Parivartan) in motor driving, welding, mobile repairing, tailoring etc, for the youth in backward districts. Bharat Petroleum Corporation Its rain water harvesting project Boond, in association with the Oil Industries Development Board, selects draught-stricken villages to turn them from water-scarce to water-positive. Some of BPCLs other social programmes include adoption of villages, prevention and care for HIV/AIDS and rural health care. Hindalco Industries Its CSR activities are concentrated in 692 villages and 12 urban slums, where it reaches out to about 26 lakh people. It has constructed check dams, ponds and bore wells to provide safe drinking water. In education, it awards scholarships to students from the rural schools it support. Its other interests include womens empowerment and health care, in which it treats patients in hospitals, runs medical camps and operates rural mobile medical van services. Indian Oil Corporation It runs the Indian Oil Foundation (IOF), a non-profit trust, which works for the preservation and promotion of the countrys heritage. IOCL also offers 150 sports scholarships every year to promising youngsters. Some of its other initiatives lie in the domains of clean drinking water, education, hospitals and health care.

-16Infosys The Infosys Science Foundation, set up in 2009, gives away the annual Infosys Prize to honour outstanding achievements in the fields of science and engineering. The company supports causes in health care, culture and rural development. In an interesting initiative undertaken by it, 100 school teachers in Karnataka, who were suffering from arthritis, underwent free surgery as a part of a week-long programme. Mahindra & Mahindra Nanhi Kali, a programme run by the KC Mahindra Education Trust, supports education of over 75,000 underprivileged girls. The trust has awarded grants and scholarships to 83,245 students so far. In vocational training, the Mahindra Pride School provides livelihood training to youth from socially and economically disadvantaged communities. M&M also works for causes related to environment, health care, sports and culture. Oil & Natural Gas Corporation It offers community-based health care services in rural areas through 30 Mobile Medicare Units (MMUs). The ONGC-Eastern Swamp Deer Conservation Project works to protect the rare species of Easter Swamp Deer at the Kaziranga National Park in Assam. ONGC also supports education and women empowerment. Tata Consultancy Services Its Computer Based Functional Literacy (CBFL) initiative for providing adult literacy has already benefitted 1.2 lakh people. The programme is available in nine Indian languages. Besides adult education, TCS also works in the areas of skill development, health care and agriculture. Tata Steel It comes out with the Human Development Index (HDI), a composite index of health, education and income levels, to assess the impact of its work in rural areas. Health care is one of its main concerns. The Tata Steel Rural Development Society aims to improve agricultural productivity and raise farmers standard of living.

-17Annexure-II TOP PSUs Spending on CSR Maharatna CPSEs

S. No. Name of the CPSE Year Total funds Funds utilized allocated for CSR for CSR (Rs. Crore) (Rs. Crore ) 262.28 152.33 553.33 131.11 95360 72.37 45.52 335.352 378.48 94.00 64.00 77.33 128.41 82.73 72.21 49.43 219.03 121.08 68.95 61.25

1.

Coal India Limited

2010-11 2011-12

2.

Indian Oil Corporation Limited

2010-11 2011-12

3.

National Thermal Power Corporation Limited

2010-11 2011-12

4.

Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Limited

2010-11 2011-12

5.

Steel Authority of India Limited

2010-11 2011-12

Navratna CPSEs
S. No. Name of the CPSE Year Total funds Funds utilized allocated for CSR for CSR (Rs. Crore) (Rs. Crore ) 2.74 2.08 2.25 21.55 30.05 22.00 7.73 69.54 (including carry forward amount of financial year 2009-10) 82.77 No specific allocation of money for CSR, as CSR Policy was notified formally during November 2010 5.00 2.36 4.30 4.87 18.23 7.76 63.91

1.

Bharat Electronics Limited

2010-11 2011-12

2.

Bharat Heavy Electrical Limited

2010-11 2011-12

3.

Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited

2010-11 2011-12

4.

GAIL (India) Limited

2010-11

2011-12 5. Hindustan Aeronautics Limited 2010-11

54.43 1.79

2011-12

5.81

-186. Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited 2010-11 2011-12 7. Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited 2010-11 2011-12 8. National Aluminum company Limited 2010-11 2011-12 9. NDMD Limited 2010-11 2011-12 10. Neyveli Lignite Corporation Limited 2010-11 2011-12 11. Oil India Limited 2010-11 2011-12 12. Power Finance Corporation Limited 2010-11 2011-12 13. Power Grid Corporation of India Limited 2010-11 2011-12 14. Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Limited 2010-11 2011-12 15. Rural Electrification Corporation Limited 2010-11 2011-12 16. Shipping Corporation of India Limited 2010-11 15.00 30.78 Since MTNL is in losses, no specific allotment is made under CSR Head 26.77 34.22 81.56 80.13 12.47 13.00 25.00 50.00 11.89 13.24 20.41 13.48 15.40 12.00 5.10 12.85 3.77 20.10 26.54 -

26.77 34.22 62.23 86.72 13.23 16.14 29.40 50.19 8.91 13.27 15.58 24.93 11.73 10.62 1.38 12.99 5.84 including the balance carry forwarded from the previous year 5.84

2011-12

5.67

Source: Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 2881 dated 14.3.2013