Discussin on CSR

Updated on: Friday, April 06, 2012

The Institute of Leadership, Entrepreneurship & Development (iLEAD), Rotary Club of Salt Lake Metropolitan Kolkata, Riverside Management Academy of Kolkata and AIDIAS Consulting Group joined hands together on March 23 at the iLead campus to organise a panel discussion on a critical question: For Corporates, is Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) a compulsion or an intention?

Dilip Kr Sinha, vice chancellor of Calcutta University and Vishva-Bharati University, was one of the panelists and also the moderator for the evening. The introductory speech delivered by Dipak Pramanik, member of the Rotary Club formally opened the discussion and was followed by a speech by Pradeep Chopra, chairman of iLead.

Professor A K Bhattacharya, founder of Riverside Management Academy, said, “CSR is being done without the outcome and therefore, it does not fit in core functioning of the organisational rules. It is mandatory to invest the 2 per cent of one’s profit for CSR as declared by the government, and if sustainability and responsibility is derived from it then it should be a compulsion.
Dr S K Dutta, Seva Medal Winner in the Indian Army and Rt Lt General, said, “There are three approaches in business, consisting of social philanthropic approach, incorporation of CSR strategy into business and creating shared value approach. These three have to suitably juxtapose for the CSR to prevail.”

Mamta Binani, All India First in Civil Services, and trainer at ICICI Bank, who believed in the ‘carrot and stick’ policy said, “CSR is nothing different from social responsibility. People don’t work unless profit is gained. One should sensitise the people and make it compulsory to spread awareness.”

Dr Arti Nandi, alumnus of Presidency College, PhD in Geography and consultant on social development and social studies, proved her point by a presentation of the Coal Industry, revealing how the people in this industry spend a stipulated amount on CSR.

Dr S K Basu, chairman, Bank of Maharashtra and Dept Chairman of the Indian Banks Association, who said, “Unless there is compulsion, there is no intension. And compulsion later has its way of changing into intension. And history is a witness that social responsibility does not start in a corporate level, but it’s time we should make a difference.”

Discussin on CSR

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