H C Katoch
A National Convention on Corporate Social Responsibility was held at Ram Bhau Mhalgi Prbhodhani,Mumbai, Maharastra on15-16 Feb.2014,which was inaugurated by Shri Manohar Parikh, Honb’le Chief Minister of GOA. The summit invited NGOs from all over the country along with the Corporate representatives to interact for building relationship for implementation of schemes aimed at bringing about a change in the current social situation in India in order to have an effective and lasting solution to the social woes. Over two hundred delegates participated and our state was represented by four Voluntary Organisations viz. SEEAS, PEACE, NITCO and JKWWS. It was an extremely useful to the NGO participants as they were face to face with the Corporate Sector for developing relationship.
This National Summit was important as it focused on the two partners i.e. NGOs and Corporate Sector. The later becomes the funding agency and the NGOs as facilitating the implementation of the vision of these two partners for the society. We know how the hassle in the Govt. funding discourages the voluntary sector in achieving the objectives. As such this opportunity was a welcome for voluntary sector.
It is interesting to note that according to Indian Institute of Corporate Affairs, a minimum of 6000 Indian Companies will be required to undertake CSR projects in order to comply with the provisions of the Companies Act, 2013. Companies will spend almost Rs. 20,000 crores as estimated in the different activities as stated in clause-135 of Companies bill 2013. This contribution will be mandatory for the Corporate Sector from April 2014.This provides a very big platform for undertaking social and economic activities for the needy through NGO sector. All such NGOs those synchronies with the objectives of the Corporate Houses will fit in well to implement schemes that will contribute meaningfully to the society. This collaboration will become a future policy independent of Government intervention and shall give free play for bigger social role.
Certain facts surfaced during interaction with the Corporate sector that they have been playing their role independently. Their spending on social responsibility is channeled through their own schemes financed by their own trusts, which directly or indirectly are assisting the people/workers or the community connected with them. They consider this to be the discharge of their social responsibility.
The Banking sector, too, does not involve the NGOs for discharging their social responsibility. In fact, they, too, try to build their own channel which is not their legitimate role. In case of NABARD finances, paper work is very exhaustive and cumbersome and discourages the small NGOs to step in for implementation of their schemes. It treats the NGOs as their subordinates working on their pay roll. I have been receiving the feedback from our members about their problems connected with the attitude of the funding agencies.
Our society is composed of all types of human beings with different approaches towards leading life and where there is greed there is bad outcome. This applies in every sector whether it is Government, Private, Corporate or NGOs. For development of Society, while conceiving schemes it is essential to incorporate social moral and ethical values in approach and efforts. This summit deliberated in length only material well being. All the NGOs that displayed their achievements reflected their efforts directed towards making life comfortable through material advancement relieving from physical woes and there was no element of building such amicable society by way of commotion. Present time have taken away the emotions from our lives and made us the slaves of material gains. The role of NGO sector for building relationship with Corporate Sector needs to add the ethos in their schemes to build a healthy society.
In J&K State some NGOs are implementing schemes like 1. Children Education 2. Save the girl Child 3. Rural Development & 4.Energy Conservation etc funded by International Organisations. In case of State and central funding the NGOs have covered Handicrafts, Handlooms and Rural Tourism etc. The plight of the NGOs for receiving funds from the Government Departments is very visible from the fact that administrative hassles have always come in the way leading to inordinate delays in implementation of the schemes. Not only this, the procedural steps become a hindrance even to forward the proposals to donor agencies by the State Government. There is lack of trust between the funding Agencies and the Voluntary Sector.
To overcome these hurdles, the Government should also follow the pattern of the Corporate Sector and join hands with NGOs in formulation of the schemes or projects and become a party for conceiving the projects rather than sitting on judgment over the working of the NGOs. We have the experience that SHGs formed by the Government Departments mostly fade away after sometime, but when NGOs enter this area, they provide them market too.
We have a sad experience that Women development Corporation headed by a lady Managing Director tried very hard to rope in NGOs and weaker sections of the society to supply jute bags to the Shrine Board, but her efforts could get a very meager share of the total demand. The insensitive system has deprived her of the efforts till now. When we see Tirupati Bala ji, about twenty villages in the vicinity of the shrine are engaged in supplying the items that are required by the devotees. Here we are getting supplies from the traders outside the state who are in the profit making business. Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board is attracting donations from all over the country, but its share is not being ploughed back to communities living under her shade. Will the Board consider this option of generating employment and thereby empowering the women of the area? Have the public representatives of the area ever conceived this? The NGOs are at work, but with little success as there is no support in their efforts from those who matter whether in the Government, Shrine Board or the public representatives. In fact this Board should be broad based and the stakeholders should form part of this so as to achieve the desired objectives.
The NGO sector needs effective joining hands. The Corporate sector is earning from the society and needs to pay back to the society. The government, too, needs to associate NGOs representatives and hold summits or workshops to effectively understand the functioning of NGOs role and responsibility. The fundingGovernment departments need to be sensitized and involved not to oversee, but to collaborate effectively with the NGOs. Some Apex level body needs to be constituted where NGOs representatives are also made party to the decisions for formulation and implementation of the social upliftment schemes. This voluntary sector is deeply connected with the community in both rural and urban areas. The implementation part is more successfully taken care by the voluntary organization as compared to the government machinery and that is why the role of NGOs comes. In fact, the birth of NGOs is based on this concept. Let us understand how best we can utilize this institution.
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