Anandiben’s clarion call to firms to focus on CSR

In the book, the CSR initiatives executed by the 11 corporates in Gujarat have been analysed using a qualitative framework. It also discusses the events in the economic, social and political history of the world to give an understanding of the rise and evolution of CSR. “Lot of work is being done in the sector of CSR. But there has been lack of documentation. And, hence there has been lack of analysis to give it a further direction,” said Sahu, adding, “They had written to some 70 corporates to provide the data on CSR. Some 17 had made available the data for the case study. They selected 11 cases, which provided the full data’’. While Sahu, who has handled couple of editions of Gujarat Government’s flagship event — Vibrant Gujarat Global Investors Summit before retirement in 2014, Mohanty with an M.Phil degree in International Political Economy, is employed with The Energy and Research Institute (IERI) as a research fellow.

Patel also agreed that though in education sector the government has done a lot to improve the standard, but still there is a long way to go. Replying to a suggestion made by a member of an NGO on lack of staff at anganwadis, Patel said, “The government is aware of it. And, it has initiated steps to address the same. But building classes were priority so far. Besides, by removing years of improper appointments done on favoritism and secondly, by recruiting eligible persons’’.

At present there are some one lakh caretakers available against some 50,000 anganwadis.

Patel further said, “What has been done so far in CSR is patchwork. It should be rather a tool that can improve the standard of any situation or place. That is why my government has decided to focus on it’’. Furthermore, she said, “We adopt villages. We give computers. We build classrooms. But how many villages have been effectively changed. Many of you, like me, have rural background. But how many of us changed our own village?’’

She also urged corporates to spend their reserved CSR amount on particular task, rather distributing it among various projects. “With the same vision, my government has decided to focus for next three years on constructing toilets, setting automated kitchens for anganwadis and eradicate malnutrition’’.

She urged corporates to take up the CSR as a campaign, which needs to be followed till its completion.