CSR In India: The Governing Policy Frame-Work and Its Consequent Corporate Spending and Composition

Abstract

Over the past few years CSR, as a concept, has been the focus of many deliberations and research. It has grown in importance both academically as well as in the business sense. It captures a spectrum of values and criteria for measuring a company’s contribution to social development. As the term “CSR†is used continually, many complementary and overlapping concepts, such as corporate citizenship, business ethics, stakeholder management and sustainability, have emerged. These extensive ranges of synonymously used terms indicate that multiple perspectives and by those in facilitating roles such as the corporate sector, government agencies, academics and the public sector. The PSUs are intensely involved in CSR activities than Private Companies but as Private Companies are larger chunk of stock listed companies in India, their cumulative financial muscle is much stronger than PSUs to contribute in CSR activities and still a substantial potential exist for Private Companies to increase their CSR contributions. To fill this unrealised financial potential of Private Companies and also of PSUs for CSR and for ensuring their responsible business behaviour to cast a significant impact on all stakeholders, the enactment of Companies Bill 2012, clause 135, for mandatory spending 2% of their average three years Profit After Tax (PAT) on CSR is rational and necessary otherwise the gap cannot be filled up.