CSR--Need for an Exit Route

In the evening I attended the program on Corporate Social Responsibility conducted by the Hindustan Chamber of Commerce. I am on the CSR Committee and therefore attendance was a must. The speaker was Mr. Thomas T Abraham, Special Director—Corporate Communications with Ashok Leyland. He had a set of PowerPoint slides that analysed the key issues to be considered by Corporate Houses intended to make forays into CSR. He deplored the tendency of Company Management to treat CSR as a Photo Opportunity.

He suggested that CSR should be committed and sustained to do any good. He also, rightly pointed out the need for negotiating a clearly defined exit route before entering into community based CSR. He gave an example from his own experience whjile with MICO in Bangalore. MICO had taken over a project from “another company”. The earlier funder had conceived a project for rehabilitating cured lepers involved building houses for them. Their main sustenance came from their cattle so the beautifully designed houses provided for cattle shed in the rear. But after construction the community refused to move in. This was because the houses were on a slightly steep incline and the donees found it tough to take the cattle al the way up!

After MICO took over, they convinced the community to move helped them to rehabilitate and finally walked out after making the community a self sustaining one.

An interesting and informative talk.