Corruption in CSR: Inputs on Issues

CSR is an advertisement Gimmick discovered by the clever corporate lobby fooling the government machinery and utilising government money to improve their profit. True, some companies do CSR in an exemplary manner. The money earmarked for CSR is genuinely taxable income and has to be collected by the government into a corpus fund and to be utilised by the government in a transparent manner. Now the companies are allowed to devise plans for utilisation and they use it for their advertisement only by some activity devised by them in the guise of a CSR, which is cleverly projected as a social security initiative. It could be a liquor manufacture starting liver transplant facility and displaying that “we take care of your liver” If at all the companies can submit some suggestions regarding the utilisation, but they should not have the freedom for final decision. In addition the public should know the amount received from each company as CSR and how it was utilised. It is genuinely public money, which should have been collected as tax. One gold merchant in Kerala once conducted a marathon from Kasaragode to TVM, distributed money on the way to handpicked poor people (all will go as CSR) and at each place he was honoured at public meetings by prominent leaders and at each place he was given reception too. He still uses it for advertising his firm. The pharmaceutical companies utilise CSR for sponsoring the conferences of doctors. It may appear genuine bit in that case, why not the government collect this money and reimburse to doctors for the expenses incurred by the doctors for attending conferences or for organising conferences - why should it be entrusted with the companies themselves?. more  

In my opinion, there is no department which is free from corruption. More or less, all of them are equally corrupted. It is our illusion that our country will be corruption free more  

CSR clause should be deleted from the Act. It is an abuse of the intended provision in the Companies Act. more  

CSR is another method by which many of the corporates get 'personal benefits' and also Tax waiver for their corporate entity. In fact, in family run organization and family Business Groups, it is quite openly done when the funds allotted for CSR activity is managed by owner family members for their personal benefits.And these same people will visit Thirumala Tirupati after 'Book closure' and 'Drop a Big bundle into the Balaji Hundi' to atone for all the 'mischief' they have done in their corporate life..!!.. Ethics has been a big casualty in the Indian corporate world and also in day to day life in general . Perhaps, it has got something to do with the pathetic Political culture that has been going on in the Center and States across the country. In fact, the way the elected politicians have been siphoning away the " Constituency Fund " in every Parliamentary and Assembly constituency is a good indication..!!.. more  

Government has to think out of box solution for the same. First it has to be analyzed from the time the project is sanctioned and fund available for spending what happens from there. Take any ministry for that matter. To my mind there has to be a Project implementation Ministry directly reports to the PM. All the projects of various Ministries has to come here for implementation. This Ministry will have no babus only professional of committed nature with high level if integrity. Every project has to be time bound and monthly reports to the PM. No individual budget for project to the Ministries. Their job is only to identify the project, approve them and send to this Ministry. This Ministry have to evolve the new methodology to identify the correct contractors, companies, firms etc who can deliver the project in time as well as within specific budget. more