Corporate Social Responsibility Enabling Betterments in Communities - 2022.pdf

The Ponty Chadha Foundation
Mata Bhagwanti Chadha Niketan
Ensuring a Sustainable Future for the Coming Genera ons
Vol:02 Issue:06 2023
CSR Logic
Understanding the Importance
and the Scope of Corporate
Social Responsibility in
Today's Scenario.
Corporate
Social
Responsibility
Enabling
Bettermentin
2023
www.insightssuccess.in
Bridging Needs
How CSR has Evolved
as the Key diﬀerentiator
in Building Better
Human Relations.

THE POWER
OF THE HUMAN
TOUCH
Editor’s Note

Developments in several business sectors,
communication, education, travel, real estate,
media and entertainment, healthcare, etc. have
made life easy, fast, and comforting. Everyone is focused
on their own activities in the effort to achieve their needs
and objectives. In this process, there is a vacuum created
between the common and the underprivileged. These
sections include poor and needy, orphans, jobless, senior
citizen, stray animals, etc.
Moreover there are several social issues which exist but
somehow require immediate attention like cleanliness,
environmental conservation, tree protection-plantation,
education of underprivileged, awareness on alcohol
addiction, drug abuse, tobacco addition, women
empowerment, etc.
Identifying these social issues, several business
organizations have taken steps with broader thinking for
bringing about positive changes in society. Corporates
including Infosys, Wipro, TCS, Tata, Birla, Reliance, Tech
Mahindra, ITC, and many others organize regular initiatives
as a part of their corporate social responsibility. The idea is
very good because it spreads empathy and addresses
concerns through focused activities in coordination with the
government and local authorities.
There are several Non-Government Organizations (NGO)
which have been steadily organizing public awareness and
bring in the changes through efforts, communication and
voluntary participation of the people in various levels of
schools and colleges, society and organizational aspects as
well.
Recognizing the contributions of several corporate business
organizations, Insights Success is pleased to present you its
latest edition, Corporate Social Responsibility Enabling
Betterments in Communities-2023, which showcases the
significant impact they have created and making a positive
difference in our society.
As you dwell into the engaging facets of these business
organizations, you will be amazed and inspired by their
keenness and enthusiasm to support the social cause. A
couple of interesting articles written by our in-house
editorial team will enrich your reading further.
Have an inspiring read. Enjoy!
Abhishek Joshi
Deputy Editor
abhishek.joshi@insightssuccess.com

A r t i c l e s
C o v e r S t o r y
08
30
44
Bridging Needs
How CSR has Evolved as the
Key Differentiator in Building
Better Human Relations
CSR Logic
and Scope of Corporate Social
Responsibility in Today’s Scenario

C O N T E N T
24
18
34
48
38
Action Aid India
Assuring Global Social
Empowerment of the Marginalized
Human Welfare Foundation
Social Sustainability by
Inclusive Community Development
Amar Seva Sangam: Creating
Proactively Equal Society by
Enabling Inclusion ®
On the Road to a Sustainable
Future
Nurturing Hope Through Significant
Social Initiatives
Amar Seva Sangam
Magic Bus Foundation
Spherule Foundation

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Vol:02 Issue:00 2023
CSR Logic
and the Scope of Corporate
Social Responsibility in
Today's Scenario.
Corporate
Social
Responsibility
Enabling
Bettermentin
2022
Bridging Needs
How CSR has Evolved
as the Key differentiator
in Building Better
Human Relations.

Featuring Brief
Organization
Established in 2008, Human Welfare Foundation (HWF) has
become one of India’s leading nongovernmental organizations
dedicated to carrying out humanitarian and development
programs to ﬁght poverty.
Action Aid works in 24 states and two union territories in
India with more than 250 partners and allied organizations
dedicated to promoting the rights of vulnerable
communities.
Amar Seva Sangam for the last 40+ years is on a mission of
empowering disabled citizens by establishing a Rehabilitation
and Development Centre for Persons with Disabilities by
building partnerships with NGOs and Governments.
Human Welfare
Foundation
Action Aid India
Amar Seva Sangam
Prof Siddiquie Hasan,
Founder and
Mr. Muazzam Naik,
General Secretary
Prof Shantha Sinha,
Vice Chairperson
S. Sankara Raman,
Chartered Accountant,
Promoter and Co-Chairman
cum Hon. Secretary
Through activity-based skilling sessions Magic Bus imparts
essential life and employability skills to young people from
underserved communities.
Magic Bus India
Foundation
Jayant Rastogi,
Global CEO
She Hope Society works towards empowering women with
upskilling through various programs, seminars and training
programs .
She Hope Society for
Women Entrepreneurs
Sami Wani,
Director
Spherule Foundation is built on the vision to work primarily to
bring deep-rooted sustainable change in people’s lives, the vision
is to create an equal, just, and sustainable society.
Spherule Foundation
Dr Geeta Bora,
Founder and Director
The Ponty Chaddha Foundation's CSR projects range from
successfully running Mata Bhagwanti Chadha Niketan
(MBCN), Skill Development, Primary Health Care, Food
Bank, and many more activities.
The Ponty Chadha
Foundation-
Mata Bhagwanti
Chadha Niketan
Manpreet Singh Chadha,
Chairman
V-Excel Education Trust is a non-proﬁt organization
dedicated to serving children with special needs.
V-Excel Educational Trust
Dr. Vasudha Prakash,
Director
Corporate
Social
Responsibility
Enabling
Bettermentin
2023

Corporate Social Responsibility Enabling Be erments in Communi es - 2023

Our school not only
brings more than 500
differently-abled children
under the same roof, it
also provides a friendly
and empathetic
environment for a
supportive approach
towards moving ahead
with life.
THE PONTY CHADHA
FOUNDATION
MATA BHAGWANTI CHADHA NIKETAN

If we believe it in our hearts, we can turn the impossible
into I’m possible. Grandson of late Smt. Bhagwanti
Devi Chadha, Late Sh. Gurdeep Singh Chadha,
lovingly known as Ponty Chadha, too believed that it is the
mother who with an eternal source of universal love in her
heart believes that she can turn her children’s disabilities
into abilities of the specially gifted kind. With his mother’s
blessing and always guided by compassion for the Specially
Abled Children, he had the interest to bring the physically,
mentally, or intellectually challenged people at par with the
rest of the world. As an honoring gesture in the loving
memory of the late Smt. Bhagwanti Devi Chadha, his
deceased grandmother, he founded Mata Bhagwanti
Chadha Niketan (MBCN) School in 1999. He aimed at
touching these children’s lives in a way that made their
lives considerably better and worth living.
The Ponty Chadha Foundation – CSR Initiative of
WAVE Group
Ever since its inception in 1963, the WAVE Group has
been spreading its wings to almost all domains of business
starting from sugar manufacturing, distilleries, paper
manufacturing, real estate, malls and multiplexes to spirits,
liquor retail, and distribution, sports and entertainment.
Revealing his own journey in the not-for-profit sector, Mr.
Manpreet Singh Chadha, Chairman of the Wave Group,
says that his father has been without a doubt, his greatest
source of inspiration. He states, “An integral belief of the
Wave Group is to give back and empower the society
through its CSR arm The Ponty Chadha Foundation
(PCF).” The fulfillment of giving back to society is
something he has learned from his father. He shares,
“Charitable causes were always a priority for us, even
before the term CSR was coined.”
Manpreet says that at PCF, their vision is to enable people
to realize their full potential so that they actively participate
in improving their social and economic growth for creating
a world of inclusion. To fulfil this vision, they have created
a clear-cut mission, “We keep community service in the
forefront and are committed to work for common social
challenges faced by the marginalized and other neglected
members of the society,” says Manpreet.
The Ponty Chadha Foundation is committed to taking his
legacy of wisdom, courage, and morality way forward.
“Eventually, it’s not about what we have attained, it’s about
the difference we made in the life of others. At Ponty
Chadha Foundation we are committed to reaching the
highest standards of services for the welfare of people in
need. Our foundation believes that the role of philanthropy
is to make sustainable solutions for every individual. Our
foundation strives to be a catalyst of change,” states
Manpreet.
Presently, PCFs CSR projects ranges from successfully
running Mata Bhagwanti Chadha Niketan (MBCN), Skill
Development, Primary Health Care, Food Bank, Promoting
Sports, Capacity Building, Awareness Drives, and Centre
for Research Innovation and Technology.
MBCN–The Catalyst of Change
Today, as a charitable school for special children that works
under the aegis of the Ponty Chadha Foundation (PCF),
MBCN believes in the ethos of diversity, equality, and
inclusion. The school believes that every child has the right
to education and a bright future, regardless of their unique
challenges and special needs. Besides equipping them with
skills based on a specially designed curriculum, the school
provides rehabilitation services to children with intellectual
impairment, cerebral palsy, autism spectrum disorder,
hearing impairment, and multiple disabilities. Presently the
institution provides rehabilitation services to 500 beneficia-
ries absolutely free of cost. The school makes sure that
learning is enjoyable for special ones and enables them to
achieve maximum independence with their limited abilities.
Besides this, the curriculum also includes activities of daily
We developed an in-
house app, VAAKYA
which is a picture-based
AAC (Augmentative
and Alternate
Communication) app
designed to assist
people with speech
impairments.

living, motor skills, communication, and linguistic,
social, and emotional context.
The school’s faculty is highly trained and is
committed to creating an environment that
maximizes the quality of learning. The school
also has in-house medical practitioners as well
as doctors for consultation who have experi-
ence and expertise in physiotherapy, sensory
integration therapy, speech therapy, and
occupational therapy.
Manpreet further says that they are among a
handful of rehabilitation centres for kids
with special needs. He adds, “Our school not
only brings more than 500 differently-abled
children under the same roof, but it also
provides a friendly and empathetic environ-
ment for a supportive approach towards
moving ahead with life.” The co-curricular
and class activities that are scheduled for
the batches are specially modulated
keeping in mind their limitations, and
using their strengths. It instills a belief in
every child that he or she is gifted and not
deprived.
Most of the teachers in the school are parents of differently-
abled children and so care and being considerate comes
automatically. Even the support staff on board understands
every child’s needs and limitations and helps the child
accordingly.
At MBCN, they focus on:
Ÿ “Providing rehabilitation and personal development
services and support our students and trainees and
provide them with what they need in every area of their
lives, maximizing their integration in the mainstream.
Ÿ Creating the possibility for optimum quality of life for
our students and trainees and their families.
Ÿ Facilitating empowerment of people with disability, their
families, care given, and communities,” says Manpreet.
Centre for Research Innovation & Technology
PCF has ongoing research projects on,
Vaakya – Augmentative & Alternate Communication
Being an experienced leader, Manpreet shares his opinion
on how adopting modern digital technologies impacts the
social reform sector and how MBCN is adapting to the
change. He says, “Modern digital technologies are
redefining our daily lives, and future needs and are proving
to be a boon for differently abled children and adults.”
In this regard, they developed an in-house app VAAKYA
which is a picture-based AAC (Augmentative and Alternate
Communication) app designed to assist people with speech
impairments. The problem of speech impairment may exist
in cases such as aphasia, MND/ALS, after a stroke, vocal
cord disorder, or other deformations leading to voice loss. It
is also suitable for individuals affected by autism, cerebral
palsy, and various other mental and physical disorders. The
app is an AAC tool that can be utilized during rehabilitation
and conventional speech therapies. For individuals who are
unable to read and cannot communicate, the app works as a
useful tool as it banks on pictures (for visuals) and audio
instead of text.
The responsive output through the app is exemplary, which
helps the challenged person, his/her guardian, or parent to
establish communication reciprocally. To have the most
accurate conversation between the two, there is a checklist
of important phrases which can be chosen by the guardians
or parents accordingly. Needs and emotions related to
food/drink, grooming, and dressing, recreation, queries,

travelling, can be communicated through this auxiliary app.
Happy Periods – A Caregivers handbook for dealing with
menstrual hygiene management in the special need
adolescent, in collaboration with Amity Institute of
Rehabilitation Sciences, Noida.
Swayam – A caregiver’s research handbook SWAYAM, for
teaching Developmental Skills to the Children with
Developmental Delays.
Bringing a Positive Social Change
When probed that considering the current industry scenario,
how they overcome the challenges faced by them, Manpreet
shared that during the pandemic, MBCN designed and
launched a special home-based education plan with the help
of special educators and therapists. Since the students
suffered from certain disabilities, IEP or Individualized
Education Program identified their ages, disabilities, and
abilities. Post this a special plan was customized for all
students. “While this huge challenge has been a learning
and rewarding experience for us, being a non-profit
organization we are open to more people joining our
charitable cause,” informs Manpreet.
Manpreet furthers that they are expanding their CSR drive
to bring positive social change. “The main focus of our
CSR verticals is the rehabilitation of people with disabili-
ties. Besides this, we’re also working towards creating
awareness in the community to make it more specially
abled-friendly and sensitive towards their special
needs. For this purpose, we are also using social
media,” he adds.
He also adds that at MBCN, they impart the right
vocational training to each student, depending upon
their capabilities and limitations, to bring them at par
with the world. This training gives them a sense of self-
worth and economic independence. Besides, they learn
the skill of developing interpersonal relationships.
The children who do not show much progress on the
academic front are encouraged to pursue the vocational
training programs. Not only this, the students also get a
stipend for their contribution, as an encouragement for
their hard work and special skills.
Expanding on the Sustainable Wisdom
In his advice to budding social entrepreneurs who aspire to
venture into the not-for-profit space, Manpreet expresses
that having a definite goal for your corporate social
responsibility allows you to create concrete plans to achieve
them. Moreover, it helps you identify and measure the
impacts you would want to get out of your endeavours. You
can also align your social initiatives with your organiza-
tional objectives to fully integrate within your company’s
culture.
Your business has the potential to change society—more so
than an ordinary individual. You have the resources and
workforce to influence systemic change for the better.
Hence, it is high time you take up the mantle and promote
social change.
Through this, you are also giving your employees a sense of
purpose in their jobs. This can boost overall morale within
your company and motivate them to work harder to achieve
your shared goals.
“Instead of seeing CSR as an onerous imposition and a 2%
tax, see it as a 2% investment in building corporate
reputation, employee engagement, and innovation. Real
CSR not only renews the implicit license to operate given by
society to your company, but it also helps create a function-
ing society that we can all live in,” he believes.
On envisioning scaling MBCN’s operations and offerings in
the future, Manpreet reveals that they have a multifarious
and varied approach to CSR.
*Primary Health Care

Ÿ It was overwhelming. The response and the interac on with the children were tremendous and
wonderful, we hope to come back again. - Ryan Interna onal School-Noida
Ÿ It was commendable to see the mo va on of the Principal and Staff, in rendering true service by
taking so much responsibility. Your work is incomparable. - Khaitan Public School
Ÿ You are doing an absolutely wonderful and inspira onal job. God bless you all. - Avtar Hari Singh
Khalsa – Execu ve Board Member, Sikh Dharma Interna onal
Ÿ I am really impressed by the dedica on Principal and Staff toward the children. - Captain J S
Randhawa
Ÿ I have been deeply moved by this visit to see the dedica on of staff under the direc on of Ponty
Chadha Ji. - Captain Amrinder Singh
Ÿ Simply amazing, I am fully sa sfied with the atmosphere, ambiance, and facili es available for
children with special needs, and Dr Vandana is doing a splendid job. It is a service to humanity. I am
sure with the passage of me and the dedica on of staff it will grow and reach its zenith. I wish them
all success, which they truly deserve. - Jus ce Deepak Verma-Ex Judge Supreme Court of India
Ÿ It has been an honour to tour your school and view your incredible program and work. I have seen
many school programs around the world and this is one of the most impressive opera ons in terms
of scope, breadth, and accomplishment that I have ever seen. Your staff's dedica on is apparent on
the faces of the children. Thank You for sharing the privilege of your school. Best of luck in con nuing
your mission. - Paige Okum-Special Olympics Asia Pacific-Singapore
Ÿ I consider, it is a great honour to visit MBCN. The dedica on of those involved in this great effort
deserves to be congratulated and complimented for their most wonderful efforts. All of them are
doing great service to society. God bless their effort. - B.U. Wanchoo- Ex-Governor Goa
Ÿ We would like to thank the en re MBCN Management team for taking care of our children like their
own children. The way the en re facility is managed is amazing. Honestly speaking we overall like the
way MBCN is working in this field and helping our children to face the world. - Archna Gupta- wife of
Mr. Gaurav Gupta, mother of Suyash Gupta
Ÿ “It was indeed a great privilege and opportunity to acquaint myself and my ward with the en re
MBCN Team at School. Whether it is Class, OTPT, and any celebra on viz. Christmas Day Celebra on,
Sports Day, Any Events, and most importantly the Annual Day -Celebra on, the MBCN team led by Dr.
Vandana Sharma is Superb. I wish all the best to the en re TEAM,” - said Rajesh C Mahapatra- Father
of Krishna Karthikey.
Ÿ “Thank you to MBCN for doing noble work in nurturing our children with love and dedica on.
Helping them in learning, educa on, sports, and other fields. On the occasion of Disability Day, I want
to congratulate MBCN from bo om of my heart for doing such wonderful work they are doing for the
community with dedica on,” - Ashutosh Dhoundiyal, Father of Nishchey Dhoundiyal.
Praise for MBCN

In its primary healthcare vision to ensure a healthy
community, the PCF actively organizes free diagnostic
health camps for village communities. PCF is associated
with Dr. Ram Saran Garg Indo German Hospital has held
over 234 health camps and has reached out to more than
38,750 people in 21 villages of Sun City and Wave City in
NOIDA and Ghaziabad.
*Food Bank
The Ponty Chadha Foundation has tied-up with the India
Food Banking Network (IFBN) to ensure the food security
of those below the poverty line.
The Foundation is involved in the voluntary distribution of
essential food grains such as rice and wheat and high
energy biscuits and cookies to the underprivileged commu-
nities in NOIDA and Ghaziabad.
*Promoting Sports
Ponty Chadha Foundation aims to create awareness on
Sports and its importance in our daily life. Manpreet says,
“We aim to provide a platform to the Corporates and
Business Community of India to showcase their talents in
various indoor and outdoor sports. We plan to extend this
initiative to other segments like social organizations,
Government bodies, and other corporates as well.” PCF
Cup, PCF Football League, is a small footstep of the Ponty
Chadha Foundation, for creating a better world.
*Capacity Building
Capacity building is an ongoing process; it can also be
described as the strategies or actions that MBCN has taken
in order to ensure that the resources are optimally utilized in
their maximum capacities.
Manpreet reveals, “In past 20 years of our service we have
organized various workshops, trainings for our parents,
teachers, peer groups and various other rehabilitation
institutes on issues related to disability. Which reflects our
commitment and perseverance towards the cause, as it helps
us in coupling our evaluation process with the implementa-
tion process.” Internship of different rehabilitation
professional and their training is also a part of PCFs
capacity building process.
*Awareness Drives
The foundation realizes the value of creating awareness, as
it opens the horizon and empowers a person to realize the
areas of strength and weakness.
“We understand that such drives not only increase the
enthusiasm of the masses but also act as a key for mobiliz-
ing resources and knowledge at the local level,” expresses
Manpreet.
Since inception Ponty Chadha Foundation has been
conducting various Awareness drives on issues related to
the society like Disability, Women Safety, Sanitation,
Fitness, and others.
According to Manpreet, “In our case, it’s out of a sense of
moral obligation to society that we have aligned our
resources to focus on sustainability and offer insights into
ethics concepts relevant to economic sustainability,
environmental sustainability, and social equity.”
Through The PCF and MBCN, they are aiming at,
Ÿ Expanding their services to more beneficiaries.
Ÿ Sharing their experience and knowledge with like-
minded organizations who desire to work in the same
areas.
Ÿ Using digital media for maximum outreach and aware-
ness.
Instead of seeing CSR as
an onerous imposition
and a 2% tax, see it as a
2% investment in
building corporate
reputation, employee
engagement, and
innovation.

Awards and
Recognitions
Ÿ India’s most admired Special Need School:- MBCN has been ranked 02nd in Delhi, 01st Noida,
consecu vely for the past 04 years (as India’s most admired Special Need School), in
Educa on World Survey – 2022-2023, under Special School Category.
Ÿ The Ponty Chadha Founda on was awarded INDIA CSR AWARD – 2022, in “Excellence in
Special Educa on for the year 2022.
Ÿ Best Prac ces In CSR Awards, 2020:- “Best Prac ces In CSR Awards, 2020” For The Category
Of “Award For Addressing Disability” At Ins tute Of Public Enterprise (Hyderabad) Organized
The 6th Interna onal Conference On Corporate Social Responsibility.
Ÿ Mahatma Award for Social Goods:- The Ponty Chadha Founda on has been conferred with
Mahatma Award for Social Goods, on the 150th birth Anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi
organized by Aditya Birla Group and Liveweek
Ÿ Na onal CSR Leadership Award 2019:- The Ponty Chadha Founda on has been presented
with the pres gious 02nd Na onal CSR Leadership Award 2019 for its excellent efforts in
building an Inclusive World-organized by CMAI (Communica on Mul media and
Infrastructure)
Ÿ 7th Na onal NGO and CSR Summit- 2019:-7th Na onal NGO and CSR Summit- 2019, PCF has
been awarded the Na onal Award for meritorious achievement in Disability Sector.
Ÿ MBCN was honoured with the Na onal Award for The Empowerment of Persons with
Disabili es (Divyangjan) 2018. The ins tu on got the award under the category “Best
Ins tu on Working for Cause of Persons with Disabili es” in a func on organized by the
Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabili es, under the Ministry of Social
Jus ce and Empowerment.
Ÿ MBCN was awarded “Rajeev Gandhi State Award” in the field of disability rehabilita on in
the year 2008 at Varanasi, U.P.
Ÿ MBCN was awarded, Derozio Award from the Governor of West Bengal His Excellency Mr. MK
Narayanan in recogni on of outstanding service to Educa on & Human Enrichment for the
year 2011. The Derozio Awards for exemplary service to school educa on and human
enrichment have been ins tuted by the Council for the Indian School Cer ficate
Examina ons, New Delhi, to honour and mo vate people to serve the na on in a manner
that clearly defines leadership in an iden fied sphere. The ‘Derozio Awards’ are being
ins tuted to celebrate and commemorate the life of Henry L. V. Derozio, so that his life may
inspire a new genera on of people to emulate his life and work, in the service of the na on.

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Assuring Global Social Empowerment of the Marginalized
More specifically, we have
created our unique niche in
the social service and
non-profit sector through
a multi-layered, holistic,
and rights-based approach.
18 | February, 2023 | www.insightssuccess.in
To help create an equal, just, and healthy society,
ActionAid Association (AAA) has evolved over the
decades from a ‘service-based’ to a ‘rights-based’
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ActionAid has worked with the poor and the marginalised
in India since 1972 and is empowered by the vision of: ‘A
world without poverty, patriarchy and injustice, in which
every person enjoys the right to life with dignity.’ Working
for the mission: ‘To work in solidarity with the poor and
excluded and participate in their struggle to eradicate
poverty, patriarchy and injustice.’
In the words of Sandeep Chachra, Executive Director,
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priorities have evolved through an elaborate process of
consultations with the communities, our grounded work
reviews, and engagement with mass movements, people’s
organisations, activists, civil society organisations, academ-
ics, local, State and Union Governments and learnings from
our practice.” Sandeep states that the rights of vulnerable
communities have always been at the centre of their
discourse and actions. “We seek to build the agency and
protagonism of marginalised communities by helping
them build collectives and working together to empower
themselves by accessing rights and entitlements, building
collective enterprise, and asserting their right to a life of
dignity as equal citizens of India.”
A Life of Dignity and Equality for All
It was in 2006 that ActionAid Association registered as an
Indian organisation. And since then, they have been
governed by an independent national General Assembly and
a national Governing Board. Together with communities,
individual supporters, institutions, and governments, they
work for equality, fraternity, and liberty for all in harmony
with the planet. AAA is also part of a global federation and
a full affiliate of ActionAid International, which has a
presence in over 45 countries worldwide.
AAA believes that it is through purposeful collective action
that shifts power in favour of the marginalised that we can
achieve social justice, gender equality and poverty eradica-
tion. They draw inspiration and guidance from the Constitu-
tion of India and international covenants to help build a
just, inclusive and equal world. Sandeep says, “More

speciﬁcally, we have created our unique niche in the
social service and non-proﬁt sector through a multi-
layered, holistic, and rights-based approach.”. Sandeep is
a social anthropologist and is active in several networks,
groups and movements on the ground; and also works at the
macro level to design policies and programmatic interven-
tions. Sandeep is an active member of International
Development Economics Associates (IDEAs) and the World
Forum of Alternatives Council and has initiated and
supported several transcontinental networks, campaigns and
initiatives. In October 2016, Sandeep was elected as co-
Chair of the World Urban Campaign, a global advocacy and
partnership platform to raise awareness about positive
urban change coordinated by UN-Habitat and driven by 180
partners and networks from around the world. Sandeep
served as co-chair for two terms.
AAA works in 24 states and two union territories in India
with more than 250 partners and allied organisations. In
addition, it partners with various stakeholders, Government
institutions, and several voluntary organisations. “The range
of our initiatives is eclectic and focused, and at all times,
dedicated to promoting the rights of vulnerable communi-
ties,” Sandeep informs.

unequal power and injustice are challenged and dismantled.
Their main strategies are to empower people to become
rights activists, claim their rights, and hold the people and
institutions meant to deliver on these rights accountable.
Alongside people living in poverty and exclusion, they also
campaign for structural change, working to mobilise others
in civil society to act in solidarity and align with the rights
struggles of people living in poverty and exclusion.
Today they reach out to more than four million vulnerable
and marginalised people across 24 states and two union
territories. “At the milestone of 50 years of service and
solidarity, we take all opportunities to reaffirm our work for
advancing social and ecological justice,” Sandeep
expresses.
According to Sandeep, adopting modern digital technology
in social service projects can benefit from reaching
favourable results as interconnectivity can more profound
commitment to social reform through public advocacy and
citizen engagement. AAA is adapting to the change by
employing innovative communication strategies by
amplifying citizens’ voices. “Our cohesive team of commu-
nications, campaigns, and volunteers help achieve a
creative blend of old and new communications and
technology tools,” Sandeep believes.
During COVID-19, technology was a great way to connect
with millions in ensuring ‘authentic’ information and relief
for the informal and migrant workers significantly impacted
by the sudden lockdown. ‘Relief-in-transit camps’ were set
up immediately across state borders to cater to migrants
returning to their villages via foot or bicycle. (to read the
impact story, visit
https://www.actionaidindia.org/story/relief-transit-migrant-
workers-returning-home/
Seventy-one camps provided support services such as
health check-ups, first aid, and counselling, besides acting
as resting points for labourers during their journey here. In
addition, they set up WhatsApp groups with youth volun-
teers across several cities who coordinated with the district
administration and supported families who wanted to return
to their hometowns.
Additionally, AAA teams immediately set up 71 Covid-19
helplines and helpdesks, reaching out to 90 districts which
provided real-time information to people regarding medical
care, medicines, oxygen supplies, etc. AAA convened
several Webinars and, through social media platforms,
These include Dalits, tribals, minorities, landless labour,
small farmers, and people dependent on the informal
economy. “Amongst these sections of people, we focus on
the rights of women, children, the aged, people with
disability and chronic diseases, and the transgender,”
Sandeep adds. Their outreach to marginalised communities
in India has positioned them as one of the best social
solution providers in the industry. They have also been
conferred the World Habitat Gold Award 2019 by World
Habitat for our outstanding work towards “Restoration of
Dignity and Human Rights of Indigenous Tribal Commu-
nity in Karnataka.” Other recent awards include
Ÿ ASSOCHAM’s 3rd Diversity and Inclusion Excellence
Award 2022,
Ÿ Mahatma Award 2021 for COVID-19 Humanitarian
Efforts,
Ÿ The Giving Economy Changemaker’s Charity
Leadership Award 2020 and
Ÿ Delhi Minorities Commission’s Best NGO Award 2019.
The purpose of the organisation has evolved over the last 50
years of its operation and currently includes the following:
Ÿ To ensure peoples’ control over resources like land,
water, forest, minerals, commons, and livelihoods
Ÿ To ensure radical democratisation of society, economy,
and polity at all levels
Ÿ Facilitate assertion of women’s and girls’ rights as
human rights
Ÿ Ensure children are recognised as political and equal
citizens
Ÿ Ensure a just, secular, violence-free, and peaceful
society and State
Ÿ Ensure solidarity with struggles and progressive actions
beyond local and national boundaries
Sandeep explains, “We seek to demonstrate our values by
transforming our organisational culture to stress ‘praxis’ in
our work, by which we mean realising ideas in action.
Solidarity, camaraderie, and sisterhood with the poor, the
powerless, and excluded girls, women, boys, and men are at
the core of our struggle against poverty and injustice.”
50 years of service and solidarity
The year 2022 is the 50th year of AAA’s work in India. In
1972 its interventions were in two states. Sandeep says that
they see people living in poverty and exclusion as the
leading agents in the development processes that relate to
them to ensure that structures and processes that sustain

providing scientific/technical inputs to the commu-
nity/beneficiaries through planned events such as
financial and digital training, helping in online market
surveys/research, technical inputs in technology, and
others. In addition, corporate employees have also been
contributing through scientific and technological inputs
into our climate and biodiversity-related initiatives such
as renovation and rejuvenation of water bodies, etc.
Ÿ Leveraging Linkages with Administration – AAA has
also sought and leveraged linkages with Government
departments and administration through corporate
engagement and has contributed to the long-term
sustainability of projects and scaling up.
Ÿ Engagement with Community – Corporate volunteers
have also engaged with the community, where the
project has been initiated through various means,
including plantation drives, art, and craft activities with
the children, awareness building on the environment,
climate change, COVID, and health and painting
competitions on ‘Girl Power’.
Ÿ Relief Efforts and Fundraising during Emergencies –
highlighted the challenges faced by migrant and informal
workers. (read more on the link provided earlier).
“We must communicate better about our work with external
audiences, including donors and supporters. We intend to
use various media channels and forms – mainstream,
conventional, and alternate media, including digital and
social media, for this purpose. This will be supported by
strong monitoring and evaluation systems and by docu-
menting and widely sharing our work through different
platforms,” says Sandeep.
Sandeep reveals the challenges they have to overcome: “We
believe that progressive individuals and organisations in
the private sector are essential allies in achieving our
mission and vision.” However, the critical challenge for any
organisation is financial growth and sustained investments
over a period of time. AAA thus invests much towards
relationship development and trust building with corporate
and private donors.
Building Trust with All Stakeholders
Creating and maintaining robust monitoring and evaluation
processes to provide accountability towards the deliverables
and ensure the deliverables are linked to compliance and
community transformation is the only way to build trust in
the long term. In addition, structures and processes must be
in place to ensure programme staff capacity and skills for
creating and sustaining high-quality relationships with the
private sector. “In short, relationship building is our
ongoing priority while we strive for social and ecological
justice in the long term,” Sandeep informs.
With this understanding and objective, they engage with
corporates, Medium, Micro, and Small-Scale Enterprises
(MSMEs), private and social enterprises, and cooperatives
as per their standards and norms. “To build solidarity for
our work and the communities we work with, we look
forward to all opportunities to enhance CSR and volunteer
outreach,” says Sandeep.
AAA’s partnerships with corporates aim not only for
monetary support but also for engaging volunteers to give
back to the community and allow civil society to tap into
corporate expertise. A few ways that AAA has trailered
corporate volunteering over the years and through mutual
agreement include:
Ÿ Technical/Scientific Inputs – Corporate volunteers over
the years have been involved in AAA’s project by

ate basic needs, simply because people need them to
survive or to support them in claiming their rights,”
explained Sandeep. This can be housing, food, informa-
tion, or training in emergencies.
Ÿ Ensuring participation and actions of poor and
excluded people–The human-rights-based approach
requires that rights-holders living in poverty are fully
involved and take action in determining their needs and
the responses that will be provided to answer them.
Ÿ Paying attention to the issue of power– “Central to
our rights-based approach is the analysis of power
relations and strengthening the power of poor and
excluded people,” explained Sandeep. “Policy changes
and public opinion-building must go hand in hand with
societal changes to transform the structures, attitudes,
and values at the root of societal inequities and injustice.
We thus require a more people-centred approach
focused on social transformation.”
Ÿ Deepening democracy at every level–AAA’s rights-
based approaches emphasise making democracy
‘popular’, that is, deepening inclusive processes and
cultures of democracy.
Ÿ Holding state (and non-state) actors accountable–
“The human rights framework and our human rights-
based approach are premised on the firm belief that the
State is the primary duty bearer and is responsible for
respecting, promoting, protecting and fulfilling the
human rights of its citizens,” stated Sandeep.
On envisioning scaling AAAs offerings in the future,
Sandeep says they will continue their approach of engaging
with the Government and scaling up their strategic partner-
ships across Government bodies, civil society organisations,
and people’s formations. They strive to build capacity and
ownership of both the institutions and the people, especially
the youth and women, to democratise institutions from the
local level upwards. They also strive to strengthen all the
pillars of democracy - civil society, media, judiciary, and
State institutions on the one hand and, on the other hand,
create the last mile connectivity between the Government
and the people. “We also intend to leverage our existing
relationships with donors and reach out to many prospec-
tive donors in the coming years to build a sizable and stable
base of supporters,” Sandeep concludes.
Corporate volunteers have aided AAA’s relief responses
in many ways through a range of activities of employ-
ment giving, cycling campaigns, marathons for fundrais-
ing, emergency transportation, and distribution of relief
material and others.
Taking their corporate partnerships beyond disaster
response, AAA demonstrates the connection between
climate change–resilience–disaster in co-creating CSR
projects that mitigate disaster impact and advance social
and ecological justice in the long term. AAA believes that
the diversity of corporate funding needs to be explored
further to include the agency of Medium, Micro, and Small
Scale (MSME) sectors and cooperatives that may not be in
the purview of the CSR Act but should not be precluded
from the ties of solidarity giving. Empowered individuals
from the communities they work with are likely to be in this
sector and would be keen to work with them. Sandeep
elaborates, “We also intend to reach out to workers’
formations within the corporate sectors, such as unions, to
raise funds on issues of mutual concern.”
An Inclusive, Human-Rights-Based Approach
In his advice to budding social entrepreneurs aspiring to
venture into the not-for-profit space, Sandeep suggests that
an inclusive, human-rights-based approach is the future of
the not-for-profit space. “While our rights-based practices
vary according to where and with whom we work and what
we aim to achieve with those we work, a few consistent
principles ensure that securing rights empowers and builds
dignity,” elaborated Sandeep. These are:
Ÿ Organising and Raising Critical Consciousness–The
first step in AAA’s rights-based framework is to raise
critical consciousness through popular education and
practical support to analyse contexts, power relations,
and violation of rights and then to plan and organise
actions to improve people’s well-being. For those forced
to believe that they have no rights and are socialised to
expect treatment without dignity or respect, the first step
is to challenge and change their perceptions of them-
selves. This step supports people in critically assessing
their situation and seeing it for what it is: exploitation,
oppression, and injustice. It is also the first step to
empowerment for change– an inner realisation that there
is a possibility for change and a sense that people have
the power to do something about it.
Ÿ Addressing people’s needs as rights, they can claim–
“At times, we provide practical solidarity by providing
short-term services and relief to address these immedi-

Amar Seva Sangam
Amar Seva Sangam
Shri. S Sankara Raman
Chartered Accountant, Promoter and
Co-Chairman cum Hon. Secretary
Shri. S Sankara Raman
Chartered Accountant, Promoter and
Co-Chairman cum Hon. Secretary
Amar Seva Sangam: Creating Proactively Equal Society by Enabling Inclusion ®

hildren are our future. On the mission to ensure a
Cprogressive future for them, especially for those
sidelined due to their disabilities, creating a
proactively equal society is the only way we can be sure of
ourselves to a tomorrow at all. Otherwise as WHO declared
that 'If children with developmental delays or disabilities
and their families are not provided with timely and
appropriate early intervention, support and protection,
their diﬃculties can become more severe—often leading to
lifetime consequences, increased poverty, and profound
exclusion,' we will be living in a nightmarish time of
unimaginable horrors.
To save us from this horrendous prediction coming true,
Amar Seva Sangam for the last 40+ years since its
inception in 1981–UN International Year of the Disabled, is
on a mission of empowering disabled citizens by
establishing a Rehabilitation and Development Centre by
establishing a Centre of Excellence for rehabilitation for
Persons with Disabilities by building partnerships with
NGOs and Governments and by technology development,
continuous innovation, training, and research, to provide
and support rehab solutions to Persons With Disabilities,
families, and communities in the country.
Launched by 2020's Padma Shri Awardee, Shri. S
Ramakrishnan, Founder Chairman cum
President––Wheelchair user because of a spinal
injury––and professionally guided by Shri. S Sankara
Raman, Chartered Accountant, and Promoter Co-
Chairman cum Hon. Secretary––Wheelchair user due to
muscular dystrophy––today, Amar Seva Sangam is actively
engaged in core activities and initiatives including,
*Institution-based rehabilitation:
Ÿ Spinal Injury Post-Acute Care Rehabilitation.
Ÿ Medical Testing and Therapy Units.
Ÿ Inclusive Higher Secondary Schooling and Higher
Education.
Ÿ School for Children with Special Needs.
Ÿ Residential Programs for Children with Locomotor
Disabilities and Intellectual Challenges.
Ÿ Residential Programs for Youth with Disabilities for their
Rehabilitation, Skill Development, and Education.
Ÿ Vocational Training for Livelihood
Ÿ Appliances-Making and Maintenance Unit.
*Village-based rehabilitation:
Ÿ Early Intervention (EI) Program for Children with
Developmental Delays and Disabilities (CwDDs).
Ÿ Empowerment Programs for Persons with Disabilities in
Rural Areas through Self Help Groups (SHGs), besides
driving Economic and Livelihood Initiatives and
Mobilizing them into Self-Advocating Individuals.
Ÿ Rehabilitation Programs through Home-based and
Parents-Participatory Centers for Children and Grownups
with Disabilities.
*ASSA Centre of Excellence:
Ÿ “We are establishing a Centre of Excellence for the
Development and Rehabilitation of Children with
Disabilities to scale the impact of Enabling Inclusion (EI)
Model and technology by building partnerships with
NGOs, Governments, and Corporates," informs SS
Raman.
Ÿ This Initiative will help ongoing Technology
Development, Continuous Innovation, Training, and
Collaborative Research to reach millions of Children
with Disabilities and families globally to provide
rehabilitation solutions.
Ÿ He states, "Our Motto is that no child is denied
schooling experience because of disabilities.”
He furthers that it is their visionary dream, that Persons
with Disabilities live in a proactive society where equality
prevails irrespective of physical, mental, or other
challenged with the rest of the society. It is a futuristic
vision whereby Amar Seva Sangam plays the role of an
enabling agent to get Persons with Disabilities 'equality of
status, opportunities, and access.’
The Guiding Star
Amar Seva Sangam was in dire need of a professional
approach in its activities to ensure proper implementation
of its programs for the welfare of persons with disabilities
in rural areas.
Disability is a ma er of
percep on and no child
should be denied of schooling
experience because of disability
and lack of rehabilita on and
Early Interven on.
“
“

Towards this, Mr. S. Sankara Raman restructured the
constitution of Sangam and established a Governing Body
and an Advisory Board; introduced the latest software for
modernizing accounting system for clarity and
transparency; responsible for Planning, Designing and
Establishment of massive infrastructure for Home for
Disabled, Physiotherapy Center, School buildings,
Vocational Training Center, Hostels, Computer Training
Center; earlier the campus was about 3-5 acres of land, it is
now more than 33 acres, with over 35 buildings to cater to
every section of disability independently; Using the
information technology he introduced several novel and
bold initiatives.
For example, Enabling Inclusion through Enabling
Inclusion® App for Early Intervention for Children with
Developmental Delays under age six years which is now
extended for children above six years; Helped in developing
village and community-based programs for rehabilitation of
the disabled by adopting 900+ villages and designing and
implementation of the delivery mechanism for the reach at
village levels in four southern districts; helped set up 785
Self-Help Groups; actively participated in all Marathons
from its inception held across the country every year and
regularly organize mega and medium fundraising programs
using social media platforms for creating awareness about
disability and spreading the work of Sangam; he made Siva
Saraswathi Vidyalaya become an inclusive school and to
upgrade it from Nursery in 1991 to Middle School in 1995
to High School in 2009 and then to Senior Higher
Secondary level in 2015 in which presently 667 rural poor
students getting a quality education.
Externally, he promoted awareness about Muscular
Dystrophy at 'NGO Expo 2014' held in Mumbai; He is a
Member Trustee, CBR Forum, Bangalore; Treasurer of
Gandhigram Trust, Dindigul; For equal access and barrier-
free environment, assisted ICF-Perambur in designing
disabled-friendly coaches; helped set up Barrier Free Bus
Station in Tirunelveli; conducted national level seminar on
the law on handicapped in 1995 under the Chairmanship of
Supreme Court Justice Shri V.R. Krishna Iyer which paved
the way for enactment of Persons with Disabilities Act by
our Parliament in January 1996; He is also a Founder
Member of Tamil Nadu Udavikkaram Association for the
Welfare of Differently Abled, Chennai.
Several local, state, and national level
magazines/newspapers like Dinamani Kathir, The Hindu,
The Times of India, and The Indian Express, carried stories
of his achievements/articles. He was an Independent
Director for NALCO for three years from 2015 to 2018, by
which he showcased that disability is not a constraint but
only a condition that can be won over.
Ensuring Equality
Sharing his opinion on how the adoption of modern
technologies is transforming the not-for-profit sector and
how ASSA is adapting to the change, SS Raman says that
their organization serves people with disabilities and they
prioritize their inclusion in ASSA's leadership team. They
have five people on their leadership team with visible
disabilities including their chairman, co-chairman, and chief
financial officer. He adds, "Our leadership team has an
equal number of women and men and we are guided by the
principle of having equal or more women on our leadership
team as part of our hiring practices. We also actively recruit
and hire people with disabilities to be part of our leadership.
We serve people of all ages, religions, gender, gender
identity, sexual orientation, ethnicity, and socioeconomic
backgrounds, and our leadership teams are reflective of
these diversities.”
At ASSA, they have recognized that those left out of early
intervention come from the most marginalized families
including those in remote areas, below the poverty line, and
from minority communities related to religion, caste, and
belief systems. He says, "We have ensured our solution
targets these communities by partnering with organizations
that are dedicated to reaching these marginalized
communities.”
Thus far, 28% of children and families benefited from their
innovation are below the poverty line and 61% are middle-
low income. In addition to income levels, their beneficiaries
are reflective of the broad diversities present in
communities reached.
He informs, "Our innovation is the culmination of extensive
feedback from parents through stakeholder
consultation/interviews." Every six months, feedback from
parents is collected through a Caregiver-Assessment-Tool
that measures program-engagement, family-empowerment,
caregiver strain, and parent-child-interactions within the
app.
He mentions, "We have Early-Intervention-Parent-Groups
with parent leaders elected." They allow parents to
share/interact and form social-support networks and
connect to self-help groups for livelihood initiatives. They

also act as a self-advocating solidarity group for child and
family social inclusion.
Their family-centered approach enables families to identify
a child's strengths and family priorities to set
goals/treatment plans with Rehab Professionals (RPs). In
addition, extensive consultations, education, and awareness
programs are conducted in schools/community/government
allows for stakeholder inputs and strengthen the program.
An additional stakeholder-driven process of feedback from
community workers, rehab specialists, governments, and
other leaders leads to the conceptualization and planning of
the solution and also to programmatic improvements
through an iterative consultative process.
Early Intervention
Speaking about the challenges, SS Raman states that
according to a recent UNESCO report, in India, 72% of 5-
year-olds with disabilities have never attended any
educational institution. In Tamil Nadu, 23% of all children
with disabilities aged 5-19 have never attended an
educational institution, while 99.4% of all children attend
school.
Parents and caregivers of children with disabilities face
higher demands than caregivers of children who do not
have disabilities in India, because of financial difficulties,
challenges accessing care, the time required for caregiving
duties, perceived and experienced stigma, discrimination in
the community, and/or within families, and the physical
burden of care.
"But the key is to make these children access to schooling
which depends on catching them young and providing
them Early Intervention," he believes.
He furthers that a peer-reviewed study that appeared in the
November issue of the prestigious journal, Frontiers in
Public Health, showed that school enrollment for children
improved from 70% to 85% for those provided with early
intervention. The study also showed that caregiver-child
therapy visit attendance significantly improved over time,
from 60% to 95%, indicating caregiver recognition of the
benefits of early intervention. The 2017 study was
conducted over a 2.5 in rural South India including 1050
children and their parents.
There are 2.3 million Children with Developmental delays
in India. More than 70% of them live in rural areas with no
access to early intervention services. There are 53 Million
children with developmental delays in low and middle-
income countries.
He conveys, "Our solution is to make the Early Intervention
reach the homes of the children by using the GPS mobile
technology which enables community rehab workers to
perform therapy sessions to children by connecting them
with rehab professionals and training the parents." It is an
end-to-end digital case management system that ensures
quality services are delivered and monitored on a real-time
basis at an affordable cost.
An Innovative Paradigm Shift
He furthers, "Our innovation is a breakthrough as it
provides EI services to children by the parents in their own
homes by mobilizing and training local women in the
community to act as community rehabilitation workers to
facilitate EI services by connecting them with rehabilitation
professionals using our mobile app.”
It is Awarded as one of the 30 best digital innovations in the
social sector for the year 2020 By Spring and Anne
February-2020 from The United Nations zero project in
Vienna along with the MIT Solve Global Solution Award in
September 2019. "Our innovation is a paradigm shift from
therapists-centered to family-centered, center-based to
home-based, individual-owned to community-owned, and
from high-cost to cost-effective.”
They have reached 5,933 CwDD and their families and
have screened 1,77,621 children for delayed development
and reached 1,44,585 people in the community through
awareness programs (Source). Their results have shown
87% visit attendance, leading to improved child
development. 73% of families have shown greater
empowerment and 74% have shown decreased strain using

validated tools and there has been an age-adjusted increase
in school enrolment for CwDD from 70% to 85%.
Their long-term plan for financial sustainability is growing
their partnership and generating income through their
training and software licensing services. "We need to reach
40,000 children licensed with our licensing partners to
break even. To bridge the gap until we achieve that level of
enrollment, we will have obtained funding over the next
four years in the form of grants for $1.6 million. Our goal is
to become financially sustainable within this next four-year
period," shares SS Raman.
Expanding the Horizons of Responsibility
In their CSR expansion drive, they have several projects
from small, medium to big sizes in health, education, and
skill development sectors both for OPEX and CAPEX.
Their list of CSR projects can be seen at
All their projects are CSR compliant and registered under
MCA Reg. No. CSR00000229 and we are a Registered
Charity under Section 12A and 80G under Income Tax Act
Reg. No. AAATA9099HE20214. They are also registered
under Foreign Contribution Regulation Act Reg. No.
076030105 and eligible to receive foreign contribution.
In his advice to budding social entrepreneurs aspiring to
venture into the not-for-profit space, SS Raman says, "Be
brave in taking risks do not compromise on values at any
cost, go the extra mile in being transparent, be fearless in
sharing the difficulties with your stakeholders and don't feel
shy to ask for support.”
An Eternal Hope of Social Reforms
On envisioning scaling ASSA's operations and offerings in
the future, he shares their objective, "Scale our impact by
building partnerships with NGOs, Governments, Corporate
and Funders through licensing, Knowledge partnership,
Public Private Partnerships and/or by Direct
Implementation.”
It is a system change:
Ÿ From therapist-owned to parents-owned.
Ÿ From Centre-based to home-based.
Ÿ From Medical Approach to Rehab approach.
Ÿ From therapy centered to family centered.
SDG - Quality Education - 4.2.1 and 4.2.2; Partnerships for
the Goals 17.2;
ASSA offers,
Ÿ Licensing - Will license the EI App with the right to use
for an annual licensing fee both for India and
International NGOs.
Ÿ Knowledge Partnership - Will hand over the app to
various Govt. departments for mass scale-up and will be
the knowledge partner.
Ÿ Public Private Partnership - Will run the program on
behalf of the Government or NGOs with CSR funding.
Ÿ Direct Implementation - Will directly implement with
CSR Funding opportunity.
https://www.amarseva.org/csr-cell/

How
CSR has Evolved
as the
Key Differentiator in
in Building Better
Human Relations

Bridging Needs
orporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has come a
Clong way from being just a philanthropic activity to
being an integral part of a company's core business
strategy. CSR has evolved as the key diﬀerentiator in
building better human relations, as it helps companies
positively impact society, the environment, and their
stakeholders.
Let's dive in and learn how CSR has evolved and its role in
building better human relations without further ado.
Evolution of CSR
The concept of CSR has existed for a long time, but it
gained prominence in the 1960s and 70s when companies
realized their impact on the environment and society.
Initially, CSR was viewed as a charitable activity
companies did to gain goodwill and enhance their
reputation. However, it has evolved over time into a more
strategic and purpose-driven approach that aligns with a
company's core business objectives.
In recent years, CSR has become essential in building a
brand's reputation and enhancing customer loyalty.
Consumers today are more aware and conscious of
companies' impact on society and the environment. They
expect companies to behave ethically and responsibly and
positively impact society.
Role of CSR in Building Better Human Relations
CSR plays a vital role in building better human relations. It
helps companies positively impact society, the environment,
and their stakeholders. Companies can build stronger
relationships with their stakeholders, including customers,
employees, suppliers, and the community, by engaging in
CSR activities.
Here are some ways in which CSR helps build better human
relations:
Brand Reputation
Brown and Logsdon deﬁne reputation as outsiders'
assessments of the organization's identity, compliance with
stakeholders' expectations, and overall performance with
the socio-political environment in which it operates.

It is frequently held that a company's primary objective is to
generate profits, maximize sales, satisfy customers, etc.
Simultaneously, the optional goal of a firm is adding to
social and ecological targets and zeroing in more on
coordinating corporate social obligation as an essential
speculation as they become similarly mindful that CSR can
be of direct financial worth.
Corporate standing is a significant immaterial asset that
helps accomplish exceptionally upper hand ''unequivocally.
Improving a decent standing takes impressive time and
relies upon a firm making steady and predictable ventures
over time.
Enhancing Employee Engagement and Retention
CSR can help companies enhance employee engagement
and retention by giving employees a sense of purpose and
pride in their work. Companies engaging in CSR activities
create a positive work environment that fosters employee
engagement and satisfaction. CSR can also help companies
attract and retain top talent by demonstrating their
commitment to social responsibility.
Building Customer Loyalty
CSR can help companies build customer loyalty by
demonstrating their commitment to social responsibility.
Consumers today are more likely to support companies that
demonstrate their commitment to social responsibility.
Companies could build stronger relationships with their
customers by engaging in CSR activities, leading to
increased customer loyalty and advocacy.
Improving Community Relations
CSR can help companies improve community relations by
supporting local communities through charitable activities
and community outreach programs. Companies can build
trust and establish themselves as responsible and
trustworthy corporate citizens by engaging with the district.
Several CSR initiatives have helped in bringing the people
together and supporting the people through skill
development for getting jobs or becoming self-reliant.
Impact of Laws and Regulations
The Companies Act of 2013 put Corporate Social
Responsibility into effect. India is the first nation to pass
legislation allowing CSR activities to be carried out. When
it comes to preventing businesses or organizations from
causing harm to the social environment, the government
plays a crucial role.
Businesses will be able to be more responsible and vigilant
toward society if the government sets agendas for social
responsibility in society through rules and regulations.
Legislation about corporate social responsibility (CSR) is
predicted to increase GDP and monetary contributions.
Driving Business Success
CSR can help companies drive business success by
enhancing their reputation, improving customer loyalty, and
attracting top talent. Companies that engage in CSR
activities are more likely to have a positive reputation,
leading to increased sales and revenue. CSR can also help
companies differentiate themselves from competitors and
gain a competitive advantage.
To conclude,
CSR has evolved from a philanthropic activity to a more
strategic and purpose-driven approach that aligns with a
company's core business objectives. CSR plays a vital role
in building better human relations by helping companies
create a positive impact on society, the environment, and
their stakeholders.
Companies can enhance employee engagement and
retention by engaging in CSR activities, building customer
loyalty, improving community relations, and driving
business success. As CSR evolves, it will become even
more critical in building better human relations and creating
a sustainable future for all.
- Shreyasi Shelke

Human Welfare
Foundation
Social Sustainability by Inclusive Community Development
nited we stand; divided we fall. If united we walk
Uon the path toward a progressive future of social
sustainability, then we will truly become the
futuristic civilization we ever dreamed of. The collective
conscience is the universal force that can transform the
present to transcend the times and tides of an unpredictable
tomorrow and create an environment of peace, unity,
progress, and advancement for our present and forthcoming
generations.
While marching along, we might lose our way if not guided
by an empowering establishment like Human Welfare
Foundation (HWF) which in itself is endowing the
evolutionary human spirit for humankind’s revolution. The
genesis and evolution of HWF are quite fascinating. The
ongoing journey of HWF began with a small step but an
extensive vision of Prof Siddiquie Hasan.
Immortal Ideas
Prof Hasan was an Indian humanitarian and development
practitioner who believed that the ‘individual is mortal
while ideas and institutions remain.’ His idea was to create
an institution that will bring meaningful change in the lives
of the deserving needy. To materialize the idea, HWF was
founded with values of compassion, empowerment, justice,
and accountability for result-oriented community
development work across India.
Established in 2008, Human Welfare Foundation (HWF)
has become one of India’s leading nongovernmental
organizations dedicated to carrying out humanitarian and
development programs to fight poverty. HWF aims to help
the poor and those in need to live sustainable, self-reliant
lives within safe and caring communities. To attain the goal
of inclusive community development comprehensive
projects were designed en route the idea of community
development through a participatory approach to social
change at the grassroots.
Principled Human Spirit
The founders–including Prof. Hasan–of HWF sowed the
seed of hope in the community when passivity was high and
the inadequate public systems failed to accommodate and
cater to the needs of the poor. Their idea was to generate
resources from the community and create a pool of skilled
professionals to execute ideas into practice.
The foundation started in one room set up in New Delhi
with three dedicated professionals. In the following years,
the founders of HWF mobilized resources and thousands of
volunteers to build one of the largest organized networks of
social service and community development based on the
model of community participation in India. HWF
intervenes in all core developmental areas such as
education, health, shelter, orphan care, drinking water and
sanitation, community development, hunger relief,
vocational training, and livelihood support.
*Community Development
Community development projects are designed in a way
that helps most deprived people get their basic needs such
as water and housing and so empowers them to move
forward. Community Development projects included:
Drinking Water Project: Unsafe water has always been a
major cause of human misery and millions of Indians are
deprived of access to clean water. Since its inception, the
HWF implemented thousands of drinking water projects to
ensure access to safe drinking water for lakhs of
beneficiaries.
Low-cost Housing: HWF provides financial aid to
homeless people living in the least developed villages in
various North Indian states. Victims of natural calamities
are given priority under the housing aid project.

Community Learning Centre: An initiative to impart
remedial education to the out of school children to make
them ready for formal education. In addition to education
support, nutrient food and medical care are also provided.
Nagrik Vikas Kendra: An initiative that works as a
bridging agency between the downtrodden people and the
diﬀerent government departments. It creates awareness
among the masses and supports the beneﬁciaries obtain
their rightful entitlements and documents.
*Health Care Projects
Healthcare and adequate nutrition are basic human
necessities that everyone should have access to. However,
inadequate public healthcare services compel the poor to
depend on and spend heavily on private healthcare. High
healthcare costs often lead people to delayed treatment,
aggravating health problems. To address such concerns, the
HWF implements a wide array of healthcare projects
encompassing preventive, promotive, curative, and
rehabilitative services to the underprivileged section of
society.
Ÿ Medical Camps and Workshops,
Ÿ Mobile Medical Van,
Ÿ Vaccination Program,
Ÿ Blood Donation camp,
Ÿ Medical Aid to Poor Patients.

*Social Welfare
HWF intervenes in the social welfare sector with an aim of
ensuring humanitarian services to those in need. “We
execute welfare projects in rural areas of the country
focusing on the neediest segments of the society,” states the
present General Secretary, Mr. Muazzam Naik.
Hunger Relief: Under this project, thousands of dry ration
Kits are distributed every year.
*Orphan Care
Mr. Naik informs, “Our Orphan Care Program is designed
to address the needs of the orphans and improve their lives
in a way that enables them to value their existence and
achieve their dreams.”
Under Orphan Care Program, the organization supports the
construction and maintenance of orphanages and disburses
monthly financial support to orphan children living with
their families and relatives.
*Economic Empowerment
HWF addresses the root causes of poverty through long-
term solutions which promote sustainable livelihoods.
Under Economic Empowerment Project following
programmes are executed:
Ÿ Vocational Training Centres (VTC) and Skill
Development Centres (SDC): to provide short-term
job-oriented courses. These courses are designed to
make youth, especially from backward communities
capable of securing decent jobs in various industries.
Ÿ Self-Employment and Livelihood Program: Under the
program, the organization provides livelihood support to
individuals and groups.
The portfolio of services is quite a diverse one but the
main issue addressed at the HWF is Education.
*Education Projects
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights affirms that
education is a fundamental human right for everyone and
the Indian constitution, too, recognizes the fundamental
right of free and compulsory education. The HWF also
firmly believes that education is integral to human progress
and is an essential component of socioeconomic mobility. It
believes that ensuring quality education will lead to
awareness of healthcare, employment, and means for a
dignified living.
To attain these objectives of holistic development, the HWF
has architected educational projects in a way that engages
all levels of formal schooling of a child from enrolment in
primary school to graduation with higher degrees of
education. At the implementation level, the following
projects are operationalized under education.
Elementary Education-
Ÿ Schooling Enrolment Programme
Ÿ Community Learning Centre/ One Teacher School
Ÿ Support the Establishment of Schools
(Own Institution and Capacity Building of Existing
Schools)
The objectives of elementary education programs are to
increase the number of school-going children. Mr. Naik
adds, “We build and reconstruct schools and educational
facilities and ensure to create of a healthy teaching
environment.” The Community Learning Centres and one-
teacher schools are set up in slums or slum-like places
having two-three classrooms with adequate facilities. This
project aims to impart basic education to the out of school
children to make them ready for formal education.
Secondary Education-
Ÿ Support the Establishment of Secondary Schools
(Own Institution and Capacity Building of Existing
Schools)
Ÿ Scholarship for Needy Students
HWF aims to help
the poor and those in
need to live sustainable,
self-reliant lives
within safe and caring
communities.

Ÿ Scholarship for Orphan Students
Ÿ Award for Academic Excellence
Mr Naik says, “We build/support secondary schools in the
most backward districts and rural areas of the country
where schools are not available or far from the target
region. Under our Capacity Building Projects, ill-equipped
existing schools are rehabilitated by providing them with
necessary funds to develop their basic minimum
infrastructure.” Under this project, HWF builds Classrooms
and Laboratory, setup Computer Lab and Library, and
support them with Furniture like students’ desk and chair.
Besides institutional projects, individuals are supported
with scholarships and career guidance.
Higher Education-
Ÿ Establishment of Higher Education Institutions
Ÿ UG Scholarship
Ÿ PG Scholarship
Ÿ Special Scholarship
Under the HWF Campus Project, multipurpose campuses
have been built in six states. A campus is envisaged to
impart inclusive education from schooling to degree level.
A campus encompasses residential and day boarding
schools, Hostel Facilities for students, ITIs, and Vocational
training. Besides campus projects, thousands of undergrad
and postgraduate students are supported with scholarships.
Centre for Training and Academic Guidance (CTAG)-
Centre for Training and Academic Guidance (CTAG) is an
initiative for expanding and coordinating career awareness
activities as part of the education programs of the Human
Welfare Foundation for the welfare and strengthening of
socio-economically backward communities in India.
Ÿ Under its Counselling and Training programs CTAG
conducts career counselling sessions for students, career
awareness programs for parents, and training programs
for teachers and volunteers interested to become career
guides at regular intervals.
Ÿ Under its Research Guidance Program, it promotes
research by motivating students to conduct research
activities as well as supports research scholars through
their research.
Positive Impact Maximum
The mission of the HWF was to bring measurable change in
the lives of the downtrodden. With a maxim that if their
work brings a qualitative change in the life of one person it
is an achievement, the mission began. True to their
conviction the HWF interventions brought remarkable
changes in the lives of millions in the last one and half
decades. The HWF marked its footprints across India from
water-poor deserts to flood-ravaged villages to tribal
hinterlands, to remote rural regions to backward urban
landscapes.
The hard work of the dedicated workforce at HWF resulted
in a satisfactory outcome. In the last one and a half decade,
the foundation has brought measurable qualitative impact.
Thousands of homeless people found a dignified living
under housing schemes, thousands of students could
complete their schooling and higher degrees with its
scholarship support, thousands of orphans were supported
to complete their education, thousands of unemployed
could restart their life with livelihood support, lakhs of
beneficiaries found access to clean water through under
water projects, lakhs of patients benefited under health
services and millions of people were fed under hunger relief
projects. “Overall, it was an enriching experience,”
expresses Mr. Naik.
United We Transform – Today and Tomorrow
Revealing his plans, Mr. Naik says, “For the success of our
interventions, we forge a partnership with the community.”
So far, the reception is overwhelming. The foundation grew
with its honest intent, transparency, dedicated workforce,
professional execution, receptive community, and above all
generous donors.
However, a lot needed to be done. Given the scale of
challenges of poverty, the march of change must continue.
For this, scaling up operations and interventions is required.
“Capacity building of our human resources is done through
regular training,” he adds. To modernize HWF work
management, advanced automation services are adopted.
To enhance efficiency and be eco-friendly foundation is
becoming paperless and adopting online services of HRMS
and CRM. “Still, with limited resources at times, we face
constraints in expansion. We have future plans to multiply
interventions but need constant support from good
Samaritans,” concludes Mr. Naik.
For more information, click the below-mentioned weblink
and links to HWF social media sites,
Ÿ https://www.hwfindia.org/
Ÿ https://ctag.in/
Ÿ https://www.facebook.com/hwfindia2026/
Ÿ https://twitter.com/Hwfindia2026

Magic Bus India
On the Road to a Sustainable Future
Jayant Rastogi Global CEO Magic Bus India Founda on

4-year old Mishba comes from Deshanur village in
1Belgaum district. Her father works as a truck driver
and her mother is a homemaker. Her family is
conservative and education is not considered important.
“We girls are married off by 15-16 years of age,” she
reveals.
With hopes of completing her education so she could make
something of herself, Mishba left her small village. She
moved to Gokak, Karnataka where she now lives with her
uncle who owns a small roadside footwear shop and her
aunt who has only studied till elementary school.
Magic Bus reached out to her and encouraged her to join
the programme. She shares, “I used to be reserved and shy
earlier. I was not able to interact or even speak to the boys
in my class.
Joining the Magic Bus programme changed me. Today I'm
not afraid to participate and share my opinion. I learned
that I have a Right to Education. We also learned about
teamwork and gender equality in the life skills sessions.
Now I am able to interact with others confidently and all
the girls and boys in my class play together.
I dream of joining the Indian Army and serving our
nation someday even though the thought is considered
outrageous in my family! I will share my dream with them
once I finish my schooling.”
Similarly, Nisha Rawat who hailed from a small village in
Ajmer had to fight off many obstacles just to be able to
complete her education. Growing up, she was faced with
multiple responsibilities well beyond her age. “Ever since
my father passed away, my mother had to manage the
household finances. She works as a daily wage labourer,”
she shares.
After completing her 10th standard, she had to drop out of
school as her family’s financial condition was grim. “I
decided to stay at home and look after my two siblings,” she
says.
The Magic Bus programme team intervened and changed
the prospects for Nisha. The team urged her to enroll in the
Magic Bus programme so she could take charge of her life.
They also counselled and convinced her mother to allow
Nisha to study. By participating in the life skills sessions,
Nisha built her resilience and self-efficacy skills, which
empowered her to make informed decisions about her
future.
Now in the 11th standard, Nisha has plans of her own, “I
want to finish my college education and become an IAS
officer. I want to be able to help my mother and make my
dream come true!
These are just two stories of young girls striving to change
their futures and achieve their dreams. There are millions of
young people from underserved communities who are
facing similar challenges in their life and that’s where
Magic Bus enters the picture.
Helmed by Passionate & Driven Leaders
Magic Bus India Foundation was founded by
entrepreneur and humanitarian .
Matthew Spacie in 1999
He spent several afternoons playing rugby with young boys
from an underserved community in Mumbai and over the
course of these interactions, he encouraged them to go back
to school and take up vocational courses. He also helped
them find employment.
However, he soon noticed that the boys were unable to
retain their jobs due to a lack of basic life and employability
skills. He recognized that the issue was deeply entrenched
in young people across the country and to solve a problem
of this magnitude, he required a scalable solution. That’s
when he was struck with a unique idea of using sports for
the development of young people and Magic Bus was born.
Through activity-based skilling sessions Magic Bus imparts
essential life and employability skills to young people from
underserved communities. The organization equips
vulnerable young people with the knowledge they need to
thrive in their transition to adulthood and break the cycle of
poverty.
Global CEO Jayant Rastogi
, joined Magic Bus in 2016.
Driven by his strong learnings from the corporate world,
Jayant’s leadership has transformed the organization,
making it one of the ‘Top 5 NGOs in India’ and one of
India’s largest direct implementation NGOs. Jayant realised
the need to bring reliability, integrity and rigor in
programme implementation, along with the need to deepen
impact and build evidence at the pan-India level. He also

understands the need and opportunity to leverage
technology to build capacities and build a strong foundation
for exponential scale.
With the support of its large number of corporate,
institutional, and foundation partners, Magic Bus has been
able to create strong programme delivery models. The
organization has been working in partnership with several
government bodies and organizations to address key
challenges in India’s education and bring about systemic
change.
“Our Childhood to Livelihood programme impacts young
people in the age group of 12 to 24 years. We equip them
with the life skills and knowledge they need to thrive in
their journey from Childhood to Livelihood,” states Jayant.
By working with not only adolescents but also the multiple
stakeholders from their families, school, and community,
the organisation ensures they have the support required to
complete their education. Jayant adds, “To help adolescents
thrive in their journey to adulthood, we focus on teaching
life skills, enhancing education, and imparting
employability skills for their holistic development.”
Through its Livelihood programme, the organisation
enables youth to secure sustainable jobs by imparting life
skills and employability skills. After training is completed,
youth are linked to employment opportunities in sectors
such as Retail, ITeS, Hospitality, and BFSI among others.
To ensure youth are able to retain their jobs and withstand
any challenges, they are also provided with post-placement
support and mentoring.
Impact: Magic Bus
ADOLESCENTS
Ÿ School regularity of adolescents increased from 52%
to 98%.
Ÿ 76% of our adolescents' complete secondary
education and go on to higher secondary, versus the
national average of 69%.
Ÿ 26% improvement in perceived self-eﬃcacy and
17.5% increased resilience.
Youth
Ÿ Over 1.21 lakh youth till date have been placed in
sustainable employment.
Ÿ 57% of the Livelihood programme participants are
young girls.
Ÿ 70% of youth are placed in stable jobs with average
salaries of Rs 12,000 to 13,000.
Strengthening Partnerships with Government
The inclusion of life skills in the new National Education
Policy (2020), provided a boost to life skills education. To
quickly reach out to more adolescents in need of support,
they looked to accelerate the expansion of their life skills
education programme through strategic partnerships.
Teacher Training workshops–equipping government
school teachers to deliver the life skills programme to
students–were conducted. The organization initiated the
training partnership with the state District Institute of
Education & Training (DIET). The life skills assessment
tool created with Life Skills Collaborative, and the
School Completion and Livelihood Enablement
(SCALE) programme model have also been included in
the Annual Work Plan of Mizoram State.
In Maharashtra, Magic Bus has partnered with the district
education departments of Bhandara and Chandrapur to
impact communities at scale. This is achieved by
strategically saturating complete blocks in these districts.
“
Today, MagicBus is one of
the largest poverty alleviation
programmes and one of the
'Top 5 NGOs in India.
“

The SCALE programme was also recently recognized
by HundrED as one of the top 100 education
innovations out of 3000+ global organizations. Now, they
are equipping teachers to deliver life skills sessions both
inside and outside the classroom.
Building Sustainable and Scalable Livelihoods
Brought up in a nine-member household in Delhi, Gulfsha
and her family had struggled to make ends meet. Her father
who works in a scrap shop earns a mere ₹5000 per month.
Gulfsha hails from a Muslim minority community, where
many young girls are not allowed to pursue higher
education or work. “I was forced to stop my education after
class 12 but I was determined to pursue studies and become
independent. It took me a year to persuade my father and
then I was allowed to study again.” Despite being shamed
by relatives and her community for attending a co-ed
college, Gulfsha didn’t stop and she earned a Diploma in
Architecture Assistantship with a scholarship in May 2020.
“When I joined the Magic Bus ‘Get Into’ programme I
didn’t know how to navigate the digital world. After joining
the programme I learned skills like communication,
resilience, problem-solving, decision-making, preparing for
a job interview, writing a CV, and making presentations. I
was able to secure a job in Advance Estimating as an
Estimator with a monthly salary of ₹22,500.” That’s four
times the family’s monthly income!
“At Magic Bus we believe that young people should have
the opportunity to not only break out of poverty but also
move up in life. To secure rewarding and sustainable
employment, youth must be equipped with 21st-century life
skills, employability skills, and relevant job skills. Our
recently launched AWS Cloud Skilling programme and
Accounting ERP – Tally Skilling programme trains youth to
secure and retain employment in future-forward jobs,” says
Jayant.
Innovation and Technology at the Forefront
Magic Bus is a tech-driven organization with innovation
deeply ingrained in its DNA. Jayant says, “We believe
taking calculative risks can aid in delivering better
performance.”
They aim to use technology to automate donor reporting
and programme updates and build stronger financial
processes.
Innovation During the Pandemic
During the COVID-19 pandemic it was a challenge to run
programmes on the ground. “This urged us to modify our
programmes so we could continue lending support to young
people in need. Besides integrating digital learning in our
adolescent programmes through tabs and interactive LCDs,
we were also the first NGO in India to take our livelihood
programme online.”
Transparency at the Core of Processes
Through a meticulous system of monitoring and tracking
enabled by technology, they ensure transparency lies at the
heart of all their partnerships. Transparency in their
processes is essential to ensure that they are effectively
reaching out to young people and conducting programmes
on the ground with the utmost integrity. Using technology
and data analytics, real-time data is now easily accessible,
leading to faster decision-making, greater credibility, and
accountability to donors. This has improved both their
programme quality and productivity. Magic Bus is one of
the few non-profit organizations to have implemented a
robust programme tracking and monitoring system and
Internal Finance Controls.
Credibility That Speaks for Itself
They were recently selected by the National Skill
Development Corporation as an implementation partner and
one of the first NGOs in India’s first-ever Skill Impact
Bond. Under the programme, they are providing livelihood
skilling to approximately 15,000 youth, of which 80% are
women. The programme is addressing key challenges in
India, viz. skilling India’s huge youth population,
connecting them to sustainable jobs, and improving the
participation rate of women.
Magic Bus has been the recipient of several prestigious
awards and recognitions. It received the ASSOCHAM
Awards for Best Not-for-Profit Organization and best
Implementation Partnership of Corporate Foundation and
NGO for COVID-19 Response in 2022. Lauding their

effective use of football as a means of change, they recently
received an award at the Global Soccer Conclave. They also
received the ‘Excellent NGO of the Year’Award from the
CMAI Association of India (2019), the Laureus Sport for
Good Award, and the Rashtriya Khel Ratna Award from the
former president, Pranab Mukharjee.
Magic Bus’ Roadmap to Scale
“To scale our programmes and impact more young people
across India, we have laid out a clear-cut five-year
roadmap. By 2026 we will empower 16 lakh adolescents
and skill and place five lakh youth,” reveals Jayant.
Right from mobilization, to the delivery of the programme,
employment, continuous learning, alumni, and employer
connect, they are working to connect all components to one
particular platform. They are rightsizing the organization
and building capacities in all the backend functions. And in
their front-end functions, they are trying to devise a
modular programme which will enable them to rapidly and
efficiently launch programmes in new geographies.
“This is how we will reach out to millions of young people
and move the needle on our five target outcomes areas,
namely empowerment, academic success, employability, job
attainment and workplace success,” says Jayant.
Fortifying Partnerships
The scope of their partnerships extends beyond that of a
typical funder and NGO collaboration and also encapsulates
components like employee volunteering, expert-led guest
sessions for their beneficiaries, and more. In this way,
employees can interact with their beneficiaries and play a
stronger role in contributing to their local communities.
Some of the long-standing partners are Nestle, Barclays,
BMW, WPP Foundation, Accenture, Mondelez, Azim
Premji Philanthropic Initiatives, Echidna Giving, Michael
Susan Dell Foundation, DASRA, Google.org, Wimbledon
Foundation and Give India among many others.
Powered by Purpose-Driven People
One of their biggest strengths is their 2500+ strong team of
purpose-driven individuals who strive to fulfil the
organization’s mission and vision. As an organization that is
scaling up massively, multiple challenges could arise.
Their team is comprised of individuals who bring in
expertise from a cross-section of industries – both corporate
and the development sector. This enables them to approach
work with a unique perspective. At the senior executive
level, 50% are female leaders. 44% of their staff are
women. He states, “In fact, we take special efforts to
onboard women employees and have achieved this in one of
our biggest regions where the diversity ratio stands at
50%.”
“You need to have the capacity to be able to deliver the
same kind of programme efficiently. You need to have
talented and trained people who can carry out the delivery
of these programmes. So we are trying to build robust
programme implementation capabilities supported by
process automation for scale and depth of impact,” says
Jayant.
Attesting their work culture, Magic was recently certified as
a Great Place to Work for the second year in a row and
recognized as one of India’s Top 10 NGOs to work for by
the Great Place to Work Institute.
A Humane Wisdom
Jayant says, “I think the developmental sector has a never-
ending need because there are very few players and limited
talent in this sector. I think it’s a great space for committed
young people who are creative, smart, and ready to solve
generation-old problems by applying their minds, using
technology, and bringing in new innovative solutions.
We at Magic Bus foster an environment where we
encourage people to be creative, to be able to take risks and
to innovate. And we have seen some great stuff both in short
term and long term with some things we did. Overall, I
think this is a great space. There are lots of opportunities
for the right people who have their hearts in the right place
and we need more and more of such entrepreneurs. Just get
into it. There’s a lot of scope for someone willing to bring
change and technology will play a huge role here.”

Understanding
Importance and Scope
Corporate Social
Responsibility
Today’s Scenario
the
of
in
orporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has become
Cessential to modern-day businesses. It involves
companies taking responsibility for their impact on
the environment and society. In today’s scenario, CSR has
become increasingly important as companies are expected
to take more active role in addressing social and
environmental issues. This article will explore the
importance and scope of CSR in today’s world.
What is Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)?
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is a business model,
that encourages companies to act socially responsibly. This
means businesses must go beyond their primary purpose of
generating proﬁts and consider their impact on society and
the environment. CSR involves integrating ethical, social,
and environmental concerns into the company’s operations
and business strategies.
The Importance of CSR
CSR is becoming increasingly important for businesses,
governments, and communities. The following are some of
the reasons why CSR is essential:

Enhancing Reputation and Brand Image
One of the most significant advantages of CSR is enhancing
the company’s reputation and brand image. Consumers are
more likely to do business with a socially responsible and
environmentally friendly company. A positive reputation
can increase customer loyalty and attract new customers.
Improved Financial Performance
Many studies have shown that companies adopting CSR
practices perform better financially. CSR can lead to cost
savings, increased efficiency, and improved employee
morale. It can also increase the company’s access to capital
and lower its risk of regulatory fines and litigation. Social
initiatives puts the organization on the scale of responsible
and accountable organizations, thus gaining trust of
government and several other public sector organizations
who can support in business projects to the organization’s
advantage.
Cost Productivity
Cost saving and manageability? Isn’t that a good pairing?
Your business can save a lot of money by making many
small changes, like using less packaging, buying locally,
and improving processes to be more efficient. You can
educate your workforce about the significance of reusing
and recycling through CSR activities, resulting in cost
savings for your company. Employees develop the sense of
CSR Logic

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Corporate Social Responsibility Enabling Betterments in Communities - 2022.pdf

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