CSR Dashboard

Tag: SustainableDevelopment

  • CSR flows to India’s aspirational districts rise 20% in FY24, but concentration persists in mining hubs

    CSR flows to India’s aspirational districts rise 20% in FY24, but concentration persists in mining hubs

    By Eldee

    Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) spending in India’s 112 Aspirational Districts — the backward regions identified by NITI Aayog for accelerated development — grew by nearly 20 per cent in FY 2023-24, reaching Rs 1,521.44 crore from Rs 1,265.36 crore the previous year, according to the latest data tabled in Parliament by the Ministry of Corporate Affairs.

    The figures, part of a Rajya Sabha response in early February 2026, reflect a gradual shift towards channelling private sector resources into underdeveloped pockets, even as overall national CSR expenditure climbed to Rs 34,908.75 crore in FY24 from Rs 30,932.08 crore in FY23.

    Aspirational districts, which account for some of the country’s highest poverty and lowest human development indices, continue to receive only about 4-4.5 per cent of the total CSR pie — a share that has more than tripled over the past decade from around 1.3 per cent but remains modest given the scale of need.

    The data highlights stark regional and district-level variations. Jharkhand emerged as the top recipient among states, with its aspirational districts attracting around Rs 317 crore in FY24 (up from Rs 263 crore), driven largely by industrial and mining-linked contributions.

    Districts such as Purbi Singhbhum (Rs 94.20 crore) and Ranchi (Rs 80.65 crore) remained heavyweights, benefiting from proximity to corporate operations in steel, coal and heavy industries.

    Madhya Pradesh followed closely, with Singrauli topping the national list at Rs 114.29 crore in FY24 — the single highest district allocation — underscoring the influence of energy and mining sectors.

    Other notable performers included Uttarakhand’s Haridwar (Rs 75.80 crore) and Maharashtra’s Gadchiroli, which saw a dramatic jump from Rs 14.55 crore to Rs 70.15 crore, likely tied to increased focus on tribal and forested areas.

    Yet the pattern reveals persistent clustering. A handful of districts — often those with resource extraction or strategic industrial presence — captured a disproportionate share, while many remote or low-activity aspirational districts received negligible funds.

    Several, including Namsai in Arunachal Pradesh, Bijapur and Narayanpur in Chhattisgarh, and Yadgir in Karnataka, recorded zero or near-zero spending in both years. Others, like Sirohi in Rajasthan, saw sharp declines (from Rs 50.97 crore to Rs 20.67 crore).

    Experts point to the voluntary, board-driven nature of CSR under Section 135 of the Companies Act, 2013, which encourages but does not mandate spending in specific geographies beyond preferring local areas around operations.

    Government-owned companies have been more proactive, directing a higher proportion (around 11 per cent in recent analyses) to aspirational districts compared to private firms.

    Reports from think tanks such as Sattva Consulting note that while private corporations now contribute the majority of aspirational district funding — led by BFSI and energy/mining sectors with natural rural linkages — the overall flow remains aligned more with business footprints than pure equity considerations. Three-fourths of district-mapped CSR often concentrates in metros, Tier-1/2 cities or industrial hubs with lower poverty levels.

    NITI Aayog’s Aspirational Districts Programme, launched in 2018, has used real-time monitoring and convergence with central schemes to drive improvements in health, education, nutrition and infrastructure across these regions.

    The rising CSR inflows complement these efforts, but stakeholders argue for stronger nudges — such as better alignment with district priorities, multi-year commitments and incentives for non-core area spending — to ensure more equitable distribution.

    The Ministry maintains that CSR data is publicly available on csr.gov.in, empowering transparency and stakeholder scrutiny. As national CSR totals approach Rs 35,000 crore annually, the challenge remains translating incremental gains in backward districts into transformative, sustained impact amid uneven corporate priorities.

  • Eco Survey 2025-26: Pollution trading schemes can be a game-changer even in developing countries, Surat pilot proves

    Eco Survey 2025-26: Pollution trading schemes can be a game-changer even in developing countries, Surat pilot proves

    Market-based tools like emissions trading — long hailed as successful in the US and Europe — can deliver big wins for cleaner air in developing nations too, the Economic Survey 2025-26 has asserted, citing a pioneering experiment in Gujarat’s Surat city.

    Traditionally, experts doubted whether pollution trading schemes could work in lower-capacity settings due to weak monitoring, limited enforcement, and low state credibility. Regulators often struggle to track emissions accurately or ensure polluters buy permits for every unit released.

    But the Survey points to strong counter-evidence from the world’s first particulate matter emissions trading market, launched in Surat — a major industrial hub — and evaluated in the seminal 2023 study by Greenstone et al.

    The scheme, run by the Gujarat Pollution Control Board, covered 317 large industrial plants (mostly coal-burning units in textiles and other sectors). It replaced old command-and-control rules (tech mandates and concentration limits) with a cap-and-trade system, backed by mandatory Continuous Emissions Monitoring Systems (CEMS) for real-time tracking of particulate emissions.

    Key findings from the randomised trial:

    The market worked smoothly — active trading took place, and plants achieved near-universal compliance (99% of emissions covered by permits vs just 66% under the old regime).

    Participating factories slashed particulate emissions by 20-30% compared to those under traditional regulation.

    For the same pollution level, abatement costs dropped by 11-14%, thanks to firms trading permits based on their differing marginal costs.

    The Survey calls this a breakthrough proof that, with credible real-time monitoring like CEMS in place, pollution trading schemes can achieve major emissions cuts at much lower compliance costs — even in challenging developing-country contexts.

    “This shows market-based environmental regulations are not just for rich nations. When supported by strong tech-enabled enforcement, they offer an effective and cost-efficient path to cleaner air,” the document notes.

    The Surat pilot has already inspired expansions in Gujarat (including Ahmedabad) and discussions in other states, highlighting its potential as a scalable model for tackling industrial air pollution across India.

  • Maruti launches WagonR Swivel seat for inclusive mobility

    Maruti launches WagonR Swivel seat for inclusive mobility

    Maruti Suzuki India Limited launched a revolutionary Maruti WagonR swivel seat option on Thursday, marking a pioneering step toward inclusive mobility in India’s mass market automobile segment.

    The WagonR swivel seat is specifically designed to provide greater convenience for senior citizens and persons with disabilities, aligning with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal 10 on reducing inequality.

    “Swivel seat will make daily travel more convenient for senior citizens and persons with disabilities,” said Hisashi Takeuchi, Managing Director and CEO of Maruti Suzuki India.

    “This initiative reflects our vision of inclusive mobility and reinforces our commitment to customer-focused solutions,” he said in a statement.

    The automaker partnered with Bangalore-based startup TRUEAssist Technology Private Limited through its incubation program with NSRCEL-IIM Bangalore to develop the Maruti WagonR swivel seat solution.

    RETROFITTING AND AVAILABILITY

    Customers can order the swivel seat as a retrofitting kit at Maruti Suzuki Arena dealerships. The seat can be installed in new WagonR models or retrofitted in existing vehicles, according to the company statement.

    The product initially will be available at more than 200 Arena dealerships across 11 cities, with plans to scale up based on customer demand.

    WagonR’s tall-boy design offers spacious headroom and legroom, facilitating easier entry and exit, making it suitable for this innovative mobility solution. The model ranks among India’s top 10 selling vehicles.

    SAFETY AND WARRANTY

    The WagonR swivel seat kit has undergone safety testing at the Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI) and meets required safety standards, Maruti Suzuki said.

    Installation does not modify the vehicle’s structure or core functioning. The swivel seat comes with a three-year warranty.

    “By integrating our innovation into a model loved by the masses, we can ensure that inclusive mobility becomes a mainstream reality,” said Naina Padaki, founder of TRUEAssist Technology Private Limited.

    The initiative draws inspiration from Suzuki Group’s corporate slogan “By Your Side,” embodying the group’s commitment to customer-focused solutions rooted in founder Michio Suzuki’s vision.

  • HCLTech Grant adds water, biodiversity themes in second decade

    HCLTech Grant adds water, biodiversity themes in second decade

    HCLTech‘s grant program will expand its focus to include water and biodiversity as it enters its second decade, building on initiatives that have impacted over 300,000 individuals across India, the company said.

    The HCLTech Grant, which has supported community-driven development projects over the past 10 years, will add the new themes in its 11th edition alongside existing areas of health and education, according to a statement.

    The grant program has aligned interventions with 12 of the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, addressing challenges in government and rural schools, maternal and child health in remote regions, and ecological restoration in forest-dependent communities, the company said.


    “Sustainable change is not achieved by charity alone, but by coupling research with empathy, technology with trust, and resources with measurable results,” the HCLTech Grant statement said.

    The grant program’s strategic roadmap through 2030 includes three phases: consolidation and scaling through 2027, deepening impact and diversification until 2029, and institutionalization and sustainability by 2030.

    The HCLTech Grant will strengthen its research framework by implementing Social Return on Investment (SROI) methodologies to quantify outcomes and expand digital monitoring tools for real-time impact tracking, according to the announcement.

    Technology integration within the grant program will include satellite-based water mapping, AI-enabled health diagnostics and digital learning platforms to scale community solutions, the company said.


    The water theme under the HCLTech Grant will align with India’s Jal Jeevan Mission and SDG 6, developing a national model for integrated water resource management, the statement added.

    HCLTech plans to establish a Centre for Social Research and Innovation through the grant program to synthesize learnings and contribute to sectoral policy dialogues, while creating an alumni network of grantees for peer learning and mentoring.

    The grant program has collaborated with state health departments and the National Health Mission to strengthen public health systems across multiple states, impacting thousands of students and educators across districts.

    In environment interventions, the HCLTech Grant has worked with rural and forest-dependent populations to restore degraded ecosystems, revive water bodies, and promote biodiversity-friendly livelihoods, contributing to climate adaptation and ecological resilience.

  • Schneider Electric India Foundation Launches Climate Smart Village in Jharkhand

    Schneider Electric India Foundation Launches Climate Smart Village in Jharkhand

    Schneider Electric India Foundation (SEIF), the social impact arm of Schneider Electric, inaugurated a Climate Smart Village in Kocha, Khunti, an aspirational district in Jharkhand, in partnership with NGO PRADAN, the company announced on Monday.

    This marks SEIF’s third such initiative in the state, following projects in Gumla district, aimed at bolstering food security and fostering self-reliant rural communities through sustainable energy access.

    The launch was led by Jharkhand’s Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Minister Dipika Pandey Singh, alongside Khunti MP Kali Charan Munda, Torpa MLA Sudeep Gudhiya, and Schneider Electric’s Vice President for Strategy, M&A, and CSR, Damini Chaudhari.

    In Kocha, a 40 kW solar-powered mini-grid with smart energy management now powers irrigation pumps, agro-processing units, households, streetlights, a Primary Health Center, and an e-vehicle.

    Previously reliant on a single rain-fed crop, farmers are transitioning to multi-crop cultivation, processing produce locally, and marketing through a women-led Farmer Producer Organization, Torpa Mahila Krishi Bhagwani Saykari Swalambhi Samiti. This shift is boosting agricultural productivity, local value addition, and community livelihoods.

    “Access to sustainable livelihood is the first step towards empowering communities,” said Deepak Sharma, Zone President – Greater India and MD & CEO of Schneider Electric India.

    “The Kocha initiative shows how renewable energy, combined with digital technologies and local entrepreneurship, can transform rural economies, fostering resilient, self-reliant communities.”

    Kocha previously faced low farm productivity, limited livelihood options, and reliance on monsoon rains, restricting farmers to one crop cycle annually. The lack of three-phase power prevented agro-processing, while absent streetlights compromised safety, and migration was common due to insufficient local jobs.

    “The Climate Smart Village in Kocha demonstrates how decentralized energy models can unlock long-term rural prosperity,” said Damini Chaudhari.

    “By integrating solar power with digital technologies, we’re addressing energy gaps and creating a sustainable platform for entrepreneurship and community well-being.”

    SEIF’s initiative aligns with Schneider Electric’s broader commitment to scalable models for energy equity and inclusive growth, supporting India’s vision of Viksit Bharat.