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TITLE PAGES AND HIGHLIGHTS OF FIRST FIVE ISSUES OF Catalyst
FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
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CONTENTS 7
CATALYST FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
Inclusive Development As
Self-sustaining Business: P.V. Indiresan ...19
Thanks to Infrasys
Kottapalayam is Out of the Dark: Murthy Sudhakar ... 45
FEC Initiative Building
Resource Alliance Helping NGOs in Business-Social
Developing Countries ... 48 Partnerships:
Venkatesh Raghavendra &
Unfortunate Fall of an NGO Titan: Malini Sekhar 46
Lessons to learn: Dr. Bhamy V. Shenoy ... 49
Pledge 2007 - An Evening for Child Rights ... 52
Premji a Crusader for Humane Society ... 54
Book Review ... 55
2007 Skoll Awards for Social Entrepreneurship ... 56 Rural Innovations:
Biodiversity for Development: Dr. K. Srinivasa Rao ... 58 A shining Example 51
8 PREFACE
CATALYST FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
W
HILE working on this issue of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), it became obvious
from the beginning that there is considerable variance in its interpretations and, as a re-
sult, in its implementation. While almost all the large Indian corporations and MNCs have
well defined CSR activities, medium and small companies have yet to imbibe the true spirit of CSR.
This is both because of the misunderstanding of CSR concept and their daily grind to survive in the
corruption–ridden inspection Raj.
There are some who think that merely generating maximum returns to the shareholders, while
complying with all the rules and regulations of the government, is the ultimate in fulfilling the
needs of responsible CSR activities. They think that applying corporate assets for solving social
problems rather than maximizing shareholder value is an act of irresponsibility. There are others
who think that private companies also have the responsibility of taking care of the poor and down-
trodden in their areas as well as protecting the environment while practising sustainable production
strategies. Who is right in the long term? Can we learn from the lessons of Shell in Nigeria or oil
companies in Bolivia who failed to observe the true spirit of CSR?
To a large extent, most of the CSR activities, whether by MNCs or domestic companies in India,
are influenced today by their counterparts in the developed world. This raises the fundamental
question of why they have failed to see the vastly different situation in India.
It is stating the obvious that when poverty, and that too grinding poverty, is the norm in India de-
spite all the sound bites on “India Shining”, can corporations be oblivious to this stark and unpleas-
ant fact. In the developed world, for most part, the system works with good governance and
reasonable level of public participation. But, in India we are a long way from good governance. De-
spite all the hype of vibrant democracy, it is only the tiny minority of the political class that take
part in solving the civic problems and that too for their own selfish ends. Under this widely different
scenario, why do companies with vast management resources and better knowledge of the system
dynamics simply ape the CSR paradigm of the developed countries?
Those companies, who want to contribute to India’s development through their investment in
highly controversial SEZs, are often perceived as ignoring the needs of the poor whose lands they
have taken over. Does paying market rates to their lands absolve them of the responsibility? Why
can’t they carry them as shareholders so that they can also be partners like other investors (in fact
they have risked their livelihood) and share their prosperity? A correct interpretation of CSR would
have helped these companies to adopt such a strategy to win over the poor.
When millions in India still remain functionally illiterate because of dysfunctional education system,
can companies pat themselves by announcing that they have contributed to starting some schools
or gave crores of rupees for scholarships or trained hundreds of teachers or donated thousands of
books? What we need is a revolutionary systemic change so that every child irrespective of accident
of birth has equal opportunity to have good schooling. An enlightened CSR should attempt to fol-
low the principle of teaching how to fish rather than just giving out a fish to overcome the imme-
diate hunger.
CSR should go beyond mere philanthropy especially in a country like India where people living
in below poverty level are more than 50%. It is not just spending some percentage of profits for
a social cause. Just like an individual living in a society cannot be concerned only with his self–in-
terest as described in Wealth of Nations by Adam Smith, corporations cannot be indifferent to so-
cietal problems as suggested by Milton Friedman.
Dr. Bhamy V. Shenoy
CSR 9
CATALYST FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
A Better Understanding of
Corporate Social Responsibility
RUBY THAPAR
Corporate Social Responsibility is not a subsidiary responsibility of a corporate body or an
option. Indeed it is very much a complementary responsibility or rather a compulsion of
any corporate body that aims to add value to it’s operations.
License to operate: Corporations are often set at a supranational level like the
keen to avoid interference in their busi- Kyoto Protocol. Some investors and in-
ness through taxation or regulations. By vestment fund managers have begun to
taking substantive voluntary steps they take account of a corporation’s CSR policy
can persuade governments and the in making investment decisions (so-called
wider public that they are taking current ethical investing).
issues like health and safety, diversity or
the environment seriously and so avoid Having said this, it is not something that
intervention. can be accomplished alone by any corpo-
ration. The need of the hour is neutral
Complimentary resposibility platforms of collaborations, interactions
The definition of CSR used within an and task-orientedness among NGOs, the
organisation can vary from the strict "stakeholder impacts" civil society, the government and the corporations to hasten
to include charitable efforts and volunteering. CSR may be the pace of social development in line with the economic
based within the human resources, business development reforms.
or PR departments of an organisation, or may be given a
What needs to be kept in mind about CSR is that it is not
separate unit reporting to the CEO or in some cases directly
a subsidiary responsibility of a corporate body. Indeed it is
to the board. Some companies may implement CSR-type
very much a complementary responsibility of any corporate
values without a clearly defined team or programme.
body that aims to add value to its operations.
Today’s heightened interest in the role of businesses in
society has been promoted by increased sensitivity to and ruby.thapar@vedanta.co.in
awareness of environmental and ethical issues. In some (The views expressed here are of the author
countries government regulation regarding environmental and do not represent the views of
and social issues has increased. Standards and laws are Vedanta Resources plc)
The CSR agenda as outlined by the developed North does the correct people to do so as we did not have the adequate
not include these unique challenges. The global framework competencies required to handle development. We developed
and standards of CSR will therefore need to be continuously a model that included partnering with local NGOs to imple-
fine–tuned by CSR practioners in India to make them more ment long term projects based on the identified needs of the
relevant to the Indian context. The immense challenges that communities in the area.
the country faces vis-à-vis development impacts the way CSR
is perceived and implemented by companies in India. Issues Farm-based activities
like poverty, inadequate livelihood options, lack of quality ed- Some of the programmes that we have taken up to make
ucation and illiteracy and the challenges arising from these is- these people economically productive are vocational and skill
sues are what most companies have to deal with as part of training, providing loans to youth to set up micro enterprises
their daily operations. like carpentry units, motorcycle repairing units and units for
products outsourced from the company. The projects also con-
Therefore, CSR in India cannot be limited to being viewed centrate on expanding the scope of traditional farm-based ac-
as a way of doing good business or managing business tivities to those without education, to include commercial
processes well. It needs to go much be- vegetable farming, floriculture, provid-
yond business, to actively participate in ing improved variety of seeds and
helping resolve some of the above men- technical know how. Loans are also
tioned issues. Majority of the companies provided for off farm activities like
that include CSR in their agendas em- poultry, goat rearing, dairy and pisicul-
phasize addressing these issues through ture etc. These programmes gave the
their CSR programmes and practices. community a financial hold over their
The Indian CSR model has evolved over lives. Health and education are also an
the last few decades to give rise to some extremely important component of
innovative ways to address develop- the poverty alleviation programme in
ment issues. the pursuit of livelihood. The outreach
programme on health has reached
Partnership with NGOs more than 50,000 people in this year alone. Availability of
Ballarpur Industries Ltd (Bilt) is one of India’s leading paper health care at their doorstep lead to improved health status es-
companies in India and the market leader in the manufacture pecially among women and children. Trained health workers
of writing and printing paper. As a manufacturing company are now available in each village with basic medicine kits and
located in some of the most remote parts of the country Bilt safe delivery kits available with them all the time.
is faced with many of the previously mentioned challenges.
The communities living around these locations are poor and Informal education and bridge courses are provided to chil-
marginalized and have had limited access to opportunities for dren out of schools in the community. Bilt provides training to
development. In most cases Bilt is one of the only, business selected youth from a village to conduct these classes. Today,
entities in the area. Bilt as part of CSR is empowering local communities so that
they can play a constructive role in their own development
In remote areas the avenues for income generation are lim- thus decreasing their dependence on the company. It also en-
ited and the focus of people becomes industry related em- courages employee prevention volunteerism. Through
ployment. Expectations from people all around are generally HIV/Aids prevention activities and other health interventions
high; however since a company cannot fulfil all these expec- it tries to create a healthy workplace. Internal monitoring and
tations, even some of the positive social impacts of it being in reporting mechanisms are in place and are an important part
the area, like availability of jobs, get diluted due to the limited of this process. Bilt also developed a participatory monitoring
numbers in which they are generated and the vast majority of system wherein the participating stakeholders are part of the
people desirous of accessing them. This results in dissatisfac- review systems.
tion among people in the area and a worsening of the rela-
tionship with communities. These efforts lead to the development of a holistic CSR
model that is based on a win-win partnership. It is working for
Over the last few years Bilt realised that sporadic inputs in Bilt and is bringing returns in terms of better relations with
an area are not adequate to address the issues brought about communities, governments, NGO’s and civil societies besides
by decades of it being left out of the mainstream develop- meeting the needs of the stakeholders in a sustainable
ment. Although we decided to address the issue in a system- manner.
atic way with a long term focus, we realised that we were not ygurjar@bilt.com
CSR 13
CATALYST FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
to write about their community service as part of their an- Inculcating corporate social responsibility is also about
nual evaluation report. Even if companies do not reward training young minds and helping future generations or-
community activities, at least, the idea that the company ganise themselves for greater good. Social responsibility
cares will have a positive impact. needs to be deeply ingrained from childhood. In America,
increasingly admission to elite private and public universities
Creating Demand is not only based on academic grades, but also participation
Corporate social responsibility can be much more than in community activities and leadership roles. Social respon-
charity. An innovative way to contribute socially is for sibility is about leadership, respect for fellow human beings,
firms to spend in towns and villages, and to buy products and checks and balances. It is not uncommon to find high
from millions of artisans who are at the bottom of the school students volunteering in community work. Scholar-
economic pyramid. ‘Fortune at the Bottom of the Pyra- ships are awarded to those who show community leader-
mid’ (Author: C. K. Prahalad) calls for corporations to ship and academic performance.
design products/services for the enormous population at
the bottom of the pyramid. The basic assumption is that Change needed
this population segment has some disposable income and Unfortunately, in India, admissions to even some of the
firms can still make profits on large volume. Why not best institutions are purely based on performance in en-
consider creating wealth at the bottom of the pyramid, trance exams. Worse, entering the civil services is also
which can increase disposable in- about securing high grades in ac-
come and buying power? ademic subjects. Thus, parents
and young minds are focussed in-
For example, firms can give arti- tently on examinations and exam-
sans' products as corporate gifts inations alone. Obviously, the next
or use them for interior decora- generation is groomed likewise. To
tion, which may have socially break this cycle, there needs to be
more redeemable value than cur- a radical change in the incentive
rent methods. If there are quality structure in the educational sys-
issues, then corporations can use tem, and admission and hiring
their resources to increase quality process. Consideration must be
awareness among artisans. Un- given not only to grades, but also
fortunately, the above roles to create demand and im- to leadership roles and societal impact; these may have
prove quality rest on the government and the resources greater value to corporations and society.
spent for such activity hardly reach the intended benefi-
ciaries. Throughout my schooling not once did I engage in social
or charity activity. There were hardly any role models at the
Building facilities faculty level or friends to look beyond classroom/books.
Further, corporate spending outside large cities can My engineering institution in India never promoted societal
help spread wealth. Large corporations can exploit hun- responsibilities. Contrast this with the UT-Austin, which ac-
dreds of historical places in rural towns and villages for tively supports and nurtures over 900-plus student-led or-
corporate training, conferences, and getaways. Of ganisations under the "Student Activities and Leadership
course, innovative ways are needed to create decent Development" (SALD) programme. Likewise, high schools
hotels, restaurants, and basic amenities outside major engage with a large number of student-led organisations.
cities. The Indian Government has championed building While not all these organisations are about social work,
hotels to promote tourism. However, the initiatives are many explicitly create awareness of leadership qualities and
riddled with inefficiencies, poor service, and wasted re- social responsibility.
sources. Private entities with support from several cor-
porations can collectively build facilities on a Every country should embrace the remarkable concept
time-sharing basis that will help invigorate economic of individuals and businesses forming a partnership to sup-
activity. It is necessary to create jobs and economic ac- port social causes. In the context of India, such a partner-
tivity in rural communities to uplift the masses. Unless ship has enormous potential for strengthening society.
wealthy corporations and individuals spend on goods
and services that touch the masses (like artisans' prod- pkonana@mail.utexas.edu.
ucts), economic prosperity for most of the population
will remain a dream. (The article was originally published in The Hindu)
CSR 17
CATALYST FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
Partnerships
We are now partnering with other companies who have seen
what can be done and are looking for a win-win situation.
Collaboration with Industry: a Crucial Link dard exams along with livelihood training in animation.
In the animation industry, while the investment in Students with different grades of skills are identified and
human resources is high, turnover of trained personnel is TFTP, in liaison with Star Features, conducts a training
also high, which affects business plans of the firms. Cre- module on animation to suit their levels of learning. The
ating skilled artists is advantages as they can serve as a course starts with basic drawing skills and progresses to
reserve pool of personnel with more stability in employ- converting the hand movement techniques from mehendi
ment. to animation.
TFTP partnered with Star Features Studio to develop After completing the six months course, internships are
the training methodology for conversion of the traditional organised in Star Features as an extension of the regular
craftspeople into animation artists. Star Features is an In- classes, so that a smooth transfer to the new employment
dian Firm involved in developing animation series in the is facilitated. Inputs on personality development, commu-
area of education. While this collaboration will address nication, and spoken English are also incorporated in the
the issue of high turnover of artists, trained people from curriculum so that the students are empowered for this
this initiative will be employed in the existing market by transition in their lives.
the studio. Towards this, the studio is willing to outsource
its work to young trained people. Adolescent girls, who dropped out of school and earn a
meagre income by way of helping their mothers in hand-
TFTP established resource centres in five locations in embroidery and mehendi-designing during wedding sea-
parts of the old city of Hyderabad to provide education sons, are now full time graphic and animation artists for
and livelihood alternatives for adolescent girls who are Star Features, an animation studio in the city of Hyder-
vulnerable to early marriages and other exploitative forms abad.
of labour. Students are prepared to appear for the X Stan- rajen@tftpeople.org
Inclusive Development as
Self-sustaining Business
P.V. INDIRESAN
contribution to a Charity Fund run by a separate trust. or as a non-profit company. When run as a society, the
management runs the risk of being captured by pressure
The Charity Trust (which may receive contributions from groups. Several societies, which started with noble inten-
non-patients too) meets the costs of treating the poor and tions, are known to have been politicised. Operating as a
subsidises the treatment of the second category. Those trust, the institution faces less risk of take-over but can
contributions will enjoy tax benefits. To the extent the suffer from inbreeding. Functioning as a non-profit com-
state offers tax rebates, it shares the cost of treating the pany has two advantages: One, power is distributed ac-
poor in a private hospital. cording to the financial contribution made. Two, its
accounting standards will be high and transparent.
As a non-profit company, the hospital may be allowed to
issue bonds that get the same tax benefits as infrastructure This process may be extended to education, public
bonds enjoy. Such tax rebates are better than either gov- transport and even dwellings. In the case of schools, we
can consider three classes:
Full fees in regular hours;
marginal fees in evening
classes and free tuition
over weekends. Alter-
nately, we can ask (or es-
timate) at the time of
admission what each stu-
dent will be willing to pay.
An admission test is then
held on a need-blind
basis. The merit list and
the fees list can then be
combined to meet the re-
quired income to run the
school with a maximum of
meritorious students.
Harvard operates its ad-
missions in this manner
and has been able to
maintain high standards
of admission for over a
century. The system also
attracts charitable endowments.
ernment subsidies or the government itself operating the
facilities: One, subsidies are subject to political whims of In the case of public transport, we can have, in every
the moment; they are not always objective. Two, when vehicle, a section with standing passengers only where
the government itself runs the institutions, more often fares are nominal or even free. Alternately, no fares may
than not, efficiency suffers. It also becomes difficult to at- be charged during off-peak hours and the number of serv-
tract charity. ices that can be operated during peak hours may be deter-
mined by the number of services operated free during
Tax rebates off-peak hours.
Tax rebates avoid these problems. The sacrifice the gov-
ernment makes in tax collections will be a fraction of the Supply in excess
costs it would have incurred if it had provided the same In the case of dwellings, cost of land is the primary prob-
social services, which, normally is its duty. In other words, lem, not the cost of construction. Typically, the poor oc-
these tax rebates formalise the financial shares of a Pub- cupy a third of the average space. The bottom 30 per cent
lic-Private Partnership in a transparent, non-selective man- needs only ten per cent of the total dwelling space, at the-
ner. most 15 per cent. Many town planners do make such a
provision and yet slums proliferate. It happens because
In general, the hospital can be run as a society, as a trust supply is kept less than the demand.
CSR 21
CATALYST FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
India will need another 200 million dwellings. In- rich will go elsewhere taking their surplus and their
stead of waiting for shortages to develop, and then, charities with them. Politicians rarely appreciate the
organising residential plots, suppose the supply is al- importance of maintaining quality. When money is
ways kept in excess of demand. Then, the poor will scarce, they should improve quality; they should start
not be short-changed so long as their due share of 10- attracting more and more paying customers. Unfor-
15 per cent space is kept open for them. tunately, those who talk of inclusive development al-
most never appreciate this counter-intuitive argument.
Basically, all these systems operate with separate Come budget crunch, they sacrifice quality, lose pay-
supply-demand schedules for different categories of ing customers and set off an unstoppable downward
customers. They operate with one schedule where full spiral. It is no accident that all self-supporting institu-
costs are charged, and a separate one at the lower tions that help the poor, like the CMC, Narayana Hri-
marginal cost. They are effective where economy of dayaylaya, or Harvard University, offer world class
scale applies but not after the Law of Diminishing Re- service.
turns sets in. In brief, inclusive development is not charity; it is
self-sustaining business.
It is not obvious, but vital, that institutions of this
type must offer world-class service: If they do not, the indiresan@gmail.com
The Indian media is surely one of the biggest and most comprehensive of any in the world. The print media
alone consists of over 2,00,000 newspapers and magazines, published in a wide range of Indian languages
and in English. The rise of the regional media matches the economic growth of some of the key regions.
INEPNEXT, the only news agency focusing on EU-India relations, has chosen to work with a media company
based in Kolkata, home to some of the country’s oldest English and Indian language newspapers.
INEPNEXT is a joint venture between the India News in Europe Programme (INEP) and the Kolkata-based
'Brand Next" media organisation. Its aim is to provide detailed information and analysis of EU-India relations
on trade, the economy, science and technology, culture or politics. from Brussels, the home of key EU
institutions and the world's largest news centre.
INEPNEXT aims, in short, to raise the profile of two of the world’s leading soft powers – India and the 27-
nation European Union.
INEPNEXT prepares regular news reports, interviews and analyses for Indian news outlets; it will also
disseminate news and information from India for news outlets in Europe.
INEPNEXT will also be looking at the EU's ties with India’s neighbours : Bangladesh, Pakistan , Nepal and
Sri Lanka and regularly reporting on the activities of the Indian Diaspora in Europe.
For further information, and for a two-week free subscription, please contact:
subscriptions@inepnext.com
(The ten survey groups which carried out the study were SHRM, AHRI, NHRDN,
HRinIndia, HRA, CIIC, CCHRA, AMEDIRH, COMARI and ABRH)
CSR 23
CATALYST FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
ATA is a window into the M.B.A.s, have all read about Welch, and dismiss many of
the early '90s, Tata executives Ratan Tata says his company is not driven to grow
emphasize that even now, the "over everybody's dead bodies." Some 66 percent of the
company grows despite obsta- profits of its investment arm, Tata Sons, go to charity,
cles thrown up by red tape and and executives make clear they have no intention of re-
special interests. Unlike China's linquishing control to Wall Street. At Tata, "corporate so-
boom, which was orchestrated cial responsibility," to use the Western buzzword, has
by the state, India's is primarily the story of an enterpris- real money behind it.
ing private sector.
However far-flung Tata’s markets are, they are near in
In recent years, as Tata began listing some of its affil- spirit to the social experiment of Jamshedpur, the steel
iates on Wall Street, Americans often compared Tata to town with a population of 8,00,000 Tata carved from
the model-conglomerate they know best: General Elec- the jungle a century ago. It still pays full health and ed-
tric. But CEO Ratan Tata, 67, is no Jack Welch. "Certainly ucation expenses for all employees, and runs the schools
not," he says. Tata executives, many armed with Western and a 1,000-bed hospital.
Do you need any active help or input from NGOs or volunteers or experts to execute /
improve / expand your CSR activities? If so, is there some format in which they can
send their information to you?
Are there any documented learnings on CSR that you can share?
definition should emerge and CSR agenda is possi- Principal Barriers to CSR
ble to be globally frozen. The Survey identified some of the “principal barriers
and threats” to adopting CSR and the most impor-
But, as elsewhere in the world, the exercise of in- tant of them was lack of an enabling environment
terpretation of what Corporate Social Responsibility (hindering the process). Absence of a clear linkage
is, continues to be diverse and deliberated no end in between CSR and financial success is another bar-
India, notwithstanding the fact that CSR has come rier. This is not to speak of the lack of mechanisms
to be talked about in the country since three to measure, monitor, evaluate and report impact of
decades or more. “There are several definitions of CSR initiatives.
CSR, several perceptions and approaches (adopted
in the country),” says a United Nations Develop- Many companies see a great future for earning
ment Programme (UNDP) study. Though conducted profits through ethical conduct of business, compli-
in 2002, along with Price Water House and the ance with regulatory requirements, with emphasis
British Council, the UNDP Survey report is still con- on protection to environment, and employee health
sidered the latest and the conclusions, by far, hold and safety. A majority of the respondents claimed
good even today. that a desire to be a good corporate citizen and im-
proved brand image drive CSR.
What is CSR for Indian Companies ?
The UNDP Survey says: “Several models have been
advanced that attempt to describe how companies Who determines the
relate to the society. What responsibilities compa-
nies are willing to assume, and what are the societal CSR Strategy?
expectations from them? The principal underlying
tenets driving the debate are globally uniform but 94% of the respondents stated (in the Survey) that
assume local flavour, based on local socio-economic management determines the CSR strategy. Over
and cultural context. In the contemporary era of 80% of the respondents attribute the CSR strategy
global integration, the local flavour in the debate is as being determined by the Board or employees.
increasingly subsumed by the global debate”. Local communities (67% of the respondents) and
shareholders (61% of the respondents) are also
considered to be important stakeholders for strat-
The diversity in definition of CSR is amply re-
egy determination. Which stakeholders have an
flected in the responses received from companies on
interest in the companies CSR performance ? It is
their perception of CSR. A striking feature of the re- indicated that nearly 75%, 66% and 59% of re-
sponses is that the respondents are in near unanim- spondents believe that employees, customers and
ity that CSR is very much included in the domain of the local community factor in a companies CSR
corporate action and that ‘passive philanthropy’ is performance while making their assessment of the
no longer sufficient in the realm of CSR. company. Accordingly, one clearly sees the imprint
of these stakeholder interests in the determination
The Principal Objective of the UNDP Survey was of a company’s CSR strategy.
to ascertain the predominant perceptions on CSR in
30 CSR
CATALYST FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
Corporate-backed Community
Enterprises Flourish in Southern India
MUTHU VELAYUDHAM
Promotion of corporate-backed community enterprises for value addition and marketing of farm
produce is an alternative approach. Community enterprises in food, health and energy sectors in Tamil
Nadu, promoted by an NGO, are doing well. This model may be replicated gradually in other states.
as Tata and Ford Foundations are used for building and sand) stoves were sold in the 2nd half of 2006 with Rs.
machinery purchase. CCD project grants are used to- 8 million turnover, including fuel pellets from agri-
wards transport and marketing communication ex- waste, enriching the farmers. Thus, communities and
penses, and for expert training fees. CCD also helps corporates “co-created” a business model to tap the
companies to register with community members as di- “fortune at the bottom of the pyramid”. The Next Prac-
rectors and for the initial 2-3 years. CCD staff provides tices (TNP) company that mooted this notion guided BP
professional services on a fee basis. Thus external con- & CCD.
tribution is 4–fold: (a) technology, (b) institution, (c) fi-
nance and (d) market. Aharam company
CCD is also promoting the SHG network to procure
Pro-sumer Model and market good quality food products at low prices,
Gram Moolige (village herbs) Company Limited since 2004, under the banner of Aharam, meaning
(GMCL, www.villageherbs.com) was the first enterprise food. It sells Rs. 500/- worth grocery (pulses, oil, spices,
CCD promoted in the year 2001, to sell raw Fast moving consumer goods) each to 1,000
drugs collected by poor women from families with 2 months credit and 90%
fallow farms and wastelands in the recovery by the 3rd month. Its
lean, non-agricultural, dry season. turnover is Rs. 3 million a year.
Since 2003, GMCL also pro- Procurement from farmers and
duces and markets over–the– processing and sales by SHGs
counter medicines, based on employ about 100 commu-
local traditional herbal nity members.
remedies in the “Siddha”
system. Today, GMCL CCD will replicate this
turnover is Rs. 9 million, model in 6 other states dur-
80% derived from selling ing 2008-2010, with CSR
raw drugs after grading, grants. CCD registered
cleaning, and packing. It sea- Aharam as a “traditional crop
sonally employs 1,300 women to producers company” in Decem-
gather raw drugs, as well as 100 ber 2005 under the Companies Act
farmers. 30 women SHGs invested Rs. (2001 amendment) with VAT and export
1.50 lakh in 2001, won a dividend of Rs. 3.5 code. Farmers’ SHG federations own shares and
lakh and possessed a net share capital of Rs. 5 lakh. more federations or SHGs can obtain membership. Its
SHGs decide the company’s policies, prices and insur- routine business is managed by professional staff.
ance etc.
For profitability, Aharam sold 25 tons of mango at Rs.
Co-creation Model 1 million in 2006 and has orders for Rs. 4 million from
GMCL’s success motivated British Petroleum (BP) to Mumbai and Cochin buyers. It also started exports with
partner with CCD and SHGs to tap rural energy mar- “organic” labeled cotton and “fair trade” labeled
kets. Thus, CCD established Adharam, an energy com- mango, with 30-50% premium over the normal market
pany, in 2005. Adharam (www.ccd.org.in/adharam) price. It will soon export “blue labeled” smoked tuna
sold 3,000 smokeless stoves in drylands around Madu- fish from Lakshadweep islands to SriLanka. The Birla re-
rai in the second semester of 2007 and 4 times more in tail chain being set up in metros may procure from
Marathwada drylands in Maharashtra state, where Aharam spices, fruits and vegetables.
SHGs linked to a partner NGO, SSP, (www.sspindia.org)
provided the marketing channel. BP and CCD termed Aharam markets dryland, small farmer products such
this business as “co-creation” model. The community as maize, mango, tamarind, pulses, honey, forest pro-
was involved at each development stage viz. concep- duce including herbal products, and fishery products,
tualization, product design and testing, sales planning including shell crafts of the Tsunami victims. National
and pricing. This gave community the ownership, and Rural Employment Guarantee (NREG) schemes for em-
marketing vigor. BP offered to sell LPG kits which the ployment in backward rural areas should invest in these
community disapproved, and promote smokeless stove models.
sales. BP bought its patented technology from the In- mdu_ccd@sancharnet.in
dian Institute of Science (IISc) and 15,000 (fifteen thou- www.ccd.org.in
CSR 33
CATALYST FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
The long term goal of Anand CSR is to implement con- The company strongly believes that education is an in-
cepts like ‘Zero Tolerance Zone for Child Labour’, ‘Zero tegral part of the country’s social fabric and works towards
Waste Zone’ using strategies like Reduce, Recycle and supporting basic education and basic computer literacy
Reuse not only at Anand/SNSF locations but extend to amongst the underprivileged children in India.
Anand residential areas.
Avon Cycle Limited
Aptech Limited The poor and ignorant of India’s rural population turn
Aptech Limited, a leading education player with a global to nearest towns and cities for healthcare. They face in-
difference and exploitation. Hope gives way to despair.
This gave inspiration to AVON for locating MATA
KAUSHALYA DEVI, PAHWA CHARITABLE HOSPITAL.
Satyam Computer Services Limited 44,000 trees were planted and nurtured over a period
Alambana (support) is the corporate social responsi- of eight years. The presence of large trees and vast
bility arm of Satyam Computer Services Limited, formed greenery has considerably improved the ecology in the
to support and strengthen the vulnerable and under- area.
privileged sections in urban India.
DCM Shriram Consolidated Limited
Registered as Satyam Alambana Trust in 2000, Alam- Shriram Fertilisers and Chemicals, is a unit of DSCL,
bana aims at transforming the quality of life among located at Kota, 475 kms. Over the last 3 decades, var-
urban population. Alambana's services are directed pri- ious initiatives have been undertaken by the unit, in the
marily at the disadvantaged sections in all the cities that Hadoti region (Kota, Bundi, Jhalawar districts) in ICU,
Satyam has offices in. Volunteers from among Satyam ambulances, family planning, medical assistance;
associates and their family members lead the services schools, scholarships, emphasis on girl child education;
and perform the required tasks. water to people and infrastructure.
for a trained and effective participation from industry school goes much beyond just providing monetary sup-
was first felt there. The members of Engineering and Lo- port towards infrastructure and maintenance of school
gistics segment of WEF came together to establish this building.
network. The idea was further strengthened during the
9/11 incident where again the industry participated in Larsen & Toubro (L & T) Limited
the relief operations. DRN Worldwide was formally Considering that construction industry is the second
launched in New York in January 2002. And shortly largest employer in India after agriculture, employing
thereafter, DRN - India Initiative was launched. about 32 million-strong workforce, L&T set out to reg-
ulate and promote Construction Vocational Training
India Aluminium Company Limited (CVT) in India by establishing a Construction Skills Train-
The Women's Empowerment project was initiated by ing Institute (CSTI) on a 5.5 acre land, close to its Con-
Indal-Muri in Jharkhand where the Company operates struction Division Headquarters at Manapakkam,
an alumina refining plant. It was implemented in collab- Chennai. CSTI imparts, totally free of cost, basic training
oration with an NGO, CARE-Jharkhand. The central in formwork, carpentry, masonry, bar-bending, plumbing
problem this project has attempted to address is the very and sanitary, scaffolder and electrical wireman trades to
low socio-economic condition of the rural and tribal a wide spectrum of the rural poor.
population of Silli block caused by low agricultural pro-
ductivity, lack of or low cash income, unresponsive As a result of the good response it received in Chen-
health/ Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) nai, CSTI set up a branch at Panvel, Mumbai, initially of-
schemes. fering training in formwork, carpentry and masonry
trades. The Manapakkam and Panvel facilities together
The Project has helped set up around 100 Self Help provide training to about 300 candidates annually who
Groups so far, which are running successfully with mem- are inducted after a process of selection, the minimum
bers trained in various vocational income–generating qualification being tenth standard. Since inception, these
skills, agricultural methods for better yields and health two units have produced about 2,000 skilled workmen
care initiatives. About 2000 women have been brought in various trades, with about sixty percent of them being
into the fold of this activity helping to improve not just deployed to L&T’s jobsites spread across the country.
their own lives but the quality of life of their children and
families as well. The success of this training-initiative demonstrates
that adoption of systematic training techniques are
The Indal Women's Empowerment & Child Care proj- bound to yield efficient and skilled personnel in the
ect employed integrated package of strategies and in- shortest possible time, and in the power to convert the
terventions, such as: potential of the Rural Youth in Construction and upgrad-
Establishment and Strengthening of Self Help ing Rura Economy in a small way.
Groups (SHG) in 30 strategically selected villages;
Promotion of Nutrition Gardens and improved land /
agricultural and natural resource management prac-
tices; and
Creation of demand for improved ICDS/ health
services through Self Help Groups and strengthening
ICDS/ Health Department's service delivery
met Zulieben for the first time in 1999 in her hut out-
No livelihood
Kaasambhai was a good father but had a habit of drink- the future of millions of children like Anvar and Nabila.
ing. When drunk, he got into arguments with Zulieben
and abused her. The children were not happy with the sit- Share and Care Women’s Empowerment program is
uation but were helpless. Zulieben has no alternative but specifically designed to encourage the millions of
to tolerate Kaasambhai’s unacceptable behavior as she Zuliebens to either start their own small business or to ac-
could not leave him because she doesn’t have enough quire some skills to become economically independent
means to support her children. and stand their own ground. Our Women’s Empower-
ment programs are implemented in partnership with sev-
Because of the way in which Kaasambhai treated eral local NGOs.
Zulieben, she was not respected in her family and society.
Besides, Kassambhai wasted a lot of his earnings in drink- Self help
ing and smoking leaving very few funds for sustaining a Zulieben is a member of one such self-help group,
normal family life and providing proper nutrition and ed- AMBA. She got her first loan of Rs. 5000/- from AMBA
ucation for the children. Zulieben was illiterate but came in 1999 to start her business of making the bricks and
across as street smart with a lot of wisdom, ambition and selling them locally. When I re-visited Zulieben in 2001, I
initiative given proper encouragement. Given a loan, got a hearty welcome from her and Kaasambhai. During
Zulieben would like to start a business of making bricks. my first visit, I did not meet Kaasambhai, but I could see
“If I can earn some money, I will first take care of these that his behavior was completely changed from what I
children and then work towards normalizing our lives so had heard two years earlier. He now allowed Zulieben to
that we will not have to worry everyday about our next lead our conversation, supporting her occasionally.
meal,” she said.
Their dwelling had improved and I was told that both
Zulieben is not alone in her pitiable life saga. She repre- Anvar and Nabila were doing well in school and had been
sents an estimated 200 million village women in rural India reading books. They even joined extra classes to learn
whose talents are untapped. Share and Care Foundation English for computer education. In addition, they both
firmly believes that this talent not only needs our support aspired to pursue college education.
but it requires our focused attention to eliminate the gender
gap, utilize the talents, provide self-respect and improve The climax of this visit was when Zulieben talked about
WOMEN EMPOWERMENT 39
CATALYST FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
her successes and future challenges. Even though she was own small business or form co-operatives and self-help
hugely successful in her business, she was not satisfied with groups for their own development and their rights. Share
this level of achievement. She talked about her plans to ex- and Care has already witnessed a phenomenal positive
pand the business in the next two years, explaining that due change in the lives of these women and their families. Based
to the construction boom in the area, she could not keep up on this experience and others like it, Share and Care has de-
with the demand under her current manufacturing capacity. cided to sharpen its focus on this program.
Success story Some 3,800 women of AMBA have gotten an initial loan
I was amazed at Zulieben’s understanding of maximizing of Rs. 5000/- to Rs 10,000/- to start their own business.
utilization of the fixed assets in order to improve the margin. These loans are given without any collateral and they carry
She was talking about improving the inventory turns with an interest rate that they could not get from the regular
the same level of fixed assets. Her personal story of success bank. The loans are recovered in monthly installments with
reinforced Share and Care’s resolve to encourage as many full recovery within 3 to 5 years. AMBA is now fully man-
Zuliebens as we can until we collectively reach the esti- aged by its members like Zulieben who also qualify new
mated 200 million women whose lives can be enriched loan seekers.
through self-empowerment.
Won’t you join us in this most cost effective program by
During the past 24 years of its operations, Share and Care pledging your support for 100, 50 or even 10 Zuliebens?.
has realized this opportunity in contributing to India’s real
development. Women are learning computer skills, tailor- For more information about Share and Care
ing, embroidery work, stitching, masala-making and many Foundation and its program, please visit:
more skills to either acquire employable skills, start their www.shareandcare.org
In similar systems in the U.S. no solids/sludge removal The system demonstrated reduction of greenhouse gas
was necessary for over twenty years of operation. The ef- (methane) emissions which would have otherwise been
fluent is planned to be used for irrigation of orchards near emitted from a conventional treatment plant (due to the
the treatment facility. sludge disposal from such plants). The installation of this
treatment system has resulted in the reduction of at least
Figure 2 shows the picture of Pond 1128 ft or 8,437 gallons of methane gas, which would
have otherwise been emitted from this
site per day.
D agencies in India
have not ade-
quately leveraged the
can exert pressure on the
government to do better.
If citizen groups can keep
power of engaging with the MP constantly up-
the legislature or the judi- dated on how government
ciary, except in rare in- schemes are being imple-
stances. A classic example mented in the con-
of work on the legislative stituency, the MP may be
side is the passage of the even better equipped to
Right To Information (RTI) Act. Without active and system- take up matters on behalf of his voters.
atic work on the legislative side, this landmark Act would not
have seen the light of day. Now, who can argue that the The Internet provides a useful tool to monitor the perform-
RTI Act is not about development? ance of your MP in Parliament. What issues has the MP
raised as Questions? Has the MP participated in important
Similarly, the Parliament recently passed the Food Safety debates? What stand is the MP taking on certain Bills?
and Standards Act. While it seeks to protect the interest of
the consumer, it also has important implications for food pro- For example, more than half of all MPs in Lok Sabha have
ducers - and this includes the organised food sector, restau- never uttered a single word in Parliament other than raising
rants, and street vendors of food. Of these, the Act has the Questions or adding their name to some debates. Parlia-
largest impact on the livelihoods of street food vendors. A ment spends less than a third of its time on legislation - in this
number of organisations in urban India are already working limited time, did the MPs give adequate time to discussing
with street food vendors on improving the opportunities for important Bills?
the vendors. However, many of these groups did not even
know that Parliament was enacting a piece of legislation that Tracking Parliament
would have a significant impact on their lives. Do these matters have an impact on development? It is
necessary for all citizens concerned with development to be
MPs functions concerned about Parliament. It is not enough to be sceptical
There is a Seeds Bill that is pending in Parliament. A num- about our MPs, as is fashionable to do, especially among the
ber of farmer groups have organised themselves and have educated class of the country. There are a number of MPs
started articulating their views on some clauses in the Bill. who are keen on development issues, and ultimately, it is
This has led the government to also left to the ingenuity of cit-
take their views seriously before C. V Madhukar is the Director of izens to creatively use all the
bringing the Bill for considera- PRS Legislative Research, which resources at their disposal - in-
is currently being incubated by
tion and passing in Parliament. cluding the MPs. In the next
the Centre for Policy Research.
Members of Parliament have His expertise lies in issue, I will explain how a Bill
four broad functions: legisla- Parliamentary Affairs, becomes an Act in India, and
tion, oversight, representation, Governance, Constitutional Law, how citizen groups can make
and approving budgets. MPs Political Management. He worked their voices heard at each
are expected to represent the at the World Bank in Washington stage. Until then, agree that
concerns of their voters in Par- DC with a group focused on parliamentary capacities tracking Parliament is one
in various countries. Madhukar was an Edward S.
liament. more valuable channel to
Mason Fellow at Harvard University, where he earned
a Master in Public Administration degree from the track development.
Where the government is not John F. Kennedy School of Government.
implementing programmes in a madhukar@prsindia.org
SOCIAL SERVICE 43
CATALYST FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
be expressed and for different people to connect with and but who are isolated from ordinary people and who make
contact each other. contributions of value in the process of policy making, laying
down of procedures and awareness creation for issues that
Karmayog’s aim is also to connect those people in Govern- affect them.
ment, who are in a position and interested to improve things info@karmayog.org
The Government
of India
provides various schemes and
grants for NGOs and NPOs
KARMAYOG
Example: Prime Minister's Rozgar Yojana (PMRY)
The PMRY is aimed at providing self-employment to educated unemployed youth of
economically weaker sections and has been in operation since October 2, 1993. The
scheme assists eligible youth in setting up self-employment ventures in industry, service &
business sectors. The scheme covers urban and rural areas.
http://www.karmayog.org/redirect/strred.asp?docId=5920
Thanks to Infrasys,
Kottapalayam is Out of the Dark
MURTHY SUDHAKAR
Thanks to the social responsibility undertaken by the Bangalore-based InfraSys,
Kottapalayam is today a brightly lit village where women can confidently
walk back home even late night.
The process of how this came about is unique and interesting. The initiative for this project came from Sindhanai Sir-
pigal, a local NGO (www.sslindia.org). They introduced infraSys, the Bangalore based company which invests in rural
India, to Jeyabalakrishnan, an enthusiastic Project Officer of Coimbatore District Rural Development Agency (DRDA).
Understanding
An understanding was reached and as per that,the Government of Tamil Nadu would
provide a grant for Rs100,000/- and InfraSys would invest an equal amount and re-
cover its investment with nominal returns in three years. Democratic process and trans-
parency required that this arrangement be approved by villagers and the panchayat.
On January 28th, 2004 the citizens of Vavipalayam in the Gram Sabha (Village as-
sembly) passed a resolution to enter into a contract with infraSys for the solar street
lights. This was finalized at the DRDA office in February and the financing was in place.
Under the DRDA’s guidance the lights were installed in May 2004.
InfraSys invests in small enterprises in rural India. It brings together necessary infrastructures – physical, know-how
and financial – without which such enterprises neither succeed nor be sustainable.
It seeks collaboration in creating livelihoods and infrastructure in rural areas.
For information visit http://www.infrasys.biz and write to the author at musu-infrasys@sbcglobal.net
46 SOCIAL PARTNERSHIP
CATALYST FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
products and necessary complementary services, and social open sourcing model used by the software community to
entrepreneurs are able to further their social impact and develop new software solutions, to open source social so-
are provided new sources of funding for their social mis- lutions ™. Through Changemakers Collaborative Compe-
sions. titions online, innovative social change strategies are
improved, awarded and given global exposure. Competi-
New Financial Instruments for the Citizens Sector tion themes included addressing issues such as: health care
The creation of the Eye Fund I with the goal of reducing and disaster response. For example, a grassroots entry will
blindness around the world is another way in which attract the attention of a major industrial corporation or a
Ashoka is seeking new financial instruments for the citizens new donor; two other participants will form a partnership;
sector. Ashoka has partnered with Deutsche Bank, the In- another innovation will find volunteer support; and yet an-
ternational Association for the Prevention of Blindness, and other will draw thousands of semiliterate farmers to vote
nonprofit eye care intermediaries, to develop a unique in- in the competition, using a computer for the first time in
vestment opportunity to finance, the expansion of eye their lives.
care services in the developing world with near market re-
turns. Social Financial Services (SFS), an Ashoka initiative, Strategic Global Partnerships
seeks creative and strategic ways to improve access to fi- Ashoka’s strategic global partners in the private sector
nancing and sustaining capital in the citizens sector. Cur- have also enabled a dynamic exchange of talent and re-
rently, there are limited financial supports available for sources between the private and citizens sectors. These
citizen sector organizations to succeed and remain sustain- partnerships have provided Ashoka Fellows and Ashoka
able. This new program has been working with leading fi- access to first class management, marketing, and legal re-
nancial intermediaries to educate them about the immense sources. McKinsey & Company, the world’s leading man-
value inherent in the social sector and assists them to de- agement consulting firm, engages Ashoka Fellows all over
velop new products and services that will enable them to the world in activities such as: strengthening institutional
invest strategically in the sector. capacity and strategic business planning. Hill and Knowl-
ton, a distinguished global public relations firm, provides
An Open Source Platform for Social Solutions pro bono marketing and communication services to
Rather than simply “surf” the web, individuals and Ashoka and Ashoka Fellows. Another strategic partner for
groups can now exchange and develop exciting new Ashoka is the International Senior Lawyer’s Project (ISLP)
strategies to provide affordable housing and end corrup- which matches senior lawyers with social entrepreneurs in
tion around the world. The emergence of the online need of pro bono legal assistance to scale their work. In
medium as a tool for communication, learning and ex- turn, Ashoka shares its vast network and knowledge base
change, has given life to new ways to affect social change with these businesses and their staff which enabled expan-
and build business-social bridges. Changemakers sion and transformative experiences.
(www.changemakers.net), an Ashoka initiative, uses the
In his Nobel Peace Prize lecture,
Ashoka Global Academy member,
Mohammed Yunus said, “By
defining ‘entrepreneur’ in a
broader way we can change the
character of capitalism radically,
and solve many of the unresolved
social and economic problems
within the scope of the free mar-
ket.” There is a growing conver-
gence between the citizen and
business sectors that offers op-
portunities and resources to drive
social change. Ashoka will con-
tinue to be an enabling force and
strive to find new ways of bridg-
ing the two sectors.
vraghavendra@ashoka.org
48 NGOs
CATALYST FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
For example, the board of CERC, which has a large num- to force better governance. When an NGO has a less
ber of eminent members, did not have the slightest clue till democratic structure of a trust where few like-minded
it was brought to their attention by NRI donors that trustees are in charge, there is a need to have a special set
Manubhai was indulging in Nigerian fraud and had used up to hold them accountable. At least in the case of a
Trust funds for such an activity. From April till November registered society with a large membership, any member
of 2006, there was at least one meeting of the trustees. If has the right to question the management. The structure
they did not learn from that meeting that CERC has paid of a trust does not allow such a flexibility.
a huge amount of Rs.32 lakh from Trust accounts to
Manubhai’s personal accounts, it clearly shows that there Unfortunate
were no proper checks and balances in place. This also It is even more unfortunate that media, which looks
raises a question on the responsibility of other trustees re- for this kind of sensational news, has done very little to
garding implementing the appropriate monitoring system bring out all the facts. There have been some reports in-
and also their accountability. Can trustees absolve of them- forming the public about the bare details and that too in
selves by complaining that they were misled or not fully in- only some regions of India. CERC was known not just in
formed by the managing trustee? Isn’t that what other Gujarat, but all over India serving on various advisory
stakeholders like the government and donors expect from boards of the government of India. No Indian (major)
eminent board members? magazine has published an investigative article, which
could have helped other NGOs in similar circumstances
Mandatory to wake up. What has happened at CERC should be a
NGOs should make it mandatory for the signing of the wakeup call.
cheques by at least two trustees when it exceeds a certain
limit. At every trustee meeting there should be a report Manubhai, who started CERC in 1978 and put in 28
placed on the latest financial status. The trustees should years of work, is above 77 years, and did not show interest
ensure that an independent auditor is really independent to groom any one to take over the reins after him despite
and perhaps may even consider changing the auditor the frequent requests made. In this case also the whole
every three years in case of large NGOs. There should be board failed CERC not by forcing this issue on Manubhai
open communication between the trustees and employ- Shah. By the standards we have for our political leaders
ees so that employees can bring unusual or questionable who never retire and also never groom any other except-
activities to their attention. ing their own kith and kin, this may sound normal.
It is more than six months since Manubhai has been It may be necessary for a founder managing trustee to
removed from his post at CERC, but there is very little step down after an initial period of ten to fifteen years.
mention about it either on the web site of CERC or in the There should also be regular rotation of at least one-third
bimonthly Journal INSIGHT produced by CERC. This is of trustees which will give continuity as well as bring new
rather surprising. An NGO which expects government perspective. Every successful NGO, which is not a one-
bodies to be transparent and accountable, should have man operation, should have regular change in the top
given all the information it has on this unfortunate inci- management with clearly defined succession plans. This is
dent and also on corrective steps taken to restore credi- not at all easy, but it is something NGOs should attempt.
bility and confidence. Rotary and Lions have succeeded in implementing this
very efficiently. In the end every NGO should be trans-
Both Vipin Pujara and Sanat Parikh have attempted to parent and accountable to the rest of the society.
find out the changes that have been brought about in
bhamysuman@hotmail.com
the CERC bye laws or the structure to prevent this kind
of situation in the future. They are still waiting to hear. The author wants to thank Sanat Parikh, Vipin
Most NGOs may not be fortunate in having such dedi- Pujara and Shrikumar Poddar for their valuable
cated and concerned donors who take time and interest suggestions while writing this article.
“If they (companies) believe they are in business to serve people, to help solve problems,
to use and employ the ingenuity of their workers, to improve the lives of people around
them by learning from the nature that gives us life, we have a chance.”
— Paul Hawken
INNOVATIONS 51
CATALYST FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
NDIA is the world’s largest producer of milk, with 70 mil- immediately, he paid the advance amount of Rs. 500/- and
According to her, millions of children across India are For information contact: CRY America,
excluded from the rights most American children can take Kreeanne Rabadi, kreeanne@crymail.org
Catalyst
FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
ACCOUNTS
REVENUE EXPENDITURE
(In Dollars) (In Dollars)
Deficit: 14,914
54 PORTRAIT
CATALYST FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
At the age of 21, because of his fa- In the year 2001, the Azim Premji
ther’s sudden demise, Premji had to Foundation was set up with financial
discontinue studies at Stanford Uni- resources contributed by Premji him-
versity in order to take over the fam- self. It is a not-for-profit organization
ily business. However, he managed to with a vision of significantly con-
acquire his Bachelor’s Degree in Elec- tributing to quality primary education
trical Engineering through correspon- for every child, in order to build a just,
dence course from Stanford equitable and humane society. It aims
University, USA. at making a tangible impact on iden-
tified social issues by working in active partnership with
Premji started off in Wipro with a simple vision: to the Government and other related sections of the soci-
build an organization on a foundation of values. Al- ety. This Foundation is dedicated towards Universaliza-
though the company initially dealt in hydrogenated tion of Elementary Education in India as Premji strongly
cooking fats and consumer products, Premji transformed believes that education is the vital element in the devel-
it into a multinational computer software company. opment and progress of our nation. The Foundation’s
Under his chairmanship, the company’s annual revenues focus is on improving the quality of general education
grew up to 2.5 billion USD by 2007. Thus it became the in rural schools and developing world class human re-
world's largest independent Research and Development sources in the field of education. The current programs
Service Provider and the largest Business Process Out- of the Azim Premji Foundation engage 3.2 million chil-
sourcing company in dren in more than 17,000
India. Sathiraju Sankara Narayana schools across India. In Oc-
was born in 1936 at Narsapur, in tober 2006, the Economic
Premji firmly believes Andhra Pradesh, India, completed Times recognized him as the
that ordinary people are his Masters Degree in Economics Corporate Citizen of the
from Loyola College, Chennai and
capable of extraordinary year.
joined the services of All India
things. His fanatical belief Radio in 1963. After working in Premji is a member of the
in delivering value to the various capacities for 32 years, he Prime Minister's Advisory
customer through Innova- retired in 1995 as Station Director, Chennai.
Sankara Narayana hails from a family of artists. His
Committee for Information
tion and Leading-Edge
father was a very creative person and his elder Technology in India. In
Quality processes has led
brother, Bapu is one of the most eminent artists of 2005, he was awarded the
to the emergence of a sys- India and a well known Film Director. Sankara Padma Bhushan.
tem termed as the “Wipro Narayana currently lives in Chennai, pursuing his
Way”. passion for drawing portraits.
apudan_8@yahoo.com
BOOK REVIEW 55
CATALYST FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
D On the Philanthropy
Fast-Track traces the ef-
forts of a fraction of the Indian
C nationally for innova-
tive fund-raising –
seventy percent of its money
Diaspora in the Far East, Middle comes from some hundred
East, United Kingdom and thousand donors, each of
United States to “reconnect” whom contributes modest
with their home country and be amounts of money and
participants in the social devel- sometimes labour and mate-
opment agenda. While the rial. A recent innovation is
focus of the book is on philan- the book “A Poem for
thropic contributions of the Diaspora, it would be im- CRY”, published by Penguin India and currently
possible to do so without tracing the history of the for sale only in the Indian Subcontinent and Sin-
movement of the Indian Diaspora. gapore. Royalties from sales go to CRY-Child
Unlike many other Diaspora communities, Indians Rights & You.
were never forced to leave, but rather were driven by In 2003, Avanti Maluste and Sudeep Doshi,
ambition and went abroad in search of opportunities: privileged kids then at leading high schools in
economic or academic. The story of the Indian Dias- Mumbai and London, had been volunteers with
pora is therefore one of grit and merit. It is the story CRY projects over a number of years. To support
of a people of immense courage, determination and CRY's fund-raising and awareness building, they
success. wrote to hundreds of well known Indians (inter-
Fascinating people who have constructed “imagi- preting the term broadly) around the world ask-
nary homelands”, and yet for whom the heartstrings ing each to say which was his or her favourite
of “Mother India” pull rather forcefully. From the taxi poem and why. One hundred and six responded
drivers at Heathrow and JFK, to the Maharajahs of ranging from President Abdul Kalam and Profes-
UK and the cyber lords of the Silicon Valley, the Indian sor Amartya Sen to Sonia Gandhi and (then Prime
commitment to the homeland stands out. The repa- Minister) Atal Behari Vajpayee, Amitabh
triation of resources ¾ human and capital ¾ and the Bachchan, H.H. the Dalai Lama, Sachin Tendulkar,
philanthropic connection is thus seen across conti- Nadir Godrej, Nandan Nilekani and Zubin Mehta.
nents, classes and categories of people. Why? One clue lies in the concentration of re-
The book has attempted to profile Non-Resident In- spondents in Mumbai and Delhi: Avanti,Sudeep,
dians (NRIs) and People of Indian Origin (PIOs) in their relatives and friends obviously badgered po-
these four regions in terms of geography, size and ori- tential contributors over the months and years.
gins, defining and mapping giving patterns of the Di- But also, surely, the mission of CRY resonated
aspora; it also profiles institutions and groups across with the contributors. Opportunity for all our
the world that are promoting organised Diaspora , as children is one goal all Indians shoot for.
well as case studies of leaders among philanthropists Amartya Sen writes in his thoughtful foreword,
who are visionaries. “This is a wonderful collection of poems. The
Diaspora Indians — On the Philanthropy Fast- poems are of interest not only for the merits of
Track also attempts to look at “issues” related to giv- the poems themselves, but also for telling us
ing back as highlighted by the Diaspora and offers some thing about the commitments and priorities
ideas and solutions to promote opportunities to in- of the selectors. We live not only by our own-
crease the participations of Indians everywhere in the thoughts but also by the ideas and phrases that
development of the country.Diaspora studies are rare resonate and move us”. So get this book. If you
¾ few and far between ¾ and this book hopes to fill enjoy poetry, the anthology represents almost
the knowledge gap about Indians that reside across every genre of poem; if you enjoy Indian celebri-
the globe and their philanthropic contributions. ties, here is a unique window into their minds. If
Gururaj Deshpande, in a thought-provoking Fore- neither, get “A Poem for CRY” to support child
word powerfully articulates the Diaspora mindset on rights and human development..
philanthropy.
56 AWARDS
CATALYST FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
Since its creation in 1987, the 800 new Youth in Action groups that raise an addi-
Escuela Nueva Foundation has tional $1.5 million each year.
RECIPIENTS OF 2007 SKOLL AWARDS FOR SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP
Gram Vikas (Village Develop- eries are sold in 26 countries. Major companies such as
ment) has developed a holistic Whole Foods in the U.S. and Marks and Spencer and
approach to rural development Sainsbury in the U.K. have stocked MSC seafood, and in
in India that involves entire com- 2006 Wal-Mart announced that it would begin to source
munities, with water and sanitation as the starting point. all its fish from MSC-certified suppliers.
Founder Joe Madiath believes every home must have run- Social Entrepreneur: Rupert Howes
ning water and sanitation before villagers will collectively Headquarters: London
seek a better quality of life through education, job training Grant Objective: To increase market penetration in Eu-
and healthy practices. The program has been imple- rope, strengthen its U.S. presence, expand into the
mented in 289 villages, reaching 22,347 households and Asia/Pacific arena and certify at least eight more fish-
has successfully proven that the rural poor can and will eries by 2010.
B
gest several opportunities that are available in developing
living organisms from all sources, including terres- communities.
trial, marine and other aquatic ecosystems and the
ecological complexes of which they are a part; this includes * In Madagascar, the Village of Andavadoaka demon-
diversity within species, between species and of ecosys- strates how communities can organize to manage a valu-
tems”. India occupies 2.2% of the land, 16% of the pop- able resource, in this case the octopus fishery, so that it
ulation and approximately 8% of the biodiversity in the can provide benefits in the long-run.
world. India is one of the 12 mega * In Bangladesh, Shidulai Swarni-
diversity countries in the world. var Sangstha uses riverboat-based
Of the approximately 80,000 ed- educational resource centers
ible plants that have been used at throughout its Ganges river delta
one time in human history, only to deliver information on sustain-
about 150 have been cultivated able agricultural practices and
on a large scale. Today, a mere 10 market prices.
to 20 species provide 80%–90% * In Guatemala, the women of Al-
of the food requirements in the imentos Nutri-Naturales have re-
world. This trend puts much pres- instated the Maya nut as a staple
sure on the existence of the re- source of nutrition, thereby con-
maining species. Presently, at least serving the Maya Nut forests in
1,000 species are depleted every the buffer zone to the Maya Bios-
year around the world1. phere Reserve.
* In Kenya, Shompole Community
Poor people living in areas with Trust conserves the inimitable
low agricultural productivity, de- vastness and beauty of the grass-
pend heavily and directly on the lands and savannahs to fuel a ro-
forests to support their liveli- bust profit driven ecotourism
hoods. Diversity confers re- venture benefiting the Maasai
silience. A broad genetic base people.
allows crops and livestock to Illustration by Mark Denil, Director, Conservation * In Ecuador, in the Galapagos
adapt to changing conditions. This Mapping/Chief Cartographer, Conservation International, USA UNESCO World Heritage Site,
m.denil@conservation.org
is vital for the poor who cannot af- the women of Isabela Island’s
ford to rely on chemical fertilizers or pesticides which pro- “Blue Fish” Association are marketing a local delicacy, tuna
tect monocultures from disease, pests and soil problems. smoked with guava wood, as a way of promoting alterna-
Poverty and human activity threaten biodiversity and cre- tive use of marine resources and controlling the invasive
ates biodiversity hotspots - regions that have been signif- plant species.
icantly impacted (negatively) and altered by human
activities. The Western Ghats and North East India are rec- Corporations can make use of all the tax incentives to
ognized as two of the twenty-five biodiversity hotspots in support local communities to create livelihoods from the
the world. The destruction of biodiversity signifies the de- biodiversity in their surrounding environments. They can
struction of people’s livelihoods, health and survival in help the projects become successful business while pro-
these areas. viding livelihoods to locals and preserving biodiversity.
1
1995 Global Biodiversity Assessment, United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP).