Not CSR, India Inc does CS 'compulsion'

Giving India Inc a lesson in corporate social responsibility (CSR), Chief Election Commissioner S Y Quraishi on Monday highlighted the “double standards” of the corporates who were “generous only when it comes to political donations, because there is a lot to be gained from that”.

He also said corporate India has no right to complain about governance deficit or political corruption “when you don’t even bother to get out of your homes on a polling day”.

Addressing a meeting organised by the Bombay Chamber of Commerce and Industry here, he pointed out that one of the root causes of black money is cash donations to political parties, mostly from corporates. “It’s nothing but a big irony that Mumbai polled just 41 per cent in the last elections. And you still blame your government. How can you expect clean governance if you don’t participate in the electoral process?” he asked, adding that “urban voter apathy is a big problem facing the country today and Mumbai is the biggest culprit in this... If you want an honest government, then you first have to do some sincere introspection on what you do in getting this.”

“We need a Warren Buffet and Bill and Melinda Gates to teach our corporates on the need for CSR. What you do is not CSR but corporate social compulsion,” Quraishi said at the meet on CSR.

“When it comes to charity, you corporates do not follow its basic principle (the left hand should not know what the right hand is doing). On the contrary, you want huge publicity even if you build a public toilet,” the CEC said. “CSR is not charity but a question of your very survival.”

At another function in the evening organised by the All India Association of Industries, whose members have suggested ways for firms to fund elections across the country in return for some tax exemptions, Quraishi said the Commission had enough funds to conduct elections and would not require any corporate funding as suggested. While the corporates said they can collect close to Rs 1,000 crore annually for funding elections and bring about electoral reforms, Quraishi said this will only add to transparency issues.

Source : FE