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act: case study

Birla is Chairpersonof The


Aditya Birla Centre for
Community Initiatives and
Rural Development.
the spinning of
the wheel
S M A R T S U M M A R Y CSR is not a W ester n c onstr u c t. I t is not a tex tb ook id ea .
I n spite of this issu e of T he S m a r t M a na ger , it is not ev en a m a tter of
intense, m u lti- pa r ty d eb a te. W hen the d u st settles, CSR is a ll a b ou t getting
y ou r self- a nd y ou r peopl e- to a c t, a nd a c t pu r posiv ely . A c a se stu d y on wha t
this thr ee- letter gospel r ea lly m ea ns.
n the last t wo decades, Indi a as a nat i on
has been successful i n pul l i ng up a
si gni fi cant numbe r of peopl e f r om bel ow
the poverty l i ne. Unf or t unat el y, we st i l l
have qui te a large number of our peopl e l i vi ng bel ow
the poverty l i net hat is less than US$1. 25 a day. Thi s is
a pr obl e m. The Gove r nme nt of Indi a has an ambi t i ous
vi s i on for i ncl usi ve gr owt h. Ther e i s the ove r whe l mi ng
challenge t o i mpr ove the lives of the poor. Ho we ve r
muc h i t hurts, we have to reckon wi t h the fact that we
have the largest concent rat i on of the poor i n the wo r l d.
Today mor e than ever it is necessary to l ook i nt o societal
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rajashree birla
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the spinning of the wheel
Apart fromcharities, GDBirla set up schools and templeseducation is a
great leveler, and temples a great unifier.
issues, and it behoves corporates to proacti vel y
partner wi t h the government to see that i ncl usi ve
gr owt h happens.
At our Gr o up, cari ng for the underserved i s a legacy
and an unwr i t t en edict that has been f ol l owed by
generati on after generati on.
in the shadow of the M ahatm a
Our s i s a 120 years- ol d organi zat i on, root ed i n history.
O u r roots go back to the early 1900s and the nati on' s
struggle for f r eedom. It was dur i ng this f ormat i ve
per i od i n hi st ory that the legendary Mr GD Bi r l a,
my grandf at her-i n-l aw, wor ke d shoul der t o shoul der
wi t h Ma ha t ma Ga ndhi . Wh i l e Ma ha t ma Ga n dh i was
passionately engaged i n the pol i t i cal f r eedom of our
nat i on, GD Bi r l a wor ke d wi t h equal obsessi on for the
ec onomi c l i berat i on of I ndi a. Th e y were thus t wo sides
of the same c oi n. For mor e than 25 years, he support ed
Gandhi j i ' s nat i onal i sm wi t h his f i nanci al strength.
Ther e devel oped a special bond bet ween the t woa
bond that uni t ed t hem i n the pursui t of a c o mmo n
cause, India' s f r eedom. Ga ndhi j i l ooked upon my
grandf at her- i n- l aw as his ment or and conf i dant . He
always used t o come and stay at our house i n N e w
De l h i . It was at the Bi r l a Hous e that on the 30th of
J anuary 1948, Mahat ma Ga ndhi was assassinated
by Na t hur a m Godse. Eve n t hough the voi d left by
Ga ndhi j i c oul d not be f i l l ed, the legacy of his trusteeship
concept l i ved on. Thi s meant that a part of your profi ts
s houl d be pl oughed back f or the larger good of society.
Apart f r om charities such as gi vi ng Rs 70,000 for the
Al i gar h Mu s l i m Uni ve r s i t y t o Ga ndhi j i or Rs 200,000
for the Hari j ans, or Rs 26 lac to Sardar Patel to set up
Bi r l a Vi s hwakar ma Mahavi dyal aya ( B V M, Baroda),
i n 1946, GD Bi r l a set up school s and templ es. Hi s
The S m a r t M a na ger
reasoni ng was that educat i on is a great leveler, and
templ es a great uni f i er.
the philosophy continues
My husband Adi t yaj i fostered this phi l osophy, t aki ng i t
a step f urt her and mo v i ng his lens to i ncl ude sustainable
l i vel i hood. My son Kuma r Mangal am has a zealous,
evangelical approach. He has made the phi l os ophy of
cari ng, gi vi ng, devel opi ng and e mpowe r i ng underserved
peopl e as part of our Gr oup' s D N A . He feels we have a
t remendous responsi bi l i t y to give back to society, and to
make a di fference. Thi s has raised the Adi t ya Bi r l a name
to a uni que brand that is trusted, respected and admi r ed
by its mul t i pl e stakeholders.
institu tiona lizing the process: our structure
Ov e r 14 years ago, we i nst i t ut i onal i zed the process of
C S R , envi si oned the road ahead and the way we want ed
to st ri ng our activities cohesi vel y as a gr oup. A n d so
spawned Th e Adi t ya Bi r l a Cent r e for Co mmu n i t y
Initiatives and Rur a l Devel opment , wh i c h I am
pri vi l eged t o lead. Mr Askar an Agarwal a, Dr Pragnya
Ra m and I f or m the apex team. The Cent r e i s anchored
by Dr Pragnya Ra m, wh o i s the Gr o u p Execut i ve
Presi dent, Cor por at e Communi c a t i ons & C S R . The
C S R Heads of our maj or compani es report t o her.
Be l ow t he m i s a team of 250 professionals spanni ng
all our Gr o u p compani es. Th e y are f urt her support ed
by a 2, 500-st rong f i el d force operat i ng at the vi l l age
l evel . Li ke our businesses, the concept of perf ormance
management i s i ngrai ned i n our C S R projects and
measurement met ri cs wove n i n the goals of all the C S R
heads, al ongsi de the audi t i ng of our wor k.
We have a cl earl y def i ned C S R pol i cy. O u r Boar d of
Di r ect or s, our management, and all of our empl oyees
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subscri be to the phi l os ophy of compassi onate care and
to the upl i f t ment of our rural societies. We believe that
a st ruct ured approach wi t h wel l - def i ned objectives,
t i mel i nes, mi l estones and assessment is f undament al ,
gi ven that it contri butes to a razor-sharp focus and
gaugi ng the distance traversed.
our CSR vision
Ou r articulated vi s i on i s: " To actively cont ri but e t o the
social and economi c devel opment of the c ommuni t i es
i n wh i c h we operate. In so doi ng bui l d a better,
sustainable way of life for the weaker sections of society
and raise the huma n devel opment i ndex of our count ry. "
Ou r focus areas i n the 3,000 villages that we are
engaged i n are educat i on; healthcare and f ami l y wel fare;
sustainable l i vel i hood encompassi ng agri cul t ural and
watershed devel opment and wo me n empower ment
processes; i nfrastructure support and espousi ng social
causes. O u r social vi s i on i s integrated i nt o our business
vi s i on. Whi l e we do not t ur n business i nt o a cause,
we do ' social cause market i ng' . We t ur n i t i nt o a lever,
where the R o l or ret urn on i nvest ment lies i n the
t ransf ormat i on of a people' s lives as they are no l onger
mi r ed i n poverty.
In educat i on, our endeavor is to spark the desire f or
l earni ng and knowl edge at every stage t hr ough f or mal
school s, balwadis (nurseries) for el ementary educat i on,
qual i t y pr i mar y educat i on, Adi t ya Bal Vi dya Ma ndi r s ,
gi rl c hi l d educat i on and adult educat i on programs.
In healthcare, our goal is to render qual i t y
healthcare facilities to people l i vi ng i n the villages and
elsewhere t hr ough our hospitals; pr i mar y heal th care
centers; mot her and c hi l d care proj ects; i mmuni z a t i on
programs wi t h a thrust on pol i o eradi cat i on; healthcare
for the vi sual l y i mpai r ed and physi cal l y chal l enged;
preventi ve health t hr ough awareness programs.
Un d e r sustainable l i vel i hood, our programs ai m
at pr ovi di ng l i vel i hood in a l ocal l y appropriate and
envi r onment al l y sustainable manner t hr ough f or mat i on
of sel f-hel p groups for wo me n empower ment ;
vocat i onal t r ai ni ng t hr ough Adi t ya Bi r l a Rur al
Technol ogy Parks; agri cul t ure devel opment and better
farmer f ocus; watershed devel opment ; partnershi p wi t h
Indust ri al Tr ai ni ng Institutes.
In i nfrastructure devel opment , we endeavor to set up
essential services that f or m the f oundat i on of sustainable
devel opment t hr ough basic i nfrastructure faci l i ti es;
hous i ng facilities; safe dr i nki ng water; sani tati on and
hygi ene; and renewabl e sources of energy.
To br i ng about social change, we advocate and
support dowr y less marri age; wi d o w remarri age;
awareness programs on ant i -soci al issues; de- addi ct i on
campai gns and programs; and espousi ng basic
mor al values.
setting m easurable targets with tim efram es and
perform ance m anagem ent
Pr i or t o the c ommenc ement of projects, we carry out a
baseline study of the villages. Th e study encompasses
vari ous parameters such as health i ndi cat ors; literacy
levels; sustainable l i vel i hood processes; popul at i on
dat abot h bel ow and above the poverty l i ne; the
state of i nf rast ruct ure, among others. F r o m the data
generated, a 1-year pl an and a 5-year r ol l i ng pl an are
devel oped for the hol i st i c and integrated devel opment
of the mar gi nal i zed. These plans are presented at the
annual pl anni ng and budget i ng meet. A l l projects are
assessed under the agreed strategy and are moni t or ed
every quarter, measured against targets and budgets.
Wher ever necessary, mi dcour se correct i ons
are affected.
Let me give yo u a sense of our wor k. Let me first
focus on educat i on. We r un 42 School s, wher e 45,000
chi l dr en are pr ovi ded qual i t y educat i on. Of these,
18,000 chi l dr en receive free educat i on. We have enr ol l ed
20,000 chi l dr en at our balwadis. We reach out to mor e
than 29,000 peopl e t hr ough our adult literacy and
bri dge educat i on programs. Ov e r 8,000 students i n the
villages are awarded meri t schol arshi ps. Ne a r l y 20, 000
students are enrol l ed at our vocat i onal t r ai ni ng centers.
Ou r Cent res of Technol ogy Excel l ence i ncl ude Bi r l a
Institute of Technol ogy and Science ( BI TS) , Pi l a ni ;
We believe that a structured approach with well-defined objectives,
timelines, milestones and assessment is fundamental.
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Water has been a perennial problemin India's villages,
which are often plagued by droughts.
BI TS , Dub a i ; BI T S , Go a ; and BI TS , Hyder abad. F r o m
BI TS , wh i c h i s a premi er, gl obal l y recogni zed i nsti tute,
we get some of the best recrui ts for our compani es.
Ove r 10 years ago, to put I ndi an business success stories
as case studies for gl obal leaders in the maki ng, we set
up the Adi t ya Bi r l a Indi a Cent r e at Lo n do n Busi ness
Sc hool . It i s c ont r i but i ng not onl y to India' s image but
ours as we l l .
To provi de healthcare to the peopl e, every year we
conduct mor e than 3,500 medi cal camps, treati ng over
5 mi l l i o n patients for vari ous ai l ment s, such as AI DS ,
T B , cancer di agnosi s, cataract and cl ef t - l i ps, among
others. We have hel ped i mmuni z e 6 mi l l i o n chi l dr en
against pol i o i n the last one year, sponsor i ng and
managi ng 23,000 booths. We have also organi zed pol i o
correcti ve surgery.
vishnu's story
Let me tel l yo u the story of Vi s h n u wh o lives i n Nagda
i n Ma dhy a Pradesh. Vi s h n u, no w a lanky, 22- year- ol d
gi r l , is a great f ar mhand. F r o m sunri se to near sunset,
l i ke a lark she sings in the f i el d whi l e hel pi ng her parents
on t hei r t wo-acre f ar m. Yo u can see shoots of wheat,
al most gol den i n col or, swayi ng i n the wi n d . Vi s h n u
appears to be enj oyi ng hersel f She says, " Onc e upon
a t i me, I was onl y three feet tall because I had to bend
over and gri p my legs whi l e draggi ng my feet wh i c h
were cr i ppl ed. My parents were always pr ayi ng that I
s houl d wal k again. An d t hen a mi racl e happened as I
under went pol i o- correct i ve surgery, persuaded by your
teams. Af t er mont hs of physiotherapy, mu c h angui sh
and physi cal pai n, no w I can al most wal k straight agai n. "
Sure she does wal k we l l . The little l i mp that she has i s
barely vi si bl e. We s houl d not let any c hi l d get to this
stage in the first place.
The S m a r t M a na ger
In Vi s hnu' s case, fortunately, we were able to t ur n
the cl ock back as we saw a lot of hope whe n the surgeons
revi ewed her case. Reconstructi ve surgery in acute
cases is not even attempted. The n we try to rehabilitate
pol i o vi ct i ms wi t h the J ai pur foot (artificial l i mb) whi c h
accords t hem mobi l i t y to a large extent and reduces
their dependence on the family. In a way, it restores their
di gni t y and sense of self-esteem. For almost a decade,
pol i o eradication has been, and conti nues to be, a priority.
For the year 2010, we hel ped admi ni ster 6 mi l l i o n pol i o
drops, wor ki ng closely wi t h the government.
Besides this, we have mot her - and- c hi l d care projects
reachi ng out t o wo me n and c hi l dr en. Ou r 18 hospitals
all over the count r y cater to mor e than 5,00,000 poor
peopl e al most free of cost. At the worl d- cl ass Adi t ya
Bi r l a Me mo r i a l Hos pi t al i n Pune, 15% of the beds are
earmarked for the poor. Th r o ug h t el emedi ci ne facilities,
we connect the rural poor to our hospitals as we l l .
water - the life force
Water, wh i c h i s the life force of peopl e regardless of
geography, has been a perenni al pr obl em in India' s
villages, wh i c h are often pl agued by drought s. We have
been pr ovi di ng water on a cont i nual basis to the villagers
that are i n pr oxi mi t y to our plants. But this i s for thei r
basic needs.
N o w we have evol ved a mul t i - pr onge d strategy
based on an integrated devel opment pl an. Engagi ng
the i nf l uent i al peopl e in the c ommuni t y at every stage,
we wor ke d wi t h water as the pi vot al factor: repl aci ng
t radi t i onal wel l s wi t h bore wel l s dug 400 feet do wn the
bel l y of the earth to tap the natural under gr ound
water aquifers.
We have recharged under gr ound water sources,
such as tube wel l s and open wel l s, t hr ough rai nwater
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harvesti ng. We have hel ped const ruct check dams i n
as many villages as possi bl e: at Gi ndwa ni a in Nagda
( MP ) , rainwater col l ect ed f r om the r oof of the village
school is di vert ed to a water pi pe. We have also i nstal l ed
handpumps at intervals of 10-15 houses and pr ovi ded
t r ai ni ng for thei r mai ntenance and repair. For water
conservat i on at the c o mmuni t y l evel , we have hel ped
harvest the excess r unof f for cateri ng to mi c r o needs, f or
instance ki t chen gardens and soak-pi ts.
shakuntala's story
Let me share wi t h yo u another t ouc hi ng and
i nspi rat i onal story, the story of Shakunt al a. Shakunt al a
lives i n the Du d h i Bl oc k of Renukoot i n Ut t ar Pradesh.
A mot her of five c hi l dr en, she al ong wi t h other vi l l age
wo me n wo u l d trudge 5 k m t o fetch f our pots of water
for the family, and even that wo u l d barely suffice.
Voi c i ng her opi ni on i n t i mi d tones, she wo u l d say
that wo me n i n the villages are c hi l dr en of a lesser
god, gi ven the hardshi ps faced by t hem. Ou r team
t ook this up as a chal l enge. Backed by our Gr oup' s
resources and U N I C E F , they i nstal l ed hand pumps at
an i nt erval of every 10 houses i n 110 villages, gi vi ng
water t o over a 100,000 peopl e. No l onger di d wo me n
have t o spend hours on end col l ect i ng water. The
U N I C E F col l aborat i on entailed that the handpumps be
mai nt ai ned by wo me n . Shakuntal a was the first wo ma n
vol unt eer. Today, she is a qual i f i ed handpump mechani c
earni ng US$650, i n the s umme r mont hs, whe n the
pumps need to be repai red.
Shakuntal a has, i n t ur n, trai ned another 80 wo me n
as handpump mechani cs. These wo me n , wh o cannot
read or wr i t e, earn a good deal of money by
rural standards.
Today, Shakunt al a very pr oudl y says that f r om bei ng
a seeker of charity, she is n o w a teacher. She says that the
Gr o up has been a life changer not onl y f or her but for
all the 110 villages wh o n o w have easy access to wa t e r
thei r life force. Anot he r 45,000 wo me n across Indi a feel
empower ed, wo r k i n g i n 4,500 sel f-hel p groups set up by
our teams. The y are ma ki ng a l i vi ng. Li ke Shakunt al a,
they believe that they are no w i n charge of t hei r
o wn destiny.
sustainable liv elihood
To address the issue of poverty al l evi at i on effectively,
we have evol ved a mul t i pr onged strategy. Its pl anks
are educat i on and vocat i onal t r ai ni ng for sel f-hel p
groups among rural wo me n . At our vocat i onal t r ai ni ng
institutes al l over, we conduct cert i fi ed, ski l l - or i ent ed
programs f or bot h the rural and the urban yout h.
A l l of our projects are carri ed out i n partnershi p wi t h
the Gover nment , and wherever necessary, wi t h reputed
N G O s . Just t o give yo u t wo examples, at Ul t r aTech' s
Vi k r a m Ce me nt , we are wo r k i ng i n the publ i c private
partnershi p ( PPP) Watershed Proj ect wh i c h wi l l go on
stream i n the Ne e mu c h Di s t r i ct of Ma dhy a Pradesh.
Ou r col l aborators are the Raj i v Ga ndhi Watershed
Mi s s i o n and the Water and I rri gat i on Depar t ment of
the Gove r nme nt of Ma dhy a Pradesh. I n a phase-wi se
i mpl ement at i on, our col l ecti ve efforts wi l l br i ng 5,000
hectares of l and under i rri gat i on, di rect l y benef i t i ng
20,000 farmers and thei r f ami l i es.
Li kewi s e, we are wo r k i n g i n partnershi p wi t h the
CI I /The Eur opean Uni on/Br i t i s h Counc i l /Ci t y and
Gui des ( U K ) , the techni cal support partner, i n a proj ect
on vocat i onal t r ai ni ng for vul nerabl e and margi nal i zed
groups i n Sirsa (Haryana) and Si tapur ( UP ) ; i n several
projects wi t h N A B A R D for the rural popul ace; wi t h
Habi t at for Huma ni t y, f or homes for the homel ess; and
wi t h C A R E Indi a, for maternal and ne wbor n healthcare,
at J agdi shpur i n Luc know. Th e P P P mode l , whe r e i n
the government bodi es play a vi t al role al ong wi t h other
key associates, is arguably the best mode l , since pool i ng
of our col l ecti ve resources lends enor mous dept h and
breadth to proj ects.
broadening the base
In a far wi der move i n Indi a, we have al i gned wi t h
F I C C I (Federati on of I ndi an Chamber s of Co mme r c e
& Industry) and set up the F I C C I - Adi t ya Bi r l a C S R
Cent r e for Excel l ence. The vi s i on of our Cent r e, the
The PPP model, wherein the government bodies play a vital role along
with other key associates, is arguably the best model.
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Today's youth want to ensure that the benefits of capitalismpercolate
down. Like us, our talent believes that wealth creation is a noble pursuit.
first of its ki nd i n the wo r l d, i s " To i ncubate, nur t ur e
and accelerate a paradi gm of sustainable and i ncl usi ve
C S R i n I ndi a, thereby rai si ng the Hu ma n Devel opment
Index t hr ough poverty al l evi at i on. "
We have sponsored Co l u mb i a Gl oba l Cent r e' s
Ear t h Institute i n Mu mb a i , Indi a. We believe that the
Ear t h Institute wi l l go a l ong way i n ma ki ng sustainable
devel opment i n I ndi a a gr ound reality and hel p us i n
povert y al l evi at i on.
Wi t h a vi e w t o creati ng bot h empl oyabi l i t y and
entrepreneurshi p, we are wo r k i n g on a maj or proj ect
named Na t i o n Bu i l di n g i n Sout h I ndi a. Th e proj ect
encompasses a diverse range of di sci pl i nes that
wi l l foster i ncl usi ve, sustainable gr owt h, and create
empl oyabi l i t y for the nati on' s yout h.
At the heart of al l these i nt ervent i ons, our pr i mar y
goal is povert y al l evi at i on and l ong- t er m sustainability.
the glob a l focus
Besi des I ndi a, we wor k i n many other count ri es. I n
Egypt , we have adopted 2 school s. The El Kha l i di n
School wh i c h i s close t o our plant, and the Kaf r El
Shei kh School for vocat i onal t rai ni ng, where uni versi t y
the students are taught by uni versi t y professors. We
have set up a t ai l or i ng center for wo me n , largely
divorcees and wi dows . We are reachi ng out to
chi l dr en i n t wo orphanages. We have also set up the
i ntensi ve care uni t at a cancer hospi tal for c hi l dr en in
col l aborat i on wi t h the Gover nment .
I n Thai l and, we have established the Adi t ya Bi r l a
Knowl edge Cent r e, a vocat i onal t r ai ni ng cent er for
the weaker sections of society. In Phi l i ppi nes , we have
hel ped hundreds of physi cal l y chal l enged peopl e wh o
were cr i ppl ed to get back on thei r feet t hr ough the
J ai pur foot.
The S m a r t M a na ger
At our Canadi an Co mpa n y Nove l i s , headquartered
i n At l ant a, we have mount e d a massive r ecycl i ng
educat i on pr ogr am i nvol vi ng our people and the l ocal
c ommuni t i es . No ve l i s i s the wor l d' s largest recycl er of
used beverage cans, to the tune of 35 mi l l i o n cans i n
a year.
the Rol
Let me n o w move on t o h o w our engagement wi t h
underserved c ommuni t i es has prof i t ed us. Pr of i t not
i n the nor mal sense of the t er m quant i f i ed monetari l y,
but goi ng far beyond the bot t om- l i ne mentality. We
k no w what we are doi ng i s benef i t i ng society. So our
mot i vat i on i s very di fferent. Ou r C S R depl oyment has
translated i nt o f our di st i nct advantages.
Firstly, our activities provi de us wi t h a great
reputati onal lever that translates i nt o a di st i nct val ues-
l ed- company image. Thi s enables us to attract, retain
and energize talent. Professionals feel a sense of comf or t
whe n they see ho w our Gr o u p transcends business and
i s genui nel y c ommi t t ed to social upl i f t ment . Today' s
yout h want to ensure that the benefits of capi t al i sm
percolate do wn . Li ke us, our talent believes that weal t h
creati on is a nobl e pursui t . The y feel that weal t h can
be best enhanced by di s t r i but i ng it. A new ethos of
generosity is surfaci ng. Thi s is clearly seen in the
wi l l i ngness to bui l d a society that wor ks for everyone.
The y prefer t o wo r k for compani es wh o are st rong
i n C S R .
O u r empl oyees and potenti al empl oyees t hi nk of
us as a Gr o u p that is cast in that mo l d, a Gr o up that
mi r r or s thei r personal values. Ou r reward lies i n the fact
that we have been named ' The Best Empl oye r i n Indi a
and among the top 20 i n As i a' , by the He wi t t - Ec o no mi c
Ti mes and Wal l Street J our nal St udy i n 2007. I n 2009,
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we were ranked 6th across the As i a Paci fi c Re gi on i n
the ' Great Pl ace for Leaders t o Wor k' study by He wi t t
and For t une.
Secondl y, our wo r k has created, and cont i nues to
create t remendous goodwi l l among consumers, far
i n excess of the pri ce tag. Cons ume r s l ook upon our
Gr o u p and its compani es as havi ng a social consci ence,
so there is a mar ked preference for our product s and
services. In al l the sectors that we operate i nc ement ,
a l umi n um, copper, viscose staple fi bre, carbon b l a c k
we are among the t opmost i n i ndustry. A n d these
undoubt edl y are profi tabl e businesses.
Thi r dl y, mi l l i ons of our shareholders and investors
are pr oud of our Gr o u p . The y feel that this i s a Gr o u p
that they wo u l d def i ni t el y l i ke t o support . I n all our
Gr o u p compani es' annual reports, we provi de quant i f i ed
evi dence of our social and envi r onment perf ormance.
I have seen at the annual general meeti ngs, the special
pri de that sharehol ders take i n thei r i nvol vement wi t h
our compani es on this score. Investors also fl ock to
our Gr o u p .
Fourt hl y, social projects are also a means of
shari ng wi t h the c o mmuni t y the values that we as an
organi zat i on stand for. It i s a way of t el l i ng t hem that we
care about yo u, that your concerns are ours as we l l , and
that we are a pr i nc i pl ed peopl e l ed by a mor al compass.
Mai ns t r eami ng C S R i nt o our businesses and
del i ver i ng societal val ue has gi ven us t remendous
profi ts, albeit of a di f f erent ki ndt he t ur nar ound of
huma n lives, l i f t i ng tens of thousands of peopl e out of
stark poverty. The r e i s a ne wf ound di gni t y among t hem.
What mor e can one ask for?
Mainstreaming CSR into our businesses and delivering societal value has
given us tremendous profits, albeit of a different kind.
98 www.thesm a r tm a na ger .c om The S m a r t M a na ger
b y b ir la
May-Jun 2011

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