40 Social Responsibility Journal

Volume 3 Number 4 2007

Corporate Social Responsibility and the Empowerment of Women: An Indian Perspective

Renu Jatana & David Crowther

Abstract
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is both to argue that CSR has a role to play in the empowerment of women in India
and to show that this is actually happening.
Design/methodology/approach – The research is based on reported information from Indian companies.
Findings – The paper makes a link between these two topics which has not been made before.
Practical implications – The paper has a practical implication both for Indian companies and for companies elsewhere
in the world in terms of their concern with corporate social responsibility.
Originality/value – The paper’s value is in broadening and defining the concept of CSR and its implications.
Keywords Corporate social responsibility, Women, India
Paper type General review

Introduction
There is a saying in India that “Yatra Naryastu Pujente Ramante Tatra Devta” which translates as “god lives there where
women are to be worshiped”. These words had some meaning in ancient times – at a time when women had high status
equal to that of men in their family as well as in society. But nowadays these are only words – to actually think about
worship is very far from likelihood as women have no astitva1 in society and women comprise a less privileged sector of
society. We think this situation can only happen in rural area but here we are wrong: the situation of women is the same
whether it is in a rural or in an urban area and to what extent they are empowered. Indian women are theoretically
empowered – physically, mentally, economically and politically – but after independence only the elite women achieved
equality. Women from poorer groups are still facing exploitation and discrimination. Violence against women – like
bride burning or female feticide – continues to happen, and women are neglected in every aspect of life whether it is
health, education, employment or politics. Though women’s contribution has been immense at the time of freedom
struggle and the role played by women in national movements was a big support because of which the freedom movement
became a success, things have not changed.
To improve the situation of women, the government and states are taking several initiatives for over all
development, empowerment and welfare for girl children and for women. The government has passed many policies and
programmes in this regard. But, in reality, the picture is different because today also women face insecurities in the forms
of sexual assault, domestic violence, trafficking, exploitation and sexual abuse, and some problems like the problems of
poverty, illiteracy and poor health facilities.
But we have to awake and empower the women for the betterment of society, the betterment of our future because
god has given a beautiful gift to women i.e. birth, our future also depends on women, women who are empowered and,
as such, powerful and who can fight for their right and win against injustice and take their own decisions. Our women
need support so that they can play a greater role in the development of the country.

Women and Empowerment

The empowerment of women is the process by which unequal power relations between men and women become
transformed and women gain greater equality with men: in other words it is the process to challenge social restrictions
and social norms for women which are barriers in the way of their development so that their confidence level can increase
and they can also contribute to nation’s development and participate in political, social and economic life at the local,
regional and national level. By social empowerment we mean a more equitable social status for women in society. Legal
empowerment is the provision of an effective legal structure which is supportive of women’s empowerment and political
empowerment means a political system favouring the participation in, and control by women of, the political decision
making process and its associated governance.
It is not as simple as it is sounds because empowerment is something that can be transformed from one segment
to another segment of the society. The government has started their empowerment program and is making many policies
to empower women but the true success is totally depend on us.
Suggested measures for women’s empowerment include:
• Education.
• Capacity building and skill development.
• Participation development process.
• Granting autonomy.

1Literally “the complete and total characteristic potential of a person”.

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Volume 3 Number 4 2007

Problems with Women

Women’s Illiteracy
Education plays a very important role in society’s efficiency and productivity (Papen, 2001), which are basic factors
influencing the process of development. Education has been regarded as the most significant factor to improve anyone’s
socio-economy position. Education has been declared as the basic right of every human being in the Universal Declaration
of Human Rights. Education is a fundamental right without regard to race, sex or any distinction, economic or social. We
do not deny that the literacy rate is increasing in India but women’s literacy rate is lagging behind that of men and gender
discrimination is a big barrier affecting this.
Education of women is very necessary for improvement in self-image, and their empowerment (Quizilbash, 2005).
As Gandhi stated “educating a man is educating a man as an individual while educating a woman is educating a family”.
Most women are not in a position to propel themselves out of their social boundaries but higher female literacy will
be considered a sovereign remedy for many social and economic problems (Dasgupta and Kanbur, 2005). The literacy
rate for women has been steadily increasing for the last few decades all over India. However there is big divide between
male and female literacy rates. According to the last census held in 2001, the percentage of female literacy in the country
is 54.26 per cent (Table 1). The overall literacy rate in the country has increased in the time since independence from 18.3
per cent in 1951 to 65.38 per cent as per 2001 census. The female literacy rate has also increased during the same period
from 8.9 per cent in 1951 to 54.2 per cent. It is noticed that the female literacy rate during the period 1991-2001 increased
by 14.9 per cent whereas male literacy rate rose by 11.7 per cent. Hence the female literacy rate actually increased by 3.2
per cent more compared to male literacy rate, but still lags behind the male literacy rate (Basu and Foster, 1998).
The literacy rate is rising but in technical education it is still very poor because of inadequate computer skills in
women and the main reason of that is the unaffordable costs of computer hardware and software, maintenance and
connectivity and again gender discrimination is the main reason.
Reasons for the poor women’s literacy rate:
• Gender based inequality.
• Social discrimination and economic exploitation.
• Narrow mentality.
• Low enrolment of girls in schools.
Suggestions for improvement:
• Increase more contribution to literacy campaigns.
• Increase social awareness.
• Increased school enrolment.
• Increase in self-confidence and personality development.
• Changes in education system (more job oriented).
• Educational equality.
• Household savings and access to credit.
• Motivate girls to join more and more technical and professional courses like in computers and other vocational courses.
• More women teachers in girl’s school.
• Provide hostel facility.
There is considerable variation in literacy rates between the more prosperous urban areas and the less prosperous
rural areas, and Table shows this.

Gender Discrimination and the Imbalanced Sex Ratio

Swami Vivekananda remarked “men and women are the two wings of the same bird: as the bird cannot fly with one wing
so the society can not be developed unless men and women are developed equally”. We had a good history of Hindu
civilization where in the Vedic period (2500 B.C. to 1500 B.C.) men and women had equal status and rights. After that
the black face of our history had begun and this new face has turned into castism and other social norms like a husband
is god for his wife, child marriage, sati pratha, widows also not having any status and no right to remarry. These customs
are still in many parts of the country, not only in rural but also in urban areas.
The right to equality is a fundamental right but ours is a male dominated society: a son is regarded as the gift of god
while a girl is a burden and is treated as “Parayadhan”. These are the socio-cultural discriminations against girls from the
movement they are born, educating them is considered as waste of money and girls are discriminated against for food,
education, health and basic necessities of human life. The average Indian female has only 1.2 years of schooling, while the
Indian male spends 3.5 years in school. More than 50 per cent of girls drop out by the time they are in middle school.
The clearest indicator of discrimination against Indian women is the skewed sex ratio. There were only 927
females per 1,000 males in India (the world average is 990 women per 1,000 men), according to the 1991 Census. Figures
for the Census 2001 indicate that the trend has been slightly arrested, with the sex ratio at 933 females per 1,000 males,
with Kerala at 10,58 females. The emphasis of the National Plan of Action for the Girl Child 1991-2000, focusing on the
survival, protection and development of girl children with gender sensitivity, contains the right ingredients for achieving
a better future for them.
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Table 1: Percentage of Female Literacy in India

S.no. Name of the state Percentage of female literacy
1. Andhra Pradesh 51.17
2. Arunachal Pradesh 44.24
3. Assam 56.03
4. Bihar 33.57
5. Chattisgarh 52.40
6. Delhi 75.00
7. Goa 75.51
8. Gujarat 58.60
9. Haryana 56.31
10. Himachal Pradesh 68.08
11. Jammu & Kashmir 41.82
12. Jharkhand 39.38
13. Karnataka 57.45
14. Kerala 87.86
15. Madhya Pradesh 50.28
16. Maharashtra 67.51
17. Manipur 59.70
18. Meghlaya 60.41
19. Mizoram 86.13
20. Nagaland 61.92
21. Orissa 50.97
22. Punjab 63.55
23. Rajasthan 44.34
24. Sikkim 61.46
25. Tamil Nadu 64.55
26. Tripura 65.41
27. Uttaranchal 60.26
28. Uttar Pradesh 42.98
29. West Bengal 60.22
Union Territories
1. Andaman & Nicobar Islands 75.29
2. Chandigarh 76.65
3. Dadra & Nagar Haveli 42.99
4. Daman & Diu 70.37
5. Lakshadweep 81.56
6. Pondicherry 74.16
All India 54.16
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As India has given remarkable development but the situation of women are still same there are still gender
inequalities in education, health, employment and wages in socio-cultural practices in the country (Bardhan, 1984). The
World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Index is just out and India is ranked 98th among 115 countries in relation
to gender related development. It is a ranking that is lower than such countries as Sri Lanka, Kenya and Algeria. What is
worse, the average female to male income ratio is a poor 0.38:1, which is lower than the other BRIC countries. These are
ominous signs for a country on fast track growth.
Reasons for gender discrimination:
• Old social structure.
• Men dominate society.
• Son gives more preferences over girl while girl as burden.
• Lack of education.
• Girl infanticide.
Suggested measures for change:
• Motivate women about their basic rights.
• Right to access information and education.
• Create awareness in rural areas.
• Strict law on child marriage.
• Motivate widow remarriage.
• Strict law on girl infanticide.

The Economic Problem

In India Indira Nui, head of Pepsico, Kiran Majumdar head of Biocon, Kiran Bedi first lady police of the country and many
such women are contributing their life’s work to the development of country and they totally independent but the fact is that
a these are very few. In the main women are dependant either on their parents or on a husband; they have to look to them for
some rupees to fulfil even their most basic needs. They are not self sufficient and if they want to be self dependent they have
to face social restrictions. Even if they are independent they can be harassed mentally and physically at their work place and
they usually get discriminated against and exploited. The insecurity of women in this male dominated society is the main
reason for women’s bad situation. But empowerment can make them self-sufficient. Economic Empowerment implies a
better quality of material life through sustainable livelihoods owned and managed by women themselves.

Suggestions
• Household savings and access to credit.
• Create more employment opportunities.

The Political Problem: Politics and Women

Politics is about power, it occurs where ever there are power differentials between two group (Davila Gomez and
Crowther, 2007) thus at the very outset we see that in human society women do not have an important role in politics
because men are more powerful than women. There are various barriers for women wishing to participate in politics,
which we have to eliminate so that women may gain political power and work effectively towards their own betterment
and the welfare of the nation.
There are some specific reasons, which are barriers for women in politics:
• Corruption and criminalization of politics.
• Politics is considered “dirty” and unsuitable for women; this is the main reason for low participation in politics. There
is a high rate of corruption and crime in politics.
• The Curtain system in rural areas. There is curtain system mainly in rural areas i.e. a women cannot go outside or
appear with an open face in public.
• Housekeeping is their main function. House keeping is the major whole which has been assigned to women and the
house is the boundary which is not easy to cross for a women. Moreover women are expected to be modest and
submissive and people want them as a show piece in the house.
• Economic dependence. Women are economically dependent and high costs have to be spent for propaganda and other
expenses in an election, requiring monet which women do not have.

Gender Discrimination in Politics

Nevertheless it is true that we have successful women in politics. In India in pre independence times our female leaders
were Rani of Jhansi, Hazarat Mahal,Sarojini Naidu, Kamla Nehru,Vijay Laxmi Pandit,Sucita Kriplani and many other
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women who fought for independence against the British empire. And post independence we have Indira Gandhi who was
elected two times as Prime Minister and after that we have Sonia Gandhi, Sushma Swarajya, Vasundhara Raje and many
others who are leading the nation as President of the party and as a Chief Minister of their state. So women are coming
into politics but they are part of the elite in society. Recently the government has given a 33 per cent reservation of places
to women in politics, which is very helpful and will motivate women to participate at grass root level, like in Gram
Panchayats. Similar representation in State Legislature and Parliament would further strengthen the process of the
empowerment of women. Women must be provided with specific kind of support such as this. There is need to facilitate
the creation of a forum of elected women representatives to be able to raise issues of development and governance
irrespective of party affiliations, to share their experiences and to represent their views.
The participation of women in politics is an important means to eradicate social stigma like dowery, violence, the
curtain system and other social barriers. Political participation is important to involve women in the development activities
that will improve their social as well as economic status. Their participation will give a different way and new horizon to
development and it will improve living standards and women will more empowered.

Women Empowerment and Corporate Social Responsibility

The government is making many schemes for the uplifting of the society but the most important thing is that we have to
awaken and to make people aware about their rights; then we will have development in a real sense. For that the affluent
part of the society has to come and they are coming to give their services to the betterment of society.
Today Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has become a popular cause (Crowther and Jatana, 2005a) and
many big companies are contributing to the betterment of the society not only for business but also for cause of society’s
development and for other lives so that poor and needy people can live in better conditions. CSR focuses on the social,
environment and financial success of a company to ensure that they are performing well in non-financial areas such as
human rights, business ethics, environment policies, corporate contribution to education, poverty aleviation, infrastructure
development, women’s empowerment, drinking water and sanitation and medical facility (Crowther and Jatana, 2005b).
No longer can firms continue to act as independent entities regardless of the interest of the general public. Now CSR is
changing the objective of companies from maximizing profit to development of society.
There are many companies in India who are contributing and giving their services to women’s uplifting and for
their development so that they can make their own life and can contribute to the nation’s development and some companies
are here who are giving their remarkable contribution to betterment of them.

The Tata Group’s Efforts for Women’s Empowerment

“No success or achievement in material terms is worthwhile unless it seems the need or interest of the country
and its people” (J.R.D. Tata)
The Tata group provides employment through handicraft work in Gujerat. Tata Chemicals Society for Rural Development,
giving their services in many ways so that rural women can live in better condition. The Okhamandal Region of Gujarat
tribal women. These hardy women belong to the tribes such as the Vaghers, the Ahirs, the Rabaris, the Charans and
communities such as the Lohanas and Harijans and in these women use their traditional skills to decorate their clothes
with embroidery and beads. The walls of their huts are decorated with richly embroidered wall hangings and depicting
human figures, birds and animals. This special talent and skill has been recognized by by the Tata Chemicals Society for
Rural Development (TCSRD) through its handicraft development project.
Okhamandal is a drought-prone area and some of the local tribes are totally dependent on agriculture to generate
income in this situation. TCSRD is promoting the skills of these women in an endeavour to provide them with an alternate
source of income and to reduce their dependence on farming. Today 17 villages are involved in the handicrafts programme
and some 200 women have benefited from it. The handicrafts development programme not only providing a earning
source but also spreads awareness about the traditional crafts of the region and gives them wider exposure TSCRD is
promoting this initiative through Mahila Mandals as self-help groups (SHGs). Today there are 19 Mahila Mandals spread
across 13 villages. A woman can earn nearly Rs.500 to 1,500 in a month.
Training programmes for SHGs: TSCRD organized training programmes for women to make them aware
about banking, bookkeeping, running cooperatives, setting up nurseries, establishing kitchen gardens and other group-
related activities. Vocational training is also imparted in tailoring, food processing and preservation, and others, based on
the needs of the women’s groups. In Arambada village, for example, more than 50 women are active participants and
each SHG earns about Rs. 20,000 a month. The organization also plans to build sheds in the villages so that the women
there can work in a more organized manner. Earlier Tata Chemicals was the primary customer of the products the women
made (mainly as gifts), but sales are properly handled by marketing with the help of trainees from the Tata Administrative
Service. This product is recognized under the brand name “Okhai” (meaning “from Ohkamandal”). The handicrafts
programme has given drastic changes the lives of the tribal women. Apart from the handicraft development programme,
TCSRD also draws on SHGs in Mithapur to teach village women other livelihood skills like 10 women received training
to become beauticians and they now work in Mithapur and the surrounding areas.
New employment avenues: Tata Steel’s Tejaswini project is a remarkable empowerment initiative that has seen
23 ordinary women become operators and drivers of heavy-duty machinery and vehicles. The tejaswini project gives
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Volume 3 Number 4 2007

them the enthusiasm and confidence to live their own lives. Project Tejaswini was conceived and launched in 2002 to
provide woman employees at Tata Steel with a little encouragement and training. Now this experiment became lives and
livelihoods of these women. Now these women can work shoulder to shoulder with their male colleagues. Tejaswinis
were also imparted basic knowledge of their technical aspects in various kinds of machinery: bulldozers, mechanical
shovels, dumpers, tractors, forklifts of various capacities, light commercial vehicles, etc. which boosted their confidence
and helped them achieve their goal. The women also handle the steel manufacturing process, quality circles, dealing with
customers, interpersonal skills, positive thinking, fire fighting, team building and road traffic rules They are now financially
sound, earning about Rs.10,000 a month as junior operators.

Tata Motor’s Efforts

Housewives Incorporated
The cooperatives spawned by Tata Motors provide extra income to employees and their families. In return, the company
gets a variety of products, from cables for its vehicles to chapatis for its canteen.

High on Hygiene
A sanitation project initiated by Tata Motors with support from the Jharkhand government and Unicef has transformed
the healthiness quotient of a group of villages near Jamshedpur.

TCSRD’s Effort for Education and Health

Awareness program: video shows are conducted on topics such as the responsibilities and duties of the village panchayat,
the concepts of small savings and micro-credit systems, healthcare and self-help groups.
Village libraries: To promote adult education and sustain the knowledge of newly literate people and school
dropouts.
Pulse-polio drive: To promote the goal of a polio-free world, TCSRD extended its support to primary health
centres involved in the pulse-polio drive.
First-aid training: This was provided at the Mithapur hospital to nine volunteers from the Bhimrana, Tupni and
Poshitra villages.
Eye camps: Every February, TCSRD, in association with the Dr Mohanlal Memorial Gandhi Eye Hospital,
Aligarh, conducts eye check-up camps.
Intensive reproductive health and family-welfare programme in Babrala: This programme was taken up in
the Raipura block (covering 84 gram panchayats) and in five villages of the Gunnor block in collaboration with the
Population Foundation of India. The target groups of the programme, which is a three-year operation, are couples,
women and children. The project aims at providing, among other things, ante-natal and post-natal care services, family
planning services, immunization and general healthcare to children, and creating healthcare awareness among people.

Tata Steel
In an effort to protect women employees from being harassed in the workplace, Tata Iron & Steel Company Limited has
incorporated a sexual harassment clause in its Works. According to the memorandum, misconduct or sexual harassment
in the workplace is an additional clause in the company’s Works Standing Orders (WSO). The order states that an act of
sexual misconduct is punishable, if proved.

Tech Mahindra’s Efforts for Women Empowerment

The project Tech Mahindra-HELPO Girl education started in 1999 in Purandar, a small Taluka near Pune. This rural
area almost affected by drought and economy is depend on agriculture. The main aim of the project is to provide financial
support for education and their development to girl child in this area.

SOFOSH Orphanage
This gives its assistance to women in various forms:
• Monitory help for vocational guidance for singled-out, deserted, unwed mothers.
• Rehabilitation.
• Medical help and counseling.
Tech Mahindra-NIRMAAN. Food, education and counseling expenditure for a year for girls from slums.
Tech Mahindra-Dnyandeep foundation. Sponsorships for organizing health checkup camps in slum areas.
Tech Mahindra-Samarth Shikshan Samshtha. Sponsorship for spreading medical awareness and regular health checkups
of 100+ mother-child pairs in the slum areas of Pune.
Tech Mahindra-Computer donations. 1,000+ computers donated per year to educational institutes through out India.
Tech Mahindra-Oxfam. Tech Mahindra is working with Oxfam in the costal region of Andhra Pradesh to rehabilitate and
uplift economically backward tribes.
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Volume 3 Number 4 2007

Aid to Gujarat during the Earthquake

• Hostel and community hall development for girls.
• House construction.
• Sanitation block construction.
• Ambulance donations.
Other Program of Tech Mahindra
• Tech Mahindra-MelGhat Mitra.
• Tech Mahindra-Aksharnandan School.
• Tech Mahindra-Vanchit Vikas.
• Tech Mahindra-Lok Vikas Munch.
• Tech Mahindra-CASP.

BPCL’s Efforts for Women Empowerment

As a corporate responsibility, today 37 villages across India have been adopted. This includes making substantial investments
for nearly a decade and a half in them to make them fully self reliant, providing them with fresh drinking water, sanitation
facilities, medical facilities, enhancing their income standards by imparting vocational training and agricultural innovations.
However, BPCL also firmly believes that the only vehicle for raising the villagers from their present state is by educating
both the young and the old, a focus on providing grants for opening schools and opening adult literacy camps as well.
For Ramthenga village in Orissa, BPCL is providing educational support, medical camp, sewing machines,
Intensification of fishing ponds and Improvement of Infrastructure during 2004/2005 onwards. In Kharabairaja village in
Gujarat, BPCL is assessing this village by giving them drinking water, a community centre, sewing machines, and
medical facilities are provided through Red Cross.

Safety Ambassador
This is a new activity being started at the refinery. Some of women employees are made safety ambassadors to ensure
safety in the plant. These women would co-ordinate with the safety observers at the plant level and ensure that their co-
employees take adequate safety measures. It is process to help the employees help themselves for their own safety and
that of the others and also provide healthcare, inclusive of mother and childcare and women empowerment.

Hero Honda’s Efforts for Women Empowerment

Vocational Training Centre: In order to help local rural people, especially women, Hero Honda has set up a Vocational
Training Centre. So far 26 batches comprising of nearly 625 women have been trained in tailoring, embroidery and
knitting. The Company has helped women trained at this centre to set up a production unit to stitch uniforms for Hero
Honda employees. Interestingly, most of the women are now self-employed.
Marriages of underprivileged girls: Hero Honda organized marriages for girls from backward classes by
providing financial help and other support to their families.
Rural health care: Honda provides health care services to healthcare services to local community and give free
health care and medical camps.

Reliance’s Efforts for Women Empowerment

For rural women Reliance in Patalganga, has formed a Mahila Mandals or women’s cooperative which organises various
of activities like maintenance of water tanks in villages to micro-savings and loan schemes, from supervision of balwadis
to running the super bazaar in Lodhivali colony. The Company also sponsors vocational training courses for women.

For Their Employee’s Wives

In Jamnagar, the Reliance Employees’ Wives Association is an active organisation that is assisting the project in its own
way. It receives the new recruits and their families, arrange schools for their children and provide food to bachelors who
work on their site. It also holds the annual Vimal “Mother-in-law Contest” where it rewards the best mother-in-law from
entries sent by daughters-in-law. This is an attempt by Reliance to forge closer family ties and also to recognise the
contribution of women in the family.

ITC’S Efforts for Women Empowerment

ITC has forged an empowering partnership with rural women. ITC’s intervention leverages micro-credit and skills
training to generate alternate employment opportunities and it will improve their life like better nutrition, health care and
education for their children. Their earnings, ranging from Rs. 70 to Rs. 150 per day, not only supplement household
incomes but also significantly enhance their self-esteem. ITC also conducts skills training to enhance employability.
Pickle-making, fish-processing, vermicomposting, spice processing and agarbatti-rolling in rural areas and chikankari,
garment-sewing, driving and computer-aided secretarial training in semi-urban areas are some of the examples. ITC goes
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a step further to help find employment for these trained women in areas related to its operations. This programme is
helping women across Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.

Times Foundation Group’s Efforts for Women Empowerment

Times Foundation Mumbai giving assistant to underprivileged SSC school in Mumbai by running mother centres in the
school premises. These mother centres are running under the project on Women’s Movement for Peace and Prosperity
(WMPP) WMPP the main aim of this WMPP is upliftment of women as well as their families by crating peace, harmony
and prosperity between the families. Main focus of Mothers’ Center is to improve women’s physical, mental and spiritual
health. It also caters to harness their creative ideas, hopes and aspirations and thus helps in exploring opportunities for
economic activities for self-reliance.

GAIL’S Efforts for Women Empowerment:

• Literacy enhancement and empowerment.
• Empowerment through self-employment – Distribution of sewing machines: Agra, Abu Road, Chennai.
• Empowerment through Fishery, Poultry, Dairy and Mushroom Farming, Tailoring, Candle Making etc. of economically
deprived community: Delhi.
• Self income generation through stitching and tailoring for women: Pata.
• Carpet weaving programme for women: Pata.
• Vocational training in Carpentry, Electrician Trades for families of: Pata.
• Rehabilitation of war widows through vocational training: Ajmer.
• Providing Talking Computer, Computerised Mini Braille Press, Computerised Braille Transcription to Visually
Challenged Children of Helen Killer Memorial Association for the Blind and Govt. Residential School: Vizag.
• Screw pine craft training to destitute women in kerala: Corporate Office.
• Adoption of 1,000 girls studying in class IXth and Xth through Nanhi Kali Programme in M.P., A.P., Maharashtra
and Chattisgarh: Mumbai.

Barriers in the Way of CSR:

• Few big companies who go for CSR.
• Weak corporate governance system and procedure.
• Potential disruption and cost due to public scrutiny.
• Lack of commitment at senior level management.
• Government regulations.
• Corruption in the government sector.
• Variations in CSR policies and framework between state and company.
• Labour laws and policies.
• Lack of motivation from government side like awards, subsidies and incentives.
• Poor awareness level.
• Tax policy and benefit policy.
• Absence of methods and tools to evaluate CSR.
• Lack of knowledge to the companies.

Conclusion
While women are making progress and fighting for their rights and the government is making many policies, our
industries are assisting with new projects for the betterment of their situation. Despite the intense effort of many agencies
and organisations, and numerous inspiring success stories, the picture is still disheartening. There is still a lot of work
to be done to against violence, harassment and inequality in our society. It can be possible by giving proper direction
to women and through education, awareness raising, and patterns of socialisation and causing general behaviour
to change.
There is no doubt that the government is taking several steps but women as a whole are not being benefited and if
all women get empowerment irrespective of any region, religion, caste, class or age then they will be empowered in real
sense, be it political, economic or social empowerment. Information and communication have been playing an increasingly
important role in economic and social development of nations so our corporations should give more and more efforts to
the society. They should concentrate more and more on rural areas where the greatest awareness increase is needed and
the awareness program should be in local cultural expression so that women are involved in this program and their
cultural emotions also are not hurt. Our women are very strong and capable to do much but they just require a proper way.
We have to make them aware about their fundamental rights, this will be helpful in improving their political status at
grass root level like in gram panchayat and other local bodies.
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As far as educational matter are concerned then corporates should place more emphasis on vocational, technical
and professional courses and also give a proper direction to those women who know their traditional work like embroidery,
stitching etc. so that they can get employment and be economical independent. The Indian government must also motivate
and divert them to complete their social responsibility by providing them assistance, tax benefits, subsidies, awards like
TERI Corporate Environmental Awards and Golden Peacock awards for CSR and also give support in terms of laws and
regulations when they go for any project. In the 21st century, women are leaders in industry, government and organizations
worldwide. Even with the substantial advancement made for woman, she has yet a lot more to achieve.
The concept of CSR in India is not new, Our industries are putting their efforts but if we want India Inc to
benchmark against global standards for that we have to be perfect in each and every business aspect. We must try and
collaborate to make it successful only then we will be able to cross all horizons of our industry and make the Indian
economy boom.

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