Corporate houses to spend CSR funds on child welfare in NE

BY OUR STAFF REPORTER

Guwahati, June 5:  Altogether 26 corporate groups, including exploration giants OIL and ONGC, said on Monday to spend a significant portion of their CSR funding on welfare of children in the Northeast.

The assurance came during a daylong convention organized by the tiol Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) for an interaction between corporate houses and NGOs from across the Northeast here today to discuss ways to increase corporate social responsibility (CSR) spending on welfare of children in the region.

Speaking at the convention, NCPCR member Priyank Kanoongo said a study by the Confederation of Indian Industries last year found CSR spending in the Northeast was only 11 per cent. The study covered CSR allocation of Rs 8,000 crore by 1,200 companies.

He said another survey of CSR funding by 250 companies in 2014-15 found that the Northeast received no such funds. The prime objective of the daylong convention is to help the NGOs approach the corporate groups for funds and utilize them according to the guidelines, he said.

India generates Rs 4.2 billion CSR funds every year.

Kanoongo said considering the myriad problems and challenges faced by the children in the North Eastern States the corporate houses have a huge responsibility to spend their significant portion of CSR funds in the region for children’s welfare.

Representatives of the corporate houses who were present at the convention said they are ready to fund the NGO provided the latter submit suitable proposals on child welfare schemes. The corporate representatives demanded the NCPCR to work as a nodal agency between the NGOs and corporate groups so that CSR funds could be rooted through a reliable channel for proper utilization.

Assam State Commission for Orotection of Child Rights chairperson Sunita Changkakoti hoped that the outcome of the daylong convention will go a long way to solve the funding problems of NGOs working for welfare of children in the Northeast.

The daylong meeting was organized jointly by the Assam Social Welfare Department and trade organizations - Confederation of Indian Industries (CII), Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry and the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry.