Namami Gange: Holy river, unholy practices
The Clean Ganga or Namami Gange programme is, as the name suggests, a massive, central government-led initiative for the holiest of all holy rivers in India. One of the flagship programmes of the BJP government (even if it’s a continuation of previous efforts),
Less plastic: The right choice for Pepsi
In December 2018, the completion of the target for collection and recycling of used PET bottles equivalent to 100 per cent of its products sold in Delhi was announced by PepsiCo India. Part of its Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) programme, the initiative was
Action on air pollution: Too little too late?
Earlier this year, the government finally released the much-delayed National Clean Air Programme (NCAP), a five-year national-level strategy to tackle air pollution. Starting this year and with 2017 as the base year for measurements, the programme will be funded to the tune of
Warming oceans and a warming planet
In climate-change news, scientists have found that the world’s oceans are heating up to 40 per cent faster on average than the estimates of a 2014 United Nations panel report. This research from four different studies was published in the journal Science. The
An over-abundance of CSR money
CSR funds for public sector companies continue to become more complicated. On 3 January 2019, the latest Standing Committee on Coal and Steel report by a parliamentary panel (the 48th such report) was presented to the Lok Sabha and it expressed concerns on
Volkswagen India: A little acknowledgement is most welcome
The Pune Zilla Parishad held a felicitation ceremony last month for companies that had been actively participating in social development in Pune district, with Volkswagen India being one of them. The Zilla Parishad commended Volkswagen India for the modern facilities in the Zilla
InterGlobe Foundation: Restoring heritage sites
In December 2018, a heritage restoration project and a waste management project were inaugurated respectively in Delwara and Kelwara towns of Rajasthan by InterGlobe Foundation (the philanthropic arm of InterGlobe Group) and the NGO Seva Mandir. Both towns are regarded as having important
ActionAid India: Actions (and advocacy) speak louder than PR words
ActionAid is a global development organisation that works with over 15 million people in 45 countries. Headquartered in Johannesburg, its primary work is in the areas of poverty, injustice, and related causes such as food and land rights, inequality, women’s rights, and education.
Brillio: How to build CSR into the corporate DNA
Corporate Focus features in CB have mostly been limited to large, legacy organisations employing thousands of individuals. However, a new breed of companies are equally, if not more, zealous about their CSR and sustainability work. Perhaps due to the fact that millennials and
Royal Dutch Shell: Putting money where the mouth is
Royal Dutch Shell, one of the world’s biggest oil and gas companies, has announced that executive pay will be linked to carbon-emissions target. This unprecedented move comes after sustained pressure from investors, led by asset manager Robeco and the Church of England Pensions