Finance minister consults NGOs for budget – says grassroots feedback is significant

Jan 14, 2011

‘We are aware that it has been the government’s endeavour to engage this sector (NGOs) in policymaking, to improve the delivery of public goods and services to the people and help in strengthening accountability of public agencies and public officials,’ said Finance Minister

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CSR for the ‘differently abled’

Jan 14, 2011

In the very beginning of the year, a news story in one of the leading dailies of the country talked about how one wedding matchmaking website was cashing in on the ‘ability matrimony’ platform. BharatMatrimony, as part of its corporate social responsibility (CSR)

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Can and Able

Can and Able

Jan 14, 2011

[dropcap size=big]’T[/dropcap]here are no good jobs for people  with disabilities in a company; but there is a good person with a disability for every job in a company.’ This belief keeps the Ability  organisation going. Over 16 years of facilitating, encouraging and empowering

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GoM to find balanced approach towards environmental clearances to mining

Jan 13, 2011

Looking at the the never-ending issue between the ministry of coal and the ministry of environment, the cabinet has decided to form a group of ministers (GoM) to look into the issue of ‘no-go’ mining areas. The GoM is expected to find a

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Last heard: India’s missing stories

Jan 12, 2011

Until a few weeks, or even months, ago, I had dismissed this as random suspicion of a vexed, sunshine-starving mind. Today”in fact, a few minutes ago”the realization, so to speak, dawned that there is a pattern to it. To these missing trails, I

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Philanthropy and profit are not mutually exclusive: Omidyar

Jan 5, 2011

Social impact and social entrepreneurship were the focus areas at the OP Jindal Memorial Lecture Series introduced by the Jindal Group in Mumbai. The event was primarily aimed at drawing the attention of corporate groups to increase their engagement in new forms of

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UN to help families of missing Kashmiris

Jan 3, 2011

The United Nation’s (UN) human rights wing has come forward to help the families of Kashmiris who have been missing for the past two decades. The families allege that the missing were picked up by the security forces and never returned. Srinagar-based Association

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CSR 2010 in India: They talked about ‘responsibility’, ‘sustainable development’ and ‘business ethics’

Jan 3, 2011

Why have there been so many symposiums, write-ups and talks around corporate social responsibility (CSR), business ethics, cause initiatives, sustainability, conservation, green… in 2010? The optimistic mind says: ‘The business world and the policymakers are going through an ‘awakening’ phase and 2010 saw

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Endangered species’ list out; not all rank high on conservation totem pole

Dec 29, 2010

The ministry of environment and forests has called for conservation and protection of endangered species and issued a new list of birds, mammals, reptiles and amphibians who fall in the ‘endangered species’ category. According to a news report in The Times of India,

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CSR 2.0: From defensive to systemic corporate sustainability and responsibility

Dec 24, 2010

I have found it useful to view the evolution of business responsibility in terms of five overlapping economic periods – the Ages of Greed, Philanthropy, Misrepresentation, Management and Responsibility – each of which typically manifests a different stage of CSR, namely: defensive, charitable,

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