Dachser India and terre des hommes organize panel discussion on the role of CSR
Dachser India’s customers and business partners in Pune attended a lively panel discussion about the topic ”The role of CSR in the conscious corporation” which took place on 11 December, 2019. The event, organized by Dachser India and the Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) “terre des hommes”, built an excellent platform for attendants to discuss how a corporation can make a bigger impact on the lives of the marginalized.
Four years ago, Clause 135 of Companies Act commanded India-based companies a minimum spend on Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives. Even if this made organizations invest in CSR initiatives, one of the key concerns was that there will not be a long-term strategic commitment. It was as well noted, that NGOs play an important role in CSR, but a certain jumble between methodologies of companies and NGOs makes sustainable programs bounce back.
While the CSR Act came up only four years ago, at Dachser we have been focusing on long-term oriented initiatives since nearly 15 years. We made CSR an integral part of our vision based upon the principle ‘helping others help themselves.
“It is vital for companies to make a deliberate and enduring move to elevate education and living conditions in India, while choosing a right NGO partner is important. Transparency between the corporate and the NGO is vital for the success of any project been picked. That is the key of Dachser and terre des hommes working together for more than a decade at global level."
Mr. Huned Gandhi, Managing Director Air & Sea Logistics Indian Subcontinent at DachserThere is definitely a significant rise in the funding and more and more corporates are joining hands, the legal obligation in CSR investments definitely helped, but the intrinsic motivation to improve conditions remains the key success factor and it’s a positive trend that the awareness is increasing. However, we still have a long way to go, agreed the panelists and the audience at the event.
CSR- a voluntary initiative
The session ended with a note in agreement that the CSR is a voluntary initiative and CSR and corporate conscious are two sides of the same coin. Sustainability needs to be strongly supported by businesses. It is supposed to originate from within, not from outside.
The event was highly appreciated by all participants who expressed their enthusiasm to attend comparable sessions in future and expressed gratitude towards terre des hommes and Dachser for orchestrating the occasion.
More information about Dachser’s CSR activities in India and other countries can be found here: www.dachser.com/terredeshommes/en
