Bridging the CSR Divide: How Indias North- Eastern Region Can Benefit from Corporate Giving

Abstract

Corporate social responsibility is becoming one of the key mechanisms to increase and improve developmental activities in various sectors across the country. It is essential to understand the coverage of CSR, distribution of CSR funds, and sponsored projects and activities in the country. Hence, the study is conducted to understand the current situation of CSR in the NER region of India and to compare the CSR developmental activities in the NER region with the rest of India. The study also attempts to identify various challenges and opportunities available for the organizations in the NER region for their CSR activities. Findings indicate that there is a huge gap in the NER region’s CSR developmental activities compared to other states. There is no significant improvement in CSR activities in the region from 2014 onwards. The NER is the lowest recipient of CSR funds in the entire country. The average CSR investment of the NER region is way below as compared with the national average. Only Rs.1685 Crores out of Rs.121392 Crores has been invested in the NER region from 2014 to 2021, which is less than 2% of the total CSR investment in the entire country. Therefore, there is an immediate need for a distribution mechanism and a holistic approach to reducing the gap between CSR India and the CSR NER region.

Keywords: Corporate Social Responsibility, North-East India, Challenges, Opportunities

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