Now Reading: Punjab rights panel wants State CSR Authority for flood relief
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Punjab rights panel wants State CSR Authority for flood relief
The Punjab State Human Rights Commission has recommended setting up a formal 'State CSR Authority' to channel corporate social responsibility funds into welfare and disaster relief, especially after last year's devastating floods.…
The Story in Brief
The Punjab State Human Rights Commission has recommended setting up a formal 'State CSR Authority' to channel corporate social responsibility funds into welfare and disaster relief, especially after last year's devastating floods. The commission, led by justice Sant Parkash, noted CSR should be facilitation, not compulsion.
It also urged the Punjab government to raise awareness among companies about Schedule VII of the Companies Act, 2013, which includes disaster management as a permissible CSR activity. The commission pointed to similar mechanisms in Gujarat and Assam as models for Punjab.
The Indian Opinion
The rights commission's push for a State CSR Authority is reasonable, but the real test is whether Punjab's government acts on it without turning CSR into yet another tax. Gujarat and Assam have such bodies, but outcomes vary. The key number to watch: how much of Punjab's annual CSR pool, estimated at over Rs 200 crore, actually reaches flood victims next monsoon, not just government coffers.
Source: hindustantimes.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
