CSR must move beyond expenditure to impact and outcomes: IICA Chief
While highlighting the importance of Corporate Social Responsibility, Gyaneshwar Kumar Singh, Director General and CEO of IICA, said the CSR must move beyond expenditure to impact, outcomes and value addition for communities
New Delhi: While highlighting the importance of Corporate Social Responsibility, Gyaneshwar Kumar Singh, Director General and CEO of IICA, said the CSR must move beyond expenditure to impact, outcomes and value addition for communities.
Singh said this while addressing the inauguration of the 11th Batch of the IICA Certified CSR Professional Programme on 21 August 2026.
The virtual session brought together 45 professionals from across Central Public Sector Enterprises (CPSEs), corporates, government institutions, academia and civil society.
CSR Expenditure in India
Referring to the figures placed before the Parliament, Gyaneshwar Kumar Singh noted that the CSR expenditure by companies in India stood at ₹34,908.75 crore in FY 2023-24.
This took cumulative CSR spending over the five years from FY 2019-20 to FY 2023-24 to more than ₹1,44,159 crore.
Singh further emphasised the need for greater focus on underutilised Schedule VII areas including women's empowerment, innovation, and art and culture, and highlighted the role of technology, data and platforms such as the CSR Exchange Portal in strengthening transparency between corporates, implementing agencies and communities.
“Strengthening the capacity of implementing agencies is central to this shift since the quality of execution on the ground ultimately determines whether CSR spending translates into lasting impact”, Singh said.
He further said that building a well-trained cadre of CSR professionals - of the kind the programme itself seeks to develop - is essential to embedding this discipline across the ecosystem.
Coal Sector's CSR Experience
Drawing on the coal sector's experience Rupinder Brar, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Coal emphasised that meaningful CSR begins with listening to community needs and continues through sound project design, capable implementing partners, and rigorous monitoring of ground-level outcomes.
Brar observed that the success of CSR should be judged by the tangible difference it makes to communities, and called for strengthening the capacity of implementing agencies and stronger social audit mechanisms.
Brar also acknowledged IICA's recent collaboration with the Ministry of Coal on a comprehensive CSR framework for the sector, incorporating measurable outputs and outcomes.
While addressing the event, Lucas L. Kamsuan, Joint Secretary, Department of Public Enterprises (DPE), Ministry of Finance, highlighted the significant role of Central Public Sector Enterprises (CPSEs) in India's CSR journey through their substantial contributions to social development and national priorities.
Dr. Garima Dadhich, Head of School of Business Environment (SBE), IICA and Programme Director outlined the design of the nine-month certification, delivered through weekly live sessions by an interdisciplinary faculty of academicians, policymakers and practitioners, structured across seven modules spanning CSR's legal and regulatory framework, governance, project planning, impact assessment, reporting, and emerging areas such as ESG and the Social Stock Exchange.
The Inaugural Session of ICPCSR Batch 11 reaffirmed IICA's continued efforts to build a strong community of CSR professionals equipped to design transparent, accountable and outcome-oriented interventions, in support of India's wider CSR ecosystem.
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