'If business is disconnected from the people it serves,doing a 2% CSR doesn't make any sense' - says the former MD of Britannia

Pune, 21 December 2017: ''The Social responsibility is about the way the business conducts itself. If the business is not conducting itself with an idea of solving a problem that people face, then frankly the business is not being socially responsible,'' said Vinita Bali, Former MD & CEO of Britannia.

She stressed that, If the business is disconnected from the people it serves, then doing a 2 percent CSR doesn't make any sense.  Bali was speaking on the topic 'Social Responsibility of Business' in a lecture organized by Pune International Centre (PIC) and Maratha Chamber of Commerce Industries and Agriculture (MCCIA). Dr. Vijay Kelkar, Vice President, PIC, Satish Pradhan, Former Head, HR, Tata Sons, Prashant Girbane, honorary director, PIC, were present on the occasion.

Bali gave many examples of the companies who are doing it right and also mentioned that the businesses have enough intelligence to take up social challenges. ''In my view, 90 percent of the innovation is designed to solve the problems of the rich. Few innovationsare designed to solvethe problems of the poor. If the business is the microcosm of the society, then it has to operate in a manner that is responsible to the peopleand the environment,'' she said.

She also mentioned that, most of the CSR money is going in healthcare, education and women empowerment. Corporate rely on NGO's for CSR. As a result, few good NGO's are overburdened, and a lot others are just coming in the gamebecause there is so much demand. But for a social change, you have to be with it for 15 to 20 years.

''The problems we are dealing are multidimensional, and neither the government nor the private sector, development agencies or the civil society alone has all the answers to solve them. So the paradigm for collaboration is needed,'' She added.