Corporate Social Responsibility – Inclusive growth – Role of PR

“CSR for Corporates is mandatory now. It is no more a lip service tokenism – PR & Media have greater roles to play” confirmed the 35^th All India Public Relations Conference organised by PRSI in New Delhi

- Y. Babji, National Vice President (South),

 Public Relations Society of India

Public Relations Society of India, the premier professional body of PR Practitioners in India organised its 35^th All India PR conference on 28-30^th December 2013 at Hotel Eros Hilton, New Delhi on an umbrella theme “Inclusive growth through Corporate Social Responsibility – Role of Public Relations” to discuss basis philosophy and changing tolls of PR, new challenges of global communication, emerging society, society’s expectations and emergence of Corporate Social Responsibility as the new trend of the industry.

With primary focus on Corporate Social Responsibility, the 3-day conference spread into 7 technical sessions did a fine-tooth combing to various aspects highlighting the following issues.

Ø CSR, the genesis of social good concept

Ø Human development and community welfare

Ø Public sector philosophy and social responsibility

Ø CSR by private sector

Ø New guidelines on CSR by Govt. of India

Ø Best practices in CSR

Ø Public Relations and Corporate communications

Ø Media and the Society

The inaugural session was attended by Shri O P Rawat, Secretary, Dept of Public Enterprises, Govt of India as Chief Guest.  ‘Aap ki Adalat’ fame Sri Rajat Sharma, the Chairman & Editor-in-Chief of India TV presided and Dr VP Mishra, Pro-Chancellor of Dutta Meghe Institute of Medical Sciences, Wardha was the Guest of Honour.

Welcoming the gathering, National President of PRSI, Dr Ajit Pathak observed that when PRSI was founded in 1958 there were all assignments and less challenges for PR people. As time moves, the challenges also grew. The problem is that PR professionals just can’t go with the wind, but stand amidst the changing timings as change agents while sticking to the truth.

Talking on the inclusive growth, Dr VP Mishra said “it is inbuilt in welfare state. “It is the growth for all, remotest of the remotest. The 2% budget for carrying out CSR activities by any Organisation as per Companies Law is insufficient. PR shall break walls of this 2% and persuade the managements to go beyond. Companies are talking more and doing less in CSR. They shall remember the greatest PRO of the country i.e. Mahatma Gandhi who preached and practised”.

Mr Rajat Sharma recalled his childhood and youth and how his father advised him to enter the television field and that creating a dream in the minds is a challenge. He advised PR people not only to create dreams in the minds of management but also pave ways for realising them. PR people often undergo a fire place test. If they are truthful, they come out like gold purified otherwise burn to ashes.

The Chief Guest Shri O P Rawat said that “under the new Companies Act, 2013, profitable companies must spend every year at least 2 per cent of their average net profit on CSR works. This mandatory CSR-spend rule will apply from fiscal 2014-15 onwards. Though a new law stipulated the portion of profits that companies must spend on Corporate Social Responsibility every year, the discretion to choose the specific activities and causes to be funded will rest with corporate boards.” By this he observed that “Money that comes from the society shall go back to the society through various activities of CSR”.

Apart from National Awards-2013 under 32 categories, the internal recognitions were also conferred by PRSI. Kolkata & Hyderabad Chapters shared “Best Chapter Chairman” award and also the “Best Chapter Secretary” Award. Chapter Chairmen Sri Narendra Ranjan Mukherjee and Sri NL Narasimha Rao and also the Chapter Secretaries Sri Mahapatra and Sri D V Subba Rao received their awards. The “Best program by a Chapter” was shared by Jaipur & Vizag Chapters. Prof DVR Murthy, Chairman of Vizag Chapter and Mr Mahendra Jain, Chairman of Jaipur Chapter received this award.

The sessions, the speakers and their topics had been..,

Technical Session – I

Mr SK Chaturvedi, Ex CMD, Powergrid Corporation Ltd., - Session Chairman

Prof Jayshree Jethwaney, IIMC, New Delhi – “Social Face of Indian Public Sector”

Mr Ashok Pavadia, Jt Secy, DPE, GOI, New Delhi – “New initiatives of GOI on CSR”

Ms Alpana Killawala, CGM (C) RBI, Mumbai – “Communication for inclusive growth”

Ms M S Mazumdar, National Vice President (East), PRSI – Session Convener

Technical Session – II

Mr Deepak Sandhu, Ex Central CIC, GOI - Session Chairperson

Ms Zelma Lazarus, Past Prez, IPRA – “Serving the disabled poor through IMPACT”

Ms Stuti Kacker, Secretary, Disability Affairs, GoI – “Initiatives of GOI for social good”

Mr BV Rao, Chief Editor, Governance Now – “Inclusive growth – Role of Media”

Mr Y Babji, National Vice President (South), PRSI – Session Convener

Technical Session – IIII

Mr KK Sarthak Behuria, Group Prez, KK Modi Group, New Delhi  - Session Chairman

Mr S Srinivasan, CEO, IFFCO, New Delhi – “Inclusive growth thro Rural Communication”

Mr Sarveshwar, Director, SJVNL, Shimla – “CSR efforts at SJVNL”

Dr PJ Sudhakar, Addl Director General, Prasar Bharati, New Delhi – “Public Relations”

Mr Unmesh Dixit, National Vice President (west), PRSI –  Session Convener

Technical Session – IV

Prof Madabhushi Sridhar, CIC, GOI, New Delhi - Session Chairman

Dr Arye Jugessur, High Commissioner, Mauritius - “CSR practices in Mauritius”

Mr Nazeeb Arif, VP, (Corpcom), ITC, Kolkata – “CSR approaches in Private Sector”

Mr Mohanty, DG, DAVP, New Delhi – “Inclusive growth: Challenges of Govt Advtg”

Ms VP Sharma, National Vice President (North), PRSI – Session Convener

Technical Session – V

Mr Ashok Chowdhury, ED (HR), IOC, New Delhi - Session Chairman

Mr JMF Richard, Prl Consultant, Imagine, Mauritius – “Global framework in Mauritius”

Mr Chandan Mazumdar, VP, ABP Group, Kolkata – “Media 2020”

Mr Shishir Sinha, the Hindu Business Line, New Delhi – “What sells in Media?”

Mr SP Singh, Chairman, Nagpur Chapter of PRSI – Session Convener

Technical Session – VI

Prof Subhash Sood  - Session Chairman

Mr J Daniel Chellappa, Sr Scientist BARK, Chennai – “Perception management”

Mr KA Badrinath, Editor, Financial Chronicle, New Delhi – “Communication strategies”

Mr Amritesh Shrivastava, Manager (CC), NPCIL, Mumbai – “Public outreach activities”

Mr Mahendra Jain, Chairman, Nagpur Chapter of PRSI – Session Convener

Technical Session – VII

Mr SM Sharma, Chief Advisor, Jagran Group - Session Chairman

Mr Dilip Chenoy, MD, National Skill Development Corp., New Delhi – “Skill development”

Mr SS Bapat, ED (CC), IOC, Mumbai – “Corporate branding – Challenges & Opportunities”

Mr Tej Bahadur Mathur, GM (PR), Hindalco – “Dividends of CSR investment”

Mr Narendra Ranjan Mukherjee, Chairman, Kolkata Chapter of PRSI – Session Convener

At the valedictory, Shri Wajahat Habibullah, Chairman, Commission for Minorities, Govt of India said “RTI is an exercise of Public Relations to find out the TRUTH and that PR itself is the TRUTH. Therefore, he said both ways and means is none other than TRUTH”. Padmashri Dr KK Agarwal, President of Heart Care Foundation who presided over the valedictory said “PR is nothing but gifting love or appreciating everybody”. He advised that every PR man shall adopt ‘Sathi Savithri Manthra’ and save ‘Samanya Manav’.

Some of the quotes by the speakers at the conference that can be remembered and pondered over are

    PR is the life-blood of any society

    Transparancy, knowledge, awareness is possible through PR efforts

    PR can make or mar any program

    Credibility, faith and confidence ran Gandhi’s agitations, so should the PR campaigns

    PR, if needed, should break boundaries and lay bridges

    Media is a great champion of human rights

    Media has no great role to play in CSR if PR does its job

    Purpose of communication is development

    CSR is based on ethical and moral grounds, lest it becomes Corp criminal liability

    PR campaigns help creating a positive opinion and to contain negative perceptions

    Corporation communication drives Corporate Social Responsibility

    People, Planet & Profit are the buzzwords of CSR

    Be a human being first and a communicator later. It works in CSR communication.

    PR men shall think differently to convert adversity into opportunity

    Journalism, these days, not a mission but a profession

    A journalist is a salesman of news. He sells his news to the 1^st consumer i.e. Editor

    Social Media is a social giant. It doesn’t listen to anybody

    Social Media is a best friend and a worst enemy