Corporate Social Responsibility

Project on

“A study on SDGs 2030 and the role of CSR’’

Submitted in partial fulfilment for the Award of the Degree of

Master of Management Studies (MMS)
Under Mumbai University

Submitted by
Nadar Chandru Soundara Pandian
Roll No. 80

Under the Guidance of

Ms. Anguja Agrawal

2020-2022
SIES COLLEGE OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES
NERUL, NAVI MUMBAI 400706
 CERTIFICATE

This is to certify that project titled “A STUDY ON SDGS 2030 AND THE ROLE
OF CSR” is successfully completed by MR. NADAR CHANDRU SOUNDARA
PANDIAN during the fourth Semester, in partial fulfilment of the Master’s Degree
in Management Studies recognized by University of Mumbai for the academic
year 2020-2022 through SIES COLLEGE OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES.
This project work is original and not submitted earlier for the award of any Degree
or Diploma or associate ship of any other University / Institution.

Name: Nadar Chandru Soundara Pandian

Date:
Signature of Guide
 DECLARATION

I hereby declare that this project report submitted by me to the SIES College of
Management Studies, is a bonafide work undertaken by me and it is not submitted
to any other University / Institution for the award of any Degree or Diploma /
Certificate or published any time before.

Name: Nadar Chandru Soundara Pandian

Date:
Signature of Student
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I would like to express my indebtedness appreciation to my departmental supervisor

Ms. Anguja Agrawal. Her constant guidance and advice played a vital role in making
the execution of the report. She always gave me her suggestions that were crucial in
making this report as flawless as possible.
I am using this opportunity to express my deepest gratitude and special thanks to the
Dean of operations Department of SIES College of management studies Dr.
Sandeep Bhanot providing me the opportunity to embark on this project.
Last but not least, also give my sincere thanks to all the people to directly indirectly
have help and encourage me in finding the way to us collecting the requisite
information and completing the project effectively and timely

Signature

Nadar Chandru Soundara Pandian

Date
 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
India has already completed nine years since mandated CSR was imposed under Section 135 of
the Companies Act, 2013, requiring Indian companies to give 2% of their previous three-year
average net profit to a select specified CSR activities as listed in the Act's seventh schedule. During
the same time period, the United Nations detailed the 17 Sustainable Development Goals, which
include 169 objectives signed by 193 countries from across the world contributing to social and
environmental concerns in order to provide a magnificent life and chances for everyone in 2015.
The business, corporate, and government sectors, as well as civil society, are responsible for
achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) set out in Agenda 2030. The goal of this
research is to create a map of the CSR activities with sustainable development goals and review
the mandatory CSR practices of Indian companies and how companies are leveraging CSR thereby
attaining sustainable and progressive target.
 CONTENTS
Pag
e
CHAPTER No
Chapter 1 - Introduction 1
1.1 What is SDG? 1
1.2 CSR in India 1
1.3 SDGs and CSR 2
1.4 List of SDGs 4
1.5 SDG in India 4
1.6 Implementing in India 5
1.7 UN support for SDG 6
1.8 SDGs mapped with companies act 6
Chapter 2
Review of Literature 8
Chapter 3
8
Methodology
Chapter 4 - Analysis & Discussion
4.1 Government Schemes associated with SDG 9
4.2 Indian Companies Incorporate SDG 11
4.3 India’s SDG Performance 13
Chapter 5
Conclusion 17
Chapter 6
Recommendations 17
Reference 18
 INTRODUCTION
1.1 What is SDG?

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were agreed by 193 countries on September 25, 2015,
as part of a new sustainable development strategy to end poverty, safeguard the environment, and
provide prosperity for all. These objectives are focused on organising global efforts to reduce poverty
and provide all people with a life of dignity and opportunity. The achievement of these objectives
necessitates collaboration between governments, industry, and civil society in order to generate
solutions for a common subject of sustainable development. By 2030, 17 SDGs with 169 targets are
expected to be achieved. The aims embrace a realistic approach to long-term progress at all levels,
incorporating a model of holistic societal and environmental development. These objectives lay out a
clear path for achieving optimal growth and making the world a better place. Given that this is a road
map for the next 13 years, challenges that may arise over time are also taken into account, and targets
have been set accordingly. The SDGs have grown to give nations and organisations alike the
flexibility to establish action plans to meet the specified goals. India and other countries have signed
the Declaration on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, committing to the 17 Sustainable
Development Goals and 169 objectives. India has set lofty goals for itself implementation of SDGs
by aligning it with the national development agenda. This is a big achievement, as now until2030
the policies developed at the national level are expected to address various SDGs with their overall
planning and large investments which need to be allocated for overall sustainable growth. However,
achievement of the goals may not be possible with government initiatives alone, it needs a high level
collaboration between the government, private sector and the civil society.
1.2 CSR in India

India is one of the first few nations to roll out a regulation on CSR.The paradigm reform that affects
companies which earn social capital was brought was introduced via Section 135 on Corporate Social
Responsibility (CSR) under the Companies Act, 2013 (Act). The regulation acts as a mechanism to
address various developmental challenges. It eventually helps in setting up a CSR fund that is
effectively utilized through a robust CSR policy framework. Businesses are expected to
proactively identify and implement solutions to overcome the challenges. As per the Act, all
companies with a net worth of INR500 crore or more, or a turnover of INR1000 crore or more or

1
 a net profit of INR5 crore or more in a given fiscal year are required to spend 2 per cent of its average
net profit from the last three years towards CSR activities listed in Schedule VII. Observing for the
last three years since the inception of CSR regulation, few trends that have emerged are as:

 Improved governance around CSR

As per the requirement of the Act a board level committee oversees CSR and this has helped in
shaping CSR discussions as a strategic response rather than philanthropy.

 Alignment with national priorities

Some of the top national priorities as stated by the government include skill development, health
and hygiene, clean and safe water. CSR trends of the top 100 NSE listed companies as per market
cap show that there has been a significant increase in the initiatives that are aligned with
national priorities.

 Consolidation of projects for bigger impact

It has been observed that the number of projects undertaken by corporates have reduced but the
scale of projects has inflated. This trend clearly shows the strategic focus to create bigger impacts
than scattered influences.

 More collaboration with social sector

Another trend is the increased involvement of NGOs and other social sector players for
implementation of CSR projects.
1.3 SDGs and CSR

SDGs and the Indian CSR regulation both were implemented/formulated around the same time and
seemingly have a tremendous potential to develop a cohesive sustainable growth model. Moreover,
the SDGs and CSR thematic development areas share a lot of overlap in terms of activities needed
to achieve either. The CSR regulation sets a broad framework and gives direction for better
sustainable future and the SDGs set tangible well defined targets to measure the outcome of
activities. As an evolution from the MDGs (Millennium Development Goals), SDGs explicitly call
for business to apply their creativity and innovation to solve development challenges. SDGs have
more opportunities for private sector participation. The goals bring together players from all sectors

2
for pursuing the common vision of sustainable development and address the socio-economic and
environmental challenges.

The guidance in the form of Schedule VII of the Act also brings in opportunity of collaboration as
in SDG. The last three year assessment of corporates, shows an increased spending of CSR funds
on the sectors like education, healthcare and rural development. The SDGs draw a more elaborate
plan and have set out a wider spectrum of targets to be achieved. These range from ending poverty,
reducing inequality and exploring collaboration between different agencies for a cumulative
harmonized growth. For example, when a company picks up rural development as a focus area (as
listed in Schedule VII), depending on the nature of intervention, it can link it to multiple SDGs like
ending poverty, building resilient infrastructure, promoting sustainable industrialization and
promoting sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems.

In last three years there has been a gradual rise in the financial commitments towards CSR compared
to the previous years. Compared to 2014-15 (the first year of introducing the mandate towards CSR),
there is an increase in the prescribed CSR expenditure to the tune of 14 per cent in 2016-17.
Additionally, against the prescribed CSR expenditure, twenty one companies have committed higher
CSR expenditure (CSR budget outlay), up by 17 per cent as compared to 2014-15. The CSR
expenditure during the year 2016-17 has increased by 41 per cent as compared to 2014-15.This is a
clear indication of the growing interest in the companies towards implementing CSR projects. We
have also seen a growing trend in companies’ interest to invest into unique flagship projects. It also
can be seen as a trigger for investment into innovative ways of tackling sustainable development
challenges. Schedule VII explicitly gives overall direction to corporates and the SDG targets are
measurable outcomes from the CSR projects. The business community needs to strategies itself for
achieving SDGs via CSR as a catalyst of shared growth. The innovation in the CSR initiatives and
a foresight of the impacts created are key founding blocks that a company can dwell upon while
working towards SDGs. It is only through an active and holistically planned CSR programme that
an effective positive social impact can be created. National and multi-national companies can
contribute towards these goals by utilizing not just their capital but also their reach, resources,
technology, research,knowledge and innovation.

3
1.4 List of SDGs

1.5 SDG in India

India played a prominent role in the formulation of the United Nations Sustainable Development
Agenda 2030 and much of the country’s National Development Agenda is mirrored in the
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The progress of the world to meet the SDGs largely
depends on India’s progress. However, with 17 Goals, 169 Targets and 306 National indicators,

4
 the SDGs might be difficult to grasp and understand, and defining and measuring success poses a
challenge. While countries around the world have been considering how to implement and measure
success against the Goals, The Government of India established the NITI Aayog to attain
sustainable development goals. NITI Aayog has taken the lead by bringing out the SDG India
Index – Baseline Report 2018, and showing how SDGs will be measured in India. The NITI Aayog
released the Baseline Report of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) India Index, which
comprehensively documents the progress made by India’s States and Union Territories towards
implementing the 2030 SDG targets.

NITI Aayog has constructed the SDG India Index spanning across 13 out of 17 SDGs (leaving out
Goals 12, 13, 14 and 17). The Index tracks the progress of all the States and Union Territories
(UTs) on a set of 62 National Indicators, measuring their progress on the outcomes of the
interventions and schemes of the Government of India. The SDG India Index is intended to provide
a holistic view on the social, economic and environmental status of the country and its States and
UTs.

The SDG India Index is an aggregate measure which can be understood and used by everyone—
policymakers, businesses, civil society and the general public. It has been designed to provide an
aggregate assessment of the performance of all Indian States and UTs, and to help leaders and
change makers evaluate their performance on social, economic and environmental parameters. It
aims to measure India and its States’ progress towards the SDGs for 2030.
1.6 Implementing in India

The task of coordinating the SDGs has been assigned to the Government of India's premier think
tank. States have also been advised to map their schemes, including those funded by the federal
government, in a similar manner. Furthermore, the Ministry of Statistics and Programme
Implementation (MoSPI) is working on developing national indicators for the SDGs. 5. The SDGs
are at the heart of many of the government's flagship programmes, including Swachh Bharat, Make
in India, Skill India, and Digital India. Many of these programmes rely heavily on state and local
governments. 6 State governments are focusing their efforts on SDG visioning, planning,
budgeting, and developing implementation and monitoring systems.

5
 As SDGs cover almost every area of development, all Line Ministries are direct or indirect partners
in the SDG efforts. However, the Vertical has developed close associations with:
 Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation
 Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region
 Ministry of Finance
 Ministry of Education
 Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
 Ministry of Women and Child Development
1.7 UN Support for SDG
The United Nations in India encourages civil society organizations, think tanks, and the Indian
media to participate in discussions and side sessions at the International Conference on Financing
for Development in Addis Abeba and the United Nations General Assembly in New York. 8 The
UN Country Team in India supports NITI Aayog in its efforts to address the goals'
interconnectedness, ensure that no one is left behind, and advocate for adequate funding to achieve
the SDGs 9. The UN has supported thematic consultations on the SDGs in close collaboration with
NITI Aayog and partners, bringing together various state governments, central ministries, civil
society organizations, and academia to deliberate on specific SDGs.
1.8 SDGs mapped with companies’ act

India with its diversity has a distinct challenge with reference to implementing projects to achieve
SDGs ona local level. Although there is an optimism about the government initiatives that supports
SDGs but there are multiple challenges on the implementation path. For example, several targeted
attempts have been made to link SDGs with centrally sponsored schemes. Similarly, at the state
level, some of the states like Assam have actively embraced the SDGs within their development
agenda. India’s ranking at 116 of 15705 on the SDGs index06 is a clear wake up call for action.
Challenges such as lack of data on various baselines or localized governance and implementation
can be overcome by collaboration. Government of India has tasked NITI Aayog to design and
develop a framework defining policies, procedures and map ministries responsible to implement
the SDGs by the government regulatory mechanism. However, businesses have a strong role to play
by acting as a facilitator in the SDG implementation. The role of businesses as catalyst is well
defined by the scope with which the businesses have the adaptability and agility in implementation
of micro level schemes. Businesses are quick to respond and implement solutions with localized in

6
decision making process is swift and well defined. Businesses can follow a pragmatic approach in
realizing the SDGs and instigate transformational change in localized economies.

7
 REVIEW OF LITERATURE
M. Prabhakar Christopher David: - The world economies have unified in their efforts to achieve
the goals of sustainable development. This is in sheer contrast to the earlier approaches where
governments pursued goals for the growth and development of their respective economies. The
struggle for growth and excellence has created imbalance in the economic development among
countries, depleted some of the natural resources and has thus altered the ecological balance. Since
this threatens the very existence of human life on earth, course of action that would ensure a safe
environment for future generations has become the need of the hour. This paper makes an
attempt to understand the challenges encountered by India in achieving Sustainable
development goals and offers suggestions to overcome them.

Bedrich moldan :- The current format of the proposed SDGs and their targets has laid a policy
framework; however, without thorough expert and scientific follow up on their operationalization
the indicators may be ambiguous. Therefore we argue for the foundation of a conceptual
framework for selecting appropriate indicators for targets from existing sets or formulating new
ones. Experts should focus on the “indicator-indicated fact” relation to ensure the indicators’
relevance in order for clear, unambiguous messages to be conveyed to users. Finally we offer some
recommendations for indicators providers in order to contribute to the tremendous amount of
conceptual work needed to lay a strong foundation for the development of the final indicators
framework.

METHODOLOGY
This study is based on secondary sources of data and information. Different books, journals,
newspaper, magazines, NITI AAYOG, PIB, SDG India Index ratings and websites have been
consulted and identified in order to make the study in an effective manner.

Data Source: Secondary Source

The data is wholly based on secondary source. The data was mostly collected from selected
websites, articles and research paper

8
 ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION
4.1 Government Schemes associated with SDGs

9
10
4.2 INDIAN COMPANIES INCORPORATE SDGs
Ambuja cements Pvt Ltd

In close collaboration with government entities and NGOs, the Ambuja Cement Foundation (ACF)
has worked extensively in and around the Company's operations areas to regulate water quality.
Water gathering, augmentation of water sources, establishment of a potable water distribution
system, installation of percolation wells, check dams, and roof rain water harvesting structures
(RRWHS), and low water-intensive crop farming are all part of their multifaceted strategy.

Over four lakh people in the dry, arid territories of Rajasthan, the hilly regions of Darlagh at and
the water-scarce state of Andhra Pradesh have benefitted from renovation of traditional water
reservoirs, pond deepening, RRWHS and reverse osmosis plants. In the drought-prone region of
Kodinar, ACF has worked for over two decades to mitigate the threat of salinity on the livelihood
of the people. The objective is to create sustainable access to clean water for drinking and
irrigation. ACF engages proactively with the communities to bring about an attitudinal change
towards conserving their precious resources. Water User Associations (WUAs) have been
established to ensure equitable distribution of water and maintenance of equipment and
structures. Farmers are trained in better farming techniques and water management practices such
as micro and drip irrigation and systematic rice intensification (SRI) to improve the sustainability
of their land. As a result of ACF’s intervention, the farmers of Kodinar and Rabriya was now
reap up to three crops a year.

11
12
4.3 INDIA’S SDG PERFORMANCE
Overall Performance of 17 SDGs (2021)

Indian States & UT’s Performance

13
Goal Wise Performance

SDG Trends

14
Average Performance of SDGs

Performance Indicator

15
International Index

16
 CONCLUSION
India has the world's second largest population after China. The steps taken by India to achieve
the SDGs are extremely important to the rest of the world. If India achieves the SDGs, it will mean
that a larger portion of the world has done so as well. As a result, it is critical for India to develop
effective methods for implementing, monitoring, and measuring SDG progress. The most difficult
challenge for India appears to be the development of appropriate indicators. This can be addressed
by creating an Indian Index for Sustainable Development (IISD) based on the Ibrahim index.

RECOMMENDATIONS
In order to effectively execute the sustainable growth agenda is it essential to revitalize the
partnership between key stakeholders. Fostering partnerships for growth can definitely be a key pillar
in achieving SDG targets. Furthermore, the impact of such a collaboration on overall SDG targets can
only be realized through effective mechanisms to capture credible data. While the government may
develop a policy regulation for a wider reach of the SDG agenda, it must collaborate with the private
sector including businesses and the civil societies for a productive, positive impact and accelerating
India’s vision to achieve the SDGs. Overall the SDG implementation process has started yielding
valuable insights. Documentation and dissemination of such experiences coupled with the
extension of innovation brought by businesses can be a catalyst in achieving the SDG targets.
Private sector can bring a fresh perspective to the path set for achieving the SDGs by breaking
down the long route of 2030 into several smaller achievable milestones. The stakeholders may
design a road map up till 2030 but this collaborative public private effort is likely to make the
journey relatively easy and achievable at an accelerated pace.

17
 REFERENCE
https://dashboards.sdgindex.org/explorer

https://dashboards.sdgindex.org/chapters/part-4-methods-summary-and-data-tables#table-4-1-
new-indicators-and-modifications

https://s3.amazonaws.com/sustainabledevelopment.report/2021/2021-sustainable-development-
report.pdf

https://sdgindiaindex.niti.gov.in/#/ranking

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sustainable_Development_Goals

https://assets.kpmg/content/dam/kpmg/in/pdf/2017/12/SDG_New_Final_Web.pdf

https://www.niti.gov.in/verticals/sustainable-dev-
goals#:~:text=The%20SDG%20India%20Index%20and%20Dashboard%2C%20designed%20an
d%20developed%20by,various%20SDGs%20and%20associated%20targets.

https://www.niti.gov.in/writereaddata/files/SDG_3.0_Final_04.03.2021_Web_Spreads.pdf

https://worldpoverty.io/

18