Netas: Civic body shying away from using CSR funds for bigger projects

NAVI MUMBAI: The civic body’s recent initiative to get some development works implemented through Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) funds has not appeased the corporators. They felt that the scale of activities, taken up under CSR, was not up to the profits generated by some of the companies being approached. The issue was discussed at the general body meeting, convened to discuss the budgetary allocations for the next fiscal year,
The corporators alleged that the newly constituted CSR cell was not making optimum utilization of the provisions made in Company Act.Shiv Sena corporator Kishor Patkar said that the civic administration should ideally be able to execute major development-related work in the city through CSR. “The project the cell has managed get funding from corporate giants like Reliance and Gale India include construction of She toilets and placing of litter bins. This is nothing when compared to the profits these corporates earn annually,” he added.
The corporator also pointed out that the administration’s reluctance to locate corporates with huge turnover and ask them to utilize their CSR funds for the city’s well-being was resulting in major loss of funds. (see box) “Considering that there are over 5,000 industries here, the administration should be in a position to implement development works of approximately Rs 100 crore,” said Patkar.
Questions were also raised over the administration’s failure to constitute the cell earlier.