Interviews

INTERVIEW Surjeet Singh Deswal took over as the Director-General of Indo- Tibetan Border Police Force (ITBP) in October 2018. In an exclusive interview with CSR Times he reflected his thoughts and ideas and how ITBP comes across as one unified unit to meet any challenges. Excerpts of the interview: CSR TIMES: How does ITBP help pilgrims during the Amarnath yatra? Surjeet Singh Deswal (DG): This year ITBP has deployed 44 companies of soldiers in the Amarnath yatra to provide safety and security to the pilgrims. Pilgrims from different age groups ranging from 16 to 75 join the yatra, who are often not familiar with the terrain conditions and due to high altitude at 13,500 feet may also face difficulty in

INTERVIEW The major grievances of women are against the police, the judiciary, the administration, the media and finally the societal norms, said Rekha Sharma, Chairperson, National Commission for Women (NCW) in an interview with CSR Times. She went on to say how the NCW coordinates with concerned authorities to resolve problems faced by women. CSR Times: You have been a very vocal and active chairperson of the National Commission for Women. What has been your seminal contribution to the Commission and the Indian women in particular? Rekha Sharma: I am privileged to be a part of the National Commission for Women since August 2015, first as a Member and then as a Chairperson since August 2018. The Commission has been

INTERVIEW Dr JAI PRAKASH SHARMA is a Professor of Law & Corporate Governance, and the immediate past Head and Dean, Faculty of Commerce & Business at the Delhi School of Economics, University of Delhi. He has authored 20 books and over 100 research papers/articles published in several national and international journals of repute. His book titled ‘Corporate Governance, Business Ethics & CSR’ has its review written by Sir Adrian Cadbury, who in 1992 gave the world its first code on corporate governance. He is/has been Visitor’s (President of India)/Central Government Nominee on number of Central Universities. He is a Fellow Member of the ICSI and Member of several other professional bodies. He is member of Association of North America Higher

INTERVIEW SUMAN MINDA as President and Chairperson of Samarth -Jyoti is leading the CSR Initiative of UNO MINDA Group. In a discussion with HARISH CHANDRA, she delineates the culture of giving in the corporate house UNO Minda group has entered 60th year of its operations. Tell us something about its founder, his vision, group’s inception and evolution. UNO MINDA Group started in 1958 by our inspiration and my respected father-in-law late Shri SL MindaJi. It’s because of his values and guidance we are here. He was a social worker by heart with a desire to make a difference to society. He at the age of 60 took a back seat in business and dedicated himself completely into social service and

INTERVIEW In Delhi’s show-off circles, she uses a CNG-powered auto-rickshaw for her official commute. But her rickshaw painted with lovely textile floral designs has its style. The Mexican Ambassador to India Melba Pria, in an interview with CSR TIMES, shows her concern for increasing carbon footprint and talks about Mexico’s determination to seek new and better ways to improve the quality of air.   India and Mexico have had a cordial relationship since 1947. How do you view the relationship now and which are the areas you are focusing on to strengthen the bond? Also, tell us about the areas yet to be explored? Mexico and India have maintained cordial and friendly relations for over 66 years, and Mexico was

INTERVIEW An Indian origin Labour Party politician, Virendra Sharma is the Member of Parliament (MP) from Ealing South all in the House of Commons, the United Kingdom. In an interview with CSR Times Editor Harish Chandra, Sharma talks about his political journey and his contribution towards strengthening social, cultural and economic ties between India and the UK. CSR Times: You have a very long political career in the United Kingdom both as the Member of Parliament and as Mayor. How do you reflect back on your political life?  Virendra Sharma (Sharma): My political career has been both long and wideranging. Throughout my career, whether as a Councillor or Mayor, and now as a Member of Parliament, my emphasis has always

INTERVIEW How would you define corporate social responsibility (CSR)? Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), in the 21st century, has evolved as a practice in which business organisations voluntarily integrate social and environmental concerns into their business operations and into the interaction with their stakeholders. In India also organizations are leaving behind the traditional concept of philanthropic engagement and have started integrating CSR into a coherent and sustainable business strategy, adopting the multi-stakeholder approach. Philanthropy is somewhat synonymous with CSR to an extent.  What according to you is the opposite of CSR? Philanthropy and CSR are not similar, they are two different things. Corporate Social Responsibility or CSR is done in society either by choice or many a times government mandates makes you

INTERVIEW We Focus On Creating Education Transformation Solutions’ Dr Y. Suresh Reddy, Director, SRF Foundation, in a tête-à-tête with CSR TIMES said parents, government and private schools, corporates, NGOs and community in general all have a role to play in realizing the Right to Education Act. SRF Foundation works on education we believe, what is the focus—school education or vocational courses to bridge the gap? SRF Foundation works on both the issues of school education and vocational skills by targeting the out of schoolchildren, school-going students and school dropouts. What was the first project of SRF Foundation and when was it initiated? How did the idea strike? Though the Foundation has been serving the society since 1982, it started a structured

INTERVIEW FINDING SHELTER FOR THE HOMELESS : GAUHAR NAWAB Leading hotelier of UK Gauhar Nawab in an interview with Harish Chandra Gauhar Nawab reached United Kingdom in difficult times. Removed from his hearth and home, he struggled hard to make the two ends meet. On having achieved success, he works for the settlement of the homeless especially those who had to leave their country. The 76-year-old successful hotelier and socialite Gauhar Nawab arrived in UK from India in 1961 December to do a degree in law and become a Barrister. Soon thereafter war between India and China broke out. The war blocked transfer of funds from India to the United Kingdom and he could not pay fee for the degree.

INTERVIEW Working Towards Rural Prosperity Dr L C Sharma, IIRD, Shimla tells CSR TIMES about the initiatives being taken by his organisation to give succour to rural poor Q1: Tell us about IIRD. What are the primary activities and programmes? IIRD- Institute for Integrated Rural Development is a developmental organisation dedicated for bringing rural prosperity through research & studies, training & capacity building, project planning & implementation, technical support & consultancies and institutional networking in the national and global perspective. With the vision to become a reliable destination for developmental solutions, IIRD has been trying to bring transformation by intervening in the areas like Local Self Governance; Entrepreneurship & Skill Development; Natural Resource Management; Livelihood Promotion; Technology & Innovations and