Interviews

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

INTERVIEW A Lot Of Scope For Expanding Trade Ties Between India & Kazakhsthan In an interview with CSR TIMES, Bulat Sarsenbayev, the Ambassador of Kazakhsthan to India, said that Kazakhstan has already initiated a “Green BridgePartnership” to bring together governments, international organizations and private businesses to find transnational solutions to sustainable growth. India became a full member of Sanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) recently. Do you foresee any change in the relationship between India and Kazakhstan? India had been an observer of SCO meeting since 2005 and has participated in ministerial-level meetings, which focused on security and economic co-operation in the Eurasian region. As a full member of SCO, India like other member countries, aims to achieve regional and global stability and prosperity, especially in

INTERVIEW VIJAY JOLLY, who plays the role of Delhi Politician, Globe Trotter, Promoter of People-2-People Relations and Charity Giver, all rolled in one, in a discussion with HARISH CHANDRA For Vijay Jolly, the effervescent for member of Delhi Assembly, there can never be a dull moment. A former general secretary and president of Delhi University Students Union (DUSU), Jolly found an innovative way to serve the city when founded Delhi Study Group, a non- governmental organization (NGO) working constantly for the cause of justice to the common man in Delhi, the capital of India. “In 1993, Delhi got legislative assembly after a long struggle. There were leaders on both sides of the political divide, who were unanimous in demand for

INTERVIEWS The Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) was established in 1936 as Sir Dorabji Tata Graduate School of Social Work. What were the circumstances and vision, which led Sir Dorabji to make this noble move? When liberalism as an economic ideology failed and the world was pushed to “Great Depression”, the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) began as Sir Dorabji Tata School of Social Work in 1936. Mumbai was an industrial city by 1930; and the Great Depression of 1930s had serious implications for industrial workers – lock outs of factories, layoffs of workers and the poor business affecting traders and shop owners. The result was a serious unemployment, poverty and dispossession of people in an already crowded

INTERVIEW Reema Mohan Cheif Executive Officer, NSE Foundation NSE Group works towards improving the financial wellbeing of people at large through a committed approach. Tell us briefly about the CSR approach and philosophy behind NSE Foundation. National Stock Exchange was created to change the market through technology, innovation, new products and service initiatives. The “Save” philosophy includes financial literacy, which is an extremely important life skill and essential to today’s digital age. The “Seva” concept is established in the environmental consciousness of NSE along with CSR. To ensure a better tomorrow for future generations, NSE invests in renewable energy, water conservation and energy conservation with high standards of corporate governance and corporate social responsibility undertaken through the NSE Foundation. Our

INTERVIEW Elaine Weidman VP – Sustainability & CR, Ericsson “We understand the value of prioritising Sustainability & CR in business” Sustainability & CR is not an obligation, but a need and responsibility of all. And embedding it with­in the business is a must for corporates. Elaine Weidman, VP – Sustainability & CR, Ericsson tells Bachan Singh why there is a real need for transformative and not incremental solutions for climate and sustainable development by the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) sector and how the sector will evolve in the coming times. Excerpts: What is Sustainability for you and what drives CSR at Ericsson? According to me, it is about having a holistic approach and embedding it within the business. Further,

Tech Mahindra Foundation works in 12 cities, has 100 smart centres, and 67 education and disability projects. It has three academies and the Tech Mahindra School of Nursing at Banasthali too. It has partnership with six municipal corporations and aims to reach out to 50,000 direct beneficiaries in 2017-18. Anand Mahindra has been quoted as saying, “Education is the single most powerful intervention for transforming lives.” India is a young country compared to many developed nations. The median age is 29 years, and the majority of the population is below the age of 35. There has been a lot of buzz around India’s ‘demographic dividend’ waiting to be tapped, and an equal amount of concern about the same young people