New Delhi, May 8 (KNN)  Business responsibility to the Avantha Group would mean embedding their business decisions in the social fabric of the country.  So if there is a plant coming up or a business to be started, we look at how we can make a difference and impact to mitigate some of the negative impacts that we might cause intentionally or otherwise, said CEO Avantha Group and VP Group CSR, Yashashree Gurjar.

 

In conversation with Responsible Business India, Gurjar said that they make every attempt to map their footprint properly to be able run a responsible business.

 

Avantha Group CEO recalled that when they started a power company, a greenfield project, they had their CSR team in place in even before purchasing the first piece of land to discuss with the community their issues, understand their pain points and most of all, understand how the company could make their lives better and not worse, after purchasing their land.

 

Paper manufacturing is one of the main activities of the group; so what does the company do to ensure that raw material is sourced responsibly?  Having understood that wood cannot be accessed from forests, their only option was to go in for wood grown on farms and acquire it from farmers.  However, given that there is so much pressure on land in India for food, growing wood, they realised would jeopardise the farmers’ food security.  

 

So they now have a system in place where they look at non-food land that is arid, with soil that does not support food crops and get farmers to grow wood.  However, considering that most farmers have small holdings, perhaps an acre each in some cases, they had to form collectives of farmers so that they are able get the required amount of wood from them.  In the process, they assist them to get loans and inform them of techniques to grow good crops.

 

Gurjar also gives her recommendations on how companies can engage in meaningful CRS; and discusses the importance of democratic governance, their work with citizen groups and students; the CSR provision of the Companies Act and impact assessment. (KNN/ES)