For the outstanding contribution in the area of CSR, President of India Ram Nath Kovind has conferred first National CSR Awards to various companies. Power Grid Corporation of India has been given the award for excellent services in the category of above Rs 100 crore CSR spend. Total 38 awards were given.

Mahindra and Mahindra got the award for Rs 10 to Rs 100 crore spend, Edelweiss Financial Services Limited for Rs 1 to Rs 10 crore spend and Paranjape Autocast Pvt. Ltd for less than Rs 1 crore spend. Speaking on the occasion of the awards ceremony in New Delhi, the President said, it is important to internalise social welfare in the corporate culture and the companies has shown that it is possible to be profitable while being socially and environmentally responsible.

He commended efforts of the Union ministry of corporate affairs for initiating the National CSR Awards in the 150th birth anniversary year of Mahatma Gandhi. These awards will be conferred every year on October 2.

Kovind said that many illustrious business families like Tata, Birla, Bajaj and many others associated with freedom struggle were sensitive to their social responsibilities. Gandhi ji developed the principle of trusteeship on the basis of the generosity of industrialists associated with him. He further said that every fiscal year since 2014-15, the corporate sector has set aside more than Rs. 10,000 crore for social welfare and various social sectors like education, environment, health, poverty eradication, sanitation and safe drinking water have benefitted from this effort.

India has been consistently improving its rank in ease of doing business indicator by the efforts of the government and the government is also sensitive about the need to calibrate the CSR regime to make it more effective. Mentioning a quote, the president said, respect is achieved by donating the wealth not by storing it, clouds attain a higher position by giving away water whereas the oceans remain at a lower position by storing water.