Business success depends on the value created in the society, said Dr. Bhagwat Kishanrao Karad, Minister of State for Finance, Government of India, at the workshop on "Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) with Special focus on Aspirational Districts", organised during AKAM Iconic Week.

In his virtual address, Dr. Karad added, "Honourable Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has suggested to work, particularly in health, nutrition, tourism, skill development and environment". He also informed that Rs. 4200 crore average annual CSR spend is undertaken by CPSEs over the last four years.

The AKAM Mega Show Exhibition on 'Contribution of CPSEs to Nation-Building' is being organised from 09 – 12 June 2022 at Mahatma Mandir, Gandhinagar, Gujarat, under the aegis of 'Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav' (AKAM) to celebrate 75 years of independence. In the exhibition, 75 Central Public Sector Enterprises (CPSEs) are showcasing their exhibits on their contributions towards nation building.

The workshop on "Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) with Special focus on Aspirational Districts" was organised in partnership with FICCI. Over 200 participants from NITI Aayog, civil society organizations, representatives of Aspirational Districts and other CPSEs Nodal Officers for CSR implementation attended the workshop. The theme for FY 2022-23 to undertake CSR activities by all CPSEs is "Health and Nutrition".

Shri Rajesh K. Chaudhry, Special Secretary, Department of Public Enterprises, Ministry of Finance, said CPSEs have a distinct advantage as they are present in every nook and corner of the country. "With the help of CPSEs, we have been able to set up primary health centres, drinking water facilities in remote locations, and water conservation for the benefit of farmers", he said.

Various stakeholders in the CSR workshop deliberated on various issues having focus on implementation of CSR projects on Health and Nutrition and likely ways to improve their implementation in aspirational districts.  

Smt. Geeta Goradia, Chairperson of FICCI Gujarat State Council, while welcoming the gathering at the workshop said Transformation of Aspirational Districts' programme has made a significant impact as it is based on convergence, collaboration, and competition amongst various stakeholders.

NITI Aayog was represented by Shri Rama Kamaraju, Senior Advisor, Head of Voluntary Action Cell/Aspirational Districts Programme who spoke on the key benefits of NGO Darpan portal.

MoU WORKSHOP

In addition, an outreach on Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) System for performance evaluation of CPSEs was also organised during the day. The programme aimed to sensitize CPSEs on the revised MoU framework and guidelines of DPE for the performance evaluation of the CPSEs. The interaction with CPSEs focused on the implementation of the framework through an online dashboard platform for digital & automated implementation of the MoU mechanism. The programme also focussed on the framework for MoU exercise for 2022-23 in respect of CPSEs operating in diverse sectors such as Oil, Gas, Coal, Steel, Mining, and Fertiliser, among others.

During the session, Shri Pawan Kumar, Principal Adviser, DPE gave a presentation on the MoU framework for FY 2022-23. In addition to this, Shri Amit Rastogi, Director DPE deliberated on the integration of MoU Assessment with Public Enterprises Survey. The participants included senior executives of 40 CPSEs operating in Oil Exploration, Oil Marketing, Gas Transmission, Fertiliser, Mining, Steel, Coal and other sectors. The discussions held will help smoothen the implementation of the MoU system.

Two more workshops on issues Procurement from Micro & Small Enterprises (MSEs) and Government e-Marketplace (GeM) are also being organised. The Workshops aim to provide interface to MSE vendors with CPSEs to create sustainable development for all entities.

During the Iconic week, a pan-India plantation drive led by DPE will continue to plant 75000 saplings by CPSEs till 12^th June 2022 at their offices, townships, production units etc.

SD/GP/JD

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