​​Building Consensus is need of the hour: leading MPs

“Consensus is an extension of the process of compromise”, stated Mr V P Singh, Member of Parliament, Bharatiya Janata Party, at the CII AGM. Mr Singh was speaking at a session on “Building Consensus, Building Nation”. He further elucidated his views on the subject by eluding that in order to move forward as a nation, the Indian politicians need to develop consensus in every sphere of public life. He stressed that consensus need not be just between different political parties, but also within a political party. He lamented the fact that one party proposes a reform when in government and opposes the same when in opposition. He ended his remarks by suggesting that the Indian political class must learn from the reform approach of Mexico which overcame crippling political polarization within the country and achieved broad consensus in political decision making.

In his address, Mr D Raja, Member of Parliament (RS), Communist Party of India (CPI) remarked that the Indian political elite needs to be clear on the kind of nation that they would want to build. He stressed that India needs to move forward as a democracy, not an autocracy. According to his views, the Constitution of India has framed a clear road map for nation building which the current political class needs to follow. He said that the framing of the Constitution of India is the best example of a consensus building process which our nation has witnessed.

CIIAGM 2015: Building Consensus, Building India session with Shobana Kamineni, Dinesh Trivedi, Sachin Pilot, Pavan Kumar Varma

In his address, Mr Dinesh Trivedi, Member of Parliament (LS), All India Trinamool Congress said that “Consensus primarily depends on leadership”. While invoking the example of the Mahabharata, Mr Trivedi remarked that the Indian nation cannot move forward on the path of progress unless consensus is developed in Parliament. He concluded by saying that while the Indian political parties may fail to develop consensus in Parliament, but the Indian people have a firm consensus when exercising their power to vote.

Reflecting similar sentiments, Mr Pavan Kumar Varma, Member of Parliament (RS), Janta Dal (United) stated that Corporate India and the Indian Political class need to build a broad consensus for eradicating social ills such as illiteracy, malnutrition and poverty if India is to progress as a nation. He said that consensus is not created in a void, but is contextual. He warned that India cannot move forward on the path of prosperity and development unless there is a broad consensus between India’s corporates and political elite on the need to rid it of all social ills.

Mr Sachin Pilot, President, Rajasthan Pradesh Congress Committee and Senior Leader, Indian National Congress started by stating that the last 25 years have seen several commonalities of views of the Indian political class on several issues. He commended the Indian political elite for developing a broad consensus over the years in several sectors of critical importance such as Defence, Foreign Policy and Internal Security. He stated that the opposition in Parliament is obligated to help the government in power in achieving important national objectives. He further said that in a democracy, the government at the center needs to reach out to the opposition in order to initiate the consensus building process. The opposition, he eluded, should be commended for their role in passing of bills in Parliament and not be labeled as obstructionist when they don’t. He urged the government and the opposition to sit together, deliberate and move forward on several issues of national importance through a process of dialogue.

The session was chaired by Ms Shobana Kamineni, Executive Vice Chairperson, Apollo Hospitals Enterprises Limited.

Industry Empowered to decide on their CSR

CII, in partnership with the National Foundation for Corporate Governance (NFCG), organized a National Summit on CSR, Embedding CSR into Business Strategy on 30 September in Delhi. Held against the backdrop of the inclusion of Clause 135 in the recently passed Companies Bill 2012, which makes CSR a core function within industry and emphasizes the role of the corporate sector beyond profit, this summit enabled varied stakeholders to come together to discuss and deliberate on critical issues.

 In his inaugural address, Mr Sachin Pilot, Minister for Corporate Affairs, Government of India said that this new policy would see both the community and organizations benefit. Mr Pilot emphasized that the Government was keen to adopt a very flexible approach. Industry would be free to choose programmes and strategies best aligned to their corporate philosophy and businesses. He assured industry that the Government would not apply any rules with retrospective effect. He also promised industry to take up a request that the CSR spend be given a tax break with the Finance ministry.

In a special address, Mr M J Joseph, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Corporate Affairs, Government of India, said that when it came to embedding CSR into business strategy, the execution and mainstreaming of strategy was of paramount importance. He also urged industry members to give any suggestions on the subject to the Government. Mr. Rakesh Bharti Mittal, Chairman, CII National Council on Development Initiatives in his address, reiterated the country’s  development challenges: poverty, low levels of literacy, limited access to basic services like water, health, sanitation etc., low wages and income insecurity in the unorganized sectors and stressed on the imperative for inclusive growth in the context of India’s long-term growth prospects. While thanking the Government for the flexibility accorded to corporates to decide on CSR programmes and strategies, he also requested that the provision that mandates the three-year track record required for an NGO or Foundation to receive funding be relaxed in the event that a Foundation belongs to a reputed industry organization. Mr Chandrajit Banerjee, Director General, CII said that this CSR Summit will truly prove to be a pivot for government and industry in meeting our joint objectives of economic growth and development.

The summit saw excellent participation from all stakeholders. Experts in their field, shared experiences and insights on how to arrive at a new path for structured engagement with stakeholders, with a multifaceted approach spread across intersecting economic, social, and environmental dimensions. The challenges posed in this pursuit have implications for virtually every aspect of a firm’s strategy and business model. Arriving at a holistic view on how the new legislation will assist corporates in arriving at a structured CSR engagement as also lead to new paradigms for equitable and sustainable development at the national level. In monetary terms, it is estimated that the new provision will lead to anything from 19,000 to around Rs 25,000 crores annually. This money could make a significant difference if the proper delivery systems are put in place to translate them into meaningful programmes to reach out the communities.

This summit focused renewed attention on the need to start building capacities, not only of the CSR practitioners but also of Civil Society Organizations / Non Government Organizations etc that will enable structured engagement of the industry with the communities in further stimulating the developmental process in India. It will also encourage organizations to take a look at their CSR programmes and assess their impact to ensure equitable and sustainable national growth in the long term.