After years of preaching by management gurus about the need for corporate social responsibility, the tide is moving the right way. Companies took their own time to understand that philanthropy done to a larger section of the society, beyond their target audience, will pay dividends in the years to come. Of late, the view that industry should do more for social development has become part of conventional wisdom.

Rotary International has always emphasised social responsibility among corporate houses. The nationwide Pulse Polio immunisation drive is a sparkling example of such a public-private partnership. One of the world’s oldest and largest social organizations, Rotary International, is celebrating its centenary in 2005.

Rotary Club of Bangalore has been the pioneer in recognizing corporate philanthropy. They have now built a tradition of recognising the service rendered to the society both by individuals and corporate houses. Instituted in 1997, Brooke Bond was the first corporate house to be recognised and felicitated for the Corporate Citizen award.

The Corporate Citizen award has been instituted to recognise the best efforts of companies in corporate social responsibility. Companies like Titan Industries, GE Technology Centre and Infosys have been recipients of the award for their efforts to build a better society. The award is in two categories: one for larger national and multinational firms with more than Rs 100 crore turnover and another for small and medium enterprises with less than Rs 100 crore turnover. GE Technology Centre and Lotus Energy Systems were the awardees last year.

The award is for identifying the best and innovative public-private partnership to bring a change for the society at large. For instance, instead of doing charity to physically challenged, Mindtree Consulting has been employing them in their organisation. Similarly Titan Industries has been helping rural women in Dharmapuri district of Tamil Nadu find employment. This is a clear case of teaching to fish, rather than donating fish.

Similarly Citizen Extraordinaire Award has been instituted to identify the efforts of an individual in making a positive impact on the society. Eminent personalities like environmentalist Suresh Heblikar, renowned surgeon Dr Devi Shetty, and scientist Dr Satish Dhawan have been felicitated in this category.

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