Getting CSR Support from corporates for Elders
Welfare: Ball is in our court
From Chairman’s Desk:
We do not need to point out that the major emerging challenge of
the 21st century is the phenomenon of population ageing. This phenomenon can
become a drag on the economy in addition to causing human misery, unless
remedial measures are taken in time. This is what seems to be not happening.
Out of 11.81 crore senior citizens in our Country 70% belong to BPL category or
are very close to it and around 40% are so poor that they cannot afford even
two square meals a day.
To provide them minimum social,
financial and health security we need more Old
Age Homes for the indigent, better upkeep of the existing ones, Shelters for
the homeless, multipurpose Day Care Centers, Nursing Homes, Palliative care
Homes, Physiotherapy centres. Mobile Health care units, Help Lines etc, etc.
Support from CSR was
expected to make a difference. Somehow it has not happened.
During the last four years its contribution to elder-friendly activities has
been almost negligible. It has been the least favored social cause
Considering that Elders deserve
a little better treatment by society, the All India Senior Citizens’
Confederation (AISCCON) constituted a CSR Committee to find reasons for
this apparent indifference on part of the Corporate Houses and to try to
correct the situation. The first action which we took to find reasons for it
was to interview the CSR bosses of a number of Corporate Houses.
The result was most surprising
and un-expected. Most of the Corporates expressed their desire to do the
needful for the welfare of our elders but according to them they were not
receiving proposals for elder-friendly schemes. If any proposal was received,
it would be half ‘baked’ with incomplete information. Sometimes if the
Corporate took interest and asked for additional information, it was not
followed up.
All this shows that the ball li es
in our court only. Most of the welfare activities for senior citizens
can be taken care of by CSR if properly handled. I request our senior citizen
friends to take initiative of suggesting schemes for CSR support which will
improve the well being of the elder community around them.
The CSR Committee can arrange
professional help in preparing the proposals if there is a need.
We will be discussing this
subject again during the next National Conference of AISCCON on 29th
and 30th Nov 2018, in
Hyderabad, which is expected to be attended by around 2000 senior citizens from
all over India.
R.N.Mital
[ Extract from CSR and Elder Care -- Newsletter
of AISCCON Committee for CSR August 2018 p1]
