Corporate Social Responsibility in Indian Industries

The policy brief highlights that while corporate spending on CSR in India has grown steadily, investments in environmental sustainability remain limited. In FY 2023–24, CSR allocations were heavily skewed toward education and skill development (₹16,287.78 crore) and poverty alleviation (₹9,087.41 crore). In contrast, environmental sustainability initiatives received only ₹3,459.05 crore nationwide, with Maharashtra leading and Kerala ranking 18th in environmental CSR spending. Although Kerala received ₹387.91 crore in total CSR funding, just ₹22.23 crore was directed to environmental projects. The brief emphasises that environmental CSR must be integrated, large-scale, and well-coordinated, supported by robust monitoring mechanisms and close government–industry collaboration. It concludes that advancing environmental CSR in lower-spending states such as Kerala will require targeted capacity-building, public awareness, and coordinated platforms linking district authorities and CSR leaders.