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MVI Desk

“Valour and Values – Aligning Military experience to CSR”

Updated: Dec 27, 2024

The book brings out a new strategic thought of ‘Army Social Responsibility’ (ASR), which although a part of Army’s primary role to protect the sovereignty of the country needs to be understood in its entirety and recognized differently. The social activities carried out by the Army under “Aid to civil authorities” are formal official duties undertaken on specific Government orders. However, there are a number of other social activities, which are undertaken by the Army for the public good and in the book, I have juxtaposed the social activities under the concept of “Army Social Responsibility” (ASR).

Front cover page

Setting the context, I have highlighted the strong symbiotic relationship between Army Social Responsibility (ASR) and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), where-in disciplined social service rendered by the army can be developed as CSR projects and vice versa with CSR projects being adopted under ASR. In all such effort, “People” remain at the heart of the engagement conversation in all military and corporate initiatives through their respective ASR / CSR programs. While the Army as part of their social activities share their resources with civilians across locations, the corporations initiate CSR projects focusing on the first ‘P’ of the triple bottom line concept of CSR i.e. ‘People’, the other two being ‘Planet and Profit’. Hence people remain central in the context of security and business.

 

My last field posting in the Army, soon after the Kargil conflict, was Brigade Commander Drass, the coldest inhabited place in the world and where all major battles were fought during the 50-day war. As a part of border management with the aim of ‘Winning hearts and minds’ the army initiated several projects for the local people, under Operation (Op) Sadbhavana, which should come under the ambit of Army Social responsibility (ASR).


A few years after my Drass tenure, I doffed my uniform and joined the corporate world as a development practitioner and dived deep into the relatively new concept of CSR in India. I found much similarity in the social interventions of the Army and corporations. My military experience brought to fore the importance for corporations to be strategic in their approach toward communities, especially around their plant locations and make them sustainable entities. They have to keep people, be it their employees, local communities, or along their supply chains in their conversations while developing their business plans. The main issues stem from respecting people’s rights while undertaking their ‘Beyond Business Responsibilities’. This is exactly what the UN Guiding principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs) state as a second pillar in the document - Businesses have to ‘Respect’ communities.

 

In my discourse I have also highlighted an anomaly, as perceived by me, on a directive issued by the Government of India (Directorate of Military Affairs) in June 2023, which makes it mandatory for military personnel to do social work during their leave. It further states that personnel are required to submit a written graphical report to their superior authorities on the social activity carried out. I have debated this as it certainly does not form part of volunteering, neither does it come under Individual Social Responsibility (ISR) nor under ASR and perhaps is not in the interest of the soldier visiting home after prolonged separation from his family.

 

Select sustainable CSR projects have been highlighted in the book and further how the activities have been aligned to Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and ESG framework. Toward the end of the book, I have few Annexures included on relevant Government policies, guidelines and FAQs on CSR. I am sure some conversations in the book on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) will help the Army in developing Army Social Responsibility (ASR) projects thereby furthering a stong relationship between CSR and ASR.

Back cover page

 


About the Author



Buy Book From Amazon:- https://amzn.in/d/3Rz2lm6


Media Coverage



Book Reviews


India CSR

 

 

The Daily Guardian - 20 December 2024

 

The Statesman

 

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