Social impact assessment process for an efficient socio-economic transformation towards poverty alleviation and sustainable development
Authors: Iyer Vijayan Gurumurthy 
Published: February 2018

Abstract

Sustainable social entrepreneurship (SSE) is a kind of entrepreneurship that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability, efficiency and values of future generations to meet their own needs. SSE leads to sustainable development. Social entrepreneurs were developed through well-conceived and well directed training programmes around thrust areas, thus advancing the frontiers of theories and practice SSE. The concept of SSE challenges that fosters long-term protection of the society, environment and its habitants as the technological or engineering developments are guided by efficiency, productivity, profitability, health and environmental impacts, resource and energy conservation, waste management, and social impacts such as public convenience, unemployment and crime. The specific objectives of this research were: (i) To formulate and appraise forty-three number of detailed project reports (DPRs) of Diploma in Entrepreneurship and Business Management (DEBM ) course extension learners in eleven batches attached with the DEBM Counsellor and Co- ordinator of Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India -Ahmedabad (EDI),India as well author of this research during the research year (RY) 2007-2014 , (ii) To conduct social impact assessment and environmental health impact assessment (EHIA) for projects , (iii) To design and develop a comprehensive and green economic system modelling and (iv) To promote sustainable socio- economic policies of SIA process for an efficient socio- economic transformation development based on social entrepreneurial research conducted in South India . The design of the study is cross sectional. SIA is defined as the systematic identification and evaluation of the potential social impacts of proposed projects, plans, programs, policies or legislative actions relative to the socio- economic components of the society and total environment. Social factor has been considered in project planning and decision-making process in order to arrive at action which should be socio-economically compatible. Environmental health impact assessment process has been conducted in order to mitigate the environmental health impacts. Socio-economic environment is a man-made environment related to a set of considerations such as demographical study including population trends and population distribution , population interaction and interrelation to the social problem and solution, economic indicators of human welfare services, educational systems, transportation systems, environmental protective infrastructural facilities such as water supply system, waste water treatment system, solid and hazardous waste management, resource conservation and recovery process, environmental public health services and medical facilities. Social impact assessment process should be enacted as social policy act in order to encourage the considerations of human society in project planning and decision making process . Extension learners were equipped with the knowledge, skills and motivation to set up their sustainable social enterprises and function dynamically and manage successfully. DPRs proposed by learners have been investigated as per guidelines provided by EDI. Entrepreneurial business planning assessment regimes (EBPARs) have been accomplished for their credibility and communicability. DEBM projects were screened for the seven fatal flaws viz., (i) Scientific feasibility, (ii) technical feasibility, (iii) economic feasibility, (iv) marketing feasibility, (v) environmental feasibility, (vi) social feasibility and (vii) fundamental legality. Social entrepreneur of an entrepreneurial team should need skills in ethics, accounting, law, finance, team creation and marketing aspects in order to avoid failures in the process. The result analysis of forty- three learners has been discussed. Based on comprehensive socio-economic analysis, a green socio-economic system model has been presented. A famous project case of a DPR-I has been presented on unsafe chromium pollution and contamination of about 18 000 to 30 000 mg/kg from Indian cotton roller ginneries and development of green design roller gin rollers for cotton gins duly investigated in a ginning factory. Such low-carbon and energy-efficient agricultural technologies of agricultural hi-tech industries have made important contributions to mitigating the impacts of economic growth on global warming. Hitherto state-of-the- art literatures, market effects have been considered. It is reported that non-market impacts such as social and environmental impact assessment should be considered for proposed projects, plans, programs, policies and legislative action. It is concluded that this action-based and extension learning field study on SSE shall promote sustainable socio-economic policies for sustainable development and poverty alleviation.

Keywords: action, efficient, entrepreneurship, environmental impact assessment process, project, social impact assessment (SIA) process, transformation.