Lok Sabha Question No. 2315 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2019-12-03
Subject: Sansad Adarsh Gram Yojana
Ministry: RURAL DEVELOPMENT
Asked by: Basanta Kumar Panda

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2315

TO BE ANSWERED ON 03.12.2019

## SANSAD ADARSH GRAM YOJANA

## 2315.  SHRI BASANTA KUMAR PANDA:

Will the Minister of RURAL DEVELOPMENT be pleased to state:

- (a) whether  Public/Private  Sector  companies  are  spending  funds  for  Sansad  Adarsh Gram Yojana (SAGY) under their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activities, if so, the details thereof;
- (b) the details of the funds released by the public/private sector companies in Odisha for the said Yojana; and
- (c) the  details  of  the  schemes  under  which  these  companies  carry  out  their  CSR activities?

## ANSWER MINISTER OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT (SHRI NARENDRA SINGH TOMAR)

- (a): Saansad  Adarsh  Gram  Yojana  (SAGY)  utilises  resources  available  from  a  range  of existing Government Schemes and Programmes, including CSR funds in a convergent manner to achieve the programme objectives. Data on funds utilised through CSR for the development of villages adopted by Hon'ble Members of Parliament under SAGY are not maintained centrally.
- (b): As per the information shared by the State Government, no funds have been released by the  Public/Private  Sector  Companies  for  SAGY  Gram  Panchayats  in  respect  of  the  State  of Odisha.
- (c): As  per  the  information  shared  by  the  Ministry  of  Corporate  Affairs,  Schedule  VII  of section  135  of  the  Companies  Act,  2013  enlists  the  activities  which  may  be  included  by  the Companies in their CSR policy. A copy of the Schedule VII of the Act is given in Annexure.

## Annexure-I  referred  in  reply  to  Lok  Sabha  Unstarred  Question  No.  2315  for  reply  on 03.12.2019:

## Activities covered in Schedule VII of the Act and Amendments made thereunder

The indicative activities which can be undertaken by a company under CSR have been specified in Schedule VII of the Act. An amended Schedule VII was notified on 27th February 2014. The Schedule has since been amended five times to ensure that a wide range of activities are permissible CSR activities thereby including healthcare, slum-area development, contribution to  Swachh  Bharat  Kosh  and  Clean  Ganga  Fund.  The updated  list  under  Schedule  VII is provided below:

(i) eradicating  hunger,  poverty  and  malnutrition; promoting  health  care  including preventive  health  care and  sanitation including  contribution  to  the  'Swachh  Bharat Kosh' set-up by the Central Government for the promotion of sanitation and making available safe drinking water;

(ii) Promoting  education,  including  special  education  and  employment  enhancing vocational skills especially among children, women, elderly, and the differently abled and livelihood enhancement projects;

(iii) promoting gender equality and empowering women, setting up homes and hostels for  women  and  orphans;  setting  up  old  age  homes,  day  care  centers  and  such  other facilities for senior citizens and measures for reducing inequalities faced by socially and economically backward groups;

(iv) ensuring environmental sustainability, ecological balance, protection of flora and fauna,  animal welfare,  agro  forestry,  conservation of natural  resources and maintaining quality of soil, air and water including contribution to the 'Clean Ganga Fund' set-up by the Central Government for rejuvenation of river Ganga;

(v) Protection  of  national  heritage,  art  and  culture  including  restoration  of  building and sites of historical importance and works of art; setting up public libraries; promotion and development of traditional arts and handicrafts;

(vi) measures for the benefit of armed forces veterans, war widows and their dependents;

(vii) training to promote rural sports, nationally recognized sports, Paralympic sports and Olympic sports;

(viii) contribution to the Prime Minister's National Relief Fund or any other fund set up by the Central Government for socio-economic development and relief and welfare of the Scheduled Castes, the Scheduled Tribes, other backward classes, minorities and women;

- (ix) Contribution to incubators funded by Central Government or State Government or any agency or Public Sector Undertaking of Central Government or State Government, and contributions to public funded Universities, Indian Institute of  Technology  (IITs),  National  Laboratories  and  Autonomous  Bodies  (established under  the  auspices  of  Indian  Council  of  Agricultural  Research  (ICAR),  Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Department of Atomic Energy (DAE), Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), Department of Science and Technology (DST), Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology) engaged in conducting research in science, technology, engineering and medicine aimed at promoting Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs);
- (x) Rural development projects.
- (xi) Slum area development.

Explanation- For the purpose of this item, the term 'slum area' shall mean any area declared  as  such  by  the  Central  Government  or  any  State  Government  or  any  other competent authority under any law for the time being in force.

(xii) disaster management, including relief, rehabilitation and reconstruction activities

## Foot Notes:

Item  no.  (xi)  and  phrases  in italics under  items  no.  (i)  and  (iv)  have  been  inserted  in Schedule VII of the Act through amendments subsequent to gazette notification on Schedule VII dated 27.02.2014. Details of the Amendments are given below:

- a). First amendment was notified on 31st March, 2014 which included health care including preventive health care in item (i) of the Schedule.
- b). Second amendment was notified on 6th August, 2014, which inserted "slum area development" as item (xi) in the Schedule.
- c). Third amendment was notified on 24th October, 2014. This included (a) " contribution to Swachh Bharat Kosh set up by the Central Government for the promotion of sanitation" under "sanitation" in item no. (i) of the Schedule; and (b) "contribution to Clean Ganga Fund set up by the Central Government for the rejuvenation of river Ganga" in item (iv) of the Schedule.
- d). Fourth amendment was notified on 30th May 2019, which inserted "disaster management, including relief, rehabilitation and reconstruction activities" as item (xii) of the Schedule.
- e). Fifth  amendment was  notified  on  11th  October,  2019.  It  substituted  item  (ix)  and  the entries relating thereto, with the following item and entries, namely:-"(ix) Contribution to

incubators funded by Central Government or State Government or any agency or Public Sector  Undertaking  of  Central  Government  or  State  Government,  and  contributions  to public  funded  Universities,  Indian  Institute  of  Technology  (IITs),  National  Laboratories and Autonomous Bodies (established under the auspices of Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Department of Atomic Energy (DAE), Defence Research and Development  Organisation  (DRDO),  Department  of  Science  and  Technology  (DST), Ministry of  Electronics  and  Information  Technology)  engaged in conducting  research in science, technology, engineering and medicine aimed at promoting Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs);"

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