Lok Sabha Question No. 81 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2021-11-29
Subject: CSR Spent on COVID Crisis
Ministry: CORPORATE AFFAIRS
Asked by: Dr. T. Sumathy (a) Thamizhachi Thangapandian, D. M. Kathir Anand

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF CORPORATE AFFAIRS

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 81 ANSWERED ON MONDAY, NOVEMBER 29, 2021/ AGRAHAYANA 8, 1943 (SAKA)

## CSR SPENT ON COVID CRISIS

## QUESTION

## 81.  DR. T. SUMATHY (a) THAMIZHACHI THANGAPANDIAN: SHRI D.M. KATHIR ANAND:

Will the Minister of CORPORATE AFFAIRS be pleased to state:

- (a) the details of aggregate spending by the Public Sector Units and non-Public Sector Units on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR);
- (b) whether the Government has received any contribution from PSUs and Non PSUs for the management of Covid crisis since March 2020
- (c) if so, the details thereof; and
- (d) the amount received from Public Limited and Private Limited Companies for Covid care and management and the details of the expenditure incurred thereon during the said period?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) OF THE MINISTRY OF STATISTICS AND PROGRAMME IMPLEMENTATION; MINISTER OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) OF THE MINISTRY OF PLANNING AND MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF CORPORATE AFFAIRS

[RAO INDERJIT SINGH]

(a): The Government provides the broad framework for Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) through Section 135 of the Companies Act, 2013 ('Act'), Schedule VII of the Act and Companies (CSR Policy) Rules, 2014. The CSR architecture is disclosure based and CSR mandated companies are required to file details of CSR activities annually in MCA21 registry which is available in public domain at www.csr.gov.in. As per the filings made by the Companies in the MCA21 registry, the aggregate CSR spent by various public and private sector companies during the financial year 2014-15 to 2020-21 is given below:

| Nature of Company                  |   Total Amount Spent (Rs. in crores) |
|------------------------------------|--------------------------------------|
| Public Sector Under-takings (PSUs) |                              23987.1 |
| Non-PSUs                           |                              85705.2 |
| Grand Total                        |                             109692   |

(Data upto 30.09.2021) [Source: National CSR Data Portal]

(b) to (d): Schedule VII of the Act indicates the eligible list of activities that can be undertaken by the companies as CSR. The Ministry vide General Circular No. 14/2021 dated 25 th  August, 2021 clarified that items mentioned in Schedule VII are broad based and can be interpreted liberally. Further, Ministry vide General Circular no.10/2020 dated 23.03.2020  had  clarified  that  CSR  funds  may  be  spent  by  the  companies  for  various activities related to COVID-19 under item no. (i) and (xii) promoting healthcare including preventive healthcare and sanitation, and disaster management respectively. Furthermore, vide General Circulars no. 05/2021, 09/2021 and 13/2021 dated 22.04.2021, 05.05.2021 & 30.07.2021 respectively, Ministry had also clarified that spending of CSR funds for setting up makeshift hospitals and temporary COVID care facilities and 'creating health infrastructure for COVID care', 'establishment of medical oxygen generation and storage  plants',  'manufacturing  and  su pply  of  Oxygen  concentrators,  ventilators, cylinders and other medical  equipment  for  countering  COVID19' and  COVID-19 vaccination for persons other than the employees and their families, are eligible CSR activities.

Under the Act, CSR is a Board driven process and the Board of the company is empowered to  plan,  decide,  execute  and  monitor  CSR  activities  of  the  company  based  on  the recommendation of its CSR Committee. The Government does not issue any directions in this regard.

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