Jamshedpur: District administration today convened a meeting with the corporate houses based in and around the city for determining the extent of corporate social responsibility assumed by the various companies in East Singhbhum.
The deputy commissioner of East Singhbhum Dr Amitabh Kaushal presided over the meeting held at the district headquarters auditorium. The representatives of 18 companies attended the meeting. Addressing the meeting, the DC said most of the companies, save for one or two of them, focused their services on urban parts of the district.
Such companies need to visit the rural areas as well. The companies should also provide services in Bodam, Dumaria, Gudabandha, Jhantijharna, Lango and other areas. The presence of companies will have good impact on the development of rural areas, the DC observed.
The company representatives told the DC that they got the development works done either on their own or through some reputed non-government organization (NGO). To this, the DC advised that the companies should take the Gram Sabha into confidence and get the work done in consultation with the village panchayat, panchayat committee, Zila Parishad and the block development officer.
Prior to the meeting, the DC had asked the companies to submit the physical and financial report of the financial year 2012-13. But none of the companies submitted the report. The DC asked the companies to submit the report with work plan within three days.
The various companies that sent their representatives to the meeting included Tata Steel, Tata Motors, HCL, Tata Power, Tata Pigments, Steel Strip Wheels, Indian Steel and Wire Products, Tinplate, TRF and TSPDL. No representative of Timken India Private Limited was present during the meeting. A letter will be sent by the DC Office to the company regarding the meeting.
The representative of Lafarge Company Atul Kumar met the DC at the conclusion of the meeting. The company representatives were asked to furnish details of the expenditure made by the companies under the corporate social responsibility initiatives in rural areas. Tata Motors representative said the company had undertaken many CSR initiatives in 42 villages. Tata Steel representative said Rs 10 crore was spent under CSR while HCL representative said Rs 1.75 crore was spent on such activities. UCIL spent Rs 2.23 crore while Tata Power and Steel Strip Wheels were reported to have spent Rs 44 lakh and Rs 10 lakh respectively on CSR activities. The ISWP company spent Rs 12 lakh while TRF and Tinplate spent Rs 40 lakh and Rs 11 lakh. TSPDL spent Rs 17.8 lakh while Tata Pigments spent Rs 5 lakh, sources said.