Yesterday's philanthropy is today's responsibility. It has taken Indian corporates a long time to realise the shift in paradigm, though. But they are none the worse for it. It has only ensured that their quest for being socially and environmentally correct has become more professional and organised. Nothing illustrates this better than the forays that business chambers are making to shoulder the responsibility of corporates.

The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) has an Environment Management Division (EMD) and aSocial Development & Community Affairs Council (SDCAC). The Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) has set up the FICCI Socio-Economic Development Foundation, the Special Committee on Ecology and Environment, and the Environment Information Centre. Similarly, environment and social development are taken care of by separate divisions in the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry (ASSOCHAM).

Apart from fostering partnerships among policy makers, industry and the public, the chambers help corporates to build in-house capabilities to address issues effectively and pro-actively. If necessary, corporates are also assisted in developing and implementing projects through a polling of resources. Says CII deputy director general S Sen, ``The aim is to involve all members in such work.'' Adds Seema Arora, counsellor at CII, ``The institutional base we provide helps particularly the medium- and small-scale industries, who are otherwise constrained in discharging their responsibilities dueto lack of technical assistance and facilitating bodies.''

Different chambers undertake various activities ranging from providing inputs for formulating policies, offering project consultancy, organising lectures, conducting training, workshops and projects, disseminating information and development of training material to loaning resource personnel for training programmes. Most activities are run with the help of funds from corporates, governments and multilateral donor agencies. The areas of interest in the social segment include human resource development, slum and rural development, skill development and vocational training, empowerment of women and marginalised groups, income generation activities, integrated family welfare, health and nutrition, child welfare, education and literacy, disability, drug de-addiction, and development and promotion of appropriate technology, etc.

In the environmental sector, the chambers work in the areas of greening, pollution prevention, environment management systems,environmental auditing, compliance audits, ISO 14001 certification, water management, water harvesting, improving productivity, and working in rainfed and dryland areas, among others. Besides, FICCI's recently set-up exclusive Environmental Information Centre aims to serve as a clearing house for environmental technologies, products and consulting services. It will function as a single window for environmental companies to reach out to Indian companies, and as an intermediary for Indian companies to access environmental information and services available abroad. Elaborates M A J Jejeyaseelan, secretary, FICCI, ``The centre's Internet site will offer an efficient database on environmental policies, technologies and company level information that may interest Indian industry.''

``At the ground level,'' points out Dr N Hamsa, additional secretary, FICCI, ``chambers undertake various result-oriented projects.'' FICCI has collaborated with SIFPSA to launch an integrated family welfare project in Uttar Pradesh.The project's aim is to motivate the industry to undertake family planning and welfare programmes for industrial workers and the population around the industry. The project involves conducting baseline surveys, training project coordinators, labour welfare officers and health workers, and establishing links with district authorities and NGOs. There are also referral services for IUD and permanent methods of contraception.

Free contraceptives are distributed. The FICCI-ILO-Norway project mobilises small businesses to prevent substance abuse in Chennai, Calcutta and New Delhi. The objectives include developing the necessary resource capability in each centre to support the small business community to prevent substance abuse, and to integrate the drug prevention strategies and programmes into the management practices of participating enterprises. The activities include undertaking surveys on substance abuse with emphasis on the workplace and especially small business communities; counselling sessions inindustrial units, and producing a film on the prevention of substance abuse, etc.

Adds Uma Garud, additional secretary, FICCI, ``The FICCI-SPIC-MSSRF project for harvesting rain-water in the severely drought-prone districts of Pudukkottai and Ramanathapuram in Tamil Nadu, which includes excavating a large number of tanks, has helped farmers raise good crops of pulses.'' Similarly, the FICCI agriculture development project on popularising the use of modern inputs like high-yielding hybrid seeds to cultivate paddy has increased the per acre yield by 100 per cent in Rajarampur village in West Bengal. Besides, chambers also conduct utilitarian training programmes.

Says Rinu Ghosh, deputy director, ASSOCHAM, ``Our employment assistance cell imparts skill and training to public sector employees who have opted for voluntary retirement or been retrenched.''

Adds M S Archana, programme executive, ASSOCHAM, ``Other activities include organising workshops, undertaking studies, and bringing out publications.'' Forinstance, ASSOCHAM recently organised a workshop on Greening of Wastelands: Increasing the Forest Cover. FICCI has conducted studies on corporate responsibilities in the social sector, drug de-addiction, rural employment generation, women empowerment and gender equity, and skill development for employment in the small-scale sector. CII has been sponsoring studies on incentives for eco-efficiency in the steel sector, and the preparation of an ozone depleting substances phase-out strategy for the refrigeration and air-conditioning sector. The Directory of Environmental Enterprises in India, Environmental Business Opportunities in India and Guide on Indian Environmental Legislations have been published by CII. CII also publishes a magazine called Green Business Opportunities. Environ News is published quarterly by ASSOCHAM.

None of the activities is a one-off venture. The chambers have an informal, but permanent, commitment to help businesses discharge their responsibilities. All businesses need is the will.The chambers are there to lead the way.