NEW DELHI: Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur has said that Indian companies have spent more than one trillion rupees in Corporate Social Responsibility(CSR) activities till March this year. He said the areas of investment were in poverty alleviation, healthcare, education, and the environment among others.

Speaking on the occasion, Anurag Thakur said that entrepreneurs build a company but social entrepreneurs build a nation, as he lauded contributions worth over Rs One lakh crore by businesses in fulfilling their corporate social responsibilities.

“Social entrepreneurship is an endeavour to develop solutions to the existing socioeconomic, environmental, health care and cultural issues,” Thakur said. “In 2014-15, India became the first country in the world with a legislated corporate social responsibility (CSR), with a spending threshold of up to $2.5 billion, or around ₹15,000 crore. As of March 2022, Indian companies have spent more than ₹1 trillion in CSR since its inception.” (SourceL; The Hindusthan Times)

The Minister revealed this while giving away the Social Entrepreneur of the Year Award India 2022 in New Delhi yesterday. The role of social entrepreneurs is increasingly becoming critical to nation-building, he said and that entrepreneurs have actively contributed to the government's vision of an Atmanirbhar Bharat.

Delighted to present #SEOYIndiaAwards 2022 @BhartiaJubilant in New Delhi today which has emerged as a platform that provokes insightful conversations,sparks innovative solutions to some of the most pressing problems facing humanity & recognises extraordinary pragmatic leaders. pic.twitter.com/ihcrwHqq9G
— Anurag Thakur (@ianuragthakur) September 15, 2022