Gurgaon witnessed top CSR heads from Corporate Sector and NGOs coming together for a Seminar “Our Obligations towards the Society” which was organized by THE NORTHCAP UNIVERSITY. The aim of the seminar was to enlighten the students on what is corporate social responsibility and how different organisations work for it. The seminar was inaugurated by Prof. Prem Vrat, Pro-Chancellor, NCU and Brig. SK Sharma (Retd), Pro Vice-Chancellor, NCU. The eminent speakers present were Ms Sonia Shrivastava, CSR Head, South Asia, Intel; Ms Harshi from NGO Goonj; Mr Pravin Mallick, Environment Director, Tetra Pak India Pvt Ltd, South Asia Markets and Ms Mamta Saikia, Vice President, Bharti Foundation. More than 200 students and faculties attended the seminar.
Speaking at the occasion, Prof. Prem Vrat (Pro Chancellor, NCU) said, “CSR is an important business proposition. The organizations should realize the importance of Triple bottom line and 3Ps (people, planet and profit).” The importance of Corporate Social Responsibility was summarized to the students. This was an important seminar as every student in the current day will join a corporate tomorrow. Therefore, it is the need of the hour to get a better understanding of what initiatives corporates undertake to cater the social cause.
Ms Sonia Shrivastava in her interaction with the students said, “We should be able to tackle global challenges, with options for both society and corporates to flourish. The management of the organizations should consider the business value as well as the societal values.”
Ms Harshi elaborated the ethos and ideologies of GOONJ, and its functionalities. A video featuring Mr Anshu Gupta, Founder Goonj who has been awarded the prestigious Raman Magsaysay award in 2015 was very well received by the students. A stall was also set-up by Goonj volunteers that had products made from waste material like torn jeans, audio tapes, used papers etc. Many students bought various products like bags, notepads, and key chains etc. that were there for sale. Mr Pravin Mallick shared the CSR initiatives and activities of Tetra Pack and Ms Mamta Saikia threw light on the corporate actions of Bharti Foundation and how it helps in the direction of social causes.
A question-answer session was also held in which the participants interacted with the speakers regarding the queries they had about CSR. It was a very informative session and the students learnt about CSR and its importance. They expressed their desire to come forward to serve their obligations towards the society.
About The Northcap University
The Northcap University, Gurgaon (previously known as ITM, University) was founded in 1996, to promote excellence in Technical and Management education by Educate India Society, registered under the Registration of Societies Act of 1860. Located in the National Capital Region, NCU is a boutique university, committed to building competency in engineering, management, law, research and in exploring newer applications of industrial relevance. It has sprawling 10 acre campus with vast open spaces. It has an auditorium with over 400 seats. NCU has been ranked number 1 in the Top Emerging Universities in India, by Higher Education Review, April 2015.