Leverage CSR to address developmental challenges: President

President Pranab Mukherjee today urged India Inc to leverage corporate social responsibility to address higher developmental challenges in India, saying the country needs visionary business leaders to catalyse the growth process.
"I would like to remind industry that just as much as the funds, the country also needs your ideas, energy and drive. I urge you to leverage CSR to re-imagine interventions and transformative solutions to address the higher developmental challenges in India.
"I would also request you to have a pan-Indian outlook and not limit yourself to a few geographies for CSR development," Mukherjee said.
Addressing an award function here, the president observed that an inclusive growth process requires Indian industry to assume the mantle of responsibility and corporate citizenship.

"India needs visionary business leaders to manage the country's transition to a knowledge economy and catalyse the growth process," he said.
Mukherjee said the Indian industry has displayed tremendous zeal and initiative in contributing to the betterment of this country.
"The reach of industry in India touches lives of our citizens through different ways such as jobs, entrepreneurship, consumer goods or social development goods including education and healthcare," he said at the function organised by CII.
He pointed out that with the CSR (corporate social responsibility) legislation, the scale and scope of social programmes that can be undertaken by the industry has been further enhanced.