Karnataka gets tech-enabled CSR platform

Karnataka on Wednesday unveiled a new technology platform to facilitate and streamline Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) funding for various developmental activities.

Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa called it the first-of-its-kind initiative in India.

The online portal - akanksha.karnataka.gov.in - has been developed in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). It allows corporates to identify sectors where they want to pump their CSR money.

The law mandates wealthy companies to spend at least 2 per cent of their average net profits of the previous three years on welfare activities.

“This portal will be a transparent bridge between the government and donours in taking up CSR projects smoothly,” Yediyurappa said. “This will ensure CSR money goes to projects that are really in need.”

DH had reported in September 2020 that Karnataka was developing an online portal to streamline the flow of CSR money towards various government requirements.

“On this portal, donours can connect with government officials and non-profits and achieve faster help for those in need,” Yediyurappa said.

The Akanksha portal is linked with the state government’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) targets. According to Yediyurappa, the government has set aside Rs 61,407 crore to meet SDGs in the current 2021-22 fiscal. “Last year, the health sector had Rs 11,527 crore. This year, its allocation is Rs 11,650 crore,” he said.

The CSR potential in Karnataka is huge. Between 2014 and 2018, some 2,588 companies based in Karnataka spent Rs 4,143 crore of CSR money, according to the Chief Minister’s Office. Much of this money went into the education, environment and health sectors.

Corporates have donated in a large way ever since the Covid-19 pandemic broke out last year. The Chief Minister’s Relief Fund received donations of over Rs 300 crore last year. This time, during the second Covid-19 wave, the government has received Rs 175.09 crore by way of donations that include ventilators, oxygen concentrators, Remdesivir drug, pulse oximetres and so on.

Yediyurappa said his government had announced a package worth Rs 1,250 crore to help those affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. “Also, 2.06 lakh patients have received free treatment for which the government has spent Rs 956 crore,” he said.