The Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) provisions of the Companies Act 2013, and the rules made thereunder came into force from 01.04.2014. This is the first year of implementation of CSR by companies under the Act. Details of funds spent under CSR would be available only after the mandatory disclosures of CSR expenditure are made by companies, which would be due after September, 2015. It may be prudent to not speculate on the quantum of CSR expenditure at this stage.

“Swach Bharat Abhiyan” and “Clean Ganga Mission” have been included as CSR activities under Schedule VII of the Companies Act, 2013 from 24th October, 2014.

The Global Philanthropy Index, developed by the Centre for Global Prosperity, Hudson Institute, Washington D.C., measures the magnitude of development assistance, by way of government aid and private giving, from developed countries and emerging market economies to the developing world. The Index, as such, does not come under the purview of the Companies Act and its CSR provision, which prescribes CSR expenditure to be incurred on eligible activities within India.

This was stated by Shri Arun Jaitley, Minister of Corporate Affairs in a written reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha today.

Companies Act CSR provisions clarify domestic eligibility and reporting; global philanthropy indices lie outside its statutory scope. The Companies Act 2013 CSR provisions became operative from 1 April 2014, requiring companies to make mandatory disclosures of CSR spending after the first reporting period; disclosures will provide consolidated data on funds spent and make premature estimates of first year CSR expenditure inadvisable. Swachh Bharat Abhiyan and Clean Ganga Mission were added to Schedule VII as eligible CSR activities. The Global Philanthropy Index, which measures cross border giving, is distinct from and does not fall within the domestic scope of the Act's CSR obligations.