The Indian Institute of Corporate Affairs (IICA), an autonomous institution under the Ministry of Corporate Affairs, conducted the inauguration of the 11th Batch of the IICA Certified CSR Professional Programme on 21 August 2026. The virtual session brought together 45 professionals from Central Public Sector Enterprises (CPSEs), corporates, government institutions, academia, and civil society.
Director General and CEO of IICA, Shri Gyaneshwar Kumar Singh, revealed that CSR expenditure by companies in India stood at ₹34,908.75 crore in FY 2023-24, taking cumulative CSR spending over the five years from FY 2019-20 to FY 2023-24 to more than ₹1,44,159 crore. He emphasized the need for CSR to move beyond expenditure toward impact, outcomes, and value addition for communities, with greater focus on underutilized Schedule VII areas including women's empowerment, innovation, and art and culture. He highlighted the role of technology, data, and platforms such as the CSR Exchange Portal in strengthening transparency between corporates, implementing agencies, and communities.
Smt. Rupinder Brar, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Coal, emphasized that meaningful CSR begins with listening to community needs and requires sound project design, capable implementing partners, and rigorous monitoring of ground-level outcomes. She called for strengthening the capacity of implementing agencies and stronger social audit mechanisms, noting IICA's recent collaboration with the Ministry of Coal on a comprehensive CSR framework for the sector with measurable outputs and outcomes.
Shri Lucas L. Kamsuan, Joint Secretary, Department of Public Enterprises, Ministry of Finance, highlighted the significant role of CPSEs in India's CSR journey through their substantial contributions to social development and national priorities. He outlined DPE's efforts to guide CSR initiatives through annual thematic priorities, convergence with government programmes, and collaboration with district administrations, NGOs, and academic institutions. He emphasized that public sector CSR can serve as a model for the wider ecosystem and called for closer integration of CSR with broader sustainability and ESG considerations.
Dr. Garima Dadhich, Head of School of Business Environment at IICA, outlined the nine-month certification program design, delivered through weekly live sessions by an interdisciplinary faculty across seven modules covering CSR's legal and regulatory framework, governance, project planning, impact assessment, reporting, and emerging areas such as ESG and the Social Stock Exchange.