Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is the new buzzword in corporate circles, board meetings of companies and in management circles. The previous articles in this column have addressed various aspects of CSR in India. This paper will focus on examining whether the policy decision to make CSR mandatory is in some ways linked to or even an offshoot of tax evasion happening in the country. 

​Corporate social responsibility (CSR) has become an integral part of the future of Indian business. Although the first official statement of CSR by the Government of India has appeared in the Companies Bill, 2012, even before this there have been many statements of intent and guidelines of varying nature by different agencies. But it is only now that concerned companies have initiated efforts to understand and implement CSR. The first reactions and opinions repeatedly gravitate around the question – Is mandatory CSR a bane or a boon for Indian companies? The discussion in this paper attempts to address this very fundamental question.  

​In most recent writings about the Companies Bill 2012 and related issues there is always a reference, even if in passing, about corporate social responsibility (CSR) to the extent that it is now almost fashionable to discuss CSR. With this column and its series of articles, we intend to analyse various aspects of CSR from different significant perspectives. In order to understand CSR and make appropriate use of it, there is a need to grasp its history, its etymology, the detailed guidelines and its ramifications for different stakeholders. The Companies Bill, no doubt, acts as the Bible for CSR of Indian companies. However, various leading agencies have provided guidelines for CSR in country specific and/or global contexts. The articles will try to examine these as well. Then there are the actual practices on ground and initiatives taken by various companies which would also be discussed. We strongly believe that a careful study of the various dimensions of CSR would contribute to the process of strengthening and fine-tuning the CSR initiatives that are still in a fledgling state in our country.