CM promises mechanism to monitor CSR spending

Tribune News Service

Shimla, February 12

Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur today said a mechanism would be put in place for monitoring and ensuring that the mandatory money to be spent by various industrial units under corporate social responsibility (CSR).

The Chief Minister was replying to a query raised by Hoshiyar Singh during the question hour in the Vidhan Sabha. “Although Baddi-Brotiwala-Nalagarh has emerged as a major industrial hub the money being spent by the corporate houses under the CSR is meager,” he remarked. He said a mechanism would be put in place soon to ensure that these industrial houses make the mandatory spending under the CSR.

He admitted that there have also been instances where the CSR money was being spent outside the state. “The state has no direct control or monitoring over the money being spent under the CSR as it is under the control of Corporate Affairs in the Centre but certainly we will develop a mechanism to keep its record,” he assured the members.

Earlier replying to the query, Gobind Thakur said the state government had no control over the CSR spending. “This policy falls within the purview of Ministry of Corporate Affairs, Government of India. The guidelines regarding Corporate Social Responsibility activities have been formulated by the said ministry and CSR funds are directly monitored by it,” he informed.

Nalagarh MLA Paramjit Singh Pammi also pointed towards the fact that some big industrial houses having units in the state were making the CSR spending outside Himachal which was unacceptable.

Replying to a query by Ram Lal Thakur, Rakesh Pathania and Anirudh Singh, Health and Family Welfare Vipin Parmar informed that kidney transplant facility would be started very soon. “Eight doctors from the state received training to undertake this task. Three have returned and we will start this facility shortly at Indira Gandhi Medical College (IGMC),” he informed. He added that the para -medical staff too had been trained.

Rakesh Singha raised the issue of acute shortage of staff in the Irrigation and Public Health department. “Yes it is true that a lot of posts are lying vacant in the department as 43 officers and 1,873 other employees have retired during 2018 alone whereas the total number of vacancies is over 10,000,” revealed IPH Minister Mahender Singh.

“The situation is so grave that 564 of our scheme are lying vacant because of this huge vacancy and I am personally against outsourcing of schemes,” the minister admitted. He said in case damage is caused to any scheme during the outsourcing period, damages are realized from the contractor.