Assam receives highest CSR funding among NE states, but region lags behind in overall allocation: Survey

New Delhi: Assam was the biggest recipient of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) funding to the tune of Rs 319 crore in 2021-22 among the north eastern states.

The Northeast got a 7.7 per cent share in corporate social responsibility (CSR) funding in 2021-22 (FY22), reveals an analysis of data collated by primeinfobase.com. The other states got an average of between Rs 100 crore and Rs 130 crore each compared to Assam..

This is the second-lowest since CSR spending became mandatory in 2014-15 (FY15). It had been as high as 10.1 per cent at its peak in 2016-17.

Companies are required to spend 2 per cent of their profits on CSR projects. The analysis considered spending in Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim, and Tripura.

On pan India basis, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, and Karnataka together got more than 35 per cent of the overall CSR spending of Rs 14,558 crore. These five states were the largest states by pre-pandemic (2018-19) economic size, in terms of gross domestic product at current prices. This translates into a total amount of Rs 5,136.5 crore, compared to Rs 1,125.8 crore in the Northeast.

The amount involved had doubled over time. It was just under Rs 2,500 crore for the top five states in FY15 and under Rs 650 crore for the Northeast. Both have increased in absolute terms, but the share of allocation remains broadly similar.

Regions like the Northeast, which have a lower share of industry, are less able to tap into CSR funds for development goals.

A break-up of CSR spending shows that companies spent Rs 5,884 crore on gaushalas (cowsheds) and other cow-related projects since FY15. The total spending in NER was Rs 7,918 crore.

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