The Concept of Corporate Social Responsibility for Smart Village in India: A Sociological Analysis

Abstract

India is a rural country from ancient times, with the village as one of the most significant study areas of the social perspective of the Indian life structure. 2011 census reveals that 69% population that is 833 million people lives over 6,49,000 villages in India. Surveys conducted between 2014 to 2024 says that the village population is gradually decreasing and reached 63%, besides urbanization and developmental activities it is noticed that the majority of the Indian population still lives in a village atmosphere. Rapid development in transportation and communication facilities enlarged village territories. Today in India more than 4000 villages are listed with more than 10k population. Beyond numerical majority, rural India is facing a lot of problems due to which developments are awaited in the rural parts of the country in turn country’s development. Beyond all the obstacles and social complications traditional Indian society needs to readdress all the challenges and complications. Government of India (GoI) mandated corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities to the companies. The “Companies Act 2013” which was evolved from a philanthropic act to strategic means towards rural transformation to the new horizons. CSR is one of the most powerful instruments ever through which we can expect something for the village and in turn from the village. Under the CSR concept companies adopt villages and address all the issues regarding economic and social concerns with a legal framework. Government machinery also keeps an eye on companies’ CSR actions as evidence of good governance.