Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is a multi-faceted concept covering the four realms in which a business functions, namely the marketplace, the workplace, the environment and the community. The emerging global reality for businesses is that CSR can no longer be viewed as an optional project, but something that needs to become embedded in the core business strategy. CSR is no longer a salve for the conscience of concerned citizens, but a pressing business requirement.

NASSCOM Foundation is keen to expand its interaction with member companies this year by initiating regional CSR forums in all the regional offices of NASSCOM. These CSR Forums will be driven by a Steering Committee comprising of CSR Practioners from NASSCOM Member Companies. The need for periodic forums where member companies can voice their thoughts on CSR has been borne out in the course of collecting data for NF’s latest CSR research publication. During the last 6-7 months NF had the opportunity to meet and interact first hand with many NASSCOM member companies and one of the common refrains across most discussions was the need for CSR forums and local/regional collaborative projects which multiple companies could be involved in.

In order to take this forward, NF aims to initiate CSR forums with interested member companies in the various NASSCOM regional offices. This group is a platform for member companies of NASSCOM to meet, interact and share information and resources regarding corporate social responsibility. Participating companies will be invited to participate actively in this forum, to invest their knowledge, skills, and expertise in improving and expanding the work that members are carrying out individually, with the overall aim of attempting to maximize impact and lead to overall sustainable development. Effective partnerships may be the best way to ensure that the interests of all of the relevant stakeholders in CSR can be articulated and discussed openly.

Partnership is not a goal but a way to achieve a goal. By engaging in dialogue within the industry, NASSCOM Foundation aims to assist in:

	Supporting and stimulating collaboration and greater understanding between the corporate and community sectors regionall trying and stimulating collaboration and greater understanding between the corporate and community sectors regionally
	Raising awareness of the positive contributions that ICT industry makes towards key social and environmental issues relevant to the ICT industry
	Developing a network of projects across the main IT hubs in India to shape and drive CSR towards a structured national development plan