A Study on Corporate Social Responsibility At NTPC - Ramagundam

Introduction
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is the commitment of business to contribute to sustainable economic development, working with employees, their families, the local community and society at large to improve quality of life, in ways that are both good for business and good for development. CSR covers a wide range of issues relating to business conduct, from corporate governance and environmental protection, to issues of social inclusion, human rights and national economic development. In the case of private sector investment in low and low-middle income countries, the emphasis placed on each of these issues can vary, and sometimes differs from the priorities of investors and businesses in more developed markets Corporate social responsibility (CSR) differs from place to place, industry to industry and over time. It is increasingly accepted that in order to define precisely what social responsibility means to a company, it needs to engage with its stakeholders and take into account their needs and aspirations when designing CSR strategies and programmes. It is difficult to define CSR precisely because it will always have a location-specific context. It is therefore vital to understand the priorities of local stakeholders and take them into account.

NTPC - Corporate Social Responsibility

Being a socially conscious and responsible corporate, NTPC has always extended help and support to all its stakeholders in all possible forms. In its efforts in the past to rehabilitate the Project Affected Persons (PAP s), NTPC have mammoth accomplishments to its credit. From remedial plans to rehabilitation, NTPC has always followed a focused approach towards community empowerment. With an exhaustive Community Development Program, aiming to make the lives of the rural people in the villages around the stations more enriched and fulfilling, NTPC has over the years attempted to address many issues and concerns of the rural populace. Some of the areas of activity being, Education, Rural Infrastructure, Environment, Health and Safety, Working for the Differently Able,

Rural Electrification, Child labor, Vocational Training, HIV / AIDS, Equal opportunities and nondiscrimination, Indigenous Resources development, etc NTPC follows the global practice of addressing CSR issues in an integrated, multi-stakeholder approach covering the environment and the social aspects also. In its multipronged approach towards community development, NTPC has carved a niche for itself as a socially conscious corporate citizen. With its projects spread all over the country, the corporate giant has evolved strategies and activities to ensure that its socially responsible image is maintained in all the corners of the country. Being a public sector organization, such socially responsible activities become increasingly relevant and essential to NTPC. The needs of the stakeholders are many, whereas the resources available to the organization are not. There is thus the need to address the primary needs in bringing about development and at the same time to ensure that such developments are sustainable. Ultimately, through its social consciousness, there has to be some benefits that will accrue to the organization, whether financial, enhancement of brand image and reputation, or any other. Here lies the importance of impact study, wherein, the impact of the activities of an organization towards social responsiveness is measured, qualitatively or quantitatively, to gauge their effectiveness.

Objective of Study

In maintaining the NTPC ethos, the NTPC Ramagundam Project had undertaken several measures under CSR scheme. These measures mainly focus on community development, besides considerable attention towards environment protection. But to be effective, these measures or activities have to address the needs of the stakeholders, particularly the community. CSR activities would not be of much use unless they have an impact on the stakeholders. The present study attempts to measure this impact while accessing the needs

Research Methodology Research Design: The research design used for the study is Descriptive Research. It includes surveys and fact finding enquires of different kinds. Sampling Procedure: Sampling size: =========== The sample population consists of villagers Sampling method: The sampling methodology used is static random sampling Sampling unit: (No) Villages under CSR of NTPC Ramagundam Sources of Data: Sources consists of both primary and secondary data