Certificate course on CSR to be launched next year

MUMBAI: The Indian Institute of Corporate Affairs is launching a first-of-its-kind certificate programme on corporate social responsibility to meet the industry's growing demand for trained professionals.

The nine-month programme, likely to begin in January, is part of a series of initiatives planned by the Manesar, Haryana-based institute to promote good and ethical business practices in the country.

"It is the first such course anywhere in the world," Bhaskar Chatterjee, director general and CEO of the institute told ET. "Once the final guidelines of the new Companies Bill are out, there will be a huge demand for qualified professionals to manage CSR operations, and this programme will help address that requirement."

The new Companies Bill seeks to make it mandatory for companies of a certain financial strength to spend at least 2% of their average net profit over three years on corporate social responsibility.

The bill, passed by the Lok Sabha in December and likely to be taken up by the Rajya Sabha during the ongoing monsoon session, is the first such legislation in the world.

The Indian Institute of Corporate Affairs was established by the ministry of corporate affairs for building capacity and training industry executives and government officials in corporate regulation and governance.

Speaking on the sidelines of a seminar on CSR organised by FICCI in Mumbai, Chatterjee said his institute is putting together the course content for the programme, which will be a combination of online and offline training. He said the programme would have capacity to train about 200 people aspiring for CSR roles in companies.