The participatory corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities with a collaborative effort by the beneficiaries and ensuring transparency by publishing annual score cards can help corporate houses in achieving result-oriented CSR, Jayant Sinha, minister of state for finance, said on Thursday.

Addressing training programme on ‘Strategies for result-oriented CSR’, organised by Indian Social Responsibility Network (ISRN) and PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Delhi, he talked about the challenges being faced by the government and how corporate houses have an important role to play in overcoming them.

“The biggest challenge is job creation in formal sector every year. But it is not the government that creates job but the corporate houses. Corporate houses have to be drivers in economic activity and they have to take the lead. Here CSR is an important (tool) and it will prove to be an extraordinary aspect of the growth,” the minister said.

He also said the corporate houses are profit making entities but they have to be part of the society at large.

He also talked about the global climate change and maintaining ecological balance and rebuilding economic institutions as other challenges faced by the government.

The training programme was organised to educate CSR heads and senior managers of different corporate houses and PSUs to provide advanced knowledge and learning for a comprehensive approach to create effective strategies and to conceptualise the importance of social audit in CSR activities and system for effective implementation of monitoring and evaluation strategies.

Others present included Vinay Sahasrabuddhe, in-charge of BJP's national good governance cell and Lalitha Kumaramangalam, chairperson, national commission for women and also of ISRN.

The training programme was attended by CSR professionals from MMTC, Rural Electrification Corporation, NTPC, Oil India, and Escorts among others.