Gurugram, Faridabad sweep CSR funds; backward districts lag far behind

When it comes to spending corporate social responsibility (CSR) funds, Haryana’s already-developed NCR districts — Gurugram and Faridabad —continue to dominate. The two districts together accounted for nearly 54% of the state’s CSR expenditure in 2023-24, up from over 51% the previous year.

Great CSR divide

• Gurugram & Faridabad corner 54% of CSR expenditure in 2023-24; 51% in 2022-23.

• Palwal got just 0.006% of total expenditure in 2023-24 (Rs 0.05 crore); 0.08% in 2022-23.

• Kaithal accounted for 0.07% (2022-23) and 0.15% (2023-24).

• Nuh received 7% in 2022-23; share slipped to nearly 3% in 2023-24.

In 2022-23, the total CSR spend in Haryana was pegged at Rs 720.38 crore, of which Gurugram alone received Rs 291.71 crore (40%), while Faridabad drew Rs 77.49 crore (nearly 11%). Combined, the two districts cornered Rs 369.20 crore.

The trend strengthened in 2023-24, with combined spending in Gurugram and Faridabad rising sharply to Rs 439.54 crore, out of the total Rs 816.95 crore, maintaining their nearly 54% share.

These details were shared by Union Minister of State for Corporate Affairs Harsh Malhotra in response to an unstarred question raised by Hisar MP Jai Parkash during the ongoing winter session of Parliament.

In stark contrast, “less-privileged” districts — both within and outside the NCR — continued to be the poor cousins. Palwal, despite being in the NCR, received only Rs 0.05 crore, a minuscule 0.006% of the total 2023-24 expenditure, a drastic drop from Rs 0.60 crore (0.08%) in 2022-23.

Conditions were similarly weak in Kaithal, which saw CSR spending of Rs 0.53 crore (0.07%) in 2022-23 and Rs 1.26 crore (0.15%) in 2023-24.

Nuh, arguably one of India’s most backward districts, fared noticeably better with Rs 51.49 crore (7%) in 2022-23. However, its share fell to Rs 24.22 crore (nearly 3%) the next year.

Several districts attracted sub-Rs 10 crore allocations in 2022-23, including Jind (Rs 2.48 crore), Mahendragarh (Rs 3.82 crore), Kurukshetra (Rs 4.69 crore), Bhiwani (Rs 5.86 crore), Fatehabad (Rs 6.52 crore), Sirsa (Rs 6.62 crore) and Yamunanagar (Rs 7.49 crore).

Districts receiving comparatively higher allocations in 2022-23 included Karnal (Rs 10.53 crore), Rohtak (Rs 10.82 crore), Panchkula (Rs 16.29 crore), Ambala (Rs 18.12 crore), Hisar (Rs 21.49 crore), Panipat (Rs 25.17 crore), Rewari (Rs 33.18 crore), Hisar again (Rs 34.15 crore) and Sonepat (Rs 57.10 crore).

For 2023-24, districts such as Jhajjar (Rs 1.82 crore), Kurukshetra (Rs 3.31 crore), Mahendragarh (Rs 3.98 crore), Yamunanagar (Rs 5.14 crore), Sirsa (Rs 5.55 crore), Bhiwani (Rs 7.72 crore) and Fatehabad (Rs 7.77 crore) received under Rs 10 crore. Meanwhile, Karnal (Rs 11.72 crore), Rohtak (Rs 14.36 crore), Ambala (Rs 15.15 crore), Panchkula (Rs 20.71 crore), Panipat (Rs 28.5 crore), Hisar (Rs 38.48 crore), Jhajjar (Rs 38.74 crore) and Sonepat (Rs 42.65 crore) secured appreciable allocations.

The education and health sectors continued to receive the lion’s share, accounting for 51% (Rs 367.35 crore) of the CSR spending in 2022-23. Their share rose to 52% (Rs 422.34 crore) in 2023-24.