The 9th Meet of the Mountain States organised by IMI on 6th July 2021 saw an engagement on the issue of “Resource mobilization for Mountain Organisations in the Indian Himalayan Region” to discuss strategies, adaptations, and trends in the context of a post CoVID scenario’ with key stakeholders including CSR heads from the industry, development partners and local organisations in the Indian Himalayan Region.
The Meet was hosted by Mr PD Rai, President, IMI and Dr Rajendra Dobhal, Vice President. IMI and panelists included Mr Sushil Ramola, Founder and CEO, B-Able; Dr Anil Jaggi, Advisor and Executive Editor, CompanyCSR (leading CSR News Portal); Mr N.E. Sridhar, Titan Industries; Mr Sandeep Sabharwal, Deshpande Foundation; Dr K.K. Upadhyaya, Chairman, DNR Foundation and ex-CSR Head, FICCI; Mr Tara Chand, Group Head, CSR, OakNorth India; and Mr Rajeshwaer Giri, AGM THDC India Ltd.
CSR Fund and Philanthropy are the major sources of funding for non-profit organisations in India, but it is limited to their core geographies and specific sectors. Mountain-based organisations of the Indian Himalayan Region (IHR) also account the lowest registrations in FCRA for foreign contribution. These are systemic challenges for mountain organisations to work towards rebuilding the mountain economy in a sustainable manner. The fragile ecosystem of the Indian Himalaya exacerbated by the pressures of development has taken a dangerous turn. This pandemic has opened the opportunities for organisations in the mountains to rethink the development trajectory of the mountains and collectively co-create a better tomorrow.
The panel during the discussion focused on this critical issue of resource mobilisation for effective contribution to the vision of a resilient mountain economy in India. There is an urgent need to strengthen organisations in the region by sharing information & building capacities. Mr PD Rai, President, IMI, in his address emphasised on the need to seek the participation of our CSR and Philanthropy community to join the collective efforts with the Global Call for Build Back Better.
The webinar was attended by various mountain organisations including IMI State chapters such as Sustainable Development Forum of Uttarakhand, Meghalaya Integrated Mountain Development Initiative, Sustainable Development Forum of Nagaland, Sustainable Development Forum of Arunachal Pradesh, Himmothan Society and others. The session ended on revisiting CSR for mountain concerns with IMI leading the role to celebrate the Indian Himalaya.
