agribusiness companies. ITC’s E-Chaupal initiative is a fine example of a business organisation fulfilling corporate social responsibility. The basic aim of the programme is to provide farmers in rural India with the opportunity to make use of a direct marketing channel eliminating multiple intermediation and wasteful handling and unnecessary transaction costs. It is the single-largest information technology-based intervention by a corporate entity in rural India, transforming the Indian farmer into a progressive knowledge-seeking citizen, enriching him with knowledge and elevating him to a new order of empowerment.
E-Choupal delivers real-time information and customised knowledge to improve the farmer’s decision-making ability, thereby better aligning farm output to market demands; securing better quality, productivity and improved price discovery. Given the low levels of literacy in the rural sector, the role of the Choupal Sanchalak, the lead farmer of the village, in facilitating physical interface between the computer terminal and the farmers is central to the project. E-Choupal Smart Cards enable farmer identification to provide customised information on the E-Choupal website. Online transactions are captured to reward farmers for volume and value of usage.
The E-Chaupal initiative has found its way into the Harvard Business School as a leading case study illustarating the use of modern technology by a leading business house for the benefit of the rural poor. Source: Mohanbir Sawhney, McCormick Tribune Professor of Technology, Kellogg School of Management, USA. the number of products or the increase in capital investment, etc. There can be other indicators of growth.
(ii) Social objectives: It involves creation benefit for society. As a part of society, every organisation whether it is business or non-business, has a social obligation to fulfill. This ITC – Empowering Rural India refers to consistently creating economic value for various constituents of society. This includes using environmental friendly methods of production, giving employment opportunities to the underpreviledged sections of society and providing basic amenities like schools healthcare, etc., for community.
The box given below illustrates how a company can fulfill its social responsibility. (iii) Personnel objectives: Organi- sations are made up of people who have different personalities, backgrounds, experiences and