Bengal Chamber awards social leadership and corporate governance

On November 26, the Bengal Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCC&I) held the inaugural Social Leadership Awards and Corporate Governance Recognition to recognize the advancement efforts made by businesses and NGOs in West Bengal. The event’s digital media partner was My Kolkata.

The Social Leadership Awards recognized outstanding programmes that, through innovation and excellence, helped to transform society. This category received 54 applications.

Subir Chakraborty, president of BCC&I and managing director and CEO of Exide Industries Limited, discussed the value of corporate social responsibility during his introductory remarks (CSR). “In the past, we have discussed taking from the environment but never about giving back. After many years, we have realized that the entire system will crumble if you don’t give back. Therefore, CSR is crucial.

Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha, a former Indian Air Force Chief of the Air Staff, former chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee, honorary member, and exceptional BCC&I ambassador, served as the chief guest for the Social Leadership Awards.

Bengal Chamber of Commerce

The inaugural award was the brainchild of Jitendra Kumar, president (legal and corporate affairs), Exide Industries Limited, and chair of the BCC&I Corporate Governance and CSR Committee.

In addition to Amitabh Shah, founder and chief inspiration officer of YUVA UNSTOPPABLE, Sanjay Prasad, executive director of Mission of Mercy Hospital and Research Centre, and Sumit Dasgupta, founder and director of Allcap Communications Pvt Ltd., the jury also included Bhaskar Chatterjee, a former director general and CEO of the Indian Institute of Corporate Affairs.

Recognition of Corporate Governance

In order to promote a culture of good corporate citizenship, the Corporate Governance Recognitions were granted to organizations that strictly followed the norms of corporate governance. 19 people applied in this category.

“Over the years, we’ve come to understand how important good governance is for the corporate sector. Running a large family is like that, according to Jitendra Kumar.

Devendra Deshpande, Vijay Jhalani, Ram Bandopadhyay, a former secretary to the Government of India’s Ministry of Corporate Affairs, and Asish K. Bhattacharyya, the founder of Nonlinear Insights (OPC) Private Limited and a professor at Shiv Nadar University served on the jury for the Corporate Governance Recognition.

D. Bandopadhyay, regional director for the eastern area of the Ministry of Corporate Affairs, attended the award ceremony as a special guest. Every regulator holds corporate governance near to their hearts. It is a system that incorporates many guidelines and practises for efficient management of the business, he said.

Discussion boards

The Social Leadership Awards featured two panel discussions that were led by Amitabh Shah, founder and chief inspiration officer of Yuva Unstoppable.

The first panel discussion’s subject was the “Evolving Landscape of CSR in India.” The panellists included Syentika Dey, a student from Shri Shikshayatan School, Bhaskar Chatterjee, a former director general and CEO of the Indian Institute of Corporate Affairs, and Sumit Dasgupta, the founder and director of Allcap Communications.

The second panel discussion’s subject was “Role of NGOs in Equitable and Sustainable Development.” Suhani Sugla, a student representative from La Martiniere for Girls School, Joydev Mazumdar, executive director of the Vidyasagar School of Social Work (Vidyasagar University), Abhishek Jain, associate principal, corporate advisory, and Sujata Sen, CEO of Future Hope India, were on the panel.