CSR provision would legitimize tobacco firms, says Indian control forum

Part of the tobacco control community in India is objecting to companies operating within the tobacco industry being required, along with other companies, to invest in CSR (corporate social responsibility) activities, according to a Merinews story.

The Tamil Nadu People’s Forum for Tobacco Control (TNPFTC) believes that CSR activities legitimize and popularize tobacco companies’ activities and brand names in people’s minds.

It wants tobacco companies to be required to pay a health levy equivalent to what they would have had to spend on CSR.

The issue has arisen because the Companies Act, which is due to come into effect in the 2014–2015 financial year, would require companies of a certain size or with a certain turnover or profit in any financial year to be involved in CSR activities.

The TNPFTC says that the CSR requirement of the Companies Act would be in conflict with provisions of India’s Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act, 2003, and the World Health Organization’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control.