Look Beyond City Lights: Chouhan's Appeal to India's Corporate Sector
New Delhi, October 28: Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, who holds the portfolios of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare and Rural Development, participated on Wednesday in the closing programme of the 'Doing Good for Bharat Awards 2026' and the three-day 'One Purpose India Forum (OPIF)' in New Delhi, serving as the chief guest.
In an address that drew on philosophy and practice alike, Chouhan described Indian thought, Gandhian trusteeship, environmental protection and rural empowerment as the authentic essence of social service and corporate social responsibility (CSR).
He pointed to the enduring values of Indian civilisation, including 'Atmavat Sarvabhuteshu', 'Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam' and the aspiration for harmony among all beings and the welfare of the universe. Recalling the Yaksha Prashna of the Mahabharata, he remarked that the world's greatest surprise is that humans, though aware that this world is temporary, keep accumulating everything for themselves alone. He said we are all temporary residents, like those staying in a dharamshala.
Chouhan recalled Gandhi's thoughts and said that the corporate sector and the affluent should not treat their earned wealth as entirely their own. Natural resources such as water, forests, land and minerals, created by God, belong to the entire society. He described CSR not as a legal burden of two per cent but as a service spirit born out of duty and affection towards society. He asked industry to function as 'trustees' of societal wealth and to work for the upliftment of the disadvantaged.
Sharing rural development gains, he said 10 crore women are linked with self-help groups (SHGs) in the country, of whom 3 crore have become 'Lakhpati Didis'. Through banks, Rs 10 lakh crore in linkages has been ensured over five years, and the NPA of these women is only around 1 per cent. He urged the corporate world and philanthropic institutions to help women's groups through CSR in training, packaging, branding and market linkage.
Emphasising natural resource conservation, Chouhan asked everyone to plant trees on birthdays, wedding anniversaries and in honour of ancestors. Voicing concern about the worsening health of the earth due to excessive use of chemical fertilisers and pesticides, he noted that earthworms, which make soil fertile, are now disappearing. He said agriculture must be linked to health and research must travel from laboratories directly to farms, the 'Lab to Land' approach. He also affirmed that under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership, the nation's food security is fully impregnable and self-reliant.
Emphatically, Chouhan said, "Amid the shine of cities, we must never forget villages, the poor and farming, because the real India lives in our villages." He congratulated all award recipients for their outstanding contribution to community welfare, environmental protection, water security and social innovation.
The event stage also featured Bhaumik Shah, founder and CEO of CSRBOX, IIT Madras professor Ashwin Mahalingam, and Prashant Agarwal, chairman of Narayan Seva Sansthan, along with key representatives and experts from corporate, social and philanthropic fields. The three-day deliberations concluded with a shared commitment to steadily strengthen public participation and institutional cooperation in building a developed India.