Dr. Bhaskar Chatterjee is widely celebrated as the Father of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in India, a visionary who placed “CSR – The Indian Way” on the global stage.
His pioneering work transformed CSR from a peripheral activity into a legislated national force for inclusive growth, making India the only country in the world with a mandatory CSR law.
As Secretary to the Government of India, he pioneered the first CSR and Sustainability Guidelines for Public Sector Enterprises and played a pivotal role in shaping Section 135 of the Companies Act, 2013. The law required eligible companies to spend at least 2% of their average net profits on CSR initiatives aligned with the UN Millenium Development Goals.
Father of Indian CSR
My Journey
Principal Secretary, Govt. of Odisha, Steel, Mines and Coal – (Sept 2004 - Sept 2006)
Senior Adviser, Planning Commission – (Sept 2007 - Sept 2009)
Secretary, Ministry of Heavy Industry and Public Enterprises – (Sept 2009 - Sept 2011)
Director General & CEO, Indian Institute of Corporate Affairs, Ministry of Corporate Affairs – (Sept 2011 - Sept 2016)
Secretary General, Indian Steel Association - (Sept 2016 - August 2021)
Chief Advisor U.N. CSR India Trust - (2018 to 2020)
Advisor CSR to FICCI -(2018 to 2020)
CEO, Anil Agarwal Foundation (Vedanta Group) - (Sept 2021 - 30th June, 2024)
Member of the Board of Jindal Steel and Power Ltd. (2021-2025)
Member of the Governing Council of the United Nations Global Compact, India (2018-2026)
Chief Advisor CSR to Sulabh International (2018-2021)
Member of the APEX CSR Committee of the C.S.I.R. (2022-2024)
Member of the Board of Gradient India Pvt. Ltd., Chennai (2023-2025)
Chairman, Insolvency Professional Agency of the Institute of Cost Accountants of India, New Delhi - (2025- 2026)
Chairman, Board of Governors, School of Law, IILM University, Greater Noida - (2024-2026)
Current Positions
Senior Adviser, CSR & Sustainability, Dua Consulting and Centre for Responsible Business, New Delhi
Chief Adviser, CSR, HR and Sustainability, Balmer Lawrie & Co. Ltd., Kolkata
Principal Adviser, CSR, Sustainability and Social Innovation AIC Techno, Kolkata
Partner, Gupta and Chatterjee LLP, New Delhi
Founding Chairman, BIS National Committee on ESG Reporting Standards & CSR, New Delhi
Chairman, India Delegation, ISO TC/309 (Governance of Organizations) International Plenary Meeting at Jamaica
Chairman, Insolvency Professional Agency of the Institute of Cost Accountants of India, New Delhi
Chairman, BIS National Task Force on MSD 10 Social Responsibility Committee Review and Reconstitution
Chairman, Board of Governors, School of Law, IILM University, Greater Noida
Global Advisory Council Member – Cyber Peace Foundation
Member CII National Committee on CSR, New Delhi
Member, Global Advisory Board, Centre of Excellence in Alternative Dispute Resolution (CEADR), Indian Institute of Corporate Affairs, Ministry of Corporate Affairs, Govt. of India, Delhi NCR
Member of Steering Committee, Interdisciplinary Centre on Climate Change, Green Transition and Sustainability at South Asian University, New Delhi
Member, Global Advisory Board, Cyber Peace, New Delhi
Member, Board of Governors (BOG) of IILM, Lodhi Road, New Delhi
Member of the Board of the IILM University, Gurugram
Professor of Practice and Chief Adviser, Chandragupt Institute of Management, Patna
Visiting Professor and Senior Adviser, Balavikasa Centre for Social and Responsible Business, Hyderabad
HAPPY BIRTHDAY 09-09
A tribute to Dr. Chatterjee on his 75th Birthday on 9th September 2026 by Professor Rohan Sarma
Featuring:
Prof. Rohan Sarma — Social Scientist & invited CSR/Sustainability Expert (BIS, CII & EBG Federation)
Dr. Chatterjee
