2% mandatory CSR creates ₹25,000Cr+ of annual spend. Independent impact assessments suggest 60%+ is misallocated.

Indian CSR mandate (2% of profit for companies above ₹500Cr revenue) generates ₹25,000Cr+ of annual spending. Independent impact assessments suggest 60%+ of this is misallocated — funding NGOs without verified outcomes, single-event PR-friendly activities, or organisations chosen for board-room relationships rather than mission fit. The fix isn't to scrap CSR — it's to enforce outcome reporting. Companies that publish actual impact metrics (children educated to completion, women trained who got jobs, families lifted above poverty line) shift money toward NGOs that perform. Without this enforcement layer, CSR becomes a tax + brand-tax with mediocre social return.