Govind Iyer, All India Chair SVP India and an Independent Director of Infosys, sits down for a conversation with ET Edge Insights
We talk about charity, philanthropy, leadership management, and volunteering. He discusses with us the various social causes and also being part of the KARMYOGI Bharath project.
Excerpts below
The India Philanthropy Report 2023 by Dasra and Bain & Company has indicated a significant growth in wealth among UHNIs and affluent givers. How does SVP India plan to leverage this trend to meet its objective of creating fulfilled lifelong givers?
About 10 years ago I decided that in the last 10 years of my working life, I would like to do more for the country. The first thing that, I embarked on 10 years ago was Social Venture Partners – SVP- an organization started in the US, brought to India with the purpose of getting individuals like you and me and our viewers engaged – So whilst our patrons, may contribute some amounts of money, they contribute a lot of their time- which is our main motto.
This is an amazing contribution platform, for new corporate CEOs who run billion-dollar companies to come together and contribute time and money. We have an entire spectrum of leaders and individuals who have made this their priority.
Getting to volunteer is a challenge because sometimes many don’t know how to do it, but we have fantastic stars of individuals across India who work very, very dedicatedly to really help these individuals engage, so we understand their passion. We understand what they want to do and provide them a mission.
Can you discuss the Karmayogi Bharat initiative by the government?
This is an initiative by the government of India to upskill our civil service providers. It will allow every individual under government employ in the country, state or central to be able to better their learning skills which will in turn allow them to better their knowledge and be able to provide better service. It is in a very early stage having started only in 2023, still, years to go before, we hope to be able to transform the way organizations in public sector work. You can check the courses on this website: Karmayogi Bharat
Can we discuss the #ProjectMumbai Cause – Mumbai’s infrastructure is collapsing and unable to keep up with its enormous growth? How does this initiative benefit the city of Mumbai?
#Project Mumbai believes that until and unless members of the society are actively involved in the process of change and development, nothing can happen. To facilitate this change, we invite you to be a part of our cause and campaigns. Hence a shout out to all of us Mumbaikars to become volunteers and be the change. The infrastructure developments in Mumbai will change the way it looks and functions in few years. Hence, volunteer your time and be heard.
