KARACHI, April 25: The Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industries (KCCI) has slammed the government for not having proper vision of social responsibility.

Addressing a seminar on ‘Corporate Social Responsibility – a Requirement for Excellence’ held here on Wednesday, KCCI chief Majyd Aziz noted that a huge amount of Rs120 billion was donated annually by citizens in different forms for social welfare purposes but the government’s contribution towards social causes appeared negligible.

“It is not the duty of Edhi to run an ambulance service, rather, he does so because the government has failed to maintain such a service,” Mr Aziz said. He said that it was the lack of sense of social responsibility that doctors were not found on duty at governmental hospitals and bureaucrats did not consider themselves answerable to the public. At government offices, people get their problems solved after indulging in corruption and bribery unwillingly.

Referring to the prevailing power crisis in Karachi, Majyd Aziz urged Karachians to preserve electricity to show their adherence to social responsibility. He said that electricity could be saved by adopting simple rules; getting up early, starting business early, moderately using airconditioners and electrical gadgets and making maximum use of sunlight.

Anwar Rasul, Senior Vice-Chairman of the PIA and Chairman of the Corporate Social Responsibility Division (CSRD) said that the term corporate social responsibility did not merely meant donation or charity, but to express responsibility as law-abiding product or service provider accountable to society. He said labourers should not be treated as ‘slaves’ but stakeholders whose rights must be safeguarded.

Saima Baig of the IUCN said that CSR was no more a charity work but it had become an effective tool in expanding business. She was of the view that democracy, peace, development and conservation were the four basic factors for sustainable development.

President of CRS Association of Pakistan Zakiullah Khan also spoke.—PPI