As India’s social investment landscape evolves, the focus is rapidly shifting from merely meeting Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) spending mandates to demonstrating measurable social outcomes. With Indian companies now investing more than ₹30,000 crore annually in CSR under the Companies Act, organisations are increasingly asking whether social impact can be assessed with the same rigour as financial performance.
Addressing this emerging need, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham recently conducted its Executive Education Certificate Programme on Social Impact Measurement and Management (SIMM), bringing together senior professionals from leading organisations including Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL), Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL), KPMG India, BDO India, Aspire Impact Assurance Pvt. Ltd., Prime Education Health Learning (PEHL) and several organisations working across CSR, ESG, philanthropy, healthcare and sustainable development.
Organised by the Amrita School for Sustainable Futures in collaboration with the UNESCO Chair on Experiential Learning for Sustainable Innovation and Development, the two-day programme provided an interactive platform for participants to strengthen their capabilities in measuring, evaluating and communicating development outcomes. The programme was led by Prof. Santhosh Jayaram, along with Dr. Karthik Sankaranarayanan and Dr. Krishna Nandanan, and combined globally recognised impact measurement frameworks with practical case studies. It reinforced Amrita’s growing role as a knowledge partner for organisations seeking to make social investments more transparent, measurable and outcome-oriented.
The curriculum covered a comprehensive range of tools and methodologies, including Theory of Change, Logic Models, quantitative and qualitative impact assessment, the OECD-DAC Evaluation Criteria, the Impact Management Project (IMP), Social Return on Investment (SROI), ethical evaluation, and impact reporting. Participants also engaged in a leadership dialogue with Bibhuti Ranjan Pradhan, Executive Director (CD & CSR), Indian Oil Corporation Ltd., on integrating impact measurement into corporate CSR strategy and decision-making.
According to the National CSR Portal, Indian companies have collectively spent more than ₹2 lakh crore on CSR initiatives since the CSR provisions of the Companies Act came into force in 2014. Simultaneously, the rise of global ESG reporting standards, impact investing and outcome-based financing is placing greater emphasis on demonstrating not just how funds are spent, but the tangible and measurable change they create.
“India has successfully institutionalised CSR. The next challenge is institutionalising evidence. Boards, investors, governments and communities increasingly expect organisations to demonstrate outcomes, not just activities. Building that capability requires common frameworks, technical expertise and interdisciplinary leadership. Through programmes like SIMM, Amrita is helping create that ecosystem by translating global impact measurement standards into practical tools for India’s development sector,” said Prof. Santhosh Jayaram, Adjunct Professor of Practice, Amrita School for Sustainable Futures and Former Partner, KPMG India.
