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India's CSR Spending Tops ₹1.44 Lakh Crore, MCA21 Sees 3.84 Crore Filings

Annual filings show companies have spent over ₹1,44,159 crore on Corporate Social Responsibility activities across five financial years. Minister of State Harsh Malhotra stated that all CSR data is publicly available on the MCA21 registry, detailing state-wise, year-wise, and project-wise expenditures. The period from 2021-2025 also saw approximately 3.84 crore filings processed through the MCA21 system, with a high rate of automated approval. The newly launched MCA21 V3 portal aims to enhance transparency, compliance, and ease of doing business with various new digital modules.

Key Points: CSR Expenditure Crosses ₹1.44 Lakh Cr, MCA21 Filings Surge

  • CSR spend exceeds ₹1.44 lakh crore
  • 3.84 crore filings via MCA21 portal
  • Mandatory impact assessment for large projects
  • MCA21 V3 launched for ease of business
2 min read

Companies' CSR expenditure crosses Rs 1.44 lakh crore, 3.84 crore filings done via MCA21

Government data reveals over ₹1.44 lakh crore spent on CSR in 5 years, with 3.84 crore filings processed via the MCA21 V3 portal for compliance.

"CSR is a Board-driven process and the Board of the company is empowered to plan, decide, execute and monitor CSR activities of the company. - Harsh Malhotra"

New Delhi, Feb 11

Annual filings by companies on development Corporate Social Responsibility expenditure reached over Rs 1,44,159 crore in five fiscals, according to the government.

All data related to CSR expenditure filed by companies in MCA21 registry including state-wise, year-wise, company-wise and project-wise is available in public domain, said Minister of State for Corporate Affairs, Harsh Malhotra, in a written reply to a question in Rajya Sabha.

"CSR is a Board-driven process and the Board of the company is empowered to plan, decide, execute and monitor CSR activities of the company," said the minister.

Rule 8 of the Companies (CSR Policy) Rules, 2014 provides that every company having average CSR obligation of Rs 10 crore or more in the three immediately preceding financial years, will undertake impact assessment, through an independent agency, of their CSR projects having outlays of Rs one crore or more, and which have been completed not less than one year before undertaking the impact study.

The minister also informed that the 2021-2025 period saw about 3.84 crore filings done via MCA21.

Of these, 3.33 crore filings were approved through Straight Through Process, 40.8 lakh filings were approved by the concerned Registrar of Companies and Regional Directors while 8.3 lakhs forms were rejected by the concerned officers.

"Version-3 of MCA21 (MCA21 V3) has been launched to promote Ease of Doing Business, strengthen compliance and enhance transparency," said the minister.

Through MCA21 V3, functionalities like Web filings, LLP Module, Company module, e-Enforcement, e-Adjudication, e-Consultation, e-Book Learning Management System have already been implemented.

Moreover, a help desk mechanism to address grievances related to the MCA21 portal has been established. During the FY 2025-26 (up to January 31 2026) 3,16,877 help desk tickets were raised on the portal of which about 98 per cent, were successfully resolved.

These tickets encompassed a range of issues including technical problems, awareness issues, processing-related requests and stakeholder suggestions or feedback, said the minister. MCA21 is a transaction-heavy system processing a large number of e-forms every year.

- IANS

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Reader Comments

R
Rohit P
Good to see the MCA21 system working efficiently with 3.84 crore filings. The 98% resolution rate on help desk tickets is impressive. Ease of doing business is crucial for startups and MSMEs. The digital push is definitely showing results. 👍
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Arjun K
While the numbers look good on paper, the real test is the impact assessment. The rule for companies spending over ₹10 crore to do independent audits is smart. But what about smaller projects? We need to ensure CSR isn't just a tick-box exercise for corporate image building.
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Sarah B
As someone who has worked with CSR projects, the move to MCA21 V3 with modules for LLP and e-Adjudication is a welcome change. The previous system had its glitches. Streamlining compliance helps companies focus more on the actual social work rather than paperwork.
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Vikram M
The sheer scale – 3.33 crore filings approved through Straight Through Process! This shows how much our corporate landscape is growing. Hope the CSR funds are being directed to the states that need it most, not just where corporates have their headquarters.
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Kavya N
Transparency is key. Making the data public domain is excellent for accountability. Citizens and NGOs can now track which company is doing what and where. This can foster healthy competition among corporates to do meaningful CSR, not just the minimum required.

We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.

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