The Challenge
A leading Indian private sector bank with a substantial CSR portfolio required an independent third-party audit of four concurrent social programmes across education, healthcare, and environmental restoration. The programmes were delivered through implementing partners in multiple states, each with different operational models, reporting structures, and impact measurement frameworks.
The bank’s CSR committee needed an assessment that went beyond financial compliance to evaluate programme effectiveness, beneficiary outcomes, and alignment with the Companies Act 2013 Schedule VII requirements.
Our Approach
- Road to School (Education): Evaluated programme delivery by Learning Links Foundation, assessing student enrolment, retention, learning outcomes, and community engagement across target schools.
- Congenital Heart Disease Treatment (Healthcare): Audited the Sri Sathya Sai Health & Education Trust programme for surgical intervention delivery, patient follow-up, and cost-per-outcome metrics.
- Lake Restoration (Environment): Assessed the Environmentalist Foundation of India’s lake restoration initiatives in Tamil Nadu, covering ecological health indicators, community involvement, and long-term sustainability of restored water bodies.
- Prarambhik Bhasha Shikshan (Education): Reviewed the Language and Learning Foundation’s early language programme in Haryana, evaluating curriculum quality, teacher training efficacy, and student assessment data.
Outcome
Delivered four comprehensive CSR audit reports with programme-specific recommendations. The audit confirmed compliance with statutory CSR obligations under the Companies Act 2013 and provided the bank’s CSR committee with an evidence-based view of programme impact and areas for improvement. Recommendations on implementing partner governance and impact measurement standardisation were adopted for the following programme cycle.
“RSustain’s audit combined regulatory compliance verification with genuine programme evaluation. Their field teams understood the operational realities of each implementing partner.”