- Celebrities, corporate heads & not-for-profit sector discuss ways of giving to help India become a more generous nation

- India stood at 106th position in world in the recently-launched CAF World Giving Index 2015 report

- Ganguly cites the example of Sachin Tendulkar taking time to get to his first ton to drive his point across on improving the giving culture in our country

- CAF World Giving Index 2015 report showcased by SouravGanguly

New Delhi / Mumbai: Former Indian cricket captain SouravGanguly thinks Giving for causes and charitable purposes is like a habit we all should inculcate so it can benefit the people who deserve it the most in our country.
The Prince of Kolkata, who was part of a panel discussion in which the CAF World Giving Index 2015 Report was showcased,spoke on the sidelines of a 6-hour live Telethon ‘Support My School’, on a leading English news channel to help raise funds for revitalising schools across the country.
Ganguly, alongwithCharities Aid Foundation (CAF) India ChairmanArun Bharat Ram, CAF India CEO Meenakshi Batra, President, Coca Cola India & Southwest Asia VenkateshKini, UBS India COO Praveen Kumar and NDTV CEO Vikram Chandra was discussing strategic ways of giving which could help the society give more effectively in the backdrop of the CAF World Giving index 2015 report which revealed that India’s ranking in the world dropped to 106 from 69th position a year ago.
The CAF World Giving Index 2015 reportis known around the world as the leading comparative measure of generosity across the globe.
The WGI report which released globally last month, occupied centrestage as heads of socially responsible organisations and celebrities sang in one tune – the need to nurture the culture of giving and share wealth with the underprivileged section of the society.
Former Indian Captain SouravGanguly said, ‘’Giving is a habit. It’s like getting your first Test 100. It takes a lot of time to get your first one except a few who get it on debut. But then when it starts happening, it happens a lot quicker.’’
Arun Bharat Ram, Chairman, CAF India, who was part of the panel, said, ‘It is disappointing if we look at stats in the CAF WGI 2015 report since we slipped in the rankings. However, we should take into consideration the fact that India has around 30 percent of population living below poverty line or are at the edge, who cannot give and are also factored in while measuring generosity.’’
CAF India CEO Meenakshi Batra said, ‘’At CAF India, it’s part of our job to provide the infrastructure for giving. The numbers may be disappointing but on the positive side, the number of people donating money, volunteering time and helping a stranger, is the highest in the world.If the economic growth in India is to benefit the entire Indian population, we must do more to engage people in addressing development gaps.’’
To know more about the World Giving Index 2015 report, click http://cafindia.org/index.php/media-center/publications/item/130-world-giving-index-2015