10-03-2008, 12:59 AM
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>Where are our billionaires? </b>
pioneer.com
Sudarshan Agarwal
They must come forward to help Bihar flood victims
<b>The India has the largest number of billionaires overtaking Japan and Korea. We have not heard a single billionaire making any worthwhile contribution towards mitigating untold hardships and alleviating the sufferings of helpless people in the affected parts of Bihar</b>.
Corporate social responsibility cannot just be window dressing. The corporate world must remember that the poor and the disadvantaged of this country have a share in their enormous wealth. They must not usurp the share of the poor and the disadvantaged. The billionaires may like to take a cue from the gesture of Warren Buffet who contributed $1 billion to the Bill Gates Foundation for the fight against polio and several other diseases.
In fact, India should have a give list mentioning the contributions made by our country's billionaires for social causes. I am reminded of the words of Mother Teresa when she said -- Give till it hurts.
Of what use are lists of the rich if the people in them invoke only envy and not affection? Of what use is it to me if their wealth grows four times every four hours if all is lost for that child whose every second is spent in despair and darkness? People in affected areas do not have a piece of cloth even to wrap the dead before their last rites.
<b>I am making an appeal to the billionaires and other captains of industry to open their hearts and give generously to mitigate the pain and suffering of people who have lost everything -- their homes and hearths in the fury of the Kosi floods.</b> Media should prominently publicise not their entry and place in the Forbes list but their contribution in this hour of need.
I would appeal to all Ministers and Members of Parliament to donate at least one month's salary for Bihar flood relief. This gesture will be appreciated by the nation.
<b>I was able to raise Rs 1.5 lakh from the morning walkers in the small park in C-Block of Defence Colony. Let no one deny himself/herself the opportunity to extend a helping hand.</b>
-- The writer is former Governor of Uttarakhand and Sikkim
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pioneer.com
Sudarshan Agarwal
They must come forward to help Bihar flood victims
<b>The India has the largest number of billionaires overtaking Japan and Korea. We have not heard a single billionaire making any worthwhile contribution towards mitigating untold hardships and alleviating the sufferings of helpless people in the affected parts of Bihar</b>.
Corporate social responsibility cannot just be window dressing. The corporate world must remember that the poor and the disadvantaged of this country have a share in their enormous wealth. They must not usurp the share of the poor and the disadvantaged. The billionaires may like to take a cue from the gesture of Warren Buffet who contributed $1 billion to the Bill Gates Foundation for the fight against polio and several other diseases.
In fact, India should have a give list mentioning the contributions made by our country's billionaires for social causes. I am reminded of the words of Mother Teresa when she said -- Give till it hurts.
Of what use are lists of the rich if the people in them invoke only envy and not affection? Of what use is it to me if their wealth grows four times every four hours if all is lost for that child whose every second is spent in despair and darkness? People in affected areas do not have a piece of cloth even to wrap the dead before their last rites.
<b>I am making an appeal to the billionaires and other captains of industry to open their hearts and give generously to mitigate the pain and suffering of people who have lost everything -- their homes and hearths in the fury of the Kosi floods.</b> Media should prominently publicise not their entry and place in the Forbes list but their contribution in this hour of need.
I would appeal to all Ministers and Members of Parliament to donate at least one month's salary for Bihar flood relief. This gesture will be appreciated by the nation.
<b>I was able to raise Rs 1.5 lakh from the morning walkers in the small park in C-Block of Defence Colony. Let no one deny himself/herself the opportunity to extend a helping hand.</b>
-- The writer is former Governor of Uttarakhand and Sikkim
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