When Praveen Karn first walked into Tihar Jail in 2014, he didn’t see hardened criminals, he saw untapped potential waiting to be unlocked. Today, those same inmates craft automotive parts with zero defects, channeling their earnings directly to their families while acquiring skills that promise a fresh start beyond prison walls.
As Group Head of Sustainability and CSR at Spark Minda Group, Praveen shared exclusively with The Logical Indian his bold approach to reimagining CSR through the Spark Minda Foundation.
Tribal Roots to Corporate Leadership
Hailing from the tribal heartlands of Jharkhand, Praveen pursued his Rural Development degree from the Xavier Institute of Social Services in Ranchi. “I come from a tribal state, Jharkhand,” he reflects, grounding his work in the realities of underserved communities.
His career began with hands-on NGO roles, where he mastered grassroots implementation. He then spent five years shaping impactful programs at Jindal Steel and Power Limited’s CSR wing. For the past 13 years, he has led Spark Minda’s (Minda Corporation Limited) expansive efforts.
Through their Section 8 entity, Spark Minda Foundation, baseline studies carefully guide initiatives across Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Uttarakhand, and Haryana. These programs consistently balance empowering people with safeguarding the planet.
Redefining Corporate-NGO Partnerships
Praveen fundamentally challenges the traditional corporate-NGO divide, reimagining them not as mere donor and recipient, but as powerful strategic allies united for greater impact. When India’s landmark 2013 CSR mandate took effect in 2014, most companies were ill-equipped for community development, a domain far removed from their core business of manufacturing and profit-making.
They initially leaned heavily on NGOs for on-ground execution, often limited to basic fund transfers and compliance-focused reporting. Corporates, however, proved quick learners; within years, 30-40% established their own not-for-profit foundations or Section 8 entities to handle programs directly.
Yet Praveen stresses that NGOs retain unmatched grassroots expertise, the true essence of community transformation. “I believe NGOs are true partners to corporations, rather than locked in a donor-donee dynamic,” he told The Logical Indian, explaining how this collaboration fuses corporate strengths in strategic planning, budgeting, and scalability with NGOs’ intimate knowledge of local needs, ultimately delivering what he calls “program perfection.”
CSR as Ethical Imperative, Not Just Compliance
For Praveen, CSR is much more than ticking legal boxes, it’s a deep moral duty that’s part of how business should work. He uses a simple example: no law forces a mother to feed her baby, because real responsibility comes from within. “CSR goes far beyond mere compliance,” he says clearly.
True success means getting out of boardrooms and into communities. CSR teams need skills like Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA), baseline studies, Social Return on Investment (SROI), and understanding the full chain from inputs to real-world impact. Top companies now train their staff well to truly understand local needs, so their programs create lasting change instead of just spending money.
Transformative Flagship Initiatives
At the heart of Spark Minda’s portfolio lies the Saksham program for persons with disabilities, born from Uttar Pradesh’s alarming prevalence. Over 30,000 artificial legs have restored mobility to those with locomotor challenges, while the company proudly employs more than 1,300 PwDs nationwide, making it one of India’s largest such employer.Â
Factories have been retrofitted with specialized training and machinery to accommodate persons with visual, hearing, and speech impairments, a feat twice honoured with the President of India’s Award in 2019 and 2024. Complementing this, the pioneering prison initiative, India’s first automotive manufacturing inside jails, launched in 2014, now thrives in Tihar, Yerwada, Nagpur, Harsul and Sitarganj.
Convincing Tihar’s management took nearly a year of persistent negotiations, navigating strict protocols for inward and outward movements of materials and personnel. Praveen recalls how they finally secured space inside the facility, proving that determination can overcome even high-security barriers. Inmates produce revenue-generating products, with proceeds supporting their families and skills curbing recidivism; women inmates benefit from menstrual hygiene programs across Haryana, Uttarakhand, and UP, with a Maharashtra rollout slated for February 2026. “Products made in prisons come with zero defects,” Praveen says.
“We are able to create a kind of a crimeless society and give a skill to somebody who is unproductive inside the prison,” Praveen says, highlighting his vision for rehabilitation through opportunity.
The Akarshan skill development program bridges youth to opportunity through nine centers, having trained 19,000+ individuals with 70% securing jobs, many women now running beauty salons or working at partners like Shahi Exports, claiming economic independence. Environmentally, Panch Tattva drives carbon emission cuts, water and waste management, recycled materials, and community actions like tree plantations, blood donations, and health camps.
Spotlight on India’s Forgotten Margins
Praveen also shines a light on India’s most overlooked communities: tribal women with disabilities in Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh, LGBTQIA+ individuals, acid attack survivors, stigmatized widows, children born with deformities from toxins like ammonia in Jharkhand, and unorganized women in agriculture.
India’s ₹30,000 crore CSR spending, expected to reach ₹50,000 crore by 2030 with 12% annual growth, stays heavily skewed toward Maharashtra and Gujarat, leaving North-East states and Bihar with less than 1%. Spark Minda fights this gap in Uttarakhand’s aspirational Udham Singh Nagar district through digital mobile education bus, youth skill centers, and hubs for persons with disabilities that provide prosthetics plus job training.
Navigating Challenges Through Collaboration
Challenges like community resistance, low participation, and balancing business goals with social needs remain real hurdles, but Praveen tackles them head-on through complete transparency and clear purpose. “When a CSR program aligns with business benefits, it becomes truly sustainable,” he advises, pushing back against compliance-only approaches. At the core of his strategy lies collaboration across multiple fronts: public-private partnerships (PPP), private-private alliances, panchayat-private ventures, and people-private initiatives. “Collaboration is the key to success in any community development program,” he concludes.
Praveen Karn doesn’t just manage CSR, he transforms it into a powerful cycle of healing, skilling, and shared prosperity that strengthens both society and business. Spark Minda Foundation’s blueprint, built on rigor, empathy, and scalability, serves as an inspiring model for India’s corporate leaders to place purpose above mere profit.
The Logical Indian’s Perspective
Praveen’s work exemplifies the true spirit of purpose-driven leadership, turning corporate responsibility into tangible hope for India’s forgotten. His invitation to witness prison transformations firsthand underscores our shared commitment to stories that inspire action and systemic change.
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