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OPINION NOVEMBER 13, 2026 | The Indian Eye 12

tegrity in everyday decisions. A pub- tion. Responsible conduct improves
lic servant, through honesty and ac- public services. Stewardship supports
countability. A citizen, by respecting sustainability. I call these collective
others, following rules and protect- gains the Character Dividend: the
ing shared resources. Each is good- social and economic value a society
ness in action. earns from widespread responsible
PSR is, therefore, not another and ethical behaviour.
CSR programme, and it does not Unlike a highway or an airport,
depend on corporate funding. CSR Character Infrastructure cannot be
mobilises resources; PSR develops built by allocating a budget. It re-
responsible people. They differ in quires sustained investment in peo-
purpose and approach, yet they rein- ple, institutions, education and cul-
force each other. ture.
But if PSR is to build a better What PSR means for education:
society, goodness cannot remain a If character is the foundation, educa-
moral ideal. It must become practi- tion must build it. Education should
cal, teachable and measurable. not only create skills; it must also
Making goodness practical, shape behaviour and character. PSR
teachable and measurable: We have should be taught from the first year
institutionalised education, profes- of school to the last year of univer-
sional training, financial account- sity.
ability, corporate governance and The beginning has been made.
CSR. We have not systematically IIT Hyderabad has introduced an
institutionalised the development of academic credit course on Good-
responsible behaviour. Goodness is ness, proposed by the Institute of
admired as an ideal but rarely devel- Goodness. I taught the first course
oped as a capability. and more than 140 undergraduate
This is the work of the Institute and postgraduate students enrolled
of Goodness. We work on the prop- voluntarily.
osition that goodness can be under- “Education must go beyond
stood, taught, practised and mea- building knowledge and profession-
sured. Our framework rests on five al competence,” affirms B.S. Murty,
dimensions. Integrity is honesty and professor & director, IIT Hyderabad.
consistency between principles and “It should also encourage students to
actions. Responsibility is account- reflect on their character, responsi-
ability towards oneself, others and bilities and contribution to society.
society. Compassion is sensitivity to Through the Goodness course, we
the needs and suffering of others. want our students to think critically
Respect is treating people with digni- about what it means to lead a mean-
ty, fairness and consideration. Stew- ingful life and how their choices and
ardship is caring for shared resourc- actions can contribute to a better so-
es, institutions and the environment. ciety and a Viksit Bharat.”
A fair question is: who decides But why only one IIT? Such a
what goodness is? These five dimen- course should be there in every IIT,
sions were chosen because they be- for every graduate student, and in
long to no single religion, ideology every institution across India. Nor
or government. They recur across should it begin only at graduation.
ethical traditions and can be seen in The courses being developed by the
behaviour rather than prescribed as Institute of Goodness are designed
belief. PSR is not about imposing a to be taught from kindergarten to
particular morality. It is about culti- graduation, so that goodness is built
vating behaviours that help individu- HappyPlus, founded by Ashish Ambasta, says it has worked with more than 100 organisations step by step, over a lifetime of learn-
als and societies flourish. and over 100,000 employees across India (File Photo) ing.
Measurement is what separates Skills make a person employ-
systematic development from mere And character, multiplied across attention. I call it Character Infra- able. Character makes a person
preaching. Through the Goodness millions of people, shapes how insti- structure: the collective strength trustworthy. A developed nation
Index™, we are developing an ap- tutions work, how public servants de- of the character of individuals, ex- needs both.
proach to assess and track behaviours cide, how businesses behave and how pressed in their values, behaviour What PSR means for business
across these five dimensions, so that citizens treat one another. The char- and ethical conduct, that shapes how leaders? Companies are among
progress is measured rather than as- acter of a nation is the sum of the institutions, communities and society the most influential places in which
sumed. character of its people. That is how function. adults form and practise everyday
From goodness to character: goodness in action ultimately builds Physical infrastructure enables behaviour. They are natural build-
Goodness practised day after day a better country and a better society. economic activity. Character In- ers of Character Infrastructure and
becomes character. A person who Character infrastructure and the frastructure shapes the integrity there is a business case for it.
repeatedly acts with honesty, com- character dividend: India is investing and trust with which that activity is A six-month study by Oxford
passion and respect does not mere- heavily in roads, railways, airports, conducted. Greater trust reduces University’s Saïd Business School,
ly perform good acts; he or she be- energy and digital networks. Another transaction costs. Stronger integrity covering about 1,800 BT call-centre
comes a person of better character. kind of infrastructure deserves equal reduces opportunities for corrup- Continued on next page... >>

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