Parliament Question: Business Responsibility and Sustainability Reporting (BRSR) Core framework

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF CORPORATE AFFAIRS LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3905 ANSWERED ON Monday, March 16, 2026/Phalguna 25, 1947 (Saka) BUSINESS RESPONSIBILITY AND SUSTAINABILITY REPORTING (BRSR) CORE FRAMEWORK QUESTION 3905. SHRI YADUVEER WADIYAR: Will the Minister of CORPORATE AFFAIRS be pleased to state: (a) the specific qualitative and quantitative outcomes of the Business Responsibility and Sustainability Reporting (BRSR) Core framework, which has positioned India as one of the few global jurisdictions with a mandatory “Reasonable Assurance” regime for environmental, social and governance (ESG) disclosures; (b) the ways through which the inclusion of the top 1000 listed entities under this framework has enhanced India’s Global ESG Standing, particularly in attracting foreign “Green Capital” and sustainable investment funds into our emerging industrial sectors; and (c) the details of the nine key ESG attributes (including Greenhouse Gas emissions and water management) under the BRSR Core that are now subject to mandatory third-party audit, ensuring that “Greenwashing” is eliminated from the Indian corporate ecosystem? ANSWER MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF CORPORATE AFFAIRS AND MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF ROAD TRANSPORT AND HIGHWAYS [SHRI HARSH MALHOTRA] (a) & (b): In 2021, SEBI mandated the top 1000 listed companies (by market capitalization) to make ESG disclosures as per the Business Responsibility and Sustainability Reporting (BRSR) from FY 2021-22 on a voluntary basis and mandatorily from FY 2022 - 23. BRSR requires disclosures on various qualitative and quantitative parameters, such as greenhouse gas emissions, energy consumption, job creation, grievance redressal etc. The above is expected to encourage capital and investment in Indian industrial sector. (c): To mitigate the risks of greenwashing, SEBI introduced BRSR Core in which companies require third party assessment or assurance. The BRSR Core covers ESG disclosures across the following nine attributes: (i) Green-house gas (GHG) footprint (ii) Water footprint (iii) Energy footprint (iv) Embracing circularity - details related to waste management by the entity (v) Enhancing Employee Wellbeing and Safety (vi) Enabling Gender Diversity in Business Contd…2--2- (vii) Enabling Inclusive Development (viii) Fairness in Engaging with Customers and Suppliers (ix) Open-ness of business Further vide SEBI’s circular dated 28.03.2025, it is specified that assessment or assurance refers to third-party assessment undertaken as per the standards developed by the Industry Standards Forum (ISF) in consultation with SEBI. *****