NISM Series XXIII study plan
NISM Series XXIII · Give each week a clear focus.
8 weeks · About 6 hours per week
Social Impact Assessment
Define social impact assessment (SIA) and distinguish it from environmental impact assessment, social performance management, and CSR reporting
Map the full SIA regulatory chain in India from the Companies Act 2013 Section 135 and CSR Rules through the CSR Amendment Rules 2021 to the IICA SIA framework
Explain the legal trigger thresholds that make an SIA mandatory, including project size, category (A/B), and the role of the Expert Appraisal Committee
List the four core principles of SIA as codified in the 2021 CSR regime: assessment, disclosure, consultation, and monitoring
Build a one-page glossary of 25 SIA terms (affected persons, displacement, livelihood loss, mitigation hierarchy, grievance redressal) in your own words
Your checkpoint
A hand-drawn or digital concept map linking the statute, rules, framework, and implementing agencies, plus the 25-term glossary, checked against official sources
Social Impact Assessment
Trace the step-by-step SIA process: screening, scoping, baseline study, impact prediction, mitigation, reporting, and public disclosure
Identify who is qualified to conduct an SIA and what independence and conflict-of-interest requirements apply
Describe the composition and role of the SIA committee and the Social Impact Management Plan (SIMP)
Explain how public consultation and public hearings are sequenced relative to the SIA report and the environmental clearance process
Draft a timeline showing statutory vs. practical durations for each SIA step
Your checkpoint
A process flowchart with each step annotated by responsible party, statutory reference, and typical duration, plus a written answer to a mock question on the SIA committee's role
Social Impact Assessment
Summarize the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act 2013 and how it intersects with SIA
Explain the consent requirements for land acquisition by public-private partnership and private companies
Distinguish the four schedules of the LARR Act covering compensation, R&R entitlements, and infrastructure amenities
Describe how the SIA report feeds into the land acquisition decision and what happens if the SIA is rejected
Compare SIA obligations for land acquisition versus SIA obligations for CSR-funded social projects
Your checkpoint
A two-column comparison table contrasting SIA under LARR with SIA under CSR Rules, with at least eight distinguishing dimensions and statutory citations
Social Impact Assessment
Analyze the CSR Amendment Rules 2021 impact assessment requirement: which entities must conduct it, thresholds, and timelines
Explain the difference between an impact assessment and an SIA in the CSR context and when each is triggered
Describe the role of the implementing agency, the CSR committee, and the board in approving and disclosing assessment findings
Apply the rule that impact assessment reports must be placed before the board and disclosed on the website
Identify common compliance failures flagged in SIA and impact assessment enforcement
Your checkpoint
A one-page compliance checklist for a company that crosses the impact assessment threshold, plus a 10-question self-test scored against official texts (target 8/10)
Social Impact Assessment
Explain the IICA Social Impact Assessment framework and its guidance on methodology, sampling, and baseline data
Compare quantitative and qualitative SIA methods: household surveys, focus groups, participatory rural appraisal, and census vs. sample approaches
Describe how to construct a defensible baseline and counterfactual for attributing impact
Identify indicators for livelihood, health, education, land, and cultural impact, and how to disaggregate by gender and vulnerable groups
Evaluate the strengths and limits of third-party evaluation and social audit in SIA
Your checkpoint
A draft SIA methodology section for a hypothetical 200-hectare infrastructure project, including sampling plan, indicator list, and data collection tools
Social Impact Assessment
Interpret the disclosure and reporting obligations for SIA reports, including public availability and language accessibility
Explain grievance redressal mechanisms and how complaints are escalated and resolved
Describe monitoring and post-implementation evaluation requirements and who is accountable
Analyze the role of independent monitors, auditors, and the board in ongoing oversight
Apply the mitigation hierarchy (avoid, minimize, restore, offset) to a displacement scenario
Your checkpoint
A written case analysis of 600 to 800 words applying the mitigation hierarchy, disclosure rules, and grievance mechanism to a displacement scenario, with a self-scored rubric
Social Impact Assessment
Review the full syllabus and flag every subtopic you cannot explain without notes
Synthesize SIA with adjacent areas: environmental clearance, forest rights, and tribal consent under PESA and the Forest Rights Act
Practice 60 mixed-format questions under timed conditions and log error patterns by subtopic
Re-derive the statutory thresholds, timelines, and committee compositions from memory
Explain SIA orally in five minutes as if briefing a project proponent
Your checkpoint
An error log of at least 20 missed questions with corrected reasoning and source citations, plus a five-minute recorded oral briefing
Social Impact Assessment
Re-drill every flagged weak subtopic from the week 7 error log until each is answered correctly twice in a row
Complete two full-length mock exams under exam timing and review every answer
Memorize the key statutory citations, thresholds, and definitions most likely to be tested
Practice written answers on process, compliance, and case-application questions
Finalize a one-page pre-exam summary sheet of formulas, thresholds, and definitions
Your checkpoint
Two completed mock exams with scores, a corrected error list, and the one-page pre-exam summary sheet
Milestones
Week 2: Can draw the SIA process from memory with correct statutory references for each step, and score at least 70% on a 25-question self-quiz on the process
Week 4: Can state the CSR impact assessment thresholds and disclosure obligations without notes, and score at least 8/10 on the week 4 self-test
Week 6: Can explain disclosure, grievance redressal, and monitoring requirements in writing with citations, and complete the case analysis scoring at least 7/10 on your own rubric
Week 8: Score at least 75% on both full-length mock exams and clear every item on the week 7 error log by answering each correctly twice in a row