The Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA), Government of India, released a set of guidelines in 2011 called the National Voluntary Guidelines on the Social, Environmental and Economic Responsibilities of Business (NVGs). In order to align the NVGs with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the ‘Respect’ pillar of the United Nations Guiding Principles (UNGP), the process of revising the NVGs began.

The new principles are called the National Guidelines on Responsible Business Conduct (NGRBC). As with the NVGs, the NGRBC has been designed to assist businesses to perform above and beyond the requirements of regulatory compliance.