Mumbai, 10th May, 2023: India’s leading cement company and 4th largest cement manufacturer, Dalmia Bharat Ltd. has been conferred with the prestigious CII-ITC Sustainability Awards 2022 for commendation in “Excellence in Corporate Social Responsibility”. The recognition underlines the company’s strong and intrinsic benchmarks for the welfare of communities and best sustainable practices in cement manufacturing. The CII-ITC Sustainability Awards are conferred by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and the ITC Ltd. to companies that demonstrate outstanding performance in sustainability and inclusivity in their operations and community initiatives. Under the aegis of Dalmia Bharat Foundation (DBF), the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) arm of the group has linkages with various social and livelihood schemes. Dr. Arvind Bodhankar, Executive Director and Head – ESG & Chief Risk Officer, Dalmia Cement (Bharat) Ltd. received the esteemed award on behalf of the cement major from Mr. Nitin Gadkari, Union Minister Road Transport & Highways, Govt of India at an event held in Hotel Ashok, New Delhi.
Dalmia Bharat’s community initiatives focus on key areas of Sustainable Livelihoods, Climate Action (Water and Energy) and Social Infrastructure. Their flagship programmeDalmia Institute of Knowledge and Skill Harnessing (DIKSHa) with its 15 centers provides placement-linked, short-term skill training to youth and women adding them to skilled workforce for enhanced income. Till date over 10,500 trainees have completed their training earning an average monthly income of Rs. 12,000. The company also promotes livelihood promotion through farm based and non-farm-based skilling programmes for farmers and women-led Self-Help Groups (SHGs) at the village level. By focusing on water harvesting techniques and renewable energy solutions like solar power, Dalmia Bharat has been helping communities to become more self-sufficient, reduce their environmental impact, and improve their overall quality of life.
Commenting on this achievement, Dr Arvind Bodhankar said, “It’s a huge honour for us to receive the CII ITC Sustainability Award industry once again this year. Dalmia Bharat is committed to the sustainable development of the community and its people. Each one of us at Dalmia is conscious of our responsibility towards leaving behind a planet that is safe and can meet the need of our future generations. We follow all processes to ensure positive impacts and SRoI of our projects and measure them too. He further added, as a corporate citizen, we are committed to integrating economic, environmental and social objectives to foster inclusive growth in the regions we operate in. We aim to continue on this path to achieve bigger milestones and this recognition is a great encouragement for us.”
The coveted CII-ITC sustainability awards were constituted by the CII-ITC Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Development and have been in existence since 2006. The awards recognize India’s most sustainable companies that have been successful in embedding sustainability in their business models.
