Maharatna Steel Authority of India Limited has received two awards at the CII-ITC Sustainability Awards-2012 ceremony held at Vigyan Bhawan on 14th January, 2013. Hon'ble President of India Shri Pranab Mukherjee presented the awards to Chairman, SAIL Mr. C.S.Verma. SAIL has received a certificate of commendation for strong commitment to sustainable development. Besides SAIL's Bhilai Steel Plant has won certificate of commendation for significant achievement in its category.
Mr. Verma congratulated the SAIL collective for the honour and said, "SAIL is committed to sustainable development in a way that fulfills one of our core purposes " To make a meaningful difference in people's lives. Uplifting the socio-economic condition of the masses in the areas in which it operates and indirectly empowering them, has been SAIL's work ethos since its inception."
The three pillars of sustainability at SAIL are economic development, Social responsibility and Environmental stewardship leading to value creation for all stakeholders. Apart from the regular initiatives for sustainable development, SAIL has taken certain additional measures in this direction including:
- Greening of SAIL- Over 180 lakh trees planted
- Extending environment stewardship across the supply chain- Greening of the warehouses of SAIL
- Eco-restoring degraded areas- Development of thriving ecosystems on mined out areas in Purnapani and Bolani
- Honoring the Montreal Protocol- Phasing out of Ozone Depleting Substances from the Steel plants
- Implementing Master Plan for Research & Development (R&D) integrating R&D activities with business and operational goals
- Taking care of environment from the cradle to grave- Using Life Cycle assessment to minimize Carbon, water and waste footprints of steel making operations
- Reaching out to the community - adopting 79 villages for development as model
- Specialized Health Care- 54 Primary Health Centres, 17 Hospitals, 7 Super Specialty Hospitals, 12 Reproductive and Child Health Centres
- Supporting the underprivileged - providing free healthcare to around 1.80 lakh people
- 146 Schools in SAIL townships - modern education to 70000 children
- Providing access to around 75 lakh people across 450 villages by constructing and repairing of roads
- Providing access to drinking water infrastructure , installation of 6000 water sources for around 50 lakh people
- SAIL to go underground in Begunia
Photo caption:
Hon'ble President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee presenting the CII-ITC Sustainability Award to Chairman, SAIL Mr. C.S.Verma (extreme right)
