Dalmia Bharat Group, a leading Indian conglomerate with a strong presence in cement, sugar and refractories, has won an award for environment sustainability at 18th FICCI Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) award ceremony, organised by the industry chamber the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI). The award recognises efforts of companies in integrating and internalising CSR. Anurag Thakur, Minister of State for Finance & Corporate Affairs, presented the award to Mahendra Singhi, Managing Director & CEO, Dalmia Cement (Bharat) Ltd. and Vishal Bhardwaj, Group Head, CSR, Dalmia Bharat Group & CEO Dalmia Bharat Foundation, who represented the company at the virtual ceremony. Expressing gratitude on receiving the coveted award, Singhi said, “As a responsible corporate, we firmly believe in doing our bit and giving back to the society in the best possible manner. Enabling communities to use their natural resources in order to build a sustainable environment is important for enhancing their livelihood. Also, 2020 is going to be a critical year, thus, we are completely aligned with the mission to accelerate a global shift to clean energy.” Also speaking on the occasion, Bhardwaj said, “Being one of the oldest business houses in the country, Dalmia Bharat Group appreciates the responsibility of upholding sustainable practices in business. Due to this water programme, there has been a considerable increase in farmers’ income which will only grow in the coming years. We will continue the efforts to shape our communities with initiatives aimed at enabling them to achieve their maximum potential. ” As part of its CSR activity, Dalmia Bharat Group has supported communities to create a sustainable environment by effectively managing their natural capital. Their pan-India ‘synergistic water conservation approach’ revolves around three different interrelated and multi-faceted components based on water conservation, integrated development of watersheds and communities and the application of measures to increase water efficiency. Through this initiative, they have treated 25,000 hectares of land under integrated watershed management project and constructed more than 900 water harvesting structures like farm ponds, village ponds and check dams. It has touched the lives of over 200,000 people across ten states, leading to a 20 per cent increase in crop yield and a 15 per cent average increase in income.
Apart from this, the company is also working closely with the local communities to change their mindsets and replace the traditional source for energy with clean energy. They have assisted communities to gain access to a reliable and cleaner source of lighting through the distribution of solar lighting systems like lanterns, study lamps, streetlights and home lighting systems.
So far, Dalmia Bharat Group has promoted more than 25,000 solar household lighting solutions and installed 535 solar streetlights, making night time commuting safer especially for women. Also, with the installation of fuel-efficient cookstoves, the company has successfully converted 8,000 kitchens to clean the kitchen with a shift to cleaner fuels and efficient fuel usage devices. This has led to a reduction in 41,724 tons of CO2 Emission, annually.