Bhubaneswar : “Corporate Social Responsibility is an important role of a Corporate citizen since it draws resources from the society and is responsible to give back in equal or greater measure so that the chain of sustainable operations is maintained. What used to be a philanthropic and act of volunteerism is today enshrined in the Companies Act 2013, making it mandatory for industries and business houses to commit and spend 2% of their previous years’ profit towards CSR initiatives. In such a scenario, it is important that the organizations should come up with innovative and viable CSR projects, that address the needs of the society and should be aligned with business goals of the organization,” said Dr. Tapan Kumar Chand, CMD, NALCO.
He was speaking at the inauguration of the 2nd National Seminar on ‘CSR Initiatives’, organized on 20th May in Bhubaneswar by Institute of Quality & Environmental Management Services (IQEMS), in association with Institute of Public Enterprises, Hyderabad and Rotary Club of Bhubaneswar Heritage. Citing different initiatives taken up by NALCO in the CSR front, Dr. Chand also mentioned that the company is going to launch some new flagship projects in this field. “NALCO is going to implement an Integrated Health Management System in peripheral villages with 8 wellness clinics, two mobile health units and two call centres for the peripheral villages in Angul & Damanjodi. This would be app based. Further, under Prime Minister’s Iconic Shrine programme, the company has taken up the development and sanitation of area around Lord Jagannath Mandir in Puri. Keeping in view the importance of enhancing employability in the mining sector, NALCO has planned to develop a Virtual Skill Training Centre, which can impart training to the youth, ensuring employment generation,” Dr. Chand informed. Dr Chand informed that in a geographic area of its mines where vegetation was sparse and non-existent NALCO has planted 7.8 million trees creating a verdant forest. A Centre of Excellence for skill development is also under implementation to meet the emerging skills of the mining industry in the state.
In recognition of best practices in CSR, NALCO was conferred with the Kalinga CSR Award for the year 2016. Shri Sanjaya Mishra, General Manager (H&A) and Shri Debadarshi Dash, DGM (Admn, CC & CSR), received the award on behalf of the company.
Among others, Dr. Sarat Chandra Pradhan, Senior Economic Advisor, South African High Commission, Dr. Umakant Mishra, IIS (Retired), Former Chief Spokesperson, Govt of India and Former Principal DG, PIB, Ministry of I&B, Govt of India spoke on the occasion. Dr. S.K. Panda, IAS, Former Secretary, Ministry of Textile, Govt of India, Chairperson, Tripura Skill Development Mission and Chairman of the Organising Committee presided over the seminar.