Dr Rama Kashyap, Head, CSR, The India Cements Ltd
The India Cements is one of the largest cement producers in the country having 10 plants with total capacity of 15.5 million tonnes. It has a turnover exceeding Rs 5,000 crore and employs over 3,200 persons directly and thousands more indirectly. The company also has other businesses like shipping, coal, power, infrastructure, sugar and infotech. The India Cements began its journey in 1946 and its first cement plant was commissioned in 1949 at Sankarnagar in Tamil Nadu. Its founder, the late T S Narayanaswami, had played a dynamic role in the resurgence of industrialisation in free India. His son, the current Vice Chairman and MD of the company, N Srinivasan, is a veteran in the industry and has always cared for community development and welfare of under privileged sections of society. In an exclusive interview to Indian Cement Review, Dr Rama Kashyap, Head, CSR, The India Cements, outlines the companys objectives and activities on this front. Excerpts from her interview
What motivates you to do good for the society?
Our cement plants are located in remote villages. We are always guided by our larger vision that we need to contribute to the welfare and development of people in these villages. We are selfless in our objectives and motives and we firmly believe in giving back to the society through CSR activities.
Which staff members are involved in implementing CSR activities at your plants?
Each of our plant has a CSR committee headed by the respective plant head. HR Managers serve as the designated nodal officers for CSR activities at each plant. The committee also has the heads of Finance, Engineering, Civil and HR departments. Execution of CSR programmes at all the plants is the responsibility of this committee.
Tell us about your CSR activities in detail.
The India Cements has eight integrated plants, two grinding units and a sugar plant. CSR activities are carried out in villages within the radius of 20 km around the plants. Currently we are working in 15 districts, 19 taluks and 172 villages. The work covers a wide range of activities including enhancing livelihood, supporting government schools, improving the quality of education in these schools, providing infrastructure to the villages, encouraging sports and protecting environment. Nearly 300 schools in these 172 villages benefit from our CSR activities.
The India Cements has been focusing on developing capabilities of the local inhabitants, especially of the younger generation and women. Here our experience is proving to be very useful. Analysis of our data shows that young men and women, whose parents are aged above 45 years, are earning Rs 5,000 a month even though they have been working for more than three decades now. Whereas, the present younger generation is earning a similar amount right from the beginning of their career itself since they have received specific skill training.
So far, around 1000 people have been trained in job oriented skills like tailoring, car driving, cell phone repairing, office secretary, IT enabled services, two wheeler repair, beauty treatments, etc. The company has been training people in such courses for more than three years now.
The organisation has been doing its best to care for the underprivileged and the downtrodden. Activities include providing services to the orphans, physically disabled and to senior citizens. The Sankari plant in Tamil Nadu recently organised a picnic for the residents of an institution for the mentally challenged. The Banswara plant in Rajasthan has sponsored two teachers in the local schools for helping the hearing impaired.
Providing necessary infrastructural improvements and providing assistance to improve the quality of education in rural government schools has been one of the major areas of focus for our company. The CSR programmes cover nearly 300 schools in 150 CSR targeted villages. Nearly one third of the annual budget gets spent on these activities.
The grinding unit at Chennai supplied essential items like lunch plates, drinking glasses, water storage drums, mats, electric bells, fans and tube-lights to 25 schools around the plant.
The Dalavoi plant donated Rs 25,000 each to academically brilliant students, Venkatesan and Sri Vidhya, from nearby villages. Venkatesan got admission in the Kilpauk Medical College and Sri Vidhya in the Kanyakumari Medical College. Their parents are agricultural labourers. The company has helped one Sukanya with Rs 5000 to pursue her 12th standard education. As her family could not afford to educate Sukanya further, her mother had to ask Sukanya to discontinue her studies. The employees at Dalavoi plant convinced her mother and also contributed Rs 5000 as a part of the CSR activity enabling the girl to continue her studies. The Sankarnagar plant in Tamil Nadu is also supporting appointment of temporary teachers in the government schools.
Some of these programmes are directly organised by the plants while some are organised in collaboration with appropriate NGOs.
What are your priorities while framing a CSR plan? On what basis do you select these activities?
Our CSR plans are all always bottom up and never top down. We follow a set policy that describes the broad contours of the programmes and provides essential guidelines. The actual plan of action with the list of activities and the required budget is determined by each plant, based on the local needs and situations. However, within this system of functioning, we give emphasis on imparting trainings that help people earn a livelihood. We are also keen on giving assistance to government schools for conducting hardware and software related courses.
What are the benefits the company has realised as a result of these activities?
The biggest benefit has been the cordiality that has developed between the local inhabitants and the plants in such locations. Local communities feel that "the company is here to do something good for us." Brazen hostile activities have reduced in several places as a result of these activities. The local vernacular media now recognises the good work done by the company.
"The India Cements Ltd, right from inception, has been alive to the larger social responsibility of organised industry. We have over the years developed an enviable reputation as a caring organisation not only taking care of the stakeholders but also looking beyond cement to put a smile on the faces of the common people through various community development initiatives. For benevolence, goodwill and respect for another are not goals to achieve but paths we travel." – N Srinivasan, Vice-Chairman & Managing Director, The India Cements.
People Speak
Voices of people benefited by livelihood training programmes
"I used work as a welder and my eyes were getting affected badly. I decided to change my job and never work in this field again. But then, I have studied only up to 10th standard. I thought my life was over. At that time I heard about The India Cements training programme and I joined the course on ITeS (IT Enabled Services). On completing the course I was placed with a job fetching me a salary of Rs 8,000 per month. Soon I was promoted as a supervisor and the salary went up to Rs 10,000. Later, my salary was increased to Rs 12,000 and I am happy with this salary. Now I am educating my daughter in a good school. Also my wife is doing BL now and I am able to support her too in that. I am very happy now." – Ramachandran.
"I am very thankful to The India Cements. I never thought I would reach this stage. I was only busy with the daily chores at home. One day a friend told me about the training that the company was offering. After convincing my husband I joined the beauticians training course. After the training I practiced for some time at home. Later I was placed in this beauty parlour where the owner observed my work for a few days. Now, she trusts me completely and leaves the parlour entirely under my control. I am earning well and I have admitted my only son to a very good school. I am so grateful to The India Cements for bringing this change in my life." – Renuka
"I am a well trained beautician. When I heard that The India Cements is organising jobs for local people, I contacted them. I was told to train a group of women in the art. The training was for the local people. I feel proud to think that I have trained 30 women. All of them are working now. I feel very happy when they share their daily tips of Rs 60 to Rs 100 they earned. Because of The India Cements, not only me but 30 other women were benefited."- Vijayashree
"I used to work in a browsing centre for a meagre income. My family had lots of problems at that time. I heard about The India Cements training and joined their course on automobile repair. After the course I got a job with a salary of Rs 5,000 per month. This has increased to Rs 8,000 now. We have managed to close all the debts in my family and I am doing much better now." – Karthik