Press Release
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National Conference
Business Action on Climate Change
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4th June 2010: Jaipur, Rajasthan |
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Colloquium on Biodiversity: Earth's Most Valuable Resource
Why does it matter to Business?
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27th April 2010 : Dehradun |
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National Conference
Inclusive & Responsible: The Next Face of India Inc.
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24th March 2010: New Delhi |
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4th Sustainability Summit: Asia 2009
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27th November 2009: New Delhi |
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4th Sustainability Summit: Asia 2009
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26th November 2009: New Delhi |
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4th Sustainability Summit: Asia 2009
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26th November 2009: New Delhi |
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4th Sustainability Summit: Asia 2009
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25th November 2009: New Delhi |
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4th Sustainability Summit: Asia 2009
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25th November 2009: New Delhi |
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Seminar on Business Response to Climate Change
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16th March 2009 : New Delhi |
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Indian Danish Water Days'
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20th February 2009 : Long Champ, Taj Mahal Hotel, New Delhi |
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Business Leadership in Climate Change : A Talk by Prof. Tim Flannery |
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3rd February 2009, Magnolia Hall, India Habitat Centre, Lodhi Road,
New Delhi |
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Climate change knows no geographical boundaries
Professor Tim Flannery, author of The Future Eaters and The Weather Makers, speaking at the Business Leadership for Climate Change, a discussion organized by CII - ITC Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Development in association with Australia India Council, said that, given the prevailing levels of air and water pollution, the rightful aspirations of every Indian for a better lifestyle cannot be fulfilled using conventional economic models. Professor Flannery noted the enormous ingenuity in efficiency of Indian businesses, developed from their experience with the working conditions in the country. He said that this would go a long way in assisting India in order to meet the challenges of the future.
Professor Flannery emphasised that photovoltaic energy, geo - thermal energy and bio - mass are three viable options available to India in the area of energy efficiency. He envisaged use of such technologies in India, in the future, citing the particular futuristic example of a farm where, improving upon existing technologies like pyrolysis, the farmer would be able to use the same technical methodology for harvesting his crop, separating bio - waste as well as processing it for obtaining useful by - products like synthetic gas, crude oil substitutes and charcoal, and also earn carbon credits in the process.
Reflecting on India's 11th Five Year Plan, Professor Flannery further emphasised the significance of such technologies for India and cautioned that with the conventional coal - fired power generation mechanisms in India, the demand for coal will only increase over the plan period. He noted that such strong emphasis on coal and little else is misplaced and it is in India's interest to pick one of geo - thermal, bio - mass, or photovoltaic energy, to develop indigenous expertise in clean, energy efficient technology.
Dr. Lachlan Strahan, Deputy High Commissioner to India, Australian Government, speaking at the occasion, emphasised the need for a balancing act between economic development and climate change. He argued that the options available to the world have become more complicated due to the prevailing economic crisis. He urged businesses and governments to adapt and work together. He also noted that in the current climate, the urgent question of getting co - operation, both domestic and international on dealing with climate change requires "good will, clear sightedness and political will."
Mr. V Raghuraman, Principal Advisor and Chief Coordinator - Energy, Environment and Natural Resources, CII, stressed on the need for "hand - holding" in the global efforts against climate change. He also mentioned the initiatives in energy efficiency undertaken by developing countries, like India and China, saying that the South is reaching out.
The CII - ITC Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Development works towards developing the requisite capability among Indian Industry by taking pro - active measures to promote the mainstreaming of sustainable development in businesses leading to enhanced competitiveness.
February 3, 2008
New Delhi
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3rd Sustainability Summit : Asia 2008 "Competitiveness Redefined" |
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11 - 12 December 2008, Hotel The Lalit, Barakhamba Avenue,
New Delhi |
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New economic activities and industrial enterprises need to address poverty and human concerns says Mr. Somnath Chatterjee
~3rd Sustainability Summit : Asia 2008 calls for corporate interest in social forestry, eco-tourism & bio - fuels~
Both public and private sectors must build partnership to find out new economic activities, and industrial enterprises to generate employment opportunities that do not overlook or bypass the poor, urged Mr. Somnath Chatterjee, Speaker Lok Sabha.
He was speaking at the inaugural session of 3rd Sustainability Summit : Asia 2008, Competitiveness Redefined organized here today. The two - day Summit has been jointly organized by the CII - ITC Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Development and Development Alternatives.
Reflecting on endeavours undertaken by the Indian parliament towards sustainability, he said, "today we have in place a National Action Plan on Climate Change, focusing attention on eight priority National Missions namely; solar energy, energy efficiency, sustainable habitat, conserving water, sustaining the Himalayan eco-system, a 'Green India', sustainable agriculture and strategic knowledge platform for climate change."
He further added, "Corporate houses should associate themselves with programmes like social forestry, eco - tourism, and promote the use of bio - diesel among our common people and entrepreneurs. They should commit themselves to green technology, by adopting practices of being 'water positive', 'carbon positive', and recycling of solid waste content.
Reflecting upon the Ministry's idea of corporate governance, Mr. Anurag Goel, Secretary, Ministry of Corporate Affairs, Government of India, said, "five characteristic points that may define corporate governance in years to come are uncertainty; increased interdependence; sustainability and survival; knowledge, technology and innovation; result - oriented, focussed partnerships. In order to overcome the grave threats faced today, there is a need to re-think 'competitiveness' and share knowledge.
"Both sustainable development and corporate governance bring together the requisite stakeholders. Today, corporate social responsibility is increasingly shifting towards 'inclusive growth' and business responsibility; the challenge is to bring out an institutional framework for partnerships that can sustain these responsibilities," he added.
Earlier, offering the welcome address, Mr. Y.C. Deveshwar, Past President - CII, Chairman - CII - ITC Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Development and Chairman - ITC Limited said, "inside every one of us is an environmental terrorist, we consume more than we really need. We have to create conditions wherein business can create value not only for shareholders, but for society through innovation and effective organisational structures. Business and business people are a resource for society to be able to add to the financial, natural and social capitals."
He cited the pioneering attempts undertaken by ITC Limited to become 'carbon positive', 'water positive', a near - zero solid waste enterprise and a provider of livelihoods to over five million people.
Delivering the vote of thanks, Dr. Ashok Khosla, Chairman, Development Alternatives, stated, 'the affluent sections of society end up exploiting non - renewable resources, whilst the poor take the maximum stock of renewable sources, leading to a complete disorganization in resource utilization. We have to urgently address these issues. The global financial meltdown is not only due to the US sub - prime mortgage crisis, but also behind this are serious issues on how we deal with the issues of sustainability, corporate governance, amongst others.
The CII - ITC Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Development works towards developing the requisite capability among Indian Industry by taking pro - active measures to promote the mainstreaming of sustainable development in businesses leading to enhanced competitiveness.
11 December 2008
New Delhi
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Convention on Large Infrastrucute Projects : Sustainable Development & The Law : Emerging Issues & Concerns |
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25 - 26 July 2008, Hotel InterContinental The Eros, Nehru Place New Delhi |
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Simplification of Laws & Dispute Containment Key to Growth: Fali Nariman
"Dispute containment is the most important thing to save public time and money where large infrastructure projects are concerned", said Mr Fali S Nariman, eminent jurist and President of Bar Association of India. He was speaking on the role of the judiciary at the inauguration of a unique Convention on "Large Infrastructure Projects: Sustainable Development & the Law - Emerging Issues & Concerns" organised by the Confederation of Industry (CII)-ITC Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Development, in collaboration with the Society of Indian Law Firms (SILF) and the Bar Association of India today in New Delhi.
Making a distinction between dispute containment and dispute resolution through arbitration, Mr Nariman cited the example of the Delhi Metro to illustrate his point that arbitration and legal recourse should be the last option where large infrastructure projects are concerned. The first option while drafting arbitration clauses in an agreement should be the meeting of chief executives of all parties involved to preempt misunderstandings. Then, he said, there should be a provision of a Dispute Review Board consisting of expert representatives of all parties, which should meet regularly to hear disputes which are not already resolved earlier and to make recommendations.
If no settlement is achieved, he said, the next stage is to permit parties to resort to a binding system of resolution. Mr Nariman advocated as the next step the formation of a panel of experts comprising members from both technical and legal fields. Unanimous decisions of the panel were to be "final and binding pending final resolution in any subsequent international arbitration".
He expressed happiness on the fact that these steps are being implemented in India, especially in the case of power purchase agreements. "A tiered approach to dispute settlement on BOT projects is preferable to immediate arbitration," Mr Nariman said.
The learned legal luminary went on to define in his inimitable style that simplification of the laws was vital to growth, and that the only way to associate non-lawyers with the lawyers. Today, almost every subject is becoming inter-disciplinary. Therefore, the constant interaction between the legal fraternity and the business community is healthy and helpful, and enables mutual learning. Mr. Nariman expressed his happiness at the Convention since it allowed this kind of interaction.
Earlier, Mr Lalit Bhasin, President of Society of Indian Law Firms and General Secretary of Bar Association of India, co-sponsors of the convention, welcomed the participants and agreed with Mr Nariman on the point that conciliation and mediation are preferable options for resolving issues between involved parties.
In his welcome address, Mr Bhasin while lauding India's growth rate that is in the region of 8 per cent per annum, said that poor infrastructure can cause an obstacle to growth. At the same time, he said that infrastructure development should strike a balance with sustainable development.
Mr Chandrajit Banerjee, Director-General, Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), stressed the importance of infrastructure sector in the growth of the country saying that progress in this sector is what will keep the growth momentum going. He also stressed on the need for sustainable development in large infrastructure projects in view of environmental issues at stake.
He expressed happiness at reforms happening across sectors that are helping infrastructure projects take place across state borders. He also called for more interactions between corporate sector and people from legal field for better understanding and to learn how to take projects ahead. The two broad aspects this Convention was covering were regulations for the economic, environmental and social aspects of development, and the operational impacts of large infrastructure projects.
Mr Banerjee said that many infrastructure projects are held up in country, though most of them were due to procedural issues. He called for new experimentation in the field of public private partnership, or PPP. "Private sector has a role to play in partnership with the government, especially in areas like rural roads, power, drinking water and sanitation," he said.
Other eminent presenters at the Convention included Mr. Suresh Prabhu - MP, Mr. Mohit Saraf of the Luthra & Luthra Law Offices, Mr. R N Sen - MD of NTPC-Alstom Power Services, Mr. Ravi Nath - VP SILF & Senior Partner Rajinder Narain & Co., and others.
New Delhi
July 25, 2008
CII meets outlines sustainable roadmap for core sector growth
Investment drives sustainable development and if it is well-planned, it can help make current economic practices more socially responsible and environment friendly. Faced with the challenges of matching the pace of sustainable development with rising investment opportunities in the country without undermining the needs of society and the environment, policy-makers, industrialists and legal experts met in New Delhi to debate the emerging issues and identify the way forward.
The speakers debated these critical issues at the two-day Convention on "Large Infrastructure Projects: Sustainable Development & the Law - Emerging Issues & Concerns" organised by the Confederation of Industry (CII)-ITC Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Development, in collaboration with the Society of Indian Law Firms (SILF) and the Bar Association of India. The convention was held in New Delhi on July 25-26.
Mega projects like the ultra mega power projects, dams, highways, airports and large construction projects are today the engines for inducing new development paths in India and addressing the economic, social and environmental dimensions of sustainability of these projects was the special theme of the convention.
Participants explored the range of issues that arise between investment, business and sustainable development, including the existing legal structure in the country. For all, however, sustainable development was the way forward and for this there was unanimity that transparency was an essential ingredient. Also, speakers highlighted the weightage that sustainability issues should be given in taking up mega projects, which were today essential for the country's development.
Said Mr Suresh Prabhu, Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha, "We must look at sustainable issues before embarking on any mega projects, $90-billion worth of which are to be implemented under the 11th Five Year Plan."
But, as other speakers noted, the implementation of mega projects in the country today was being affected by rising incidents of land acquisition disputes; lack of rational procedures for determining compensation; an inadequate and poor public consultation process that lacked transparency and participatory approach, and most importantly by severe procedural delays.
Addressing the issue of Environment Impact Assesment (EIA) Mr. Prabhu said "while no project can come up without an EIA, this compliance should not be treated as a hindrance; instead there should be a concerted effort to prepare environment management plans. The laws are in place, it is the implementation that needs attention".
While Mr Mohit Saraf, Senior Partner, Luthra & Luthra Law Offices, was of the firm view that mega projects were essential for meeting India's projected economic growth rate and easing the growing strain on the existing infrastructure, what was needed that "we avoid following a piecemeal approach as that would increase this strain rather than ameliorate it."
For most speakers, mega projects could be sustainable in the long run by an admixture of government initiatives and public-private participation. As Mr Jatin Aneja, Partner, Amarchand & Mangaldas & Suresh A Shroff & Co., noted that there were several PPP models that the government could follow. "These included strategic sale/ privatisation; concession/ long-term lease; management/ service contracts; and limited development or management or access rights."
But, as Mr. Jyoti Sagar, Founder Partner of J Sagar Associates, pointed out that it was not only introducing greater private sector involvement in the project that was important for its successful execution. "It is the role of the other agencies and bodies, both public and private sector, that are involved in indirect project activities that was important." Here, he cited the example of the Bangalore International Airport, the approach road to which was not ready on time even though airport met its scheduled timelines.
Several recommendations emerged from the discussion at the two-day convention, as participants acknowledged that procedural delays were one of the major reasons for derailing mega projects. In this regard, Mr Fali S Nariman, eminent jurist and President of Bar Association of India, pointed out that "dispute containment is the most important thing to save public time and money where large infrastructure projects are concerned. Making a distinction between dispute containment and dispute resolution through arbitration, Mr Nariman cited the example of the Delhi Metro to illustrate his point that arbitration and legal recourse should be the last option where large infrastructure projects are concerned.
Mr Raj Kalady, Managing Director, PMI India, said that "this is an important milestone for project management in India." Accepting and introducing global project management practices could lead to a huge saving of costs and resources adding value to organisations and benefitting the country as a whole.
Focusing on large dams in the North-east, Ms. Krishna Sarma, Managing Partner, Corporate Law Group, said that ensuring public trust and confidence requires that Governments, developers, regulators and operators meet all commitments made for the planning, implementation and operation of dams. Moreover, infrastructural development should be integrated with flood management, canals/command areas development works, watershed management works and so on.
Mr. Raj Lawrence, Vice President, Infrastructure Asia Pte Ltd, Singapore, highlighted the role of the media with regard to infrastructure projects. The media, he said, should educate management teams on environment and sustainability issues, showcase new / innovative technologies, and facilitate exchange of ideas. It was necessary that the media be convinced of the need for infrastructural growth.
Energy was another key focus area. Given that over 90,000 MW of new generation capacity is required in the next seven years with a corresponding investment in transmission and distribution networks, the country needed these projects to come through. Thus, it is critical to examine issues that can help sustain these projects. In this regard, Mr R N Sen, Managing Director, NTPC-ALSTOM Power Services Pvt Ltd, opined that the government should make in mandatory that 5 per cent energy should be produced through renewable sources in all energy producing plants. This was important given the growing environmental constraints and galloping demand for energy.
While stressing that access to electricity is a crucial enabling condition for achieving sustainable development, Mr. K Raja Gopal, Director & CEO, Lanco Anpara Power Pvt Ltd, said the way forward should encompass making all stakeholders partners to growth, a certainty in policies and regulations and effective enforcement of law.
Mr. Satish Jindal, Senior Vice President, JSW Energy Ltd., discussed the regulations on open access to facilitate power trading. Despite transmission capacity constraints, power trading would see a quantum jump, he said with nearly half the power generation capacity coming up in the private sector over the next couple of years being pledged to power traders.
Mr. Amit Kapur, Partner, J Sagar Associates, pointed out that the experiment of the electricity and telecom sectors in establishing industry focused expert regulatory bodies for issues like licensing, rate-making, dispute resolution, establishing and enforcing standards of performance had borne fruit. "A similar mechanism should now be introduced in the oil and gas sector."
Cutting across sectors, participants agreed that to ensure sustainability of the natural resource base, the recognition of all stakeholders and their roles in its protection and management was essential while driving growth. They accepted that today businesses need not follow the conventional path to development with regard to technologies but must use to their advantage the cutting-edge technology options now available to 'leapfrog' the growth process.
New Delhi
July 28, 2008
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2nd India Cleantech Forum : Cleantech Solutions |
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10-11 July 2008, Taj Mahal Hotel, New Delhi |
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India to attract billions for financing Clean Technology innovation for Sustainable Development
Australia & India are on the verge of a great economic partnership said HE John McCarthy, the Australian High Commissioner to India. He was speaking today at the 2nd India Cleantech Forum, in New Delhi. The Confederation of Indian Industry, CII-Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Development and Clean Technology AustralAsia are jointly organising this Forum to identify the challenges and opportunities for accelerating investment, transfer and deployment of Clean-tech in the surging Indian market- arguably the biggest Clean-tech market in the world. Over 30 of the world's experts and leaders in Clean-tech will be presenting vital market knowledge and opportunities for Clean-tech in India during this two day Forum.
Mr McCarthy added that the success of the partnership depends on how we promote growth today to tackle the central issues of Climate Change, Sustainability and Clean Technologies which will be discussed in the forum today. He pointed that India and Australia place climate change and sustainable development at the core of policy issues and that the two nations have collaborated though partnerships like the Asia Pacific Partnership for clean development & climate change, have built a fund for strategic research, and have engaged in other collaborations to build markets for renewable energy and clean technologies. He emphasized that the private sector is a great source of ideas and stressed that visionaries of clean-tech, who are demonstrating care for environment and sustainability need to be provided the right policy setting, accompanied with realignment of regulations, backed with the right political will.
Earlier delivering the Key note address at the inaugural session, Mr. Fred R. Buenrostro, Former Chief Executive Officer of CalPERS; America's largest pension fund, highlighted that asset allocations to clean technologies in emerging markets is on the rise and that emerging economies like India, attracting institutional investors from developed countries like the US, can be the showcase economies relying on renewable energy and clean-tech. He stressed that this is the right time for transformational investments for providing solutions to some of world's biggest challenges like climate change, rising energy costs and rising costs of food.
Presenting the immense growth opportunities in new investment areas of clean technologies and renewable energy like wind technology, solar technology, and bio-fuels amongst others; Mr. Chris Greenwood, Director of New Energy Finance, UK, said that the investments in the clean technology sector will reach a rate of 10 billion USD per week by 2030. He added that many clean technologies require heavy engineering and there is a demand supply gap, raising the prices of these technologies. He stressed that energy infrastructure in developing countries should be based on low cost, decentralized solutions.
Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Dhiraj Nayyar, Senior Assistant Editor, The Financial Express, said that although this is the right time for the industry and policy makers for developing and promoting clean technology, there is a need for greater information dissemination and public awareness on clean technologies in a democracy like India.
Mr. Atul Singh, Chairman, CII National Committee on Environment and President & CEO Coca-Cola India, opened the two day forum, saying that Clean-tech solutions can strike the right balance between environment and development. He said that the forum was timely under the current national & global circumstances especially against the backdrop of India's recently released National Action Plan on Climate Change.
The two day forum, is bringing together over 300 participants representing key political leaders, Clean-tech industry leaders, local government, investors, technology companies and others to discuss "Cleantech Solutions: Financing the Technological Innovation for Sustainable Development in India". The forum features the Cleantech Innovation Showcase of 15 Indian and international companies with commercially proven technologies. These companies are seeking growth capital and partnerships to meet rapid demands for sustainable development in India.
New Delhi
July 10, 2008
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Climate Change : The Journey Ahead |
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Monday, 17 March 2008: Magnolia, India Habitat Centre, New Delhi |
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Implementing good CDM Projects is key to India's development - the Challenges Ahead
"Though Climate Change is a hot topic, and over 950 CDM projects from India are registered with the CDM Executive Board, there is a need for some caution about the steps that are being taken by project proponents, validators and governments", said Mr. RK Sethi, Chairman of the CDM Executive Board, UNFCCC & Director (Climate Change), Ministry of Environment & Forests, Govt. of India. He was speaking at a special interactive event organized by the CII-ITC Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Development with the support of PricewaterhouseCoopers Pvt. Ltd. on the occasion of Mr. Sethi's appointment as the Chairman of the CDM Executive Board in January 2008. Mr. Sethi said there were over 3,000 CDM projects in the project pipeline today, and the Executive Board was keen to grow the momentum. He analysed some CDM projects in India and commented on the need to involve more Small & Medium Enterprises by providing them with proper guidance. He also enlisted some of the key shortcomings, the successes and future directions of CDM projects.
While providing a detailed description of the technical distribution of global CDM projects, Mr. Sethi explained the nuances of the registration process and also how monitoring was becoming more rigorous. DOEs (Designated Operational Entities) are becoming more competent as they go through this learning process, he added, and stressed on the need for collaborative effort on guidance on investment analysis so that no ambiguities remain.
Like in any developing process, Mr. Sethi said that the entire mechanism will evolve as one went forward, and will incorporate new ideas and adapt to new market situations. Being an optimist in his own words, the challenge, he said, was to spread the idea of green, low-carbon economic growth worldwide without creating disruptions. The CDM Executive Board is working hard to bring out a Manual for Verifiers and Validators in the near future to ensure better quality of CDM projects.
Climate change is an all pervasive issue that is engaging everyone's attention and India occupies an important place in the dialogues and activities that are taking place across the world on this issue. To enhance awareness and discuss issues at hand, the CII-ITC Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Development also felicitated Mr. Sethi at the programme. His appointment is a testimony to India's increasing role in the global economy and points to its being at the forefront in initiatives involving Climate Change.
Welcoming the 70 persons attending the event, Mr. S Sandilya, Chairman, CII National Committee on Environment & Chairman of Eicher Group, pointed out that we need debates across the spectrum in order to figure out a way forward on Climate Change. He remarked that India has been actively involved in this debate and is serious about the issue; the country recognizes the fact that it is the fourth largest emitter of Green House Gases (GHGs) in the world and is keen to find ways and means to mitigate the harmful effects of such gases.
Ms Bharti Gupta Ramola, Partner, PricewaterhouseCoopers Pvt. Ltd. addressed the august gathering and mentioned how the issue of GHGs and Climate Change were largely restricted among the scientific community for two decades before Governments started taking these issues seriously. She pointed out that the first CDM project was from India, and currently the government has approved over 890 projects. Though there has been criticism of the quality of projects and lack of standard approach in conducting them, Ms. Gupta Ramola said such problems were being dealt with and commended the Government for excellent facilitation and support and industry bodies like CII for raising awareness among industry. She also pointed out that a wide range of actions were required, for instance, industry needs to adapt to green technologies without affecting its competitiveness and needs to understand the links between unsustainable business practices and potential business risks. She concluded by making a strong case for businesses to adopt and integrate climate change issues into their strategies.
New Delhi
March 17, 2008
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Seminar on Environmental Technology for Sustainable Urban Development |
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4 February 2008, The Taj Mahal Hotel, New Delhi |
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Decouple economic growth from pollution to achieve sustainable growth: Swedish Environment Minister
"Reducing pollution and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions makes sound economic sense. There are many environmental challenges today; climate change is a priority issue for the Swedish Government. India and Sweden are about to sign an MoU in the field of environment; the MoU will be an important tool to facilitate cooperation between the two countries on a variety of issues including sustainable development," said Mr. Andreas Carlgren, Minister for Environment, Sweden, speaking at the Inaugural Session of the Seminar on Environmental Technology for Sustainable Urban Development, jointly organised by the CII-ITC Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Development, the Swedish Embassy in New Delhi and the Swedish Trade Council. "There will be many opportunities to cooperate for the public, civil society, Swedish businesses and academia in the sustainable development of India's urban centres using environmental technologies."
The Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) project for energy from rice husk and other agricultural wastes in Tamil Nadu is an example of this cooperation. Sweden has demonstrated the possibility of high economic growth while decreasing GHG emissions. Since 1972, while Swedens gross national production (GNP) went up by 44%, it lowered its emissions by 9%, he added. This was not easy, and required long-term planning and policies, and use of such tools as district heating, bio-energy and economic instruments (e.g., a carbon tax from the 1990s).
The Minister said the Swedish delegation accompanying him to India consisted of private and public companies, officials from the development cooperation, the Swedish environmental protection agencies and the Swedish Trade Council. He announced a new policy for development cooperation with India covering environment and energy would come in place in 2011 for the next five years. He also announced the "SymbioCity" urban development concept by a network of over 100 consultants, and was holistic, integrated and multi-disciplinary in nature, aiming to minimise resource use and maximise recovery to tackle the social and environmental problems that persists in the rapidly growing urban centres in Asia and Africa.
Mr. Ajay Maken, Minister of State for Urban Development, Government of India said while there was no dearth of resources, India welcomed Swedish cooperation in building capacity of authorities and administrators in managing these resources. He pointed out building capacity of municipalities, to plan and execute sustainable urban development projects, was best led by businesses.
The Minister provided some statistics to lend a perspective of the problem being faced by India. Some 300 million Indians - 30% of India's total - live in urban areas; this was the second largest number in the world. India has 5,100 urban agglomerations, with 300 Class 1 cities / towns; 60% of total urban growth is concentrated here, and are facing intense migration from rural areas. The strain on the urban centres is high since infrastructure is unable to keep pace with the increasing requirements of its inhabitants.
Mr. Maken went on to say that while there was a shortage of 24 million houses in India today, 98% of this shortage is faced by the economically weak of our society. In Delhi, there were 3.3 million houses (2001 census), but 271,000 were vacant and 30% of the population lived in slums. Another major problem faced in urban areas was related to water. With 340 Lpcd (L per capita per day), Delhi still had acute water shortage while cities like Munich (132 Lpcd), Singapore (162 Lpcd) and Hong Kong (172 Lpcd) had water round the clock. He also said though 21% of Delhis surface area was made up of roads, every year 300,000 new vehicles were added since the public transport system was poor.
Introducing 'SymbioCity', Mr. Fredrik Fexe, Trade Commissioner, Swedish Trade Council, Embassy of Sweden in New Delhi, said that the future challenges of urbanisation were huge. By 2030, 60% of world's population will live in urban areas; up from 37% in 1970 and 50% in 2007. Rapid urbanisation led to waste, depletion of natural resources and air pollution. Mr Fexe advocated partnerships between different agencies and stakeholders to tackle this challenge. Public-private partnerships, engagement of universities and research institutions for new solutions, could identify and create synergies between various urban management issues such as waste, air, water, energy, transport, and housing. Such an approach enabled Sweden to lower its oil consumption by 90% from the levels in 1972.
Earlier, welcoming the 150-strong audience consisting of industry, government, civil society, academia and media, Mr. V K Mathur - Chairman & Managing Director, Inapex Limited, identified Sweden as a country that had managed its environment well. The problem of environment goes beyond energy that could be resolved through sources of technology, collaboration, and building brand equity. Sweden is a key source for India looking for long-term solutions to its environmental and urban development problems. Mr Mathur called upon Swedish counterparts to advise Indian public and private sector on ways to design and implement projects that also addressed social and political dynamics. Specific to urban transport, he suggested that the solution was in creating large corporate structures to provide transport solutions as against leaving it to small entrepreneurs.
Sweden's Ambassador to India, Mr. Lars-Olof Lindgren, offered the vote of thanks.
Other presenters later in the sessions in the technical session included Mr. Ravi Khanna (CEO - Moser Baer Photovoltaic Ltd.), Dr. Anders Nordstrom - ABB, Mr. Carl-Arne Lilliehook - Usitall, Mr. Christer Sundberg - MRT System International, Mr. Frederik Morsing - Scania and Mr. Christer Ojdemark - Envac.
New Delhi
04 February 2008
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Summit Press Release
2nd Sustainability Summit: Asia 2007, Partnerships for Action |
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11 - 12 December 2007, ITC Hotel Maurya, New Delhi |
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People's participation key to sustainable development: Pranab Mukherjee
India to design its own development plans
"To sustain our projected GDP growth rate of 9% we require energy, and our per capita energy consumption is less than a third of the global average. A rapid increase in energy use is imperative to realise our national development goals and the Millenium Development Goals. India is not a big contributor of Green House Gases (GHGs); India's per capita GHG emissions are around a quarter of the global average", said Union External Affairs Minister Mr. Pranab Mukherjee delivering the Inaugural address at the 2nd Sustainability Summit: Asia 2007 organised by the CII-ITC Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Development in partnership with Development Alternatives and the Ministry of Environment & Forests, and the Australian Government as the partner country. "In aggregate terms, India with 17% of the world's population has only 4% of the world's emissions. While economic growth over the last five years has been around 9%, India's commercial energy consumption has only grown by under 4%. India is determined to ensure our GHG emissions will not increase beyond those of industrialised countries."
The Indian development canvas is gargantuan, and the achievement of the objectives will require efforts for resource mobilisation, investment of infrastructure, improved allocative efficiency of resources, investment in social sectors and people's participation.
Democratic governance, active civil society and media, and devolution of power to states, makes for a compact between the state and the people, constituting the most enduring partnership for sustainable development, he added.
The social and environmental challenges facing the world in the 21st century are so complex and multi-dimensional that they can be solved only if the government, industry and NGOs work together, Mr. Mukherjee said. Some people equate sustainable development with environmental protection; this is only a third of the truth. Equally important are the pillars of economic and social development. India's approach to sustainable development was shaped by Indira Gandhi, who had launched a global debate on the relationship between poverty alleviation, economic growth and environmental conservation.
In 2006, the government adopted the National Environment Policy that mainstreams environmental concerns into development. "The most effective way of doing this is to ensure that people benefit more from conservation than from resource degradation," the Minister said. Citing examples of adoption of demand side management by industry, and the Energy Efficiency Code for Buildings by the government shows our national priorities.
The need today is to have greater R&D on resource endowments and transfer of advanced clean technologies to developing countries in a cost-effective manner, Mr. Mukherjee said. The existing IPR and technology denial regimes must go, he added, with collaborative R&D between industrialised and developing countries. Recognising the common threat of climate change to our SAARC region, the SAARC Declaration on Climate Change was adopted 4 days ago; it deals with resources to tackle climate change without detracting from development funds, transfer of environment-friendly technologies, equitable burden-sharing and binding GHG emission reduction commitments by developed countries.
India is now Australia's fastest growing export market; most of these exports are energy and minerals. If India's growth is to be sustainable, it will be need investment and resource flows which include low-carbon energy technologies, said the Australian High Commissioner to India, Mr. John McCarthy. This Summit allows us to explore how these challenges are to be solved. A few days ago the new Australian government ratified the Kyoto Protocol, and Australia shall reduce GHG emissions by 60% on 2000 levels by 2050. The Asia Pacific Partnership on Clean Development and Climate offers itself as a constructive vehicle for mutual benefit. Australia brings to the table expertise in mining, food security and water management, and would look forward to economic relationship with India akin to that with Japan, China and Korea.
Markets, as they stand today, do not provide any discernable encouragement or support to corporate action for sustainable development. Investors will follow where consumers go; the Government of India may like to support the development of a "CSR Sustainability Trustmark" which will enable consumers to make an informed choice, said the Chairman of the Advisory Council of the CII-ITC Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Development and Chairman of ITC Ltd., Mr. Y C Deveshwar, as he welcomed the participants at the Summit. While the government could exercise a preference in their procurements, banks and financial institutions could ask for voluntary disclosures in their lending evaluations. The CII-ITC Centre of Excellence is emerging as a leading force in promoting sustainable industrial development, and is a fountainhead of new ideas and practices.
The challenge today is to pack centuries of progress into decades of development today, said Chairman, Development Alternatives - Mr. Ashok Khosla, as he summed up the inaugural session. The mantra today is "business as unusual", and move away from being copycats to adopting leapfrog solutions and technologies.
The CII-ITC Centre provides expert resources to Indian industry on sustainability best practices, researches Sustainable Development relevant to industry, focusses on SMEs and large corporations and provides advisory services on management, policies and practices of corporate sustainability. The two-day Summit intends to create an enabling platform for stakeholders in Asia to foster a better balance among the basic prerequisites of sustainable development: social equity, environmental quality and economic efficiency.
Among the prominent speakers who will address sessions at the Summit are Thiru A. Raja [Union Minister of Communications & IT], Mr. Dhruv Sawhney [Chairman & MD, Triveni Engineering & Industries Ltd.], Mr. V. Subramanian [Secretary, Ministry of New & Renewable Energy], Mr. John Davison [Economic Minister Counsellor, American Embassy], Mr. Mark Lee [CEO, SustainAbility Ltd.], Dr. Mangala Rai [Secretary DARE & Director-General, ICAR], Mr. Arun Maira [Chairman, Boston consulting Group India Pvt. Ltd.], Mr. Georg Kell [Executive Director, UN Global Compact], Mr. S. Sandilya [Chairman, Eicher Group], Prof. David Brereton [Foundation Director, Centre for Social Responsibility in Mining, University of Queensland], Mr. M S Mehta [CEO, Hindustan Zinc Ltd.], Mr. Nik Senapati [Managing Director, Rio Tinto India Private Limited], Mr. Ravi Singh [CEO & Secretary General, WWF-India], Mr. N K Singh [Dy. Chairman, Planning Commission, Bihar govt.], Dr. Subir Gokarn [Chief Economist, S&P's Asia Pacific & CRISIL] and others.
New Delhi
11 December, 2007
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Awards Press Release
CII-ITC Sustainability Awards 2007 |
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12 December 2007, ITC Hotel Maurya, New Delhi |
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Sustainability Awards will create Role Models of Excellence Society is the Real "Winner"
"The Sustainability Awards 2007 marks the celebration of innovative ideas and new approaches to conduct business for the purpose of enabling sustainability, and the Government of India supports such initiatives which combine sustainable growth with excellence leading to enhancing the quality of life of people", said Thiru A Raja, India's Minister of Communications and Information Technology, while addressing the large gathering at the 2nd Sustainability Awards Presentation Ceremony where he was the Chief Guest. "I hope they will also create role models, and promote sharing of knowledge and skills for the growth of our country in a sustainable way," he added.
Congratulating all those whose achievements are being celebrated, the Minister said there was a need for companies to contribute to the solution-making agenda. He applauded the CII-ITC Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Development for establishing the Awards, which he agreed would help companies achieve their social responsibility goals. Thiru Raja added that in the ultimate analysis society as a whole was the real winner, and investment in people was an economic necessity rather than a social cost. He stressed that long-term economic success could neither be at the cost of environment, nor if parts of society were excluded from the benefits. Though sustainability was tough to define, creation of a fairer society and cleaner environment could create more jobs and help in economic growth also. Finally, the Minister exhorted companies to participate whole-heartedly in the next years Awards and emulate the achievements of the winners of 2007.
Welcoming the Minister, CII Past President, Chairman of CII-ITC Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Development Advisory Council, and Chairman of ITC Ltd. Mr. Y C Deveshwar emphasised the fact that Thiru Raja had played a pivotal role in promoting sustainability in his earlier tenure as India's Minister for Environment & Forests. The previous two days at the Sustainability Summit was witness to several examples of sustainability in practice. Today, there is greater awareness in the corporate world about the need to contribute to societal development. He explained how the CII-ITC Sustainability Awards recognised companies who had measures in place, and inspired others to mainstream sustainability. The Awards would enhance corporate reputation and public trust, feed into building brand value and public positioning of companies.
This year 81 companies - 44% more than last year - submitted Applications of Intent to participate from sectors as diverse as mining & metallurgy, chemical / petrochemical & pharmaceutical, engineering, power & energy, agriculture, textiles, hospitality and others. The CII-ITC Centre designed and developed a stringent assessment methodology based on the business excellence model of the European Foundation for Quality Management for assessing the sustainability performance with the help of 25 trained assessors over six months. With 4 levels of recognition in place, the Awards cater to small, medium and large enterprises as well as independent operating units. The Awards Jury consisting of 9 luminaries headed by Dr. R A Mashelkar reviewed the assessment and named the winners.
Wrapping up, the Director-General of CII Lt. Gen (Retd.) S.S. Mehta said the importance of the CII-ITC Awards could not be understated. It was a privilege to acknowledge the vision of Mr. Deveshwar and the sacrifice made by ITC in establishing these awards. He expressed hope the Awards would go on to create a mass movement of thousands of participants and hundreds of winners in the near future.
Representatives of the winning organisations for the Sustainability Awards 2007 received the recognition in sequence, as per the levels of recognition, from the Honourable Minister. The levels of recognition, names of the winners and a brief description of each are listed.
- Commendation for Strong Commitment to Excel in Medium Business Category: SONA KOYO STEERING SYSTEMS LTD.
With a market share of 50% Sona Koyo Steering Systems Ltd. is the largest manufacturer of steering gears in India. The companys turnover and operating profits have shown consistent positive trend in the last three years, and allocates 1% of its turnover towards environmental and social development. The company has adopted a collaborative approach with institutions to develop new products and achieve leadership position in the market. The company has initiated greening of its supply chain, and has systems to reduce environmental impacts of packaging by re-use and re-cycling. The organisation helps to develop skills in the local community and creates jobs for economically disadvantaged sections of society through its initiatives such as setting up and supporting an ITI.
Mr. P V PRABHU PARRIKER - Chief Corporate Affairs.
- Commendation for Strong Commitment to Excel in Large Business Category: STERLITE INDUSTRIES INDIA LTD.
Sterlite Industries India Ltd., incorporated in 1975, is a 70.5%-owned subsidiary of Vedanta Resources Plc and the largest custom copper smelter of India. It manufactures copper cathodes of 99.99% purity. In the last 3 years its turnover increased by 300%, profit after tax by 736% and market capitalisation by 333%. Sterlite maintains a low conversion cost through several strategic measures, and the London Metals Exchange recognises its product quality. Sterlite has invested over Rs. 2,000 million for environmental protection; some initiatives are commissioning of a secured landfill for its hazardous wastes, afforestation programmes in partnership with state Forest department, and Reverse Osmosis plant to treat effluents. It focuses on women, children and youth in its bottom-up approach to community development activities in education, health, sports and community welfare, and has won the British Safety Council Award for 2 years in succession.
Mr. PRASAD SURYA RAO - Associate Vice President (Operations & Projects).
- Commendation for Strong Commitment to Excel in Medium Business Category: THE ORCHID - AN ECOTEL HOTEL.
The Orchid an Ecotel Hotel owned by Kamat Hotels, established in 1986, is Asia's first certified eco-friendly five-star hotel. It won several accolades for its achievements in the last 3 years, and achieved consistent improvement in its turnover and operating profits of about 100%, and profit after tax of 500%. The leadership has demonstrated brand building on the platform of environmental ethics, and has created a green supply chain for eco-friendly items sourced from over 500 suppliers who are treated as partners. The organisation implements initiatives to promote inclusive growth. The Orchid utilises several architectural and design features in its construction that exert lower environmental impact than in conventional hotels, including the type of cement, water conservation devices, energy conservation in air conditioning, and various targets to reduce resource use.
Mr. VITHAL KAMAT - Chairman & Managing Director, Kamat Hotels (India) Ltd.
- Commendation for Strong Commitment to Excel in Large Business Category: JUBILANT ORGANOSYS LTD.
Established in 1978 the company is in the business of pharmaceuticals & life science chemicals, performance polymers, industrial products and agrochemicals. It has increased its installed capacity over the years, demonstrates commitment to the triple bottom line, and is one of the few Indian companies to release a sustainability report using GRI Guidelines. Jubilant has reported improving trends for turnover, profit after tax, earnings per share and net worth. The annual strategy meet reviews its sustainability performance, sets targets for future and its R&D has led to introduction of several new products. Initiatives to enable livelihood in the neighbouring community are in place. It implements a Jubilant Promise, allocates resources to implement all its initiatives.
MR. ASHOK GHOSE - Chief (Environment, Health & Safety).
- Commendation for Strong Commitment to Excel in Independent Business Unit: VADODARA LIGHT FACTORY - a Unit of PHILIPS ELECTRONICS INDIA LTD.
The plant was taken over by Philips in 2002, and is in the business of manufacturing glass shell, glass tubes for lamps, general lighting service electric lamp, fluorescent tube lights and high-intensity discharge lamps. The company has reported increasing turnover and inventory in the last 3 years. The Unit follows the Philips Business Excellence Model and Philips Survey Tool for manufacturing excellence. Funds from its turnover are allocated to environmental and community development initiatives. The Unit has switched over to dry processes and the use of lead-free glass. By implementing the Ecovision environmental action programme the Unit has succeeded in reducing its specific water consumption, and mercury emissions and enhanced the recovery of mercury. It conducts supplier sustainability audits, and has zero tolerance on work place social issues for its suppliers. The parent company Philips has been publishing a GRI-based Sustainability Report for the past several years.
MR. RAMANJIT SINGH - Plant Director, Vadodara Light Factory.
- Commendation for Significant Achievement in Large Business Category: JSW STEEL LTD.
Established in 1995 with an annual capacity of 3.8 million tons of cold steel, JSW Steel is India's fastest growing integrated steel plant and aims to achieve 10 million tons by 2010. Its turnover exceeded Rs. 7,600 crores and PAT exceeded Rs. 1,200 crores in the last financial year. JSW Steel's Environmental Policy is integrated with those for Quality and OHS. It has adopted modern, environment-friendly and energy-efficient technologies such as the Corex process. The company shows a high rate of waste utilisation, plantations of 12 lakhs trees, and conserves resources through initiatives like pelletisation of iron ore fines, and has invested Rs. 500 crores in pollution control equipment. The two captive power plants have led to the registration of CDM projects. The community initiatives are conducted through JSW Foundation, and it established the Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Steel Technology and provides wholesome diet to 19,000 school children.
Mr. B GURURAJ - Associate Vice President (Total Quality Management).
- Commendation for Significant Achievement in Medium Business Category: THE TINPLATE COMPANY OF INDIA LTD.
Established in 1920 at Jamshedpur, it manufactures electrolytic tin plate, tin-free steel and cold-rolled coils with an annual turnover of Rs. 450 crores. It has 40 % of the tin plate market share, and operates at 140% of capacity. In the last decade the company's operations increased three-fold and domestic market share doubled. Setting up a Solutions Centre helped Tinplate expand its customer base. The company has a well-established TPM system. Recent initiatives include setting up of a boiler with electro-static precipitator, an acid regeneration plant, reduction in specific raw material consumption and using wastewater recycling in its expansion project. Tinplate implements customer satisfaction surveys, corporate responsibility index and Tata Business Excellence Model to improve its customer satisfaction ratings. There have been no strikes for the last 25 years. It deploys community initiatives in health care, civic amenities and employee volunteering.
MR. UJJWAL KUMAR - General Manager (Human Resources Management).
- Commendation for Significant Achievement in Large Business Category: NATIONAL THERMAL POWER CORPORATION LTD.
With an installed capacity of 23,749 MW NTPC Ltd. is among the world's top 10 thermal power generators. Established in 1975 the Navratna PSU is now an integrated power company, diversifying into hydel and nuclear power, coal mining, oil & gas, and power trading and distribution, and expects to generate 47,000 MW by 2012. NTPC has achieved consistent improvement in turnover, PAT, net worth, market capitalisation and EPS in the last 3 years. It has developed new products and services in partnership with leading national and global R&D institutions, and also implemented initiatives to improve its environmental performance such as utilisation of fly-ash exceeding the regulatory requirements, adoption of super-critical technology in upcoming power projects, diversifying into hydro-power projects and renewable energy sources and developing CDM projects. It uses satellite mapping to monitor the positive impacts of forestry projects. The company undertakes community development initiatives related to education, health, infrastructure, rural sports, water management and indirect employment creation, as a result of which the standard of living index in the villages around the plants has improved.
Mr. T SANKARALINGAM Chairman & Managing Director.
- Sustainability Prize in Independent Business Unit: BHILAI STEEL PLANT - a unit of SAIL
Established in 1959, it is a 9,000-acre flagship unit of SAIL and is the sole producer of long rails and heavy steel plates in India. With a turnover of Rs.11,309 crores, it achieved over 18 consecutive years of profit and is certified to ISO 9001, ISO 14001, OHSAS 18001 and SA 8000. The best SAIL plant in terms of production cost has improved resource use efficiency for iron, coal, energy and water. Development of 194 ancillaries, running 51 schools and supporting 1,327 teachers has led to creation of employment opportunities. The company has implemented projects like 75% waste utilisation, fly-ash for cement plant, air cooling of slag and recycling of flue gases. BSP has had no strikes for the last 30 years, and has focussed on building community through education, sports, culture, medical, housing facilities in 136 villages in 5 districts in Chhattisgarh. It is the first PSU to come out with a Sustainability Report based on the GRI Guidelines for the year 2004-2005.
MR. R. RAMARAJU - Managing Director.
- Sustainability Prize in Large Business Category: TATA STEEL LTD.
The flagship company of the Tatas and India's largest integrated iron & steel plant with annual capacity of 5 million tons of steel, Tata Steel is now the 6th largest steel producer in the world with the acquisition of Corus. World Steel Dynamic, USA adjudged it the best steel plant globally in 2006 for the 3rd consecutive time. The Tata Code of Conduct, Tata Business Excellence Model and creating a post of Ethics Counsellor demonstrate the efforts of the company to be ethical and transparent. It is India's first steel company to introduce customer value management and retail value management. The company deploys clean technologies to reduce consumption of raw material, water, energy and greenhouse gas emissions. The company also utilises tools like LCA and has CDM projects. It has been a trend-setter for its social & community development initiatives, has separate policies for HR, CSR and HIV / AIDS, and has adopted du Pont Safety system. It links its social impacts to key performance indicators of managers, and has set up a subsidiary JUSCO to provide civic facilities to the steel city. The company has innumerable projects under community services covering public health, in addition to the Tata Main Hospital. Tata Steel is the only company in India which has published a Corporate Sustainability Report as per the GRI Guidelines for the last 6 years.
MR. CHANAKYA CHAUDHARY - Chief Resident Executive, Delhi.
The highest category of the CII-ITC Sustainability Awards - "The Role Model Trophy" has not been given to any company this year, as decided by the distinguished jury.
New Delhi
12 December, 2007
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1st Business Leaders Programme on Strategies and Leadership for Creating Sustainable Organisations |
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10-14 August 2007, ITC Hotel The Mughal, Agra |
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Climate Change, HIV / AIDS: Major 'Sustainability Challenges Today'
"The Base of Pyramid and its Learning Laboratories are a novel approach to implementing the triple bottom line by businesses via partnership with partners from civil society organisations," said Professor Stuart Hart, the Samuel C. Johnson Chair in Sustainable Global Enterprise of the Johnson School at Cornell University while delivering the first keynote presentation on the third day of the first Business Leaders Programme: Strategies and Leadership for Creating Sustainable Organisations at Agra by the CII-ITC Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Development (CII CESD) in partnership with the Indian Institute of Management - Bangalore from August 10-14, 2007 at Agra. The day's theme was "Strategic Issues Management & Leadership", and the batch of thirty participants includes senior business leaders from about twenty companies.
Prof. Hart started by mentioning that incremental adaptation of existing products and business models are not ways to implement the Bottom-of-Pyramid approach. On the contrary, what were needed were new, low-cost systems that are built and developed upwards from the ground, and partnerships that led to co-creation of value. The Learning Laboratories around the world - and now in India - were led by companies, and delivered new was to grow their business.
The participants were taken through the case study of Nike and its "world shoe" project. The points being made were how big companies who - despite having lot of resources - were unable to implement their vision in emerging and low-income markets like China since they had failed to reach out to the local people and engage with them to identify their needs. This pointed to the need for two complementary strategies for low income markets: a "Middle-of-Pyramid" approach as well as a "Bottom-of-Pyramid" approach. This reflected an imperative to go beyond existing business structures that operate in the "discovery" mode by switching to a "co-creation" mode and inventing new, low-cost systems.
The other key presenters of the day were Mr. Ravi Agarwal - Executive Director of Toxics Links (NGO), Mr. Subodh Bhargava - Past President of CII & Chairman of VSNL, Dr. Prodipto Ghosh - former Secretary at India's Ministry of Environment & Forests and Distinguished Fellow at TERI, and Mr. Arun Maira - Chairman of Boston Consulting Group India Pvt. Ltd.
Mr. Agarwal dwelled on the perspective of civil society organisations and how they and companies deal with each other. He went on to list some popular misconceptions, the challenge of working together and show how companies need civil society organisations as strategic partners in their initiatives. However, companies are not serious about key sustainability issues, and current dialogue patterns do not seem to lead to constructive engagement.
Mr. Bhargava emphasised the leadership role companies and industry bodies such as CII were playing as far as creating awareness on HIV / AIDS is concerned. Though India has the dubious distinction of having the third highest numbers of persons afflicted by HIV / AIDS after South Africa and Nigeria, the government, industry and the NGOs were working together to design and implement a preventive strategy for India.
Dr. Ghosh remarked that while everybody liked to talk about climate change, very few people actually did anything about it. Further, natural climate variability was commonly mistaken for anthropogenic climate change. He then switched focus to the Clean Development Mechanism projects and how the government of India was playing a leading role in promoting it. If all the 674 projects approved by the Indian government (as of July 2007) were to be implemented there would be an annual reduction of 409 million CERs - equivalent to 40% of India's aggregate emissions - and implying an investment of Rs. 60,000 crores. He listed some of the challenges for India; 11% of the total fiscal expenditure by India in the last year was due to natural variability in climate, equivalent to 2.7% of Indias GDP, and hence, huge.
Professor Stuart Hart is one of the world's leading authorities on the implications of sustainable development for business strategy, and has published over 50 papers and authored the seminal article "Beyond Greening: Strategies for a Sustainable World", which won the McKinsey Award for Best Article in Harvard Business Review. The other lead faculty at the programme is Mr. John Elkington - Chief Entrepreneur of the London-based organisation SustainAbility - and author of the now-famous term "triple bottom line".
The programme provides a forum to discuss the different innovative and proactive approaches for managing sustainability issues and help to mainstream corporate sustainability. It is also expected that the programme will inspire business leaders to lead the necessary transformations within their organisations and beyond, who can thus help business, and ultimately society become sustainable.
Agra
12 August, 2007
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1st Business Leaders Programme on Strategies and Leadership for Creating Sustainable Organisations |
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10-14 August 2007, ITC Hotel The Mughal, Agra |
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Corporate Sustainability: Indian Businesses Poised to Go "Beyond Greening"
"Sustainability is as foreign a concept to managers in capitalist societies as profits are to managers in the former Soviet Union". These were the words used by Professor Stuart Hart, the Samuel C. Johnson Chair in Sustainable Global Enterprise of the Johnson School at Cornell University, quoting William Ruckelshaus, CEO - Browning Ferris. He was delivering the opening keynote presentation at the first Business Leaders Programme: Strategies and Leadership for Creating Sustainable Organisations at Agra by the CII-ITC Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Development (CII CESD) in partnership with the Indian Institute of Management - Bangalore from August 10-14, 2007 at Agra.
Prof. Stuart Hart started the day with a reference to the internationally-acclaimed Oscar-winning film "An Inconvenient Truth" screened the previous evening while setting the context for the programme. The film by the former US Vice-President Al Gore succeeded in drawing attention to the twin concerns of climate change and global warming as related to developmental issues. The batch of thirty participants includes senior business leaders from about twenty organisations.
Prof. Hart traced the evolution of the Road to a Sustainable Enterprise from the mid-1940s to present day through periods of "obligation", "opportunity" and "re-orientation" by companies. He stressed on the role taken by companies in "greening" their operations through pollution prevention and product stewardship, both being parts of "eco-efficiency". The leading businesses in the world have succeeded in going "beyond greening" by adopting clean technologies and "base-of-pyramid" approaches under "eco-effectiveness", as opposed to eco-efficiency which is all about doing current things in a less negative way. Indian businesses are equipped to take a leadership position in the world to go "beyond greening".
The essence of sustainability was presented by him using a simple analogy: though the Industrial Revolution solved a lot of problems for humanity, it actually ended up creating several new ones. Extending the logic to businesses, sustainability is about solving problems that are more significant than the new problems that get created. While the "diagnosis" of problems is correctly being done, the prescribed course of action usually lacked a clear purpose. "Borders between capitalism and socialism are now blurred", he went on to say. Conventional corporate social responsibility is different from a sustainable enterprise, which has been able to integrate the "triple bottom line" in its business strategies.
The other key presenters of the day were Dr. Nik Senapati - Vice-President and MD of Rio Tinto India Pvt. Ltd. and Mr. S K Jain - Executive Director of Bhilai Steel Plant, SAIL. They shared the experiences of their companies in the journey towards excellence in sustainability performance at the global and national level, respectively. The good practices and the leadership role played by their companies elicited strong support from the participants.
Professor Stuart Hart is one of the world's leading authorities on the implications of sustainable development for business strategy, and has published over 50 papers and authored the seminal article "Beyond Greening: Strategies for a Sustainable World", which won the McKinsey Award for Best Article in Harvard Business Review. The other lead faculty at the programme is Mr. John Elkington - Chief Entrepreneur of the London-based organisation SustainAbility - and author of the now-famous term "triple bottom line".
The programme provides a forum to discuss the different innovative and proactive approaches for managing sustainability issues and help to mainstream corporate sustainability. It is also expected that the programme will inspire business leaders to lead the necessary transformations within their organisations and beyond, who can thus help business, and ultimately society become sustainable.
Agra
11 August, 2007
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1st India Cleantech Forum |
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3rd August 2007, ITC Hotel Maurya, New Delhi |
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Tax Sops for Investment in Renewables and Clean Technologies on Cards: Secretary MNRE
Investment in India - part of the solution for sustainable development: Uday Khemka
The government is planning tax breaks and other incentives to promote investment in the renewable energy sector in India. Urging the Indian industry to take full advantage of the incentives offered, Mr V Subramanian, Secretary, Ministry of New & Renewable Energy said there was a need for professional investment in the sector. He was speaking at the first India Cleantech Forum "Cleantech Solutions for Sustainable Development: Meeting the Challenges and Opportunities" organized by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) in partnership with CleanTech AustralAsia here on Friday. He took pride in mentioning that India was the only country to have a separate Ministry to look after New & Renewable Energy.
Stressing on the need for a positive shift in government policies in facilitating investment, Mr Subramanian urged the CII to create a database of professionals including investors in the renewable energy (RE) sector to facilitate networking among stakeholders. "This", he said, "will promote more and easier investment in clean technology." Furthermore, there was a need to promote the infrastructure for the growth of RE, and explore innovative hybrid RE solutions. CII was encouraged to promote RE as its own corporate social responsibility (CSR).
Unlike the IT industry, the RE sector depended on regulatory clearances for investment, he added, and stressed on the need for a shift in government thinking. Highlighting an example where the government policy on feed-in-tariff system led to more investment in the wind energy, he suggested such a policy be in place for investment in solar energy. Also, the focus on solar energy at rural areas in the past had stifled investments.
Earlier, speaking in the inaugural session Mr Uday Khemka, Vice-Chairman of the London-based Sun Group, said this was a pivotal moment in the economic history, and the time was ripe to take the Kyoto Protocol to the next level. While touting the example of China becoming the leading greenhouse gas emitter in the next 18 months, he urged the governments, especially the US, to speed up climate change related legislation. He said the impact of climate change included de-glacial effects, coastal flooding and shifts in monsoon patterns offered investment opportunities for businesses.
Mr. Khemka pointed out that technology and innovation had a crucial role in maintaining energy efficiency, which was reflected via reducing the energy and carbon intensities. He stressed on the needs for an enabling policy framework and capital including incentives to encourage investment in clean technologies. In the context of addressing the twin challenges of poverty and meeting the energy demand in rural India, he said there were several opportunities, and his company has committed several millions. India was increasingly becoming a part of the solution, and not contributing to the problem.
Speaking on Mobilising International Institutional Capital into Innovative Indian Funds, Mr Dusty Wunderlich, Vice President, Investment Banking, ARVCO Capital, USA said there was ample opportunities in the emerging markets for the international business community to invest in India. His company was committed to facilitating investment in India, and cited the examples of Geothermal Heat Pump (Enlink) and Green Building Materials (GigaCrete) as options for consideration. To exemplify this, he stated his company had hiked the investment in clean technologies from US$ 350 mn in pre-2000 days to US$ 2.5 mn in 2006.
Earlier, welcoming the speakers on behalf of CII, Mr Shyam Bang, Executive Director, Jubilant Organosys Ltd, said the use of clean technology has become imperative in an age where we are stretching the earths limited resources, leading to serious environmental problems. This offered great business opportunities for companies to invest in renewable energy technologies.
Ms Anita M George, Chief Investment Officer, South Asia, IFC said India was a key market for cleantech investment which could be gauged from the fact that IFC made its largest investment of $ 1 billion last year in India. She said IFC has come out with a module to guide municipalities in energy management which would help them save 20-30% energy. In his address on The Cleantech Market in India - Investment Trends, Opportunities and Risks, Mr Somak Ghosh, President, Corporate Finance, Yes Bank, said the RE sector offered investment opportunities for commercial banks.
The one-day event was attended by over 250 persons representing industry, government departments, academia, civil society and media persons from nearly 10 countries. The sessions covered a diverse range of themes including Global Challenges and the Need for Innovative Cleantech Solutions, Making India an Emerging Destination for Cleantech Investing, case studies on Investment Opportunities in India, Innovative Finance & Investment and Removing Barriers and Implementing Solutions. Other key presenters included the CEO of Clean Technology Australasia - Mr. Jeffrey Castellas, Director of Renewable Energy Partnerships of the Department of Environment & Water Resources, Govt. of Australia - Mr. John Jende, CEO of Grundfos Pumps India Ltd. - Mr. N K Ranganath and CMD of IREDA - Mr. Debashish Majumdar.
New Delhi
August 03, 2007
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Sustainability Summit: Asia-2006 'Promoting Excellence for the Sustainable Development' |
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19-20 December 2006: ITC Hotel Maurya
Sheraton & Towers,New Delhi |
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Innovative partnerships key to sustainable development India's development goals more ambitious than MDGs
 "Some of India's development goals in the Eleventh Five Year Plan are more ambitious than the Millennium Development Goals. The country will increase its forest cover to 33 percent by 2012," said Union Minister for Environment & Forests Thiru A Raja. He was speaking at the first Sustainability Summit: Asia 2006 organised by the CII - ITC Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Development and Development Alternatives in partnership with the Ministry of Environment and Forest.
 The government will initiate action for the protection and conservation of forests incorporating community-based forest management practices and stress the greater involvement of women in managing natural resources, Mr. Raja Policy 2001, keeping sustainable development in mind, said the state's Minister for Steel & Mines and Planning & Coordination, Padmanabha Behera. Orissa aims for 10 percent growth in its GDP by the end of the 11th Plan. "We aim to be a zero deficit state by 2010." Orissa has signed MoUs worth over Rs 165,000 crore in the steel sector and another Rs 50,000 crore in alumina. It also anticipates an investment of over Rs 400,000 crore in the IT sector.
Sustainable development has to be incentivised to be acceptable to the largest section of society, said Chairman of the Population and Community Development Programme in Thailand Mechai Viravaidya. This can be achieved by "thinking out of the box" as was done in Thailand for population control and HIV/AIDS prevention. Women have a key role to play in this.
 The result has been startling; in 2005 it was estimated that for every $1 spent on preventing HIV/AIDS, the country saved $43 in treatment costs; it saved 7.7 million lives and $18 billion in costs, he said. "We need innovative solutions for sustainable development through partnerships. The changing world necessitates that followers of yesterday become the leaders of tomorrow." concerned. Current 'efficient' production systems have an adverse impact on the environment because they externalise costs, he said.
For sustainable development, different stakeholders have to play their roles effectively. The government has to make policies, rules, standards, enforcement and support innovation. Business should promote corporate social responsibility while business associations should advocate better policies and standards.
Civil societys role is to act as watchdog, identify alternatives and innovate.
 The Asian economy is growing at 7 percent per annum, against a global average of 4.3 percent, said Chairman of the advisory council of CII-ITC Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Development, Y C Deveshwar. Despite that, two-thirds of the world's poor live in Asia and 300 million of them are in India. Growth that can remove poverty has to be environmentally sustainable, which is possible only through partnerships within and between countries.
The CII-ITC Centre provides expert resources to Indian industry on sustainability best practices, researches Sustainable Development relevant to industry, focusses on SMEs and large corporations and provides advisory ervices on management, policies and said. Currently, the government owns 65 percent of the forests in India while 27 percent are owned by communities. Just 8 percent are owned privately.
This year, the government approved the National Environment Policy that mainstreams environmental concerns into development. "We have begun to attach importance to the sustainability of production processes and consumption patterns," the Minister said.
This underlines the need to incorporate the costs associated with the degradation and depletion of natural resources into economic decisions. These costs should not be passed on to other sections of society or to future generations, Mr. Raja said. India has one of the fastest growing economies and is home to some of its poorest communities, Mr Raja said. The Ministrys programmes are firmly guided by the principles of sustainable development and the enhancement of well-being. "The conservation of Indias natural resources and their planned utilisation is the prime focus of the government."
 Orissa aims at rapid economic development based on the State Industrial Long-term resource use planning and financial measures that incorporate the ecological and social costs of business are necessary for sustainable development, said Member, UN High Level Advisory Board on Sustainable Development, Prof. Emil Salim. Ecological sustainability is the sum of social sustainability, poverty alleviation and economic sustainability. This can be achieved through three-way partnerships between the government, private sector and civil society.
Indias ecological footprint is now 1.2, said Chairman, Development Alternatives, Ashok Khosla. "We are using 20 percent more than what is being produced by the land. By 2030, we will need another two Indias. We need to change consumption patterns and mindsets to manage this challenge." This change can be achieved through investments, longer time horizons, technology-led solutions and greater accountability on the part of all
practices of corporate sustainability. The two-day Summit intends to create an enabling platform for stakeholders in Asia to foster a better balance among the basic prerequisites of sustainable development:
social equity, environmental quality and economic efficiency.
Among the prominent speakers who will address sessions at the Summit are Mr. B J Panda, Member of Parliament Rajya Sabha, Dr. Kirit S Parikh, Member, Planning Commission, Dr. Prodipto Ghosh, Secretary, Ministry of Environment & Forests, Ms. Meena Gupta, Secretary, Ministry of Tribal Affairs, Dr. T Ramasami, Secretary, Ministry of Science & Technology, Prof. David Jackman, Chair, British Standards (BSi) Committee on Sustainable Development and Director, London Financial Academy, Mr. Ben Mellor, Head-International, Extractive Industry Transparency Initiative, U.K., Mr. M S Mehta, CEO, Hindustan Zinc Ltd., Mr. Nik Senapati, Managing Director, Rio Tinto India Private Limited, Mr. Ravindra Kastia, Business Head & Group Executive President, Aditya Birla Group and Ravi Singh, CEO & Secretary General, WWF-India.
New Delhi, 19 December, 2006
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International Conference: Striking the Right Balance - Law &
Sustainable Development in India's Energy Economy |
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(7 - 8 July 2006, New Delhi) |
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- International Conference: STRIKING THE RIGHT BALANCE Law and Sustainable Development in Indias Energy Economy
Friday, Saturday, 7 - 8 July 2006: The Grand Hotel, Vasant Kunj, New Delhi "India's commitment to the concept of sustainable development is a part of the vision reflected by our Constitution makers in various provisions of the Indian Constitution. The concept of sustainable development has over the years become multi-dimensional, in that it encompasses within itself the concerns of economic growth, social and cultural growth, scientific growth and above all environmental protection. These were the profound words by a person no less than the Honble Chief Justice of India - Mr. Y K Sabharwal. He was speaking on the role of the judiciary at the inauguration of a unique International Conference Striking the Right Balance - Law and Sustainable Development in Indias Energy Economy organised by the CII ITC Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Development in collaboration with the Society of Indian Law Firms (SILF) on July 07, 2006 in New Delhi.
 The learned legal luminary went on to define in his inimitable style that the concept of sustainable development was simply the process of overall development of the society, the momentum of which can be sustained till eternity. In order to ensure this, those engaged in the task of development would naturally guard against such exploitation of resources as leads to their permanent destruction. The concept, therefore, deals with two kinds of equities: that for human generations yet to come whose interests are not represented by the standard economic analysis or by market forces that discount the future, and those for people living now but do not have equal access to natural resources.
Complimenting the CII and SILF for coming up with the topic and the Theme Paper developed, the Chief Justice alluded to the Business Charter for Sustainable Development - launched by the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) in 1991 - and its three aims: providing common guidance on environmental management to all types of businesses, stimulating companies to continual improvement in their environmental performance, and to demonstrate to the government and others that businesses take their environmental responsibility seriously.
There were numerous examples he quoted of instances where the judiciary had intervened to protect the interests of society and nature. The unique and landmark decisions in the cases involving M C Mehta and Justice Krishna Iyer were noteworthy. The salient features of sustainable development include intergenerational equity, responsible use of natural resources, environmental protection, the precautionary principle and the principle of polluter pays. Therefore, sustainable development has developed into a legal term, and regulators ought to help improve efficiencies. Mr. Sabharwal concluded by referring to the spiritual angle; nature was governed by cosmic laws and therefore was always in perfect balance.
The Conference saw over 240 delegates ranging from government departments, regulatory bodies, NGOs, academicians, top industry representatives, consumer activists, foreign dignitaries and media persons. The other high-profile persons whose presence underscored the importance of the extremely topical event included amongst others were Chairman of CIIs National Committee on Construction & Projects and Chairman & Managing Director of Hindustan Construction Company Ltd. - Mr. Ajit Gulabchand, President of the SILF - Mr. Lalit Bhasin, Past President of CII and Managing Director & CEO Hero Corporate Service Ltd. - Mr. Sunil Kant Munjal, Secretary of Ministry of Environment & Forests (MoEF), Government of India Dr. Prodipto Ghosh, Founder Partner of J Sagar Associates - Mr. Jyoti Sagar, Director of National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA) - Dr. Shreekant Gupta, the Solicitor General of India - Mr. G E Vahanawati, Additional Secretary of Ministry of Power - Mr. Ajay Shankar, Associate Director at PriceWaterhouseCoopers Ltd. - Dr. P Rambabu, the Director General of CII - Lt. General (Retd.) S S Mehta, and many more.
 Welcoming the august gathering Mr. Ajit Gulabchand - Chairman of CIIs National Committee on Construction & Projects and Chairman & Managing Director of Hindustan Construction Company Ltd. - said sustainability was an interesting word. There were several solutions for varied problems of today. The city of New York mandates that all new building construction whose value exceeded US $ 200 million had to follow the LEED guidelines. Further, the buses / taxis there were of the hybrid (fuel + electric) variety. While India needed to harness all forms of energy to meet its demand, the regulations needed to be organized in a manner that they do not impede development. Therefore, even the laws were to be made "sustainable".
 Mr. Lalit Bhasin spoke on the overview of the role of the law in economic development in a sustainable mode. He touched upon the energy security as a key driver of policies for today's governments, leading to the confusion between patriotism and protectionism, and hence needed careful balancing. The role of the corporate world was also integral to the success of achieving a balance between economic development and responsibility towards the environment.
 Mr. Sunil Kant Munjal stressed on the uniqueness of the event whence it is rare to have such a diverse range of people in the audience for such a topic. India was to become the 4th largest energy consumer by 2010, and hence a need to become more innovative. The examples of Brazil and California were given where government policies encouraged the use of alternate sources of energy. He referred to the partnership between CII and SILF and how CII had set up a Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Development, which was instrumental in organising this Conference.
He referred to China and its five-year plan including targets for reducing energy consumption despite achieving growth in its GDP. He also gave the instance of Shell and its scenario planning expertise. What India and businesses in India needed to learn was the open doors scenario where globalization was done in partnership with civil society.
Finally, Mr. S S Mehta concluded the inaugural session by highlighting the points raised by the speakers. He referred to the National Mission that CII had started with its members on four areas: inclusive growth, innovation, sustainability, and knowledge and skills.
 Mr. Arun Jaitley, Member of Parliament Rajya Sabha was the Guest of Honour on the second day of the conference on 8th July and he moderated the debate titled In a developing economy like India, Sustainable Development is a pipe-dream meant for lip-service only. Dr. Ajay Mathur, President, Suzlon Energy Ltd., Ms. Krishna Sarma, Managing Partner, Corporate Law Group, Mr. Pradeep Mehta, Secretary General, CUTS International, Mr. Suhel Seth, CEO, Equus Advertising spoke For the motion and Mr. Arun Bharat Ram, Past President, CII and CMD, SRF Ltd., Ms. Vandana Shiva, Director, Research Foundation for Science, Technology & Ecology, Mr. James M Hogan, Managing Consultant, PA Government Services and Mr. Amit Kapur, Partner in Charge, J Sagar Associates debated Against the motion.
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Colloquium on Corporate Responsibility in Environmental Protection |
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(World Environment Day, June 05, 2006, New Delhi) |
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 In an effort to commemorate the World Environment Day, the Ministry of Environment & Forests (MoEF), Government of India - in association with the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) - arranged an awareness-cum-appreciation programme on the situation of the environment. The Colloquium on Corporate Responsibility in Environment Protection had adopted the theme from the UNEP Deserts & Desertification - Dont Desert Drylands.
Speaking on the occasion the Chief Guest Thiru A. Raja - Indias Minister of Environment & Forests - said the theme was very appropriate for India which has over 127 million hectares of arid / semi-arid land spread across 10 states, and amounting to 39% of the countrys land area. Indias National Environment Policy (NEP, 2006) - approved by the Cabinet in May 2006 - has undertaken a diagnosis of the causative factors of land degradation with the intent of arriving at the remedial measures. The NEP recognizes that fiscal and sectoral policies need to take explicit account of their unintentional impacts on land degradation so that the livelihoods for the vast populaces are not irreparably damaged.
 He also added that several programmes initiated by the Government of India in various Ministries are watershed based. Also, as per the Planning Commission there is an allocation of Rs. 17,100 crores for such programmes for the arid and semi-arid areas. Further, the MoEF is the nodal Ministry for the UN Convention for combating Desertification (UNFCCD). The MoEF is developing MoUs to implement multi-stakeholder partnerships to allow for private sector investment in the restoration of degraded forest areas and community lands with sharing of the benefits with the local community. The Minister was happy to note the significant improvement in attitude and approach of the corporate sector, as also their willingness to voluntarily invest in pollution control. This has resulted in the Charter on Corporate Responsibility for Environmental Protection (CREP) adopted in March 2003, which focuses on 17 categories of polluting industries. Finally, the Minister called for a resolution by the law-makers, law-enforcer and law-implementers to arrest degradation and work towards protecting the environment as partners.
Earlier, Mr. R. Seshasayee President of CII and Managing Director of Ashok Leyland welcomed the Minister, distinguished guests and delegates. He highlighted the efforts taken by CII in encouraging successful implementation of practices that were less resource intensive, and thereby contributing to the development of the nation. He added that CII had started a Mission for Sustainable Growth, and at the macro level there were three levels of initiatives: national, sectoral and firm-level. All these efforts only underlined the role of industry as a responsible partner with the Government in making India more sustainable and competitive.
There were a few short films (public service messages) shown on the twin themes of Climate Change & Biodiversity. These were in Hindi and English, and were part of MoEFs efforts to build awareness in the masses.
The Keynote Address was delivered by Dr. A N Hegde (President - BAIF Development Research Foundation). He pointed out that drylands in India contributed to over 70% of the total cultivated area. Drylands were not static, and if ignored could turn into deserts. States like Haryana, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka are severely affected, and arid lands in these areas support one annual crop. However, with irrigation these areas are capable of yielding 6-8 times more. Consequently, there is greater employment and therefore greater prosperity.
BAIF has started several initiatives to overcome these problems. For example, in Karnataka they set up a network of farm ponds; such a network not only helps prevent soil erosion but also helps to recharge the ground water. Another example is the promotion of community pasture in Rajasthan. This was an enormous success as it involved the participation of local people. BAIF also experienced success in partnership with industry, as was shown in Maharashtra in the Thane-Belpaur industrial belt with support of NOCIL, in Gujarat at Hazira with L&T, and so on.
Lt. Gen. S S Mehta, Director General, CII concluded the Inaugural Session and gave the Vote of Thank.
The programme then had a moderated Panel Discussion, after Dr. Prodipto Ghosh, Secretary, Ministry of Environment & Forests summed up the Colloquium and gave the Concluding remarks. The programme was attended by over 175 participants from various government departments, industry representatives.
New Delhi
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Sustainability Awards-2006 - CII National Conference and Annual
Session |
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(19 April, New Delhi) |
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 The first Sustainability Awards - 2006 were conferred by Honorable Minister of Commerce & Industry Mr. Kamal Nath during the CII National Conference and Annual Session 2006.
Tata Steel and Bhilai Steel Plant won the Prize for Excellent Performance on Sustainable Development as Large Business Organization and Independent Unit respectively.
Commendations for Significant Achievement on Sustainable Development were given to Essel Mining, Tata Motors and Tinplate Company of India Limited.
Commendations for Commitment to Excel were awarded to Madras Aluminium Company, TVS Motors, Philips Electronics India Limited and NTPC Limited.
The top role model award was not given to any organization this year as none of the participating corporate was able to meet the required standards.
An eminent Jury led by Dr. R.A. Mashelkar- Director General CSIR & Secretary Department of Industrial Research decided the first CII-ITC Sustainability Awards for the year 2006.
The broad criteria on which the organizations were assessed included Leadership, Partnership & Resources, Stakeholder Internal, Stakeholder External, Processes, Results and Learning & Innovation.
The Award recognized companies at different levels of sustainability performance, as well as companies with exemplary performance in specific dimensions of sustainability (environment, social and economic).
The Sustainability Awards have been supported and sponsored by ITC for three years, who themselves have not participated in these awards.
New Delhi
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CII - MoEF Workshop on Hazardous Waste Management: Legislation
& Best Practices
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(New Delhi, Surat, Hyderabad and Indore) |
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- Confederation of Indian Industry, in support with the Ministry of Environment & Forests, has organized a series of Workshops on "Hazardous Waste Management: Legislation and Best Practices" at New Delhi, Surat, Hyderabad and Indore.
The focus of the Workshops was to familiarize the participants on the related laws and regulations (with recent amendments) as well as to deliberate on some of the burning issues including status and inventorisation, implementation of legislation, guidelines and supporting documents, import/ export of wastes, common facilities, wastes recycling and best practices adopted by the industries for the hazardous waste management in the country.
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