India’s leading cement company, Dalmia Bharat, has been conferred with the prestigious CII-ITC Sustainability Awards 2022 for commendation in “Excellence in Corporate Social Responsibility”. The recognition underlines the company’s strong and intrinsic benchmarks for the welfare of communities and best sustainable practices in cement manufacturing. Dr. Arvind Bodhankar, Executive Director and Head – ESG & Chief Risk Officer, Dalmia Cement (Bharat) received the esteemed award on behalf of the cement major from Nitin Gadkari, Union Minister Road Transport & Highways, at an event held in Hotel Ashok, New Delhi. The CII-ITC Sustainability Awards are conferred by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and the ITC to companies that demonstrate outstanding performance in sustainability and inclusivity in their operations and community initiatives. Under the aegis of Dalmia Bharat Foundation (DBF), the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) arm of the group has linkages with various social and livelihood schemes. Dalmia Bharat’s community initiatives focus on key areas of sustainable livelihoods, climate action (water and energy) and social infrastructure. Their flagship programme Dalmia Institute of Knowledge and Skill Harnessing (DIKSHa) with its 15 centres provides placement-linked, short-term skill training to youth and women adding them to the skilled workforce for enhanced income. Till date, over 10,500 trainees have completed their training earning an average monthly income of Rs 12,000. The company also promotes livelihood promotion through farm-based and non- farm-based skilling programmes for farmers and women-led Self-Help Groups (SHGs) at the village level. By focusing on water harvesting techniques and renewable energy solutions like solar power, Dalmia Bharat has been helping communities to become more self-sufficient, reduce their environmental impact, and improve their overall quality of life. Commenting on this achievement, Dr Arvind Bodhankar said, “It’s a huge honour for us to receive the CII ITC Sustainability Award once again this year. Dalmia Bharat is committed to the sustainable development of the community and its people. Each one of us at Dalmia is conscious of our responsibility toward leaving behind a planet that is safe and can meet the need of our future generations. We follow all processes to ensure positive impacts and SRoI of our projects and measure them too. He further added, as corporate citizen, we are committed to integrating economic, environmental and social objectives to foster inclusive growth in the regions we operate in. We aim to continue on this path to achieve bigger milestones and this recognition is a great encouragement for us.”