ACC Limited -CSR Activities
Today we define Corporate Social Responsibility as the way a company balances its economic, social and environmental objectives while addressing stakeholder expectations and enhancing shareholder value.
But ACC has undertaken social volunteering practices almost from its inception, � long before the term corporate social responsibility was coined. The company�s earliest initiatives in community development date back to the 1940’s in a village on the outskirts of Mumbai while the first formal Village Welfare Scheme was launched in 1952. The community living around many of our factories comprises the weakest sections of rural and tribal India with no access to basic amenities.
Corporate Social Responsibility Policy
�The Company shall continue to have among its objectives the promotion and growth of the national economy through increased productivity, effective utilization of material and manpower resources and continued application of modern scientific and managerial techniques, in keeping with the national aspiration; and the Company shall continue to be mindful of its social and moral responsibilities to consumers, employees, shareholders, society and the local community.
In pursuance of the above objective, ACC acknowledges the importance of the concept of inter-dependence of all sections of society. In particular, its focus revolves around the community residing in the immediate vicinity of its Cement Plants and Mines where it seeks to actively assist in improving the quality of life and making this community self-reliant. In line with its abiding concern for preservation of the ecological balance and safeguarding the health of the community, ACC has always actively demonstrated its firm resolve to protect the environment
Mindful of its great tradition, ACC is deeply committed to enhancing its reputation and respect built over the years in industry and society for its professional style of management based on philosophy of the best in business ethics.�
Community & Rural Welfare
Our community development activities revolve around the under-privileged community that lives in the immediate vicinity of our cement plants and is thus more dependent on us. The range of our activities begins with extending educational and medical facilities and goes on to cover vocational guidance and supporting employment-oriented and income-generation projects like agriculture, animal husbandry, cottage industries by developing local skills, using local raw materials and helping create marketing outlets.
At all our cement factories we share our amenities and facilities with members of the local community. This includes sharing education and medical facilities, sports and recreation. Wherever possible we share access to Bore Wells, drinking water and the usage of colony roads.
Education
Education is imparted not only to children of ACC employees but also more importantly to children from rural areas who do not have access to any medium of information or education. ACC schools maintain high standards and are open to other children of the vicinity. Often these schools are the most preferred centers of learning in the district and adjoining areas. Wherever possible, ACC provides funds and infrastructure to help set up local schools, colleges and centers for learning and education.
Healthcare
ACC takes pride in providing various forms of medical assistance to the families of our employees and also to all those living in surrounding villages. Each factory has a medical center with full-fledged doctors and the latest of basic equipment. Mobile medical services are provided in the vicinity and regular medical camps are held to eradicate diseases, offer medical help, treatment and preventive care.
ACC has come out to provide support to state and national health initiatives such as the eradication of malaria, dengue fever and the dreaded HIV.
HIV/AIDS – Workplace Policy
ACC is desirous of playing a meaningful role in the nationwide effort to eradicate HIV/AIDS and has pledged to support the Confederation of Indian Industry in their initiative. ACC recognizes that a fundamental step in this respect involves a clear statement of the company�s internal policy to deal with employees affected by HIV/AIDS. CII has framed a Code of Practice for Industry to guarantee and safeguard the rights of employees infected and affected by HIV/AIDS. We adopt this as ACC�s internal workplace policy for HIV/AIDS. The policy states that::
The company will provide a safe and healthy work environment for employees.
The company will educate its employees and the family on prevention, care and counseling of HIV/AIDS.
The company will educate its employees on safe blood donation and transfusion.
If an employee has been infected, information about the illness would be kept confidential by the company. Only the immediate superior would be kept advised to prevent any medical eventuality.
A HIV positive employee will be allowed to continue to work in his or her job unless medical conditions interfere with the specific job he or she is doing. On account of health conditions the employee may be shifted to another comfortable position.
The employer should ensure that the co�employees cannot or should not shun their HIV positive peer or refuse to work alongside them. In fact, the company will assure his or her comfort level in the work place.
The company will, as a policy, not discriminate against any employee infected by HIV/AIDS with regard to promotions, training and any other privileges, applicable to all employees of the organisation.
While the company may ask a person who is being offered a job to undergo general medical tests before the issue of the appointment letter, the test will not cover HIV/AIDS, without an informed consent and pre test counseling of the candidate. |
The company will educate its employees and encourage them to participate in voluntary counseling and testing. However, HIV/AIDS tests will not be a part of any annual or regular health check ups, without the employee�s informed consent and pre test counseling.
The company will ensure that proper treatment is available to employees infected with HIV/AIDS. The company will assist the employee in meeting the cost of antiretroviral (ARV) drugs within the prescribed limits as fixed by the Company. The arrangements for treatment will be made at hospitals pre-identified by the company and payment will be made directly to the service provider. All other (non-ARV) HIV/AIDS related costs will be covered as per the company�s prevailing scheme for Health and Medical treatment.
It is hoped that this policy will help build positive and supportive attitudes towards those infected as well as promote health and safety amongst the employees.
HIV/AIDS treatment – Anti Retroviral Treatment Centres
In close consultation with the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), the management of ACC decided to step forward to participate in the national effort to eradicate the HIV/AIDS virus that we recognize as being among the country�s most important public health issues.
As a first step, we announced a Workplace policy for HIV/AIDS that protects the fundamental human rights of employees who may unfortunately become affected by HIV/AIDS, while also ensuring that these affected persons get proper care and treatment. Next we decided to set up an Anti Retroviral Treatment Centre for HIV/AIDS treatment. We chose to put up this project in Wadi in the state of Karnataka where we have the largest of our cement plants. Karnataka also happens to be a state where the virus is highly prevalent.
The ACC Wadi ART Centre has all the basic physical infrastructure, Laboratory facilities and trained medical and support personnel. It is housed in a new building constructed by us on an independent piece of land outside our plant and colony. The building has an area of over 2500 square feet and comprises a large reception area with adequate seating, consulting rooms for the doctors, rooms for social workers and counselors, laboratory, pharmacy, pantry and toilets.
The center is fully equipped with new machines and medical equipment as prescribed by NACO ART guidelines. These include a state-of-the art CD4/ CD8 cell counting machine. We believe this is the only center in the district and adjoining districts with such a machine. The ACC Wadi ART Centre has a full complement of medical and support personnel including a doctor, nurse, lab technicians and other staff. The doctor has been trained at Christian Medical College Vellore. The center includes a Voluntary Counseling and Testing Centre (VCTC). We will also be tying up with reputed hospitals in Gulbarga for referaal linkages.
We aim to develop the skill and capability to run this center at Wadi as a world-class facility for the benefit of the public, with the assistance of NACO, CII and prestigious medical institutes such as CMC Vellore.
Disaster Relief
ACC and its employees make timely contribution to help in any national disaster. This is done both at the corporate level, by local units and employees. Apart from the Kargil cause, collective contributions by way of cash, food and clothing has been sent to help victims of calamities such as the Latur earthquake, Himachal Pradesh floods, Orissa cyclone, Gujarat earthquake, Tsunami and floods in Maharashtra.
Gujarat Masons� Training
ACC�s contribution to the rebuilding effort after the 2001 earthquake in Gujarat was unique. Anticipating a scarcity of skilled masons and trained supervisors for the reconstruction work – especially in Kutch, Rajkot and Surendranagar districts, the company evolved a scheme to provide construction related training to over 2500 unemployed persons (mostly youth) in earthquake affected villages. Our best civil engineers were deputed to impart training on basic skills needed to work as masons and construction site supervisors and to make earthquake resistant structures, using local materials. This was perhaps the country�s first formal training programme of this magnitude for masons and site supervisors, organised by ACC.
Sustainable construction projects
ACC has joined hands with �Holcim Foundation for sustainable Construction� to encourage sustainable construction projects by seeking partnerships with organizations that work in the area of enabling sustainable improvement of livelihood and habitats. In the first step, we have extended financial support along with Holcim Foundation to what we expect to be the most exemplary sustainable building projects in India � the headquarters building of Development Alternatives, a reputed non-government organization in New Delhi. We believe this project is innovative and likely to become a benchmark for large urban workspaces and sustainable building complexes. I am sure it will offer significant learning to students of architecture, civil engineering and town planning. The partnership with Development Alternatives will also help us in establishing solutions for improved rural livelihoods.
Conservation of heritage structures
The services of ACC�s Concrete experts have often been utilized in the restoration of several national heritage buildings across the country – such as sections of the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (formerly Victoria Terminus) at Mumbai, the J N Petit and David Sassoon Libraries in Mumbai, churches in Goa, palaces and royal mansions in Mysore and Hyderabad and other old structures in the country.
The historic Vijayraghavgarh fort in Madhya Pradesh was recently restored under ACC�s patronage. This is not a core business of the company but an act of corporate volunteering by way of sharing knowledge and expertise.
Global Compact
ACC Limited is a signatory to the United Nations Global Compact. We are committed to the ten principles of the Compact which foster better corporate responsibility in the areas of human rights, labour, environment and anti-corruption. Established in 1936, this company has from its very inception been conscious of its obligations to the community and has always kept in view its social responsibilities. ACC�s Vision vividly declares the company�s commitment to its corporate social responsibility and sustainable development issues making these an essential part of the business goals for the company. This communication on Progress provides an insight into our recent activities in support of the Global Compact�s Objective and our efforts towards continuous improvement. Communication on Progress
Support to national Sport
ACC has had an old and close association with the game of cricket. From the 1950�s to the 70�s, many cricket legends were employees of ACC during their active cricket careers. This was in the days before cricketers became like the superstars they are today. ACC was then among the few companies which went out of its way to employ young cricketers, including budding young Ranji Trophy hopefuls. ACC joined hands with the Confederation of Indian Industry to sponsor India�s National Boxing team at the Athens Olympics in 2004 and the Commonwealth Games. ACC also sponsors and supports other sports at National, regional and local levels such as inter-regional Badminton championships, youth soccer and Rural Sports Meets.
Awards & Accolades
ACC was the first recipient of ASSOCHAM�s first ever National Award for outstanding performance in promoting rural and agricultural development activities in 1976. Decades later, PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry selected ACC as winner of its Good Corporate Citizen Award for the year 2002. Over the years, there have been many awards and felicitations for achievements in Rural and community development, Safety, Health, Tree plantation, afforestation, Clean mining, Environment awareness and protection. In 2006, we were selected to receive the Good Corporate Citizen Award of the Bombay Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
Awards & Accolades
National Award for outstanding performance in promoting rural and agricultural development � by ASSOCHAM
Sword of Honour – by British Safety Council, United Kingdom for excellence in safety performance.
Indira Priyadarshini Vrikshamitra Award — by The Ministry of Environment and Forests for “extraordinary work” carried out in the area of afforestation.
FICCI Award — for innovative measures for control of pollution, waste management & conservation of mineral resources in mines and plant.
Subh Karan Sarawagi Environment Award – by The Federation of Indian Mineral Industries for environment protection measures.
Drona Trophy – By Indian Bureau Of Mines for extra ordinary efforts in protection of Environment and mineral conservation in the large mechanized mines sector.
Indo German Greentech Environment Excellence Award
Golden Peacock Environment Management Special Award – for outstanding efforts in Environment Management in the large manufacturing sector.
Indira Gandhi Memorial National Award – for excellent performance in prevention of pollution and ecological development
Excellence in Management of Health, Safety and Environment : Certificate of Merit by Indian Chemical Manufacturers Association
Vishwakarma Rashtriya Puraskar trophy for outstanding performance in safety and mine working
Good Corporate Citizen Award – by PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry
Jamnalal Bajaj Uchit Vyavahar Puraskar – Certificate of Merit by Council for Fair Business Practices
Greentech Safety Gold and Silver Awards – for outstanding performance in Safety management systems by Greentech Foundation
FIMI National Award – for valuable contribution in Mining activities from the Federation of Indian Mineral Industry under the Ministry of Coal.
Rajya Sthariya Paryavaran Puraskar – for outstanding work in Environmental Protection and Environment Performance by the Madhya Pradesh Pollution. Control Board.
National Award for Fly Ash Utilisation – by Ministry of Power, Ministry of Environment & Forests and Dept of Science & Technology, Govt of India – for manufacture of Portland Pozzolana Cement.
Good Corporate Citizen Award – by Bombay Chamber of Commerce and Industry for working towards an environmentally sustainable industry while pursuing the objective of creation of a better society.
National Award for Excellence in Water Management – by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII)
Source : http://www.acclimited.com/newsite/corp_soc_resp.asp