DALMIA BHARAT WINS THE PRESTIGIOUS CII-ITC SUSTAINABILITY AWARDS

Dalmia Bharat Ltd., India's leading cement company and the 4th largest cement manufacturer, has been honored with the prestigious CII-ITC Sustainability Awards 2022 for its remarkable achievements in "Excellence in Corporate Social Responsibility." This recognition highlights the company's unwavering commitment to community welfare and sustainable practices in cement manufacturing. The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and ITC Ltd. jointly confer the CII-ITC Sustainability Awards to acknowledge companies that excel in sustainability and inclusivity in their operations and community initiatives.

Dalmia Bharat Foundation (DBF), the group's Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) arm, is actively involved in various social and livelihood schemes. The foundation's work encompasses sustainable livelihoods, climate action (water and energy), and social infrastructure. Their flagship program, Dalmia Institute of Knowledge and Skill Harnessing (diksha), operates 15 centres providing short-term skill training linked to job placements for youth and women, enabling them to join the skilled workforce and earn enhanced incomes. To date, more than 10,500 trainees have completed their training, with an average monthly income of Rs. 12,000. The company also promotes livelihood improvement through skill development programs for farmers and womenled Self-Help Groups (SHGs) at the village level. By emphasizing water harvesting techniques and renewable energy solutions such as solar power, Dalmia Bharat assists communities in achieving self-sufficiency, reducing environmental impact, and enhancing overall quality of life. The esteemed CII-ITC Sustainability Award was received by Dr. ArvindBodhankar, Executive Director and Head of ESG & Chief Risk Officer at Dalmia Cement (Bharat) Ltd., on behalf of the company. The award was presented by Mr. NitinGadkari, Union Minister of Road Transport & Highways, Government of India, at a ceremony held in Hotel Ashok, New Delhi. Expressing his pride in this accomplishment, Dr. ArvindBodhankar stated, "It is a tremendous honor for us to once again receive the CIIITC Sustainability Award. Dalmia Bharat is deeply committed to communities’ sustainable development and well-being. Each member of our team at Dalmia is conscious of our responsibility to leave behind a safe planet that can meet the needs of future generations. We diligently follow processes to ensure positive impacts and measure the Social Return on Investment (SRoI) of our projects. As a corporate citizens, we remain dedicated to integrating economic, environmental, and social objectives to foster inclusive growth in the regions where we operate. This recognition greatly encourages us as we continue on this path, striving to achieve even greater milestones."

The coveted CII-ITC Sustainability Awards were established by the CII-ITC Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Development in 2006. These awards acknowledge India's most sustainable companies that have successfully embedded sustainability into their business models.

UIDAI-IIT TO DEVELOP A TOUCHLESS BIOMETRIC CAPTURE SYSTEM

The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has joined hands with the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay (IIT-Bombay) to develop a robust touchless biometric capture system for easy use by people anytime, anywhere. Under the agreement, UIDAI and IIT Bombay will conduct research to create a mobile capture system for fingerprints. Once developed and operational, the touchless biometric capture system will allow fingerprint authentication from home, similar to face authentication. The new system is also expected to improve the success rate of multiple-finger verification at a time.