In recognition of its multi-faceted CSR initiatives in rural Gujarat, Essar Oil was awarded the prestigious Indian Chemical Council (ICC) Award for Social Responsibility for 2014. The ceremony was held in Mumbai in the presence of business leaders and was chaired by Mr Rakesh Bhartia, President, ICC. The award was received by Mr Deepak Arora, CEO, Essar Foundation.
Essar Oil runs several development projects across 17 villages in Vadinar, Gujarat, in collaboration with the Foundation. The key focus areas are improving access to preventive healthcare, childcare, livelihood promotion, women’s empowerment, skill development, quality education and rural development. Some of the most celebrated campaigns spearheaded by the Foundation include setting up model anganwadis in accordance with government guidelines, organising Unmukt – a large scale initiative to provide the visually impaired with audio described cinema and, the Indradhanush programme that encourages students and teachers to apply activity-based learning techniques for an improved educational experience.
The ICC organises the annual awards to encourage companies to excel in various fields. Nominations received for various categories are extensively scrutinised by a panel of experts from the industry, academia, national laboratories and related organisations.
