AMBUJA CEMENT FOUNDATION BAGS LAURELS AT THE ANNUAL NATIONAL WATER MISSION AWARDS BY THE GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

Photo caption - R to L Hon’ble Minister of Jal Shakti Shri Gajendra Shekhawat felicitating ACF’s Manoj Agarwal (DGM) and Brajeshsingh Tomar (DGM-Community Development) with the award

- A sum of Rs 160 crore invested in water resource management

- The project has reached 473 villages across India

October 1st, 2019, Mumbai: Ambuja Cement Foundation (ACF), a pan-India grassroots implementing organization, was today awarded by Sri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, the Hon’ble Minister of Jal Shakti, for its work in water resource management in the states of Rajasthan and Gujarat. The award has been received for the category ‘Focused attention to vulnerable areas including over-exploited areas’, which is one of the major goals of the National Water Mission.

ACF has worked in water resource management for the past 25 years, across 11 states, from the deserts of Rajasthan, to the mountains of Himachal and Uttarakhand, from the interiors of Maharashtra to the coastline of Gujarat. It is important to understand that water issues in India vary greatly from region to region. Keeping this in mind, ACF has been working with local communities, corporates and the government to ensure a water secured future. 

The project interventions for water resource management presented by ACF for National Water Mission Awards were implemented in three districts, namely, Gir Somnath of Gujarat and Pali & Nagaur districts of Rajasthan. 

While the main issue faced by Gujarat was that of saline water intrusion, Rajasthan saw a challenge in water supplies due to scanty rainfall and drought. These lead to financial and social hindrances among individuals as well as ecological problems in the above regions. ACF adopted interventions that had a holistic impact on the community, through the following framework:

• Water Harvesting & Storage: ACF uses traditional practices followed in the region with technology to enhance the effectiveness of water harvesting and storage solutions. Construction of Check dams, Khadins, Nadis and sub-surface dykes in Rajasthan to reviving old mining pits and linking them to rivers and canals in Gujarat, has ensured all year round water supply for our communities.

• Drinking Water: Drinking water solutions too need to be adapted to local conditions, such as, Rooftop rainwater harvesting structures in areas of abundant rainfall, handpumps where natural springs are found, to water ATM’s where groundwater is unsuitable for drinking. ACF educates local communities on the benefits of investing in these solutions, provide technical support for the installations and financial subsidies where necessary.

• Water Use Efficiency: Once water has been made available, the communities are educated about its management and efficient usage. 

Through the water project by ACF, water is now made available for additional 3-4 months in the impact areas. Moreover, there is an overall improvement in the health of the community because of the availability of clean drinking water. ACF has built over 160 people’s institutions in the above regions who ensure maintenance of the water bodies as well as educating others about water efficiency. 

Commenting on this achievement, Ms. Pearl Tiwari, Director & CEO of Ambuja Cement Foundation said “We believe in harnessing the power of various stakeholders while addressing societal issues. It is only because of this that ACF has been able to create water solutions thereby sustaining communities across India. We would like to extend our gratitude to the Government of India for honouring us with this award and their constant support in our projects.”

According to The United Nations World Water Development Report, by 2030, India’s water demand is projected to be twice the available supply, implying severe water scarcity for hundreds of millions of people and an eventual six percent loss in the country’s GDP. Taking adequate measures is the need of the hour in order to ensure water availability across India. The water resource management measures implemented by ACF are replicable and can hence be adopted in similar regions which are suffering from water scarcity.

About Ambuja Cement Foundation

About Ambuja Cement Foundation

Established in 1993, Ambuja Cement Foundation is a grassroots pan-India implementing organization that has been building sustainable, prosperous, rural communities. With the mission to 'energize, involve and enable' communities to realize their potential, the organisation focuses on strengthening people's livelihoods through the following thrust areas - Water Resource Management, Agricultural Livelihoods, Skill Development, Women Empowerment, Health and Education.

Ambuja Cement among the top 4 in global DJSI ranking

·         Ambuja continues to lead in the Construction Material Category in India

·         Named as one of the most sustainable cement companies for the third year in a row

Mumbai, Sept 18, 2019 Ambuja Cements Ltd., a part of the global conglomerate LafargeHolcim and one of the leading cement manufacturing companies in India, has moved one spot up to 4^th rank globally in the Construction Material Category adjudged by the internationally renowned Dow Jones Sustainability Index - 2019, thus setting yet another benchmark in the sustainable development.

With this, Ambuja Cement continues to lead in the category in India with such a high world ranking – a rise of one position as compared to the 2018 sustainability benchmarking. In 2017 ranking, Ambuja Cement was at 7^th position.

Bimlendra Jha – MD & CEO, Ambuja Cement – said, “It is an honour to be recognised for the third consecutive year by the prestigious DJSI. At Ambuja, Sustainability is a way of life and fully integrated into the company’s business and culture. What delights us even more is the fact that we have surpassed our own benchmarks to rank fourth globally despite growing challenges.”

“As always, we will continue our journey to improve the scores and create greater value to all stakeholders – customers, investors, employees and society at large,” added Mr Jha.

The Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI) are a family of benchmarks that uses a best-in-class approach to select sustainability leaders from various industry sectors across the world, enabling investors to track the companies’ performance in terms of economic, environmental and social criteria; and integrate these sustainability considerations into their portfolios. Since the launch of the DJSI World in 1999, several other Dow Jones Sustainability Indices and new index families that rely on the Corporate Sustainability Assessment (CSA) results have been developed to meet a range of investor specific needs.

Aligned with the 'LafargeHolcim Sustainable Development 2030’ strategy, Ambuja Cement performed well exceeding its own 2018 scores while competing with 30 leading companies that were assessed worldwide. The Company secured a perfect 100 percentile in as many as seven parameters – Materiality, Sustainable Construction, Environment Policy and Management System, Water-related Risks, Human Capital Development, Health &Safety and Social Reporting.

Ambuja Cement joins hands with Indian Cricket Team as Official Partner for the tournament against South Africa

·         This partnership with the Indian team is part of the agreement signed with the BCCI

·         The association promises great value proposition to Ambuja Cement

Mumbai, Sept 13, 2019: Ambuja Cements Ltd, a part of the global conglomerate LafargeHolcim and one of the leading cement manufacturing companies in India, has announced its association with Indian Cricket Team as the Official Partner for the upcoming six-match tournament against South Africa.

Indian Cricket Team under the leadership of Virat Kohli is scheduled to play three T20s and three Test matches against the Quinton de Kock-led South Africa team between September 15 and October 23. The tournament will start with the T20 matches, the first of which will be held in Dharamsala followed by Mohali and Bengaluru. These short-format matches will be followed by three Test matches in Visakhapatnam, Ranchi and Pune.

Bimlendra Jha – MD & CEO, Ambuja Cement – said, “We are excited to announce our partnership with the Indian Cricket Team. A team that is synonymous with indomitable strength and quality of performance – attributes Ambuja Cement is well known for.”

Closer home, Ambuja Cement encourages every employee to contribute to the best of his/her potential to achieve the collective goal of many. This process of tapping individual initiative for team synergy is at the heart of the culture nurtured over the year, something that reflects Indian cricket team traits.

The association promises great value proposition to the Company. Ambuja Cement will be the partner logo on mid-wicket pitch-mat branding, allowed branding on all interview and press conference backdrops, granted the right to use official partner status in all communications; and the Company’s logo will be featured on team dugouts for T20 matches among others. Ambuja Wall of Match Award and Ambuja Best Jodi Award will be presented to the players as per terms. The partnership with Indian Cricket Team is part of the agreement signed with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) for four years from 2019 to 2023.