Corporate Social Responsibility
Reaching out to communities
At Unichem, giving back to the community is central to the existence of the organisation. While business, profit and a healthy balance sheet are crucial, the company strives to create and maintain a strong sense of social responsibility.
The range of activities span from creating adequate fire safety mechanisms, conducting blood donation camps, facilitating tree planting, extending educational and on-the-job training and go on to cover vocational guidance and supporting seminars in co-ordination with universities.
Unichem takes pride in providing various forms of medical assistance to employees and their families, and also to all those living in villages surrounding manufacturing facilities. The company also organises regular training programmes on safety and precautionary measures. The API facilities at Roha and Pithampur are accredited with OHSAS 18001:1999 and OHSAS 18001:2007 respectively which stands for Occupational Health and Safety Management System.
Unichem’s environmental policy emphasises being a caring company, which protects and promotes the environment by complying with applicable environmental regulations and minimizing pollution in all its operations. In addition, the company has also put several measures in place to save energy and conserve natural resources.
ACTIVITIES IN GOA
Among other locations, Unichem has supported several noteworthy social initiatives in Goa. Here are some of them:
Nurturing the environment
As part of the company’s commitment to Green Goa, about 8500 sq metres of landscape gardens at the Goa manufacturing facility have been developed and maintained since inception. During the year 2009-10 another 9000 sq metres were developed into landscaped gardens.
These well-planned gardens attract several species of birds and butterflies. As a result, students from Goa University visit the facility to study these species more closely.
The company has taken up the challenge to make Pilerne Industrial Estate, where the Goa facility is situated, a green area and has planted about 1250 trees including varieties like Kadamba, Alstonia, Ficus Benjamina, Gulmohar, Bohemia, Karanja, Cassia, Bakul etc.
During the monsoons, Unichem distributes over 1500 free saplings/cuttings from the company nursery to employees, neighbouring industrial units and local villagers. This initiative has helped spread environmental awareness to neighbouring industrial units and the local village community. Over 200 trees have been planted during the year 2009-10.
To conserve water, the company has devised various water savings methods which are monitored on day-to-day basis. This has helped to improve groundwater water levels in the surrounding valley area.
To create awareness about the pollution generated by motor vehicles, Unichem is rolling out a mandatory check of Pollution Under Control (PUC) certificates of all vehicles entering company premises. This has helped increase awareness about pollution and the need to regularly service and maintain vehicles.
As a part of Unichem’s Environmental Awareness Drive, various programmes by eminent environmentalists are organised on a regular basis for the benefit of the industrial community in association with Goa University, Inspectorate of Factories & Boilers, Government of Goa and Green Triangle Society. In the year 2009-10, the company supported a programme about global warming at the Department of Botany, University of Goa. This scientific programme was conducted on 29th and 30th October 2009, which generated tremendous awareness amongst the industry, scientists and students through a panel of experts. The company also conducts Environmental Awareness programmes for their suppliers/vendors which have been well appreciated by all.
Knowledge Forums
The company has organised seminars and lectures by several eminent speakers including Dr. Pradeep Padwal (Chief Medical Officer, Goa Government), Dr. J.J. Dias (Goa State AIDS Control Society), Dr. Nandakumar Kamat (leading environmentalist, Goa University) and Mrs. Jaya Row (leading expert on Indian philosophy – Vedanta).
The aim of these seminars and lectures is to increase the intellectual wealth of employees, who in turn are expected to go back to their villages/communities and spread the knowledge to build a happy, peaceful and strong nation.
