INDIAN RAYON AND INDUSTRIES LIMITED - Aditya Birla Nuvo, Ltd

Social ReportBeyond Business – Reaching Out to the CommunitiesFor more than 30 years now, we have been and continue to be committed to thewelfare of the communities that live in proximity to our plants. We have chosen to mesh oursocial vision into our business vision. As a Group with a human face, therefore working forthe weaker sections of communities, forms a part of our core values.Our social projects are carried out under the aegis of the Aditya Birla Centre forCommunity Initiatives and Rural Development, which is stewarded by Mrs. Rajashree Birla,who is a Director on your Board.The footprint of our social work straddles across 600 villages surrounding our plants atVeraval in Gujarat, Renukoot in Uttar Pradesh, Rishra in West Bengal and Gummidipoondiin Tamil Nadu. Our work touches the lives of more than 2,50,000 people.Under Mrs. Birla’s guidance, we endeavour to lead social progress through our focuson health-care, spreading literacy and sustainable livelihood.Health-care :To provide health care to the populace we organise medical camps in the villageinteriors. This year, nearly 100 medical camps have been conducted and more than 10,000villagers were examined. These camps, teem with patients, afflicted with all kinds of problems,from polio to leprosy, to tuberculosis, to blood related issues, to visual impairment. Herethey are offered two distinct benefits – treatment with medicines and hope of a better life.Our medical camp at RishraTo alleviate the lot of the physically impaired,given their poor economic conditions and toreduce their high dependency levels, we providethem with supportive aids. At Veraval, in Gujarat,fifteen year old, Vali Hussain Ismail Jikani,armed with crutches and calipers, seems muchmore confident now.In many of these camps, our team of doctors have provided restorative surgery to thephysically impaired. This has not only put their lives back on track but has helped restoretheir self-confidence as well. Where surgery has not been possible, patients have been givensupportive aids, such as tricycles, calipers, crutches and artificial limbs.The Intensive Care Unit set up by Jayashree Textiles at Rishra Seva Sadan in Hooghly,has been a boon to the local population. More than 800 patients have been its beneficiaries.Additionally, we have evolved a population control strategy, hinged on a holisticapproach which encompasses education, women and their development, maternal and childhealth areas, apart from sensitising men to the need for small families. We have forayedinto this field because we believe that as a corporate house we have a responsibility tosupport efforts made in this direction by the Government. Until now we have been able topersuade 1800 couples to recourse to family planning, adopting the two-child family norm.In our own small way we have begun an Aids Awareness Campaign at Rishra as well.To secure the health of animals, we are engaged in conducting vetinerary camps atVeraval. In these camps apart from examining the animals, artificial insemination is alsoencouraged. Around 15,000 animals have benefited so far.27