ITC becomes 1st company in India to commit to AWS Water Stewardship Certification

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ITC becomes 1st company in India to commit to AWS Water Stewardship Certifica...

by Argus News

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Multi business conglomerate ITC Ltd. has become the first company in India to announce its ambitious target for 2035 to certify all of its owned factories.

New Delhi, Oct 29: Multi business conglomerate ITC Ltd. has become the first company in India to announce its ambitious target for 2035 to certify all of its owned factories and hotels operating in areas of high-water stress to the International Water Stewardship Standard (AWS Standard).

Alliance for Water Stewardship (AWS) certification is considered as the global benchmark for water stewardship. The international standard acknowledges companies for responsible water use, leading to positive environmental, social, cultural and economic impacts.

In 2019, ITC's Paperboards factory in Tamil Nadu earned the distinction of being the only facility in India to be awarded the AWS Platinum-level certification – the highest level for AWS certification. The facility is the first site in India to achieve this AWS recognition. ITC has now committed itself to achieve AWS certification for eight of its sites by 2023 and all its sites in high water stressed areas by 2035. The Company has so far identified 30 such sites spread across the country.

Commenting on the development, Sanjiv Rangrass, Group Head - Life Sciences & Technology, Central Projects, EHS & Quality Assurance, ITC Ltd. said: "The Platinum-level AWS certification of our Kovai unit in 2019 was indeed a source of encouragement for all at ITC and it inspired us to step up our water stewardship efforts and commit the highest global certification targets for all our water stressed sites by 2035. The certifications will be an international level validation of our holistic water stewardship initiatives and will provide a further boost to our efforts in years to come."

With water stress increasingly becoming an area of serious concern, ITC continues to focus on an integrated water stewardship programme that includes water conservation and harvesting initiatives at its units, while at the same time working towards meeting the water security needs of stakeholders through supply-side as well as demand-side measures.

Besides ensuring water security of dependants in the factory catchment, ITC's water stewardship programme aims to drought-proof the agri-catchments in order to minimise risks to agricultural livelihoods arising from drought and moisture stress. The programme promotes the development and management of local water resources in moisture-stressed areas by facilitating community participation in planning and implementing such measures, whilst building, reviving and maintaining water-harvesting structures. The coverage of this programme currently extends to 38 districts of 14 states in India. So far, the Company has created over 21,990 water harvesting structures and developed net water storage of 41.95 million cubic metres. The Company's extensive watershed development initiative has cumulatively brought soil and moisture conservation to 1.2 million acres.

ITC's focussed initiative for demand-side management has also led to water savings of 25-40 per cent for seven crops, contributing meaningfully to the government's vision in promoting 'More crop per drop'. In addition, ITC continues to work with farmers by promoting agronomic practices and micro irrigation techniques targeted towards saving water in cultivation and improving farmer incomes. Around 0.3 million acres have been covered till date across six states under this initiative. According to various studies, potential water savings with the help of these practices are to the tune of 208 million cubic metres in a year.

As the world prepares for a post-pandemic future, ITC is actively working towards Sustainability 2.0, an agenda, which reimagines sustainability under the pressing challenges of climate change. With a view to 'Building Back Better', Sustainability 2.0 calls for inclusive strategies that can support sustainable livelihoods and pursue newer ways to fight climate change. As a part of the new Sustainability 2.0 goals for 2030, ITC has set augmented targets for itself across all social and environmental initiatives including water stewardship. Besides the AWS certification commitment, the Company also aims to achieve 40 per cent reduction in specific water consumption by 2030 as compared to a FY 2018-19 baseline as well as creation of rainwater harvesting potential equivalent to over five times the net water consumption by 2030. ITC also aims at improving crop water use efficiency in agri value chains by augmenting demand side management interventions and enable savings of 2000 million kilolitres of water by 2030.
(IANS)

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Nine Grand Slam Singles Champions To Play At Brisbane International 2024

by Hemanta Pande

Brisbane, Dec 6: Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray, Naomi Osaka, Aryna Sabalenka, Elena Rybakina, Jelena Ostapenko, Victoria Azarenka, Sofia Kenin and Sloane Stephens are among a world-class line-up beginning the 2024 season in Brisbane.

Four top-20 men are bound for Brisbane, including world No.8 Holger Rune. The Next Gen superstar will be joined by world No.14 and Brisbane International 2017 champion Grigor Dimitrov, world No.17 Ben Shelton and world No.20 Ugo Humbert.

Eight of the world’s top 20 are set to compete in the women’s WTA 500 event. The incredible line-up also includes former world No.1 and three-time Brisbane International champion Karolina Pliskova, along with Brisbane 2020 finalist and world No.12 Madison Keys.

Pliskova is one of four former champions in the field, alongside Azarenka, Murray and Dimitrov.

Local fans will be able to support Alexei Popyrin, Max Purcell and Jordan Thompson in the men’s singles competition, with Gold Coast star Kimberly Birrell receiving a wildcard into the women’s singles main draw.

“I’m thrilled to be starting my year playing in the 2024 Brisbane International,” said Birrell, who reached a career-high WTA ranking of No.100 in September.

“I have so many unforgettable memories from the tournament, from watching my idols as a junior to playing and having my first top-10 win in 2019.

“I’m so grateful for the opportunity to play my home tournament and can’t wait to test myself against the best tennis players in the world, in front of my friends and family.”

Read: Sports News: Sports News

“We are thrilled so many of the world’s best players want to come to Brisbane. This is one of the strongest fields the tournament has seen in both the men’s and women’s fields,” Brisbane International Tournament Director Cam Pearson said.

“To have nine Grand Slam champions, 12 WTA/ATP top-20 players, along with so many Australian favourites is great news for the tournament and our fans.” (IANS)

Rajasthan Karni Sena Chief Murder Accused Identified

by Hemanta Pande

Jaipur, Dec 6: In a big breakthrough in the murder case of Rashtriya Karni Sena Chief Sukhdev Singh Gogamedi, the Rajasthan Police has identified two shooters who were involved in the killing.

The two assaliants have been identified as Rohit Rathore Makrana and Nitin Fauji, said Rajasthan Police, adding that Nitin Fauji is a resident of Mahendragarh, Haryana.

The third criminal, Naveen Shekhawat, who was also part of the crime, was killed at Gogamedi's residence during the exchange of fire and one of Gogamedi's security guards was also injured.

Also Read: National News

Earlier, DGP Umesh Mishra constituted a Special Investigation Team and announced Rs 5 lakh each for any information that leads to the arrest of the accused.

Rashtriya Rajput Karni Sena, Sukhdev Singh Gogamedi, was shot dead by unidentified assailants in Jaipur on Tuesday. The murder sparked outrage among the Rajput community, which promulgated a state-wide bandh on Wednesday. (ANI)

BJP MPs Who Emerged Victorious In State Assembly Polls Resign From Parliament

by Hemanta Pande

New Delhi, Dec 6: Days after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won three assembly elections in the Hindi heartland, the MPs who were fielded by the party in these elections and won their respective constituencies, have resigned from the Parliament.

As of now, a total of 10 MPs have resigned. Two other MPs Baba Balaknath and Renuka Singh did not come to the house today. BJP President J.P. Nadda led the delegation of these MPs during the meeting with the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Lok Sabha

Speaker Om Birla and Rajya Sabha Chairman and Vice President Jagdeep Dhankar.

Sources said that the decision to resign as MPs was taken after a meeting with party president JP Nadda and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

BJP leader Pralhad Singh Patel who won the MLA election from Madhya Pradesh's Narsinghpur told ANI, "I have resigned as a MP and will resign from the post of cabinet minister soon."

Former Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar, Minister of State for Food Processing Industries of India Prahlad Singh Patel, Lok Sabha MPs Rakesh Singh, Uday Pratap and Riti Pathak are the MPs have resigned as MPs after winning from Madhya Pradesh.

Lok Sabha MPs Arun Sao and Gomati Sai resigned after securing wins in Chhattisgarh. Lok Sabha MPs Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, Diya Kumari and Rajya Sabha MP Kirori Lal Meena have also resigned after securing wins in Rajasthan.

The BJP fought the polls using the strength of the party organisation and the charisma of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The party did not project any Chief Ministerial candidate in any of the poll-bound states.