Trading firm MMTC’s heart beats for CSR in education and health

GN Bureau | September 8, 2015




The MMTC is one of Asia’s 1,000 largest companies and has been ranked 28th among leading general trading companies in the continent. But the company has shown that its social commitment is strong and alive to the issues confronting India.

Contribution to the society remains the prime thrust of its ‘giving back’ initiatives. The MMTC has consistently played the role of a responsible corporate citizen and has demonstrated its deep commitment towards Corporate Social Responsibility practices by conducting its business in an economically, socially and environmentally sustainable manner.

A business leader in diverse areas, MMTC is India's single largest importer and supplier of bullion, the single largest importer of non-ferrous metals in the country, a leading exporter and importer of agro commodities, and a major player in coal and hydrocarbons.

MMTC is a Central Govt. Public Sector Enterprise, under the Ministry of Commerce, Govt. of India, and one of the largest trading companies in the country. It was incorporated in 1963 as the Minerals & Metals Trading Corporation to deal with export of iron ore and import of metals.  During the past 52 years the company has grown into a corporate giant with operations in diverse sectors like agro,  power, fertilizers, coal and hydrocarbons, steel, precious metals, etc. besides the minerals and metals with which it was initially entrusted.

As one of the largest trading companies of India and a major trading company of Asia, MMTC aims at improving its position further by achieving sustainable and viable growth rate through excellence in all its activities, generating optimum profits through total satisfaction of shareholders, customers, suppliers, employees and society.

CSR Vision & Policy
The CSR Policy of the Company is in accordance with the CSR/Sustainability guidelines issued by Department of Public Enterprises (DPE), Government of India from time to time. Even in the absence of an official mandate regarding CSR activities, MMTC adopted CSR as a policy initiative long ago in Sept. 2006, effective from 2007-08, and allocated 1% of retainable profit of previous year for undertaking CSR activities. The objectives of this policy were:

1. To initiate voluntary measures to address economic, social and environmental concerns.

2. To make CSR a key business process for sustainable development

3. To be a good corporate citizen

Its CSR activities focus on education, health care, promotion of art & culture and community related activities, besides providing relief in times of natural calamities. The company’s literacy promotion programme, especially for girl child, is achieved through creation of educational infrastructure such as classrooms, drinking water & sanitation facilities in government schools, promoting public healthcare in rural and tribal areas, conducting skill development programmes and other such trainings for employability/employment generation, responding to relief needs during calamities, etc.

As part of its sustainability initiatives, MMTC has promoted the use of solar energy based street lighting, livelihood creation and installation of energy efficient lighting systems. The company’s commercial venture of setting up a Wind Energy Farm in Karnataka is a part of its commitment to invest in businesses that are environment-friendly and sustainable.

Major Initiatives

INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT
Promotion of literacy through partnership in the Govt. mid-day meal scheme by providing delivery vehicles, automatic roti-making machines and utensils for kitchens of ISKCON at Delhi-NCR, Jaipur and Palwal and at Akshaya Patra, Ahmedabad.

Assistance rendered in providing infrastructural recreational facilities and computers in schools in Delhi to ensure quality education is imparted in schools.

Creation of classrooms, drinking water & sanitation facilities to promote education –especially of female students - at schools in Odisha and in Chennai.

EDUCATION & SKILL DEVELOPMENT
Creation of a bakery unit for autistic persons in association with NGO Action for Autism.

Mobile therapy van/instruments provided for physically challenged students of music therapy trust.

Skill development trainings conducted in stitching, photography, computer and multi-media, for women belonging to economically weaker sections.

Creation of self-employment/employability in Odisha, through vocational training programs, for 100 women in Odisha and for 730 local youth in Barbil, Jajpur and Goa .

To build public health expertise and promote public healthcare in rural areas, scholarships are being awarded to meritorious but socially and economically weak students pursuing professional education in Public Health Management.

HEALTHCARE

Free health/eye check-up camps conducted for residents of slum areas in and around Delhi /NCR and Odisha.

Camps conducted in Kolkata and Delhi for distribution of assistive devices to differently-abled persons.

Mobile Medicare Units in remote areas of Lakhimpur (Assam), Odisha and Rajasthan to provide emergency medical services to the needy/aged.

Provision of medical equipment and free OPD for District Red Cross Society, Ramakrishna Mission in Purulia, Rajdhani Charitable Eye-care & Medical Centre, etc.

Free Cancer Screenings/ Mammography conducted through Indian Cancer Society for women belonging to economically weaker sections.

Free Polio-eradication vaccination mission conducted through Rotary International, Chennai.

Support to daycare centers for sheltering poor children, the most vulnerable section of society, and for their food and nutrition.

RESPONSE TO NATURAL CALAMITIES
Contribution towards relief of those affected in Orissa cyclone, Gujarat earthquake and Bihar flood.

Contribution towards relief work at the time of cloudburst in Leh.

Distributions of blankets to the poor to enable them to deal with the severe cold in Delhi, Chandigarh and Rajasthan.

PROMOTION OF SOCIO-CULTURAL ACTIVITIES
Promotion of art for the preservation, dissemination and development of our historical and cultural heritage.

Promotion of culture to help inculcate and restore national harmony and spread awareness about the cultural diversity of India. 

MMTC aided the Shahabad Hockey Centre with infrastructure facilities. The company has associated with the Sher-e-Kashmir Golf Tournament and the Suryaprava-Mega Cycling Marathon for promotion of sports in the past.

Promotion of Indian classical music through SpicMacay’s music in the park  concerts.

Support given to the Delhi International Arts Festivals towards the sensitization of the community to various local and global art forms.

WATER MANAGEMENT
Rain water harvesting at Regina Mundi High School in Chicalim, Goa with support of the village panchayat.

Construction of check dams in Odisha in association with the state government.

Revival of water body in association with FORCE, an NGO working towards conservation and proper utilization of water resources.

MMTC has successfully undertaken the task of recharging a water body at Rangpuri Pahari.

WASTE MANAGEMENT
Recycling of waste and provision of mobile shredders in association with Chintan, environmental research & action group

Solid waste management in Bellary (Karnataka) through provision of waste dumpers, construction of toilet complexes.

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