SAIL sweeps Vishwakarma awards

OST Business Bureau

New Delhi, Sep 20:

Continuing with its glorious tradition of previous years, public sector giant Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL) bagged as many as 18 out of the 28 annual Vishwakarma Rashtriya Puraskara (VRP) awards for the performance year 2011. Eighty eight out of the 118 individual awardees were from the steel major.

The awards were given away by Union Minister of Labour and Employment Shri Sis Ram Ola at a glittering ceremony held at Vigyan Bhawan yesterday.

Speaking at a felicitation ceremony for the awardees at SCOPE Complex later, SAIL Chairman CS Verma said; “It is a matter of pride for all of us that 76% of awardees who have won the Vishwakarma Rashtriya Puraskar (VRP) are from Steel Authority of India Limited.”

The awardees were from the five SAIL steel plants: Rourkela Steel Plant, Bhilai Steel Plant, Bokaro Steel Plant, Durgapur Steel Plant and Salem Steel Plant.

The estimated annual savings resulting from implementation of works mentioned in SAIL’s award winning projects are over Rs 75 crore on a recurring basis and Rs 210 crore on a one-time basis, a SAIL press release said.

In the Prime Minister’s Shram Awards for 2012 announced early this month, SAIL won 6 out of the 16 awards conferred on PSUs; SAIL employees constituted half of the total Shram awardees.

Instituted by the Government of India in 1965, the Vishwakarma Rashtriya Puraskar is a national award given every year by the Ministry of Labour in association with the Directorate General, Factory Advice Service & Labour Institutes. The Shram awards, on the other hand, are given in recognition of distinguished performance, innovative abilities, outstanding contribution in the field of productivity and exhibition of exceptional courage and presence of mind.