Sembcorp Utilities Celebrates 20th Anniversary with CSR Initiatives in India

India, August [13], 2015: To mark the 20^th anniversary of Sembcorp Industries’ (Sembcorp) Utilities business on August 12, Sembcorp’s joint venture companies in India, Thermal Powertech Corporation India (TPCIL) and NCC Power Projects (NCCPP), unveiled a joint five-year corporate social responsibility planin the presence of Guest of Honour, Mr A Md Imtiaz, IAS, Joint Collector of Nellore district as well as Mr Tan Cheng Guan, Executive Vice President & Head, Group Business Development & Commercial of Sembcorp and Country-Head of India, and Mr Atul Nargund, CEO of TPCIL and NCCPP. This is part of Sembcorp’s group-wide celebration on August 12, which has been declared as ‘Sembcorp Gives Back Day’.

The five-year plan lays out TPCIL and NCCPP’s vision to improve the livelihood of the community in the direct impact zone in Nellore, Andhra Pradesh through four focus areas: Training and Skills Development, Education, Water, and Environmental Sustainability and Sanitation.   

• Training andSkills Development: TPCIL and NCCPP aim to improve employability of youthsfrom needy and low income households by giving them access to skills-development and learning programmes. Such learning programmes will help them to develop lifeskills, academic competencies, technical skills, and work place competencies. The companies target to train around 100 youths from the direct impact zone per year in the above areas of skills development.
• Education: The companies aim to promote education and improve the quality of learning through the upgrading of school facilities, such as classrooms, libraries and laboratories, and the provision of basic amenities such as toilets and drinking water. This is expected to benefit more than 1,500 children in 16 schools within the direct impact zone.

• Water: Through the Sembcorp Water Initiative, the companies provide clean drinking water to villages in the direct impact zone. This initiative is expected to benefit all the 39 villages, which include 1,500 households and 16 schools. This will be done through the installation of reverse osmosis water plants in the villages as well as the supply of clean drinking water using tankers. 

• Environmental Sustainability and Sanitation:The companies aim to promote environmental sustainability and provide sanitation through supporting the construction of sanitation facilities to 1,000 households, provision of sanitation kits to local communities as well as tree and avenue plantation. This will benefit 39 villages in the direct impact zone which include over 1,500 households, 16 schools, and 19 Anganwadi / Balwadi centres.

To kick start this 5-year roadmap, activities in support of these causes were held on this special ‘Sembcorp Gives Back Day’. Witnessed byIAS Joint Collector of Nellore districtMr A Md Imtiaz, a ground-breaking ceremony was held at MV Palem School for its school infrastructure development project, where a dining and kitchen complex that will benefit 450 school children will be built. A tree planting ceremony was also held at the school. 

This was followed by an inauguration of a reverse osmosis plant at Nelaturu Harijanawada. The plant, which was installed by TPCIL, will provide safe drinking water to 200 households or 1,000 individuals in the village. To date, a total of seven reverse osmosis plants have been installed across five villages. Another reverse osmosis plant will be initiated in Pyanampuram village by end of October 2015. 

In Delhi, Sembcorp’s renewable energy subsidiary, Sembcorp Green Infra (SGI), undertook work to improve the condition of a run-down municipal school, which has about 500 students, at Saket. All 65 employees of SGI took part in the full day activity, white-washing the school hall and painting story art work on its walls, providing a more pleasant learning environment for the children. 

Said Mr Tan Cheng Guan, “For 20 years, Sembcorp’s Utilities business has supported development with our essential energy and water solutions, and helped to improve the quality of life for millions worldwide. ‘Sembcorp Gives Back Day’ is not only a meaningful way to celebrate the 20^th birthday of the Utilities business, but also a chance for us to reach out as a company and carry on our long tradition of giving back to our communities. India is important to us, therefore we are focusing our efforts not just on this day, but also over a sustained period.” 

This initiative is in line with the Sembcorp Group’s strong commitment to act as a responsible business and make a positive impact on its communities. To mark ‘Sembcorp Gives Back Day’, staff from Sembcorp operations around the world come together to lend their time and energies to making a positive impact in their local communities. 

Said Mr Imtiaz, “It is heart-warming to see the commitment that the Sembcorp Group has to giving back and caring for the local communities, even as it celebrates a milestone in the company. In particular, I am very heartened and excited with the initiatives that will be launched as part of TPCIL and NCCPP’s five-year corporate social responsibility plan. Their efforts and support to the villages within the direct impact zone in Nellore will make a noticeable, positive difference to the lives of many in these villages.” 

Mr Nargund said, “TPCIL and NCCPP have always been committed to improve the quality of life of the community living in and around our project areas. As a proud member of the Sembcorp family, we share its belief in making a positive impact on the community. With the launch of our corporate social responsibility plan, we commit not just one day of effort, but to a sustained and ongoing campaign.”