CCI CONTRIBUTION TOWARDS FLAGSHIP PROGRAMME OF GOI INCLUDING CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

An Article for Special Issue of Kaleidoscope By:

DR. P. ALLI RANI, CHAIRMAN-CUM-MANAGING DIRECTOR,

THE COTTON CORPORATION OF INDIA LTD. (CCI)

The Cotton Corporation of India Limited (CCI) is a Public Sector Undertaking under the administrative control of Ministry of Textiles, Govt. of India. CCI operates in all the cotton growing States with about 350 procurement centres under 17 procurement/ sales branches. The major role of the CCI is to undertake Minimum Support Price (MSP) operations on behalf of Govt. of India when the prices of Fair Average Quality (FAQ) grade seed cotton fall below the MSP level. As per role assigned, CCI procures entire quantity of FAQ grade kapas offered by the cotton farmers in various APMC yards at MSP rates. This mechanism not only caters to the abundant supply of cotton during peak arrivals but also ensures that kapas prices do not lead to distress sale by the farmers. Besides MSP operations, to fulfill the raw material requirement of the domestic textile industry particularly during lean season, CCI undertakes commercial purchase operations.

CCI actively participates in all the flagship programmes of Govt. of India wherever applicable looking to the nature of business of the Corporation. For implementing the policies adopted to formulate the vision of Digital India and Swachh Bharat including Corporate Social Responsibility, CCI review and access the need of development at every stage and take necessary steps as and when required. Highlights of CCI initiatives towards Digital India and Swachh Bharat including Corporate Social Responsibility are as follows:

Digital India: CCI made a massive campaign during 2nd December 2016 to 31st March 2017 to promote cashless transaction by using Unified Payment Interface (UPI) applications through mobile. Under this campaign, CCI initiated opening of 4,411 bank accounts of cotton farmers and 62,276 mobile app demo/downloads along with training for own employees, cotton farmers and business associates. For creating awareness about Digital India, CCI has focused on the following:

Motivate and Support employees to be more comfortable with the use of computers and ERP system for creating paper less working environment by providing necessary training as and when required.

Adopted 100% sale of cotton and cotton seed through e-Auction system.

100% payment to the cotton farmers directly into their bank account through RTGS/e-payment.

Adopted 100% cashless transactions at Corporate Office and Branches.

Besides this, CCI is planning for:

Extension of ERP system to centre level by 2019-20, Implementation of e-office through National Informatics Centre Services Inc. (NICSI)

by 2019-20 at corporate office and thereafter at Branches by 2020-21. Swachh Bharat: CCI is undertaking various activities under Swachh Bharat Mission w.e.f.

2nd October 2014 by involving all employees posted at Corporate Office and branches. Under this mission, swachhta pakhwada is organized twice in a year. Recently, CCI has celebrated Swachhta Pakhwada during 1st March to 15th March 2018 wherein swachhta related various activities were undertaken like Swachhta Jagrukta Abhiyaan at public places, seminar on role of women in swachhta, tree plantation, cleaning drive and display of swachhta slogan/banners at public places like railway station, bus stand, park etc. CCI is promoting Swachh Bharat Mission under its’ five year’s calendar activities for cleanliness and sanitation started from November 2014 at Corporate and Branch Offices. Under this plan, the Corporation is undertaking various activities through:

Sanitation/cleaning drives, display of banners in nearby public places along with tree

plantation and placement of dustbins.

Publication of articles & slogans for Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan in quarterly/ half-yearly in-house magazines.

Competition on Swachhta awareness.

Seminars on health & hygiene for own employees.

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR): CSR Mission of the Corporation is to:

i) serve the interests of society by taking responsibility for the impact of Corporation’s activities on stakeholders & environment in all aspects of its operations.

ii) ensure benefits to the smallest unit i.e. village, panchayat, block or district particularly backward districts depending upon operations and resource capability of the Corporation.

iii) be involved in CSR activities as long term sustainable socio-economic development with expenditure limit of at least 2% of the average net profits of the company made during the three immediately preceding financial years.

Overview of CSR activities undertaken by CCI during last three years are as under:

Constructed 61 girls toilets in 21 schools and more than 6000 girls’ students are benefitted.

Motivated around 300 girls’ students of three govt. schools for higher studies by providing scholarship of Rs. 10,000/- per student to top 3 girls’ students from each school (i.e. one from General category, one from OBC and one from SC/ST/PH) on the marks secured in higher secondary examination.

Cotton farmers in backward districts in the states of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu & Maharashtra were benefitted with 500 nos. Front Line Demonstration (FLD) programmes in terms of increase in yield, reduction in cost, improvement in quality and gain in over-all realization as compared to non-FLD plots.

Motivated the cotton farmers for using kapas plucker machine instead of manual labour for better yield and lesser trash. The corporation has provided 300 kapas plucker machines valuing Rs. 21.75 lakhs to the farmers of around 30 villages in the states of Gujarat, Maharashtra & Telangana.

More than 3,500 cotton farmers in the States of Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh and Tamil Nadu were benefitted from kisan melas & farmers awareness meetings organized by CCI under its rural development project and motivated for cultivation of ELS variety of cotton due to increase in yield and thereby profitability.

Contributed Rs.39 lakhs to Swachh Bharat Kosh, Rs. 17.19 lakhs to Clean Ganga Fund and Rs 5 lakhs to Armed Forces Flag Day (AFFD) Funds.

Future Targets:

As per proposed Swachhta Action Plan (SAP) 2018-19 under Special initiative of the Hon’ble PM towards Swachh Bharat Mission, CCI will take initiatives for Construction of toilets in close vicinity of 150 Agricultural Market Committee yards for girl/women with running water facilities in nearby schools/ labour colonies and villages and expected to contribute Rs. 10 lakhs for the same from CSR Funds for the year 2018-19.

33% of the CSR fund on Swachh Bharat & Clean Ganga activities.

In order to have greater impact of the CSR activities of CCI, as per provisions in the Companies (Corporate Social Responsibility Policy) Rules, 2014 issued by Ministry of Corporate Affairs, CCI may collaborate with the other Central Public Sector Enterprises (CPSEs)/Banks/Pvt. Organizations etc, by way of pooling their CSR funds. The approval from Administrative Ministry i.e. Ministry of Textiles has been sought for the proposed scheme wherein targeted CSR activities are as under:

o To distribute about 10,000 nos. hand-handled kapas plucker machines to the

cotton farmers for maximization in yield, production of better quality due to lesser trash and thereby increase in income by reducing harvest cost.

o To distribute about 1 lakh Farmers Safety Kits to the cotton farmers for safe farming and protection against Pesticides, Fertilizers and Other Farm Hazards.

o Promoting education for girls from economically weak primary producer’s families by providing scholarship to girls’ students in about 450 Government schools.

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Some photographs of CCI initiatives: