Latest news with #KothariPetrochemicals
The Hindu
3 days ago
- Business
- The Hindu
World Bicycle Day: Revisiting two initiatives aimed at encouraging people to reduce the carbon footprint
'Manufacturing' a cycling movement in Manali Kothari Petrochemicals in Manali did not just tell its employees to cycle to work; it enabled them to do so. It gifted Hercules cycles to over 140 employees on its rolls on National Safety Day in March 2022. The management's request to its staff: pedal to work at least once a week. Incentives nudging employees to take the eco-friendly route followed. And that 'route' is well-travelled. In addition, the company has been taking other routes to energy conservation and pollution control. All these efforts have resulted in a plethora of recognitions for Kothari Petrochemicals including the National Award for Excellence in Energy Management 2024 by the Confederation of Indian Industries. The biggest encouragement however comes from the fact that neighbouring companies in Manali emulate its example by gifting bicycles to their employees. 'Once a month, usually on the fourth Saturday, we observe 'No Bike Day' encouraging employees to pedal to work or use public transport,' says Premapiriyan P., vice-president, Kothari Petrochemicals. Next, the company switched to vehicles running on liquefied natural gas (LNG) for employee transportation. Two electrical cars were added to the fleet, and a fork lift was converted from diesel to electrical. Employees who bicycle to work the maximum number of days in a month are incentivised with cash awards and carbon offset certificates. Carbon dioxide emission has been reduced by 650 kilos on account of employees commuting by bicycle, says data shared by the company. With a good number of employees living within a five to seven km radius of the plant, the management had a solid reason to push for a bicycle commute. Once an employee pedals to work for a minimum of 10 days, a carbon dioxide math is done and certificates and gifts are given accordingly. M. Rajavel, whole time director, Kothari Petrochemicals, says currently 20-25% of employees bicycle to work on a regular basis and they want to raise this percentage by another 50% this year. 'It is also important to understand the bottlenecks that employees face while cycling, which could be due to bad roads or chaotic traffic in the city, so I have asked the team to study the reasons. If their concerns can be addressed by the company then we will take it up or we can represent it to the Corporation,' says Rajavel. The management will be purchasing another round of bicycles to be given to employees who have joined the organisation in the recent years. A feeder service between a Metro station and a college When the new academic year kicks off at M.O.P. Vaishnav College in June, the students and staff will have the advantage of taking a feeder service from the closest Metro Rail station to the college campus on Nungambakkam. Chennai Metro Rail Limited is offering this service to support the college's 'No Vehicle Day' launched in August 2024. 'CMRL authorities got in touch with us and wanted a schedule in advance for them to arrange a service for the benefit of students, which we plan to take up from June,' says Archna Prasad, principal, M.O.P. Vaishnav College for Women. Currently, DMS or Thousand Lights are the closest metro stations accessed by a majority of the students. The shuttle service, if implemented well, would encourage more students to ditch their vehicles on other days of the week as well to rely on public transport - which was also the larger goal of keeping vehicles off the campus every last Thursday of the month, later changed to any one day in the month, based on students' feedback . The principal notes that students' comfort level had to take precedence: if No Vehicle Day fell on an exam day, students would be handicapped by not using their own vehicle. There could be delay in reaching the college. So, the date and day of No Vehicle Day have been kept flexible. The initiative runs on the steam of flash mobs and messages on social media earlier on. No campaigns are needed today: just an announcement a day before No Vehicle Day. Archna says the initial two months the departments tried not to schedule visitors on the campus on the D-Day but now guests are also asked to switch to public transport. The agenda for the coming academic year is to encourage students to pedal to college and also to get students and staff to switch to e-vehicles, says the principal, adding 'on No Vehicle day, e-vehicles are allowed.'
Business Standard
28-05-2025
- Business
- Business Standard
Kothari Petrochemicals standalone net profit rises 13.83% in the March 2025 quarter
Sales decline 8.94% to Rs 152.92 crore Net profit of Kothari Petrochemicals rose 13.83% to Rs 17.28 crore in the quarter ended March 2025 as against Rs 15.18 crore during the previous quarter ended March 2024. Sales declined 8.94% to Rs 152.92 crore in the quarter ended March 2025 as against Rs 167.94 crore during the previous quarter ended March 2024. For the full year,net profit rose 3.20% to Rs 65.82 crore in the year ended March 2025 as against Rs 63.78 crore during the previous year ended March 2024. Sales declined 4.28% to Rs 577.34 crore in the year ended March 2025 as against Rs 603.14 crore during the previous year ended March 2024. Particulars Quarter Ended Year Ended Mar. 2025 Mar. 2024 % Var. Mar. 2025 Mar. 2024 % Var. Sales 152.92167.94 -9 577.34603.14 -4 OPM % 15.2215.49 - 13.9015.93 - PBDT 24.5928.34 -13 90.62103.11 -12 PBT 22.4626.42 -15 82.2195.49 -14 NP 17.2815.18 14 65.8263.78 3
New Indian Express
26-04-2025
- Business
- New Indian Express
Odisha set to increase steel production capacity to 130 MT per year by 2030: CM Mohan Charan
BHUBANESWAR: Strongly pitching for Odisha as a prime destination for investment in mineral-based industries, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Friday unveiled an ambitious roadmap to transform the state into India's steel powerhouse. Addressing a gathering of industry leaders from the steel and metal sectors during the 'India Steel-2025' conference in Mumbai, he said steel is the mother industry of Odisha. At present, Odisha leads the country in the production of both crude steel and stainless steel, with 54 integrated steel plants and an installed capacity of 41.21 million tonne (MT) per annum. The target is to produce over 130 MT of steel a year by 2030, he said. 'The state has played a pivotal role in the success of the steel sector in the country, accounting for more than 55 per cent (pc) of the iron ore production. My home district Keonjhar alone contributes over 50 pc of Odisha's iron ore production and numerous companies have flourished through their mining operations in the district,' he added. He said Odisha has successfully auctioned 44 major mineral blocks following the amendment to the MMDR Act in 2015. Currently, the state is auctioning eight more blocks with reserves of around 323 MT and plans to auction 22 additional blocks by March 2026. India's iron ore consumption is projected to reach 340 MT by 2030-31, and Odisha aims to contribute nearly 240 to 245 MT, increasing its share in national production from 58 pc to 70 pc. 'Not only iron ore, the state with 16 operational coal mines accounts for 24 pc of the country's total output. We have produced 178 MT of iron ore, 269 MT of coal, and 3.18 MT of chromite in the last fiscal alone,' he said. The chief minister said the government is now focused on transitioning from a model of raw material extraction to value creation. 'Odisha is developing a full-fledged metal-based manufacturing value chain that will promote industries in engineering goods, transport systems, mining machinery, and components for aerospace and defence. Come, invest in Odisha and be part of the Samruddha Odisha growth story which has already begun,' he said. Majhi assured potential investors of a strong support system including land availability, road and rail connectivity, electricity, water, and a pro-industry environment. Odisha is witnessing massive infrastructure investments across railways, highways, airports, ports, logistics hubs, and power corridors, thanks to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of Viksit Bharat by 2047, he said. The chief minister also held strategic engagements with industry stakeholders in different sectors. Senior representatives from leading chemicals companies including Dow Chemicals, Epsilon Carbon, Kothari Petrochemicals and Deepak Fertilisers discussed their potential investments and expansion plans. CMD of S Kant Pharmaceuticals Bharath Shah discussed the possibilities for developing the drug manufacturing sector in the state. Steely resolve Transitioning from resource extraction to value creation 130 MT of annual steel production by 2030 Odisha to contribute 70% of India's projected 340 MT iron ore consumption by 2030-31 OMC to achieve 5 MT of iron ore production by 2029-2030 Auction of 22 more mineral blocks by March 2026
