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ITC scales up its 360-degree interventions for ‘Greener Earth’

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On this World Environment Day, ITC reaffirmed its commitment towards a ‘Greener Earth’ through its bold Sustainability 2.0 agenda.

Building on its sustainability journey of over two decades, ITC, under the leadership of its Chairman Sanjiv Puri, has articulated an ambitious Vision to scale up its efforts in fighting climate change, whilst supporting large scale sustainable livelihoods.

Commenting on ITC’s multidimensional sustainability initiatives, S Sivakumar, Group Head, Agri, IT and Sustainability, ITC Ltd, said: “ITC has, over the years, implemented innovative business models which synergise the building of economic, environmental, and social capital as a unified strategy. Today, our ambitious Sustainability 2.0 agenda aims to further strengthen ITC’s efforts towards decarbonisation, building green infrastructure, promoting climate-smart and regenerative agriculture, ensuring water security for all, restoring biodiversity through nature-based solutions, creating an effective circular economy, creating sustainable packaging solutions and enabling the transition to a net zero economy. We believe this will go a long way in combating the climate crisis and supporting meaningful livelihood opportunities.”

ITC is today the only Company of comparable dimensions to be water, carbon, and solid waste recycling positive for over a decade and a half.

In recognition of its superior Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) models, the Company has been rated ‘A’ at the Leadership Level for both Climate Change and Water Security by CDP, ‘AA’ by MSCI-ESG (the highest amongst peers) and was also included in the Dow Jones Sustainability Emerging Markets Index.

As a part of its efforts to transition towards Net Zero, ITC has made significant investments in renewable energy. Currently, clean energy powers 24 factories, 14 hotels, and five office buildings across 14 states.

Last year, ITC set a target to meet 100 per cent of its grid electricity requirements from renewable sources by 2030. Currently, it meets around 42 100 per cent of all its electrical energy requirements through renewable means.

With a focus on solar energy, the company has commissioned both onsite and offsite plants across states. ITC has maximized usage of rooftops of its Integrated Consumer Goods Manufacturing and Logistics (ICML) facilities, factories and warehouses for solar power generation. As many as 39 properties of ITC are Platinum rated green buildings by USGBC-LEED/IGBC. ITC’s Windsor Hotel in Bengaluru became the first hotel in the world to be LEED� Zero Carbon certified, followed by ITC Grand Chola and ITC Gardenia.

To contribute to a ‘Greener Earth’, ITC has also been running an integrated water stewardship programme, covering over 1.33 million acres of land and creating a total rainwater harvesting potential which was over 3 times the net water consumed by its operations during last year. The demand management interventions for promoting water efficiency in agriculture have resulted in potential water savings to the tune of 496.5 million cubic metres till date. Following the Alliance for Water Stewardship (AWS) Platinum level certification of ITC’s Paperboards and Specialty Papers unit at Kovai, the first ever site in India to achieve the highest global standard, the Company is in the process of implementing the AWS Standards and obtaining certification at other units in high water stress areas.

Similarly, ITC’s extensive biodiversity programme focuses on reviving ecosystem services provided to agriculture such as natural regulation of pests, pollination, nutrient cycling, soil health retention and genetic diversity, which have witnessed considerable erosion over the past few decades. The initiative has cumulatively covered 1.3 lakh acres in more than 29 districts across 10 states. ITC aims to expand the programme to cover over 10,00,000 acres by 2030.

To de-risk agriculture from effects of climate change, ITC has introduced a Climate Smart Agriculture programme, which covers 15 lakh acres, benefitting over 4.5 lakh farmers. As an integral part of this, a Climate Smart Village initiative covering over 2,500 villages and over 8.2 lakh acres, has led to reduction in GHG emissions by up to 66 100 per cent and an increase in communities’ income by up to 93 100 per cent for soyabean crop in Madhya Pradesh. ITC’s large-scale social and farm forestry programme has greened over 9,50,000 acres, generating over 173million person days of employment.

Moving towards Circular Economy, the Company went beyond plastic neutrality in 2021-22 by collecting and sustainably managing more than 54,000 tonnes of plastic waste across 35 states/union territories. ITC’s flagship solid waste management programme, ITC ‘WOW’ or Well Being Out of Waste, programme, has covered over 1.8 crore citizens providing sustainable livelihood to more than 17,300 waste collectors.

In line with its Vision for a sustainable packaging future, ITC’s Paperboards and Packaging Businesses have leveraged cutting-edge research and innovation capabilities of ITC Life Sciences and technology Centre to launch several first-of-its kind packaging solutions, which facilitate reduction, substitution and recyclability of plastic.

The company is now endeavouring to ensure that over the next decade, 100 per cent of its packaging is reusable, recyclable or compostable/biodegradable.

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PM Modi’s dream of developed India by 2047 becomes collective resolve of every citizen

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New Delhi, Sep 17: Under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership, the dream of a developed India by 2047 has today become the collective resolve of every citizen, Union Minister Pralhad Joshi said on Wednesday.

Wishing PM Modi on his 75th birthday, the minister said that in the past 11 years, “your tireless hard work and dedication have brought unprecedented transformation in the lives of crores of Indians”.

“You have ignited the lamp of patriotism in the heart of every citizen and awakened a resolve for active participation in nation-building. May God grant you excellent health and a long life, so that you continue to serve Mother India with the same dedication and energy in the coming years,” Joshi noted in a post on X.

Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said that meeting PM Modi for the first time as a member of his cabinet was a truly unforgettable experience for him.

“His deep interest in every subject, open mindedness, and out of the box perspective gave me new energy and inspired me to fulfill my responsibilities with even greater dedication and enthusiasm,” he posted on X.

“That one experience endowed me with the ability to serve the people with complete devotion for a lifetime, and for that, I will always remain deeply grateful to him from the bottom of my heart,” Scindia emphasised.

He further stated that PM Modi is dedicated to the development of every individual and is devoted to the principles of Antyodaya.

Minister of State for Commerce and Industry, Jitin Prasada, said that under PM Modi’s leadership, the significant decision of GST reforms will not only simplify and ease the lives of citizens but also provide new energy to the industry and business world, while promoting local production and entrepreneurship.

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Urban Company IPO Surges On Debut, Listed At 60% Premium – What Drove The Buzz?

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Mumbai: Urban Company created a big buzz on its first day in the stock market. The company’s IPO (Initial Public Offering) was listed on September 17 on both the BSE and NSE. The issue price was Rs 103 per share, but it opened much higher at Rs 162.25 per share. This gave investors an immediate listing gain of almost 60 percent, which is a huge return on the first day itself.

The Rs 1,900 crore IPO opened for subscription from September 10 to 12, and it received an overwhelming response. The IPO was subscribed more than 103 times in total. This means demand was over 100 times more than the number of shares available. Big institutional investors showed the most interest, but retail and high-net-worth investors also participated in large numbers.

Out of the total IPO amount, Urban Company raised Rs 472 crore as fresh issue, and the rest came through an Offer for Sale (OFS) of Rs 1,428 crore. The company plans to use the fresh funds for marketing initiatives and technology upgrades, which will help it grow faster. Before the IPO, Urban Company also raised Rs 854 crore from major anchor investors, including names like SBI Funds, HDFC Mutual Fund, Fidelity, Nomura, Goldman Sachs, and others.

Urban Company is a popular platform that offers home and beauty services. Customers can book services such as cleaning, pest control, plumbing, carpentry, electrical work, painting, beauty treatments, grooming, and massage therapy. The company currently operates in 51 cities across India, UAE, and Singapore, and it is also present in Saudi Arabia through a joint venture. Urban Company is growing quickly and aims to become a global leader in home services.

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Sensex, Nifty open higher as India-US trade talks set to resume

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Mumbai, Sep 16: The Indian benchmark indices opened higher on Tuesday amid mixed global cues, as US Chief Negotiator Brendan Lynch arrived in India to resume trade negotiations between the two nations.

As of 9.25 am, the Sensex was up 184 points or 0.23 per cent at 81,970, and the Nifty was up 47 points or 0.19 per cent at 25,117.

The broadcap indices outperformed benchmark indices, as Nifty Midcap 100 inched up by 0.26 per cent, and the Nifty Small cap 100 moved up 0.70 per cent.

Kotak Mahindra, Axis Bank and Hero Motocorp were the top gainers on NSE Nifty 50 index. Titan Company, SBI Life Insurance, Asian Paints and Tata Consumer Products weighed on the Nifty 50 index.

Among sectoral indices, Nifty Media, the top gainer, jumped 1.08 per cent. Nifty Auto (up 0.65 per cent) and Nifty Oil and gas (up 0.57 per cent) were the other major gainers. Except Nifty FMCG and Nifty PSU Bank, which were marginally down, all other indices were in the green.

Analysts said that, from a technical standpoint, a sustained move above the 25,160 level could pave the way for a rally toward 25,250 and 25,500 zones. The immediate support lies at 25,000 and 24,900 zones.

“The bold reforms – both fiscal and monetary – implemented this year have started yielding results and is likely to gather momentum in near future. An India-US trade agreement without the penal tariffs can be a shot in the arm for markets,” said VK Vijayakumar, Chief Investment Strategist, Geojit Investments Limited.

Major US indices ended firmly in the green zone overnight as the Nasdaq rose 0.94 per cent, the S&P 500 gained 0.47 per cent, and the Dow advanced 0.11 per cent.

Most of the Asian markets made strong gains during the morning session. While China’s Shanghai index dipped 0.1 per cent, and Shenzhen inched down 0.26 per cent, Japan’s Nikkei rose 0.54 per cent, while Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index inched up 0.07 per cent. South Korea’s Kospi inched up 1.2 per cent.

The US markets are pricing in a 96.4 per cent probability of a 25-basis-point rate cut on September 17, with additional cuts expected through year-end.

On Monday, foreign institutional investors (FIIs) sold equities worth Rs 1,268 crore, while domestic institutional investors (DIIs) were net buyers of equities worth Rs 1,933 crore.

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