CIL hires expert for report

Calcutta, July 23: Coal India is drawing up a sustainability report, which will constitute a part of its corporate social responsibility activity for which an annual investment of Rs 250 crore has been earmarked. To develop the report, Coal India is hiring a private consulting firm during this financial year. The report will include different initiatives that Coal India needs to take to improve business, while at the same time maintain the interests of various stakeholders and the environment. “Land is a basic raw material for any mining company. Being a public sector unit, when we acquire land for mining, we have to protect the interests of the original landowners. At the same time we have to protect the environment. All this has to be done while improving our efficiency.” “We will require outside help to develop a sustainability report,” said Coal India chairman N.C. Jha. He however, refused to identify the firm the company plans to hire. Jha said the report was the first of its kind for Coal India and was part of a sustainability clause included in the memorandum of understanding that the company signed with the government this year.