Granules India focusing on sustainability

With its headquarters in Hyderabad and 32 years of experience, Granules India Limited is a vertically integrated pharmaceutical firm dedicated to operational excellence, quality, and customer service. It is one of the few international pharmaceutical companies with presence throughout the whole value chain of manufacture. With a global footprint spanning more than 80 countries, its goods are distributed to more than 300 clients in regulated and semi-regulated markets. In addition to one in the US, it has six production plants in India. Dr. Krishna Prasad Chigurupati, CMD of Granules India Limited, speaks exclusively to The Hans India about the company’s humanitarian efforts and future goals.

Granules India

Who would make the perfect philanthropist, and why?

My father, Dr. ChigurupatiNageswar Rao, is a philanthropist who I look up to. He completed his schooling and training in the UK and was a highly respected medical doctor in Andhra Pradesh. He treated many people around the nation, especially residents who could not afford basic treatment, over his 50 years of community work.

When and how did your charitable endeavours begin?

I grew up seeing my father provide care for those who were less fortunate without accepting cash. He contributed significantly to the underprivileged. His sole purpose in life was to lower the cost of medical care for the general public. He was selfless. It has become ingrained in my psyche that you must act and affect society in some way.

I began to practise philanthropy, but not in the same way as him. He used to be excessively liberal whether he had money or not. Once our firm had expanded, I considered how I could assist others. Instead of giving away, I think a man should be taught how to fish. So, we enthusiastically started efforts for skill development.

Would you please elaborate on Pharma Pathasala and how it supports young people in rural areas?

In Hyderabad’s Swarna Bharat Trust, Muchintal, there is a division for the development of pharmaceutical skills called Pharma Pathasala. The cutting-edge facility features working models of every sort of machinery used in producing completed dosages of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs). Rural Telugu State students are given free attendance to the two-month residential programme.

The cost of the skill-building programme, including training and lodging, is covered by Granules India at a rate of Rs 25,000 per student. The pupils are also given a monthly stipend of Rs 5,000. Following completion of the training, the company hires them as entry-level shop-floor executives with a Rs. 1.26 lakh annual CTC.

What areas of thematic spending have you made with the CSR funding so far? What novel aspects are you going to concentrate on soon?

Our main areas of focus up until this point have been the healthcare and skill development industries. On the basis of the UN Sustainable Development Goals and our National Guidelines on Responsible Business Conduct, we also put a lot of emphasis on conducting responsible business. By implementing the top practises, we hope to rank among the most sustainable businesses. Last year, we started our Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) journey with a sustainability context-setting workshop for the leadership team. This was followed by a series of capability-building workshops for different cross-functional teams.

The CSR budgets for the previous three fiscal years

Our corporate social responsibility (CSR) expenses are always higher than we anticipate. For the fiscal year 2021–2022, we have set up Rs 911.59 lakh for CSR activities. However, during the prior fiscal year, we spent Rs 912.98 lakh. The sum includes Rs 128 lakh spent on giving doses of the Covid vaccination to more than 4,500 workers.

Similar to this, the company had budgeted Rs 561.77 lakh and Rs 437.51 lakh for CSR initiatives during FY 2020-21 and FY 2019-20, respectively. However, the actual spending in the corresponding two fiscal years was Rs 561.79 lakh and Rs 437.75 lakh.

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