Balmer Lawrie & Company Ltd Directors Report

<dhhead> BOARD’S REPORT </dhhead>

To the Members,

The Directors have pleasure in presenting the 106th Report of your Company for the Financial Year (FY) ended 31st March, 2023, together with the Audited Financial Statements, Auditor’s Reports and the Comments of Comptroller & Auditor General of India on the Accounts of the Company and other statements/ reports attached thereto.

FINANCIAL SUMMARY & HIGHLIGHTS (Rs. in Lakh)

 

Over all Financial Results	STANDALONE		CONSOLIDATED
	FINANCIAL RESULTS Year ended 31st March		FINANCIAL RESULTS* Year ended 31st March
	2023	2022	2023	2022 (Restated)
Surplus for the year before deduction of Finance Charges,	26804	22269	23905	20617
Depreciation and Tax
Deduct there from:
i. Finance Charges and Depreciation	5674	5254	7474	7014
ii. Provision for Taxation	5744	4734	5744	4734
Profit after Tax (PAT)	15386	12281	10687	8869
Add: Transfer from Profit & Loss Account	83189	81168	110027	104866
Total amount available for Appropriation	98575	93449	120714	113735
Appropriations:
Interim Dividends	0	0	0	0
Dividend @ Rs. 6.50 per equity share (for FY 2021-22)	11115	10260	11115	10260
Previous Year Rs. 6.00 per equity share (for FY 2020-21)
Transfer to General Reserve	0	0	0	0
Other Adjustments	0	0	-10768	-6552
Minority interest / Foreign Exchange Conversion Reserve etc.	0	0	0	0
Surplus carried forward to next year	87460	83189	120367	110027
Total of Appropriation	98575	93449	120714	113735

 

 

*The Board’s Report is based on standalone financial statements of the Company and this information is given as an added information to the member.

OVERVIEW OF THE STATE OF THE COMPANY’S AFFAIRS

The Company recorded net turnover of Rs.2,38,309.16 Lakh during the FY 2022-23 as against Rs.21,04,84.97 Lakh in the FY 2021-22 which is an increase of 13.22% over last year.

The Company recorded a Profit Before Tax of Rs.21,130.23 Lakh in the FY 2022-23 as against Rs.17,014.45 Lakh in the FY 2021-

22. The increase is being attributable to the easing out effect of COVID-19 pandemic on the performance of SBU Travel and Vacations which was severely effected in previous two Financial Years due to the same. The Reserve and Surplus of your Company increased to Rs.1,18,524.12 Lakh as on 31st March, 2023

as compared to Rs.1,14,885.52 Lakh as on 31st March, 2022.

TRANSFER TO RESERVES

The Reserve and Surplus of your Company increased to Rs.1,18,524.12 Lakh as on 31st March, 2023 as compared to Rs.1,14,885.52 Lakh as on 31st March, 2022. During the year, no amount has been transferred to General Reserve.

SHARE CAPITAL

The paid-up Equity share capital of the Company as on 31st March, 2023 stood at Rs.1,71,00,38,460 consisting of 17,10,03,846 Equity Shares of Rs.10/- each fully paid up. The Company has not issued any shares with differential voting rights nor has granted any stock option or sweat equity share.

DIVIDEND

A dividend of Rs. 7.50/- (Rupees Seven and Paise Fifty only) per fully paid up Equity Share, on the entire paid up equity share capital of the Company has been recommended by the Board of Directors for the FY 2022-23, for declaration by the Members at the ensuing 106th Annual General Meeting (AGM) to be held on 27th September, 2023. The dividend, if declared, will be paid within statutory time limit of 30 days from the date of such declaration either by way of warrant, demand draft or electronic mode to those Shareholders who would be holding shares of the Company as on the cut-off date i.e. 20th September, 2023, (End of Day). In respect of shares held electronically, dividend will be paid to the beneficial owners, as on the cut-off date i.e. 20th September, 2023, (End of Day) as per details to be furnished by their respective Depositories, i.e., either Central Depository Services (India) Ltd. or National Securities Depository Ltd. The dividend to be paid shall be subject to Tax Deducted at Source and other applicable provisions of the Income Tax Act, 1961.

The trend of dividend declared by the Company in the past and recommended for the FY 2022-23 is depicted below:

 

Note: The dividends for the FY(s) 2019-20 onwards is on the increased paid up capital upon issue of Bonus shares in the year 2019.

DIVIDEND DISTRIBUTION POLICY

Your Company formulated a Dividend Distribution Policy in the year 2016. The Dividend Policy has been uploaded on the Company’s website at the link:

https://www.balmerlawrie.com/adminls/dl_u/ DIVIDEND_DISTRIBUTION_POLICY.pdf

The dividend recommended by the Board is in line with the above policy.

MATERIAL CHANGES AND COMMITMENTS AFFECTING THE FINANCIAL POSITION OF THE COMPANY OCCURRED BETWEEN THE END OF THE FINANCIAL YEAR AND THE DATE OF THE REPORT

There have been no material changes and commitments affecting the Financial Position of the Company occurred between the end of the Financial Year and the date of the report.

MANAGEMENT DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS REPORT

The Management Discussion and Analysis Report as per the provisions of SEBI (Listing Obligations and Disclosure Requirements) Regulations, 2015 ("the Listing Regulations") and guidelines on Corporate Governance for Central Public Sector Enterprises, 2010 by DPE is attached separately as ‘Annexure- 1’.

CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

The Financial Statements and Results of your Company have been duly consolidated with its Subsidiary and Associates pursuant to applicable provisions of the Companies Act, 2013 ("the Act") & allied Rules, the Listing Regulations and Indian Accounting Standards (Ind-AS).

Further, in line with first proviso to Section 129(3) of the Companies Act, 2013 read with the allied Rules, Consolidated Financial statements prepared by your Company include a separate Statement in Form ‘AOC-1’ containing the salient features of the Financial Statement of your Company’s Subsidiary, Associates and Joint Ventures which forms part of the Annual Report.

REPORT ON SUBSIDIARY ASSOCIATES AND JOINT VENTURE COMPANIES AND THEIR CONTRIBUTION TO THE OVERALL PERFOMANCE IN THE COMPANY

During the FY 2018-19, the Company had revised the policy for determining material subsidiaries in terms of the amended Listing Regulations w.e.f. 1st April, 2019. The policy may be accessed on the Company’s website at the link:

https://www.balmerlawrie.com/adminls/dl_u/ Policy_on_Determining_Material_Subsidiary-BL. pdf

As per the aforesaid policy, none of the subsidiary appear to be material subsidiary of your Company.

The contribution to the income of Balmer Lawrie & Co. Ltd. from Subsidiary, Associates and JV Companies are as under:

 

Name	Amount (Rs. In Lakh)	Nature
Balmer Lawrie (UAE) LLC	3065.11	Dividend
Balmer Lawrie-Van Leer Ltd.	516.07	Dividend
AVI-OIL India Private Ltd.	63.00	Dividend
Balmer Lawrie (UAE) LLC	661.11	TSMS Fees
PT Balmer Lawrie Indonesia	116.17	TSMS Fees

 

FINANCIAL STATEMENT OF SUBSIDIARY COMPANY

In line with the provisions of Section 136 of the Companies Act, 2013, your Company has placed audited accounts of its subsidiary on its website

- www.balmerlawrie.com. Members shall be provided the financial statement of the subsidiary company as per requisition made by them in writing.

A brief write-up about the Subsidiary, Associates and Joint Venture Companies of your Company, inter-alia, reporting about their respective performance, financial position and other significant events is presented hereunder:

REPORT ON SUBSIDIARY

Visakhapatnam Port Logistics Park Limited [VPLPL] - Subsidiary

Visakhapatnam Port Logistics Park Ltd. (hereinafter referred to ‘the JVC’) was incorporated on 24th July, 2014, under the Companies Act, 2013, with equity contribution in the ratio of 60:40 between the two joint venture partners, namely Balmer Lawrie & Co. Ltd. and Visakhapatnam Port Authority.

The JVC runs and operates a Multimodal Logistics Hub (MMLH) facility in Visakhapatnam. The MMLH comprises of an open yard storage facility, mechanised warehouse and a temperature- controlled storage solution facility for mechanised materials handling and intermodal transfer between container terminals and break-bulk cargo terminals. The MMLH provides option for handling both bonded as well as non-bonded

 

cargo coupled with offering of value-added services such as customs clearance, sorting, grading, aggregation, disaggregation and freight handling. It has a rail connectivity of 1.30 K.M. where 4 rakes can be handled in a day. The MMLH upon receipt of CFS license, has commenced its CFS operations from 2nd March, 2023.

The mechanised warehouse facility of the JVC covering around 1,06,650 sq. ft. had witnessed an average capacity utilization of 92% during the FY 2022-23, as against utilization of 97% during the previous FY 2021-22. In anticipation of receiving CFS license, the EXIM portion of the warehouse had to be vacated in November 2022, which resulted in reduction of capacity utilization, which otherwise had witnessed 100% utilisation till November 2022.

The JVC’s temperature-controlled warehouse facility is equipped with frozen & chilled chambers with a capacity of handling 3,780 pallets. During the FY 2022-23, this business had reached its maximum capacity utilization of 100%, as against utilization of 95% during the previous FY 2021- 22.

The JVC during the year under review experienced challenges in achieving growth in the area of Open Yard and Rail Siding business, due to imposition of export duty on steel products which was effective from second quarter of the FY 2022- 23, ban on export of agricultural commodities and non-availability of rakes for the customers dealing in Aluminum products. These significant factors had adversely affected the capacity utilization of its Open Yard business, which had dropped from 40% (FY 2021-22) to 24% in the FY 2022-23. The

number of rakes handled also had reduced from 123 Rakes (FY 2021-22) to 60 rakes in the FY 2022-23.

During the FY 2022-23, the JVC was able to generate a total revenue of Rs.12.56 Crores as against Rs.14.05 Crores earned during the previous FY 2021-22. However, due to depreciation and interest on borrowings, the JVC ended up with a loss of Rs.10.54 Crores during the FY 2022-23.

The significant achievement of the JVC during the FY 2022-23, was the receipt of Container Freight Station (CFS) license on 27th January, 2023 and commencement of CFS operations on 2nd March,

 

2023. With this license in place, the facility is now aligned with the Prime Minister’s Gati Shakti initiative, since the JVC is well equipped to offer an end-to-end Logistics Services with best-in- class infrastructure.

The JVC had already handled 74 TEUs of Export containers in the month of March 2023 and generated a revenue of Rs.12 Lakh. The JVC is expected to perform better in the current FY 2023-24, since commercial agreements have been signed off with some of the major shipping lines.

REPORT ON JOINT VENTURES

Balmer Lawrie (UAE) LLC (BLUAE)

Balmer Lawrie (UAE) LLC, the Financial Year of operation is calendar year and hence this report is for the period of January to December 2022.

Recovery from COVID-19 could not take place fully as Global Supply Chain disruptions continued till Q3 of 2022.

The Region continues to face severe Geopolitical challenges erupting out of the Russia-Ukraine war and the deteriorating relationship with US-China. All these were followed by a cut in oil output, resulting in unstable petroleum prices resulting from the instability of the demand.

Drop in demand resulted in severe competitive pressures in pricing and competition from across borders.

Given the challenges, the Company fared decently during the FY 2022 due to the fundamental pillars of the Company where "People" remained at the center of all our focus.

Added to the above strategic goals of the Company and sustainability drive kept the Company afloat beating all challenges due to the customer-centric culture and strong Supply Chain Management Systems of the Company.

Performance Driver’s for the Company remained:

People & Team

Customer Service Excellence

Transformational Performance

Sustainability Drive.

The company continued to keep focus on Export Markets and has expanded substantially.

 

All product verticals performed very decently. Operational efficiency remained at the core and was the best ever.

Cost Leadership Initiatives helped the company in the tightrope walk of severe competition.

All approved Capex has duly been commissioned by 31st December, 2022.

The company launched several new products in 2022. The focus of the company continues to remain on Technology upgradation and IT initiatives.

In order to rationalize competition in Metal Packaging, company did the acquisition of the number 2 player in the market.

The company expects to continue its leadership position in Industrial Packaging in the Region.

Balmer Lawrie-Van Leer Ltd. [BLVL]

Global Challenges - during the year under review FY 2022-23, Balmer Lawrie-Van Leer Ltd. (BLVL) has experienced challenging macroeconomic environment, marked by geopolitical uncertainties, high commodity inflation, supply chain constraints, volatile trade balance, rising energy prices, competition among other factor. The decline in global demand for steel exports has impacted the sales of steel drum closures division.

Focus - The company focused engaging in new opportunities, high growth segments and retaining our key customer base. This has helped the company to steer the course of profitable growth. The company assessed the prospects in the Food & Lubricant sector and restructured its Plastic manufacturing facilities to tap the steady growing demand.

Results - The company has for the third consecutive year achieved to deliver impressive top-line for the Financial Year 2022-23. The financial performance for the year recorded the highest ever revenue of Rs. 591 Crores which was Rs. 586 Crore in the previous year. The PBT for the Financial Year 2022-23 stood at Rs.37.50 Crore as against Rs.50.42 Crore in the previous year. The Steel Drum closure units of BLVL at Turbhe and at Bengaluru have reported a decline in turnover. The Plastic Division at Turbhe,

 

Dehradun & Chennai was able to increase its turnover in the current year. The combined overall turnover of both, Steel Drum Division and Plastic Drum division was higher in comparison to the previous year.

Future - A food compliant facility is being developed at Pune and Dehradun. The Pune manufacturing facility was completed during the year and production is expected in next financial year. The additional manufacturing facility at Dehradun plant is under construction. The Dahej plant has commenced its production in all segmented products.

AVI-Oil India Private Ltd. [AVI-OIL]

For the FY 2022-23, AVI-OIL has achieved sales volume of 1,429 KL of lubricants blended, 23 MT of greases reprocessed and 251 MT of esters.

During the FY 2022-23, the Company achieved the net sales of Rs.9,125.53 Lakh as compared to the previous year net sales of Rs.5,371.09 Lakh.

The Profit before Tax (PBT) for the FY 2022-23 is Rs.2,081.12 Lakh as compared to previous year PBT of Rs. 912.50 Lakh. The increase is mainly due to increase in sales and increase in other income.

The Profit before Depreciation, Interest and Tax (PBDIT) for the FY 2022-23 is Rs. 2,458 Lakh as compared to the last year PBDIT of Rs.1,293 Lakh.

 

Particulars	(Rs. in Lakh)
	2022-2023	2021-2022
Total Revenue	9240.68	5495.50
Net Sales	9125.53	5371.09
Total Expenses	7159.56	4583.00
Profit/ (Loss) Before Tax (PBT)	2081.12	912.50
Taxation
- Current tax	521.41	323.06
- Deferred tax	(54.77)	(53.24)
Net Profit/ (Loss)	1614.48	642.68

 

PT Balmer Lawrie Indonesia [PTBLI]

PT Balmer Lawrie Indonesia (PTBLI) is a 50:50 joint venture company between "PT Imani Wicaksana", Indonesia and "Balmer Lawrie & Co. Ltd.", India. The company was formed in 2010. The business of the Joint Venture is to manufacture and sale of greases and lubricants in Indonesia & adjoining region. Indonesia’s Lubricant market is characterized by:

 

Market Size in 2021 is 879.84 million liters projected to reach 1.10 billion liters in 2026 (CAGR 4.64%)

60% of the volume is contributed to Automotive Growth & one of the largest 2 Wheeler Market in Asia.

Consumption is likely to see increase riding on the back of increasing infrastructural activities & growth in vehicle population.

PTBLI has 3 business verticals

Industrial & Direct B2B

Retail Channel Business

Contract manufacturing business

While Industrial & Retail Business focuses on sales & promoting our own Balmerol Brand of Lubricants in this region, Contract Manufacturing is done on contract basis to manufacture for other Lube & Grease Marketing companies including Pertamina, the largest national oil Company of Indonesia.

The last Financial Year, 2022-23 witnessed a robust performance by PTBLI with

Better Sales Realization has increased our Business Turnover.

64% Growth in Sales of Balmerol Brand.

Better Control on Receivables, no new Bad Debts

Retail Business has made significant increase in sale of Motor Cycle Oil & Greases in small pouches.

Transafe Services Ltd. [TSL]

Hon’ble National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) vide its order dated 9th April, 2021 has approved the Resolution Plan of M/s Om Logistics Limited (Resolution Applicant in the said matter of Corporate Insolvency Resolution Process (CIRP) initiated upon M/s Transafe Services Ltd. (TSL), wherein, the following had been approved upon implementation of the Resolution Plan:

The entire existing Equity Share Capital of TSL shall stand cancelled, extinguished and annulled & be regarded as reduction of Share Capital to the extent of 99.99997% and the remaining 0.00003% shall be required to be transferred to the Resolution Applicant.

 

The entire existing Preference Share Capital of TSL shall stand cancelled, extinguished and annulled to the extent of 100% and be regarded as reduction of Capital.

Consequent to the above, the Company ceased to have joint control or have any significant influence over TSL and TSL ceased to be a Related Party under the extant provisions of Section 2(76) of the Companies Act, 2013 or under IND AS-110 or clause 2(1)(zb) of Listing Regulations. However, the Company has filed an appeal to Hon’ble National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) against the orders of Hon’ble NCLT. The investments of the Company (in both equity and preference shares in the said joint venture), have been unilaterally reduced by way of capital reduction, by the demat account service provider. The Company has been following up with the demat account service provider for re-instatement of the same considering that the matter is sub- judice (supra).

Recently, Hon’ble NCLAT vide Order dated 26th July, 2023 has dismissed the appeal.

CESSATION / CHANGE IN JOINT VENTURES

/SUBSIDIARIES /ASSOCIATE COMPANIES DURING THE YEAR

During the FY 2022-23, there was no instances of cessation / change in Joint Venture/ Subsidiaries

/ Associate Companies.

Effective 8th August, 2022, BLUAE – a foreign joint-venture of the Company had acquired 100% of the issued share capital of Elegant Industries LLC which is a limited liability Company registered at UAE and its financials are merged with BLUAE.

MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING (MOU)

Every year your Company signs an MOU with the Government of India, Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, based on guidelines issued by the Department of Public Enterprises (DPE). The MOU targets include revenue from operations, operating profit to Revenue, PAT/Net Worth, capital expenditure, receivable management, capacity utilization and research and development initiative etc. Periodic review on achievement of MOU was carried out throughout the year. MOU evaluation for the Financial Year 2021-22 has been received. The grading of the Company for the FY 2021-22 was "Good".

 

HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT (HRM)

The organization believes that its success depends on the alignment & performance of its people. In order to create value for the Organization and based on the long term plan and current realities, the following domains have been the focus areas of Human Resource Management in the FY 2022-23:-

To ensure the organization has the right people, in the right job, at the right time.

Enhancing employee productivity to reach the best in class levels and support the vision of the Company of becoming a leading diversified corporate entity having market leadership with global presence in the chosen business segments.

Consistently deliver value to all stakeholders and focus on enhancing employee engagement and employee experience.

Continue to build employee capability, upgrading leadership and manage talent & employee performance across all levels of the workforce.

Talent Acquisition

In today’s intensely dynamic markets, the Company has successfully inducted 31 (Thirty One) Executives and 6 (Six) Officers (Non- Unionized Supervisors) during the year to reinforce the Company’s performance and bolster the Company’s capabilities in all business areas.

Learning and Development

The Company aligns its learning & development practices and solutions in line with the organizational growth and productivity. Our aim has been to continuously invest in enhancing the professional skills and competencies of our employees. With the objective of enhancing the functional and leadership competencies, extensive training programs for employees in line with the business requirement of the Company, both in the areas of general management and specialist skill development were planned and executed.

Balmer Lawrie Mentorship Scheme (BLMS) has been implemented for providing effective development opportunity which the organization can offer to its new employees. The scheme

 

has laid down criterias to objectively cover all new joinees in Executive cadre who join the Company in Grades E1 to E5. The Company has also focused and invested in its resources on preparing a panel of mentors in each SBU/ Function in Company. Executives in Grades E3 and above, upto grades E7 comprised of such panels.

The Management invested itself in designing a distinctive 9-month long leadership development program, where the participants are given opportunity to hone leadership skills through action learning. The arena of action learning are projects which were futuristic, challenging, and critical to growth and competitive advantage of the Company.

With the objective to create and nurture a learning culture within the organisation and positively impact performance, the Company has developed SCORM-based and movie-based video digital learning content for its Personnel. Online modules have been created for induction of lateral hires and for creating awareness of Purchase/ procurement procedures of the Company.

Worker’s and Supervisors Training: The unionized staff members have been consistently provided with regular Safety training sessions to ensure their well-being and create a secure work environment. This is in addition to the Tool Box talks, Safety training etc. being conducted for the regular and contractual workers for inculcating and building a Safe working environment in the organisation. Recognizing the importance of their overall health and happiness, additional training programs have been conducted to equip them with the necessary tools to address behavioural, social and mental health issues. These specialized trainings aim to empower the staff with the knowledge and skills to tackle various issues that may arise, fostering a supportive and inclusive workplace environment that values their holistic well-being.

The training sessions for Supervisors cover a wide range of topics to enhance their capabilities and effectiveness. Firstly, safety training is provided to ensure supervisors are well versed in maintaining a secure work environment and promoting employee well-being. Communication

 

skills are also emphasized, enabling supervisors to effectively convey information, provide feedback and foster strong relationships within their team.

To provide a safe working environment for women, employees / others are being regularly sensitised about the provisions of the ‘The Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013’.

In addition, supervisors receive training on GeM and Purchase Manual, ensuring they are up-to- date with the latest procurement procedures and can navigate the system efficiently. To uphold quality standards, supervisors are acquainted with ISO guidelines and practices. Keeping pace with new age methodologies, supervisors are exposed to topics like design thinking, which encourages innovative problem-solving approaches. Lastly, other functional and behavioural trainings are conducted for Supervisors to help them develop a well-rounded skill set and hence ensuring the organization’s overall success.

In all 1600+ Training days were achieved which included both in-house and external programmes for all categories of employees during the year.

Managing Performance

Based on the Competency Framework developed for all Executive grades, the Company has implemented a Competency Linked Performance Appraisal System for all Executives. With a view to ensure timely completion of Performance Management Appraisals, the process has been e-enabled for Executives upto grade E-8. Our Company has maintained 100% online submission of ACR/APAR in respect of all Non- unionised positions along with compliance of prescribed timelines w.r.t writing of ACR/APAR during the FY 2022-23.

Employee Engagement and Welfare

An effective work culture has been established in the organization which encourages participation and involvement of employees in activities beyond work. Towards furthering this, during the year the 157th Foundation Day was celebrated in all units and establishments across the country. The employees participated in large numbers and made the event a memorable occasion.

 

Welfare & representation of SCs, STs, OBCs, PwBDs, EWS

During the year, in the Executive & Officers [NUS] cadre, 3 (Three) employees in the SC category, 14 (Fourteen) employees in the OBC category, 1 (One) employee in the ST category and 2 (Two) women employees were recruited.

The actual number of employees belonging to special categories, Group-wise, as on 31st March, 2023 is given below:-

 

Group	Regular Manpower as on 31.03.2023	SC	ST	OBC [*]	PH	Women	EWS	Minori- ties
A	483	57	8	88	5	61	2	33
B	185	36	7	51	5	21	2	12
C	37	2	0	13	1	8	0	2
D [includ- ing D1]	166	18	3	40	6	4	0	31
Total	871	113	18	192	17	94	4	78

 

[*] On and from 08th September, 1993 onwards

Implementation of the Persons with Disabilities [Equal Opportunities, Protection of Right and Full Participation] Act, 1995 and The Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016

In compliance with the above Acts, the Company has implemented reservation rosters including 4% reservation for persons with benchmark disabilities. The Company also has implemented ‘Equal Opportunity Policy’ in accordance with the provisions of The Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016 and Rights of Persons with Disabilities Rules, 2017.

Employee Relations

Management believes in a process of open & transparent consultation with the collectives. Employees are represented in various Trusts formed by the Company to administer various employee benefit schemes. Plant level committees are in place to discuss and settle productivity and work place related matters. Consultative Forums have been established to resolve disputes / differences.

The employee relations continued to be generally cordial at all Units / Locations of the Company during the year.

Implementation of Official Language

To ensure implementation of Official Language

 

policy of the Government of India, the Company has taken several steps to promote usage of Hindi in official work. Various activities like 27 workshops were organized during the year in which 378 employees were trained on usage of Hindi in Official work. Hindi Pakhwada was celebrated at all locations of the Company during the month of September 2022.

We have also trained 35 employees in Hindi Prabodh, Praveen and Pragya courses. Issue of Balmer Lawrie Organizational Gazette (BLOG) for October 2022 was released completely in Hindi. Similarly, Balmer Lawrie online monthly (BLOOM) Bulletin also released bilingually. Implementation of the Official Language Policy is top driven in our Company and used Hindi in all our activities of CSR, Company’s Foundation Day, Town hall meetings, World Environment Day, Safety Week, Vigilance Awareness Week, International Women’s Day, Quami Ekta Week. As a helping literature to use Hindi in Official work, file covers are now being printed with bilingual designations / Daily routine notings.

Empowerment of Women

In an endeavour to promote diversity and inclusion, adequate representation of women personnel across business verticals and regions has always been ensured. Efforts have been made at all times to create an atmosphere conducive and safe for women employees to join and build a career in this organization. The present strength of women employees is 10.79%.

We have representation of women in our manufacturing businesses like Chemicals, Industrial Packaging, Greases and Lubricants, despite the fact that a large chunk of our workforce constitutes of shop floor workers. We have had generations of women leaders as full time/ independent/ Government Nominee Directors, leading Businesses like Travel and Functions like Secretarial division. At present, we have women holding key positions in businesses and functions who are continually nurturing and developing the organization and making Balmer Lawrie an organization of excellence.

Like each year, this year too the Company organized various developmental initiatives during International Women’s Day Celebration for Women Personnel across Regions. A debut

 

edition of the special publication ‘Shakti’ on the occasion of International Women’s Day, was conceptualised and released as an endeavour to celebrate the women workforce of Balmer Lawrie & Co. Ltd.

Welfare of the Weaker Sections

The Company policy does not permit employment of any person below the age of 18, directly or through contractor, in any of its businesses. To ensure this, the age of all candidates for employment is verified at the time of recruitment and recruitment rules ban employment of persons below 18 years. It also does not buy goods/ products from agencies that use child labour.

The Company does not practice any form of discrimination or bias in matters related to hiring of employees, their career planning, training and development, promotion, transfers, or on remuneration and perquisites. All sections of employees, including women, are given equal opportunities and the Human Resource Policy is to advance the cause of meritocracy and foster development of employees, including learning and growth.

The Company does not practice any discrimination, in matters relating to recruitment, compensation, promotion, training on the basis of religion, caste, region, political affiliation or sex, excepting positive discrimination in hiring of employees to give effect to constitutional guarantees for socially backward / underprivileged groups like SC / ST / OBC / Minorities / EWS/ Persons with benchmark disabilities.

In all recruitments where there are candidates from SC / ST / OBC communities, the Selection Committee has a member from the reserved community to ensure that the interest of these communities is safeguarded.

Community Development & Social Welfare

Balmer Lawrie & Co. Ltd. has a corporate social responsibility (CSR) mandate. Like many other corporations, the Company is engaged in various CSR activities aimed at contributing to the well- being of the community and promoting social welfare. These initiatives include, but are not limited to:

Education: Supporting educational programs, and infrastructure development for schools to

 

enhance access to quality education.

Healthcare: Investing in healthcare facilities, medical camps, and initiatives to improve healthcare services in underserved areas.

Skill Development: Providing skill training and employment opportunities for underprivileged youth to enhance their employability through Skill Development Institutes set up by Oil PSU’s.

Environmental Sustainability: Undertaking eco- friendly initiatives, tree planting drives, and waste management projects to promote environmental conservation.

Swachh Bharat Abhiyan: Swachh Bharat Abhiyan (Clean India Mission) is a flagship initiative launched by the Government of India in 2014 to promote cleanliness, sanitation, and hygiene across the country. Our Company has taken forward the campaign and every year activities are being undertaken in our peripheral areas.

Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav (AKAM): Company Undertakes initiatives that benefit local communities, such as awareness campaigns, cleanliness drives, and skill development programs under the Aegis of AKAM.

Sustainable Initiatives: Supporting eco-friendly and sustainable projects to contribute positively to the environment and society.

Women Empowerment: Promoting gender equality and empowerment of women through vocational training and livelihood programs.

Disaster Relief: Extending support during natural disasters and calamities to aid affected communities.

Sports Promotion

Our Company encourages participation in various intra-regional sports activities like cricket, football etc. by its employees. Our Company is also a member of the Petroleum Sports Promotion Board.

Web link for accessing various policies of the Company:

As a part of effective Corporate Governance, various codes such as ‘The Code of Conduct for Board Members and Designated Personnel of Balmer Lawrie & Co. Ltd.’, ‘Conduct Discipline &

 

Review Rules for Executives and Non-Unionised Supervisors (NUS)’ and policies such as ‘HSE Progressive Disciplinary Policy’, ‘Related Party Transactions Policy’ etc. are uploaded on the Company’s website. The same can be accessed at the link - https://www.balmerlawrie.com/static/ codes_&_policies

Disclosures regarding the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013

Internal Committee (IC)

The Company has reconstituted Internal Committees in all four regions namely Eastern, Western, Northern and Southern Region (Separate ICs have been constituted in Bangalore, Hyderabad and Chennai) of the country under the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013. The following is furnished in terms of the Act:-

Number of complaints filed during the Financial Year – Nil

Number of complaints disposed of during the Financial Year – Nil

Number of complaints pending as on end of the Financial Year – Nil