January 23rd, 2024 : UltraTech’s integrated manufacturing unit, Sewagram Cement Works, located in Kachchh district in Gujarat has worked with the state veterinary officials in Naliya to organise vaccination of over 10,000 cattle in nine villages located in the proximity of the unit. This initiative has benefited over 1500 small milk producers in the region.
There were increasing cases of Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) and Haemorrhagic Septicaemia (HS) diseases in the local cattle population leading to enhanced risk and reduced output of milk for infected cattle. As per the 2020 report of the Animal Science Division of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) titled ‘Vaccines for Livestock and Poultry’, “The FMD and HS diseases inflict huge economic losses to the dairy industry and farmers in India amounting to Rs.14,000 and Rs.5,255 crores every year, respectively. The report recommends vaccination as the most effective means to overcome the productivity loss from diseases.
This initiative of Sewagram Cement Works not only reduces health risk to the cattle but more importantly it helps secure the livelihoods of the small milk producers living in the remote villages of the region. The farmers were earlier unable to vaccinate their cattle due to lack of local availability of the vaccines. The unit CSR team in coordination with the state veterinary officials organised cattle vaccination camps in the villages making it easy and convenient for the local dairy farmers.
UltraTech undertakes its social initiatives under the aegis of The Aditya Birla Centre for Community Initiatives and Rural Development with Mrs. Rajashree Birla as its Chairperson and anchored by Dr Pragnya Ram as the Group Head for CSR. UltraTech’s CSR focus areas are education, healthcare, sustainable livelihoods, community infrastructure and social causes. UltraTech reaches out to more than 1.6 million beneficiaries in over 500 villages in 16 states across India.
