Apart from sensitising industry, the speakers are expected to delve into the business case for embedding ESG into business
The upcoming National Productivity Council (NPC) conference on Environmental – Social- Governance (ESG) is expected to not only give a push to companies in the region to get future ready, but also to help them in their journey. The Conclave on ESG for Industry Transformation: Environmental – Social- Governance (ESG) for Aatmanirbhar Bharat is scheduled to take place on 3 February in Dehradun.
While Dr. Sukhbir S. Sandhu, Chief Secretary, Government of Uttarakhand, has been invited as the chief guest in the inaugural session, other eminent speakers expected to address the select audiences include Sundeep Kumar Nayak, Director General, NPC; Pankaj Pandey, Secretary, Industries, Government of Uttarakhand; Yashpal Sardana of Hero Motocorp; Sumeet Dhiman of Nestle India and Ashutosh Kumar Sharma of Bajaj Auto. R. D. Mishra, President, NPC, Uttarakhand and Umashankar Prasad, Group Head, NPC.
Sundeep Kumar Nayak, Director General, NPC, says, "The ESG conference being organised by NPC in partnership with the Government of Uttarakhand will focus on industry transformation towards Aatmanirbhar Bharat.” He adds, “NPC has developed a ‘Saptapadi’ approach, a seven-step solution, for adoption of ESG by organisations, which shall be deliberated in the conference.” Indian Potash Ltd is the industry partner of the conference. This conference is the last in the series as part of pan India ESG promotion by NPC.
NPC is an autonomous entity under the aegis of Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade, Ministry of Commerce and Industry. It regularly holds workshops for making public sector units and private sectors ESG ready. It is attended by policy leaders, academicians, corporates and civil society- extensive immersive brainstorming takes places in such session. Till date, NPC has held workshops in Delhi, Chennai, Mumbai and Guwahati.
Other highlights of the agenda are technical sessions. The first technical session will seek to raise awareness on the growing adherence to ESG. Global frameworks like Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB), the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) and the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) will be introduced.The session will also deliberate on ESG policy, investing, metrics, reporting and how to get ESG certification. Roadmap to improve the ESG disclosures will be discussed as well.
The second technical session will delve into using ESG as a value addition. The company leaders will share their ESG experiences, implementation details, lessons learnt, strategies, challenges faced and solutions employed.
The closing session on Integrating ESG into Business Strategy will cover the intimate relation between sustainability and ESG. Developing a roadmap for short-term and long-term to factor in risks will be the focus of this session. Along with this, the process of embedding ESG into business, and the business case thereof and the impact of it on the future of the business will be other points of discussion.
Dr. R.D.Mishra, President, Uttarakhand Productivity Council, says, “ESG is a new paradigm for sustainable growth and a framework for green initiatives.” He adds that almost 30 per cent large scale PSUs and private sectors companies are aware and are taking apt measures. Others are trying to follow suit. He further adds, “In fact it is just a matter of time and everyone will have to follow, it if they have to survive as ESG is a guiding tool for investors and other stakeholders.”
Other eminent speakers expected to address the audiences include Praveen Garg, Senior Advisor, NPC; R. Meenakshi Sundaram, Secretary, Energy & RE, Finance, Government of Uttarakhand; R. K. Sudhanshu, Principal Secretary, Forests, Environment & Climate Change, Government of Uttarakhand; Paras Sharma, Plant Head, Parle Agro Uttarakhand; Dr. Kusum Arunachalam, Head of Department, Department of Environment, Doon University; Rajiv Agrawal, Senior Vice President, Industry Association Uttarakhand; Dr A. C. Joshi, Chairman, NTPC Chair, Doon University.