On the occasion, the company also unveiled India’s first pilot plant for research on lithium cell technology
Marching towards progress and prosperity and believing that the community, people and the environment are the foremost stakeholders, Amara Raja Group celebrated its 35th Foundation Day on December 20, 2020. The celebration was held virtually on the theme of ‘The New Way of Life’ and was attended by Dr. Ramachandra N. Galla, Founder Chairman, Amara Raja Group, Jayadev Galla, Vice Chairman, Amara Raja Group, senior executives and employees across all locations.
On the occasion, Dr. Ramachandra Galla unveiled the ‘Advanced Lithium Technology Research Hub’ by inaugurating the pilot plant for lithium cell manufacturing, the first of its kind in the country established by a private corporate firm. The Foundation Day also witnessed the virtual launch of other new products of two other businesses of the group viz. Mangal Industries Limited and Galla Foods. During the event, Jayadev Galla appreciated the unstinted support and efforts of all people across the group during the pandemic and announced the rolling back of business performance linked pay (BPLP) deductions.
BPLP were salary deductions that were earlier imposed on employees with salaries above Rs 5 lakhs per annum from June 2020 onwards and were to be returned to employees in the next financial year subject to business performance. Jayadev Galla also announced that all the BPLP deductions which were effected from June 2020 to December 2020 would be paid back to employees in full in the month of January 2021.
Recalling the journey of the group, Dr. Ramachandra Galla said, “The pandemic made 2020 an unusual year for us, but equally it has been a year of significant learnings. While we made innovative products, achieved excellent results, created opportunities and acted as a responsible organisation in many ways, it is the large Amara Raja family and the Amara Raja Way® that made all the difference. We will continue our pursuit for excellence and strive for transformation and betterment of the society.”
As part of the event, a short film made by employees on ‘The New Way of Life’ was showcased, applauding the duty-consciousness of all employees who were always on the ground during the lockdown period, including the field service staff, people on after-sales service, other essential employees on the field, project sites and at the plants, including maintenance and other personnel. The virtual event acknowledged the contribution of employees and recognised their contribution by announcing various annual awards for 2019- 2020, which included the awards for excellence in performance under various categories and also recognising employees for 25-30 years of long service.
Jayadev Galla said, “This year is different and unique from all other years in many ways. Throughout the crisis, we were in close coordination with all our customers across all businesses to understand and support their critical needs for essential products and services. Most of our operations have slowly and steadily bounced back due to the unstinted support of all employees and all stakeholders. During this pandemic, we also had some memorable honours. One amongst them was Amara Raja Group getting featured by Forbes in World’s Best Employers for 2020 list wherein we are ranked 316 globally. This was the first instance of its kind in the history of the company. We are also very excited to have inaugurated the pilot plant facility for lithium cell manufacturing which is a very important step in our effort to explore advanced and futuristic energy storage technologies. I am proud of our employees and applaud them for the resilience they have shown and continue to do so in this pandemic.”