VIZAG STEEL - A GREENS PARADISE

Who says Vizag Steel is making only steel products? Vizag Steel Plant is producing not only quality steel products on par with global standards but also protecting its environment. “A Greens Paradise” as popularly described in the country, Vizag Steel has been adopting several methods and techniques for clean and green environment in and around the plant right from its inception. While producing steel, RINL, not only deals with fire but also provides cool and clean environment to its workforce. Due to thick vegetation and excellent sea breeze contributed for cool and clean environment in and around VSP. These environmental practices in VSP resulted in lower temperature of 4-5 degrees in Ukkunagaram than the city of Visakhapatnam. VSP had spent around Rs 460 Crores in stage-I and is spending Rs 1150 Crores for environmental protection in its expansion programme. VSP has been developing appropriate management practices for agro forestry trees for the production of poles, fuel wood fodder, green mulch, fruits and naturally grown trees to produce bio-diesel and timber on its farmland. Vizag Steel surpassed the national norm of covering 33% of green belt area of the total land of 3600 hectares by achieving plantation of 41% trees. So far, VSP planted various types of trees of 46.43 lakhs including 25.83 lakh in green belt area and 20.50 lakhs in other than green belt area. RINL is planning to plant 6.3 million trees by 2012 by the time the expansion to 6.3 MT production stabilizes. The green belt covers plantation of trees all around the VSP land boundary to a width of 500 meters. Another highlight is developing of various types of fruit trees in each residential quarter in the township. *Around 24 lakh Casurina trees planted to effectively combat TUSNAMI attacks and to act as WIND barriers during Cyclones as the Plant is located in close proximity to the Sea. * Over 18 lakhs variety species of AA Formis, Eucalyptus, Mango, Coconut, Cashew. Guava, Salvadora, Neem, Babul, Teak etc; were planted to contain air pollution and for Carbon Sequestration. VSP drawn the know how from ITC, Badrachalam for plantation of Eucalyptus clones including 2.5 lakh trees during 2010-11. * Around 4.45 lakh species of Plmyrah, Pongamiea and Jatropha were planted to produce Bio-Diesel. SPECIAL PROGRAMMES: In addition to this, RINL organized special programmes of mass plantation of 6000 in a single day in Last year June and 10,000 plants planted in single day in February 2011 involving the employees, unions, school children etc. AROGYAVANAM: Another notable attraction in Ukkunagaram is developing of AROGYAVANAM/Medicinal Park near the Hill Top Guest House by planting 5000 species of medicinal plants and it also designed like a Human Body. In each part of the body the relevant curable plants are planted. Oxygen released by the medicinal plant is very beneficial in curing the pre-radicals which are the main cause for degenerative disease like BP, Cancer etc. This park will act as an alternative health project and it will be dedicating to the employees very soon. Some of the useful medicinal plants are:
*Saraswathi (Brain)
*Aswagandha (General Strength)
*Nalleru (Bones)
*Aloevera (Ladies problems)
*Podapathri (Sugar complaint)
*Sarpagandha (BP)
*Vavili (Joint pains) etc.
RINL also proposed to plant 60,000 species in half an hour time to occupy a place in Gunnies Book of Records soon. As a responsible Corporate Citizen, RINL has been engaging eligible Displaced Persons to work in Agro Forestry department to enhance their lively hood. These efforts are not only giving revenues to the Company but also helps the unemployed youth in and around VSP to improve their quality of life.

Re-circulating Cooling Water System for Power Plant Commissioned in VSP

Mr. K Vidyasagar, CVO of RINL inaugurated the commissioning of ‘Re-Circulating water System’ for Power Plant Expansion on Friday. The system costing around Rs 87 Crores was designed by M/s Dastur & Co. The Civil works were carried out by M/s Shapporji Pallonji and equipment erection was carried out by M/s VA Tech Wabag Ltd. The system is meant for meeting the requirement of Turbo Generator-5 and turbo Blower -4 of the expansion units. The requirement for TG-5 is 16,000 Cum/hr. Four number of Vertical Pumps of 6000 cum/hr are provided to supply cooling water to TB-4 condenser. There are also stand pumps to TG-5 and TB-4 which are common and can be interchanged in case of need. To increase the cycles of concentration, it is envisaged that 5% of circulating water will be filtered to maintain the water quality. 6 nos pressure sand filters each of 225 cum/hr with output water quality to 5ppm is also envisaged. Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Vidyasagar complimented the RINL collective for achieving another mile stone in commissioning the system and earnestly hoped that the remaining expansion units would also be commissioned soon. Mr. Umesh Chandra, Director (Operations), Mr. AP Choudhary, Director (Projects) and Mr. P Madhusudhan, Director (Finance) also complimented the RINL Collective, Officials of M/s Dastur & Co and concerned executing agencies for achieving the milestone

PASSING OUT PARADE AT SATAVAHANA FOR BASIC SUBMARINE COURSE

A ceremonial Passing Out Parade was held today, 24 Jun 10 at INS Satavahana, the premier Submarine Training Establishment of the Indian Navy, on the occasion of passing out of the 79th Basic Submarine Course (Officers) and the 78th Basic Submarine Course (Sailors). Vice Admiral Sunil Lanba AVSM, Chief of Staff, Eastern Naval Command reviewed the parade and presented awards. A total of 27 officers and 64 sailors passed out on completion of six months of theoretical training. Lt. Anish Wilson was adjudged as the Best All Round Officer, while Rajeev K Singh EAP 4 and Manoj Kumar Sea II QA III were declared the Best Overall Senior and Junior Sailors respectively. Speaking on the occasion, Vice Admiral Lanba congratulated the awardees and other trainees on their achievement. The Admiral also stressed the importance of putting to practice the theoretical knowledge gained at the Submarine School. The trainees would now proceed onboard submarines for the Sea Training Phase. After six months of rigorous sea training, they would be examined by a Board and upon qualification as submariners earn the privilege of wearing the coveted Dolphin Badge.

STEEL MINISTER REVIEWS RINL-VSP”s PERFORMANCE

Shri Beni Prasad Verma, Hon’ble Steel Minister while reviewing the performance of Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Ltd – Visakhapatnam Steel Plant appreciated for their efforts in achieving highest ever turnover of Rs.11517 Crore during last year, a growth of 8% over previous year. While briefing the Hon’ble minister, Sri PK Bishnoi, CMD, RINL mentioned that this has been possible by operating the plant above 100% of the rated capacity for the 10th year in succession. The value added steel component in the total production grew to an all time high of 79% during 2010-11 and RINL is working towards similar performance in this year as well. RINL continued its supremacy as the lowest specific water consumption steel plant amongst the Indian steel industry. Through cost reduction measures, a saving of Rs. 150 Cr. was achieved which was of some help in partly off-setting rising iron ore and coke input cost. Capital Expenditure was highest at Rs. 2902 Cr in a year which was achieved by expediting the expansion of 6.3 million ton work. RINL was conferred “Navratna” status in 2010-11 and with this the company is fully empowered. Secretary (Steel) expressed his happiness that RINL was pursuing the much needed initiatives for achieving world class techno economics, RINL is already in realm of some international bench marks and have taken investment decision to achieve the remaining parameters in the next 2 – 3 years. To bring newer technology in the country, Steel Minister has given thrust on R&D activities to achieve self-sufficiency in the long run. He remarked that the National Steel Policy is being re-cast with the help of the experts in the Indian steel industry through various working groups, taking into account the changing economic scenario and customers’ preference. The first stage of expansion of RINL is already in advanced stage of completion and several units are already commissioned. With the integrated commissioning production is planned to be started from Sep ‘11. Hon’ble Minister appreciated the progress of expansion and asked RINL to launch next phase of expansion to add another 4 MT capacity immediately. This will bring an investment of Rs 22,500 Cr. to the State of Andhra Pradesh .In next phase of expansion RINL proposes to diversify in flat products with a value added steel including Seamless Tube of higher diameter , Electrical Steel that are not made in the country. The product mix of RINL after next phase of expansion will be a “unique basket” catering to the requirements of varied discerning customers. Regarding securitization of Raw Material, RINL has acquired 51% stake in M/s EIL, the holding company of Bird Group of Companies which will benefit them on account of mineral assets of OMDC and BSLC. The company has intensified its efforts for obtaining mining leases for iron ore mines and 23 applications have been filed in various iron ore rich States. Hon’ble Minister mentioned that ministry of steel is already pursuing with various State Govt. for early grant of mining leases to RINL. Performance of RINL towards CSR, Environmental Measures as well as Introduction of the Rural Distribution Scheme (RDS) was appreciated.

FLEET EVENING FLING 11 HELD

The annual awards function of the Eastern Fleet, Fleet Evening 2011 (FLING 2011) commemorating the accomplishments of the Fleet over the past year was held in Samudrika Naval Auditorium on Saturday, 18 Jun 11.Vice Admiral Anup Singh, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Eastern Naval Command was the Chief Guest on the occasion. FLING is the culmination of a year of determined and relentless pursuit of excellence by the Fleet ships under the stewardship of Rear Admiral HCS Bisht, Flag Officer Commanding Eastern Fleet. The event included an audio visual presentation on the Fleet activities over the past year, as also an enthralling entertainment program followed by the award of trophies to the ships that excelled in various disciplines. The Best ship trophy was awarded to INS Rana, while INS Rajput was adjudged the Most Spirited Ship, and INS Rana also bagged the trophy for Maximum Days at Sea. Over the past year, Eastern Fleet, the Sword Arm of the Navy, has been at the forefront of all operations on the Eastern seaboard and has witnessed intense activity spanning the entire spectrum of Maritime Operations. The Eastern Fleet ships have recently returned from an Overseas Deployment to South East Asia and North West Pacific visiting Singapore, Philippines, Russia, Malaysia, Brunei, Vietnam and Indonesia over a period of 82 days and covering 17,273 nautical miles. Apart from operations in the Bay of Bengal, the Fleet also participated in a number of international naval exercises including Malabar 11 with US Navy and SIMBEX 11 with Singapore Navy. The ships of Eastern Fleet also participated in an International Maritime Defence Exhibition at Singapore. In addition, the Eastern Fleet undertook surveillance of the Exclusive Economic Zone and anti piracy patrols off Gulf of Aden, Seychelles and Mauritius to maintain order on the high seas, so that the freedom of global trade can be preserved for the common good of mankind. FLING 2011 was an occasion to acknowledge these spectacular achievements of the Eastern Fleet and to reaffirm the resolve that the Sword Arm remains ever vigilant and committed to meet any challenge covering the entire spectrum of Naval Operations.

Millennium Trade Wings

Architech Show 2011, exhibition of architectural, building materials and interiors, Swarna Bharathi Indoor Stadium, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.

INS EKSILA WINS ENC RAJBASHA TROPHY

INS Eksila won the Eastern Naval Command Rajbhasha Trophy' for the year 2010-11, for exhibiting excellence in the field of implementation of the Official Language. Vice Admiral Anup Singh, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Eastern Naval Command presented the Trophy to the Commanding Officer, Commodore Homi Pal Singh at the Half Yearly Command Staff Meeting held today, 17 Jun 11 at Swarna Jyoti Conference Hall. The Runner-up Trophy for the year was awarded to Naval Dockyard (Visakhapatnam). The Rolling Trophy is awarded every year to a Unit or Establishment which does maximum work in Hindi in accordance with the directives relating to implementation of Official Language, Hindi.

PASSING OUT PARADE AT SHIPWRIGHT SCHOOL

A Ceremonial Passing-out Parade was held at Shipwright School today, 16 Jun 11, on the occasion of passing out of ten Officers of the Indian Navy from the Shipwright School. Vice Admiral Sunil Lanba, Chief of Staff, Eastern Naval Command was the Chief Guest on the Occasion. The Admiral reviewed the Parade and presented the CNS Trophy for the First in Overall Order of Merit to Sub Lieutenant B Talukdar and for the Best Project to the group headed by Sub Lieutenant RVS Shankar. In the course of the preceding 26 weeks, the Officers trained at the Shipwright School in various facets of Naval Architecture, Ship Building and Ship Maintenance. In addition, the officers also carried out project studies on live design issues. Apart from professional training, they were also exposed to associated facets of Naval life and participated in sea sorties with the Eastern Fleet, air sorties with INS Dega, small arms firing at Yendada, scientific studies at NSTL and Jungle Survival Camp at Rambilli. A valedictory function is also scheduled to be held on Friday, 17 Jun 11, that will culminate in a scintillating cultural programme presented by the Trainee Officers, Shipwright Artificers and other talented members of the Shipwright School. On completion of further training at IIT Delhi, the officers will be appointed to various organisations involved with the task of designing, building and repairing of Indian Navys warships and submarines.

RINLs Board of Directors Visits VSPs Air Separation Unit

Mr. PK Bishnoi, CMD of RINL along with Board of Directors comprising Dr. Dalip Singh, IAS, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Steel, Independent directors Swashpawan Singh, IFS (Retired) and HS Chahhar, IAS (Retired) and Functional Directors Umesh Chandra, Director (Operations), AP Choudhary, Director (Projects), P Madhusudhan, Director (Finance), TK Chand, Director (Commercial) and YR Reddy, Director (Personnel) and K Vidyasagar, IAS, CVO of RINL had visited the newly commissioned Air Separation Unit-4 built by M/s Air Liquide India. The Unit is built with the state of art technology and is energy efficient with lower power consumption with highly automated control systems. It was built at a cost of Rs 150 Crores and is envisaged to produce 600 tons of oxygen per day in liquid form along with Nitrogen and Argon and supply to Coke ovens, Blast Furnaces and Steel Melt shop. It also produces 24 tons of Argon per day to meet the higher demand of quality steel. The Directors complimented the clean and green drive of RINL-VSP and planted trees in the plant premises.

Sri. PK Bishnoi, CMD, RINL inaugurates Water Supply System

Sri. PK Bishnoi, CMD, RINL inaugurated Water Supply System facilities for New Steel Melt Shop on Monday. The facility costing around Rs.200 Cr. is meant for supply of various types of industrial water for cooling requirements of Continuous Casting Machines, Converters and Steel Cleaning Process whcih includes Ladle Furnace and RH degasser. Dr. Dalip Singh, IAS, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Steel switched on water supply system meant for newly installed high speed Casters. Sri. Swashpawan Singh, IFS, Retired and Independent Director on RINL Board inauguarated water supply unit for 150 T converters being installed by M/s. SMS, Germany. Sri. H.S.Chahhar, IAS, Retired and Independent Director, Sri. Umesh Chandra, Director (Operations) and Sri. Vidya Sagar, Chief Vigilance Officer, RINL also started water circulation system for mould cooling system, Ladle Heating Furnace and RH degasser respectively which have been installed by M/s.SMS, Germany. Sri. AP Choudhary, Director (Projects) while giving the details to Board members mentioned that with the commissioning of above system, VSP has been able to make water available ahead of hot commissioning of Converter & Caster. Sri. PK Bishnoi, CMD complemented both Project & Operation collective for achieving this major milestone. Sri. P Madhusudan, Director (Financie), Sri. TK Chand, Director (Commercial), Sri. YR Reddy, Director (Personeel), Senior Officials of VSP, Dastur Co., Memebrs of Executive Association and Union Representatives also were present on the occasion.

FACULTY DEVELOPM ENT PROGRAMME AT ANITS

It is a well-established fact that in modern times technical education is playing a very significant role in national development. In the past two decades there has been a phenomenal growth in the institutions offering engineering courses. ANITS with its quality teaching-learning, industry oriented curriculum has emerged as one of the premier engineering college in Andhra Pradesh. The management of the college since inception has strived to provide ample learning opportunities to the faculty of the institution to develop professionally and personally through association with various professional institutions and arranging faculty development programs within and outside the college campus. For the past four years ANITS has been successfully arranging a week-long faculty development program which has been highly appreciated by the faculty members, this year the faculty development program started from today (13th June 2011) and would conclude on 18th June 2011. The program was inaugurated by the chief facilitator of the program Prof. B.G. Barki, retired professor from National Institute of Technical Teacher’s Training and Research (Ministry of HRD, Govt. of India, Chennai). The inaugural program was presided by Prof. V.S.R.K. Prasad, Principal, ANITS who shared this insights and the expectation of the management from the faculty members. Prof. V.S.R.K. Prasad also congratulated the faculty for their contribution in helping ANITS secure “Centre of Excellence” award by Infosys. He also stressed on the proactive efforts of the managements in providing excellent research and growth facilities to the faculty members which resulted in the growth of faculty members by 65% within the last two years. Prof. R. Govardhana Rao, Director (Admn) ANITS and Prof. B.G. Barki also shared their experiences with the faculty members. Ms. Rupa Vemuri, HoD, Dept. of English & Humanities proposed vote of thanks, while Ms. Parmomita Mukherjee, faculty, Dept of English & Humanities welcomed the participants.

SEMINAR BY BEL HELD AT NAVAL DOCKYARD

Naval Dockyard, Visakhapatnam hosted a one day Seminar and Product Exhibition by M/s Bharat Electronics Limited(BEL) today, 09 Jun 11 at the Meghadri auditorium. The Seminar was inaugurated by Vice Admiral Sunil Lanba, AVSM, Chief of Staff, Eastern Naval Command and was attended by distinguished guests from the Navy and M/s BEL, as well as representatives from various naval ships and establishments. Speaking on the occasion, Admiral Lanba emphasised that self-reliance in critical technologies is the primary aim of the Nation and the Services and urged all stakeholders to strive to help achieve this objective. The Admiral also congratulated M/s Bharat Electronics for coming together to organise the Seminar that was a platform for discussing the vast gamut of issues surrounding defence industry in general, and with specific reference to BEL as well. The event showcased emerging technologies from M/s Bharat Electronics in the sphere of Radars, Sonars, Electronic Warfare, Weapons, Combat Management and Communication systems. The seminar also covered niche domain of Coastal Surveillance and C3I Networks. M/s Bharat Electronics displayed their radar, sonar and communication modules apart from other technological products at the accompanying exhibition and interacted with the operators and maintainers of these products, paving the way for better synergy between the manufacturer and the user.

ENC CHILDREN RETURN FROM CAMP AT KULLU MANALI

A 15 day Adventure cum trekking expedition organised by INS Virbahu under the aegis of Headquarters Eastern Naval Command at Dobhi, Himachal Pradesh concluded successfully and all the participants returned to Visakhapatnam. Sixty personnel from the Command had taken part in the Adventure camp that was aimed at promoting awareness about the Indian Navy in the land-locked hilly region of Northern India while simultaneously inculcating team spirit and esprit de corps amongst the participants. In the course of the expedition that was flagged off on 21 May earlier, the personnel took part in river crossing, star gazing, rappelling and trekking. During the six days trek, the group covered a distance of about 54 Kilometers across the mountains and reached snow point at Chanderkhani Pass at a height of 16000 feet. The participants visited various places of historical importance including Nagar Castle, Kharogi, Naya Tapru and Nathanseri in the Himalayan ranges. On the return journey they also visited Hidimba Temple and Tibetans Monastery at Manali, Rock garden and Sukhna Lake at Chandigarh, and took in Red Fort, Qutub Minar, Rashtrapati Bhavan, Parliament, India Gate and other landmarks at New Delhi. It was a great experience, spreading awareness about the Navy in the hinterland, indulging in cross-cultural exchange with fellow campers and sharing views on various issues like preservation and conservation of nature.

LIEUTENANT GENERAL KT PARNAIK AT ENC

Lieutenant General KT Parnaik, UYSM, YSM, General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Northern Command, accompanied by his wife Mrs. Anagha Parnaik, President, Family Welfare Organisation (Northern Command) is on a four day visit to the Eastern Naval Command. On arrival at Visakhapatnam on Saturday, 04 Jun 11, the General Officer was received by Rear Admiral VK Namballa, Director General Naval Projects (Visakhapatnam). On Sunday, 05 Jun 11, the General visited the frontline Destroyer INS Delhi and the first couple of the Northern Army Command then set sail for a day at Sea with the Eastern Fleet. General Parnaik addressed officers of the Command today, 06 Jun 11 and later held discussions with Vice Admiral Anup Singh, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Eastern Naval Command. The GOC-in-C attended a briefing on the role and functions of the Command visited several establishments of the Command including the School for Advanced Underwater Warfare (SAUW) and the Naval Dockyard. The General Officer, who is also the Colonel Commandant of the Rajputhana Rifles, later attended a Regimental Reunion of the Rajputhana Rifles with its affiliated naval unit, INS Delhi. Mrs. Anagha Parnaik interacted with the Committee Members and ladies of the Navy Wives Welfare Association (Eastern Region). Lieutenant General and Mrs. Parnaik are scheduled to depart Visakhapatnam on Tuesday, 07 Jun 11.

Secretary, Department of Public Enterprises Visits VSP

Mr. Bhaskar Chatterjee, Secretary, Department of Public Enterprises, Government of India visited Visakhapatnam Steel Plant on Monday. Mr. Chatterjee held discussion with Directors and Senior Officials of VSP. During the Discussions VSP gave a corporate presentation on the Success Story of RINL-VSP achieving the status of NAVRATNA, linking the characteristics of the nine precious gem stones to the precious traits of RINL-VSP Collective. Mr. Chatterjee complimented the presentation as excellent for its scope and content and also observed that it is one of the best presentations he ever attended. He also appreciated the performance of RINL-VSP in operational and other areas. He also outlined some areas and new guidelines Department of Public Enterprises is proposing to finalize soon in the areas of MOUs. He suggested that RINL-VSP should focus on well structured and systematic procedures and plans which are approved by Board in the areas of Research& Development, Sustainable Development, Corporate Social Responsibility and Human Resource Development to meet evaluation criteria of MOUs with Government. Mr. Chatterjee also autographed his book titled Leadership India, Leading Change- Changing Lives to be placed in VSPs library. Earlier in the day he planted a tree at the Mahatma Gandhi Park in Ukkunagaram and said that efforts should be made to protect the trees.

ENC CELEBRATES WORLD ENVIRONMENT DAY

The Eastern Naval Command undertook a variety of activities to commemorate the World Environment Day today, 05 Jun 11, with the theme Forests Nature at Your Service. All ships and establishments of the Command carried out cleanup campaigns in their localities and also introduced effective waste management through construction of vermin compost pits. The plethora of initiatives set into motion with in order to improve the environmental conditions at Visakhapatnam includes an awareness campaign amongst not only the defence personnel and their families, about the ill effects of smoking and of vehicular pollution. In addition, strict measures were implemented to minimize the use of plastic bags within the defence localities, to ensure conservation of water, electricity and paper in day to day work. Further, movies related to the importance of forests and demerits of deforestation were screened at various locations, with a view to enlightening the personnel about the benefits of green cover. Plantation was also undertaken by all units of the Command to mark the occasion.