ITC Ltd..

Friends, ITC Ltd may be a new name for you.. but, brands such as ‘Classmate notebooks’, ‘Sunfeast biscuits’, ‘Aashirvad Atta’, ‘JOHN PLAYERS’ etc must be much familiar to you.. ITC is just the short form of ‘Indian Tobacco Company’. Tobacco is a business that leaves drastic problem among the Indian youth. But can you imagine such a company named exclusively in such a business could save and serve millions in India? Can you imagine it is providing livelihood to millions? Can you imagine it is providing education to 2,28,872 children in rural India? Yes, this makes ITC my favorite company.

ITC was incorporated on August 24, 1910 under the name 'Imperial Tobacco Company of India Limited'. Later, the ownership was Indianised and it became ‘Indian Tobacco Company Ltd.’, which later shortened itself to ITC Ltd. The Company had a humble beginning with a leased office at Kolkata. At first, as from the name, tobacco was the main business. Later, the business gradually diversified to paper boards, hotels, which gradually came to Agro-business. Now, in its hundredth year, it has a variety of integrations such as biscuits and Atta. Now, it has moved to soaps, cosmetics and even diverse..

As I told you in the previous topic, ITC is a good company having CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility). Along by contributing to the growth of Indian economy, it has launched a variety of functions for the uplift of the rural India. One of which was the ‘E-Choupal’ scheme. The scheme aimed at bringing ahead the Indian farmers who had only primitive methods of cultivation, who depended largely on the monsoon, and in eliminating huge margins took by the mediators between the farmers and company which consumed their produce.

Before these scheme, the company has to purchase the raw materials at a higher price as determined by the mediators but, very little of it was paid to the producing farmer. Through the ‘E-Choupal’ scheme, the company successfully dealt directly with the farmers and provided them with timely information such as climate, and scientific methods etc through the help of Information Technology. It was a herculean task in providing IT access which spread over 10 states of the country benefiting millions of farmers which makes them earn up to their efforts and encourages them with a boon of good future.

ITC has made many other similar initiatives in public interest. Another one, which is remarkable, is its initiative in providing education to poor rural children. Apart from all these, ITC provides world class quality products for its customers at an affordable price. The company gives the best to the public. I said this makes ITC my favorite company. ITC is acting as a good corporate citizen and let us too join its initiatives.