SOCIAL PERFORMANCE

Our Cigarettes business complies fully with Standards of Weights and Measures Act (Packaged Commodities Rules), Cigarettes Act, Central Excise Act and COTPA [Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products (Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation of Trade and Commerce, Production Supply and Distribution) Act]. From 13 January, 2007, all cigarettes and smoking mixtures sold bear ‘the name, address, telephone number, email address if available, of the person who can be or the office which can be, contacted, in case of consumer complaint’ in accordance with the ‘Standards of Weights and Measures (Packaged Commodities) Rules 1977’.

Our Foods business complies with all statutes including statutes on labeling and product information (e.g. Prevention of Food Adulteration Act, Standards of Weights & Measures Act, Food Products Order, Packaged Commodity Rules, etc) relevant to packaged branded Food products. In addition to the statutory requirements, the Business ensures voluntary declaration of nutrition facts based on benchmarked international practices in the final packaging of its Ready to Eat products

In our Greeting, Gifting and Stationery business we comply with all the requirements of the Standards of Weights and Measures Act (including the Packaged Commodity Rules).

Brochures, in-room literature and the website are normally used to provide relevant information regarding Rooms and Food & Beverages in our Hotels business.

Our Paperboards and Specialty Papers business issues Quality Assurance Certificates for the consignments on request from customers. The information about the product, covering relevant technical parameters agreed with the customers, is documented in the product specification sheet. The label on each pack bears the product name, substance (gsm), size, weight & batch/reference number for effective traceability.

In our Packaging and Printing business we barcode all packages. Internal quality procedures follow norms agreed with the customers.

Products in our Agri business are primarily sold on a B2B basis and are labelled to meet customer requirements on quality, shipping marks or importing country labelling requirements. Where required we provide phytosanitary certificates, surveyor quality and quantity reports, Chamber of Commerce certificates, etc. We comply with all statutory requirements for exports.

Customers specify the labeling requirements in our Leaf Tobacco business. All the packages are barcoded. Our Units have advanced systems to monitor strict adherence to process and packing specifications and product traceability in tobacco supply chain from farm to customer.

We provide information on attributes and salient features of the product to our customers in addition to following all statutory requirements on labeling in our Lifestyle Retailing business.

All our products and services are legal and none of them is banned. Except tobacco products – none is a subject of stakeholder questions or public debate. Tobacco products are often a subject of public debate. Stringent quality standards/systems are established to respond to queries/concerns and are known to all stakeholders.

Our businesses have systems in place to ensure that we comply with all the statutes, codes and voluntary standards as stated below. These are regularly audited to provide assurance.

Our Cigarettes business follows an internal code that not only includes all the requirements under Advertising Standards Council of India’s (ASCI) code of conduct (Government of India’s governing code) but also incorporates best practices for advertising/ promotions. We also ensure that all laws related to marketing communications and promulgated in ordinances such as The Cigarettes (Regulation of Production, Supply and Distribution) Act, 1975, The Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products (Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation of Trade and Commerce, Production, Supply and Distribution) Act 2003, The Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Act, 1995, the Cinematography Act, 1952 and any State Government laws on advertising/promotion are strictly followed.

Our Foods business voluntarily follows the ASCI (Advertising Standards Council of India) Code for all Marketing Communication.

In our Paperboards and Specialty Papers business, all relevant codes, standards of weights and measures rules are followed.

In the Hotels business, marketing communication is governed by self-regulation and guided by Indian Society of Advertisers (ISA) Rules and guidelines.

Agri business has adopted a voluntary code for advertising and communication duly approved by Divisional Management Committee. All external communication is also vetted by the divisional legal resource.

Our Lifestyle Retailing business follows the Voluntary Code on Advertising and Promotion. The code ensures that the advertisements are not deliberately misleading in terms of claim and representation, and are not offensive to generally accepted standards of public decency (nothing vulgar, indecent or repulsive). Glorification of acts of sex and violence and reference to religion are avoided. It is ensured that advertisements maintain fairness to competition and the contests and promotions are as per the laws of the land. There is no deriding of race, caste and community in advertisements or promotion.
  

Compliance

All our businesses/divisions have well-established systems, procedures and review mechanisms to identify and comply with the laws and regulations concerning our products and services. We continued to comply with all applicable statutes during 2006-07.