Panaji : A visionary banker, Mr. R.K. Dubey, Chairman and Managing Director of Canara Bank who introduced several structural changes in his banking career spanning well over 36years conferred upon a Lifetime Achievement Award. The Award was presented at a National Meet on Occupational Hazards, Safety and Fire which is currently underway at a city hotel in Panaji Goa and organized by New Delhi based Greentech Foundation that promotes Safety at Workplaces among other objectives. Dr. Bhaskar Chatterjee, Director General & CEO of Indian Institute of Corporate Affairs, Government of India and Mr. Parameshwar Naik, Minister for Labour, Government of Karnataka presented the award and honoured him.

Speaking on the occasion in response to the recognition, Mr. Dubey said the journey has been long and he has done something, but, many things are to be done.  Now new companies act which passed by parliament recently plays emphasis on Corporate Social Responsibility(CSR) activities.  We are a 100 plus years old Bank.  Canara Bank wants to go aggressive in CSR activities.  We have been focusing on education, hygienic health, eye care, cancer care and other initiatives.

The bank has helped and funded the construction of hundreds and thousands of toilets in girls schools across 26 lead districts all over the India. The Canara Bank, along with the Syndicate Bank has taken up training in rural employment of the rural folks, he said. And added that they have set up Artisan Centers in Kerala, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu to help talented artisans and promote their artifacts. The 18months program has yielded very good results, he said.  And added that the Bank would like to nurture countries old heritage through CSR activities of the bank.

Earlier speaking on the occasion Dr. Bhasker Chatterjee said safety at workplaces is paramount importance not only to corporates but any private and government offices. Safety is being talked about at Industries. What about government offices where thousands of people work. Is there a medical centre or emergency medical help is available that these government offices, he questioned.  Citing some foreign examples, he said companies must track health of employees even before health break down happens. By doing so by this preventive care not only the valuable monetary resources can be saved but also many productive man hours can be saved too.

This is a rare meeting in the sense that India has just 5000 Safety Professionals, informed Kamleshwar Sharan, President of Greentech Foundation, which is organizing the two day meet.  The two day national meet being organized by New Delhi based Greentech Foundation saw many experts on the subject making presentations on Safety Security in Banking industry, Behaviour Based Safety, Safety related activities such Safety Tambola among others.

Accidents do not happen, they are caused. And caused by negligence. Safety culture must be nurtured right from the childhood. That is why I have introduced Safety Tambola, only of its kind in India informed Dr. R.K. Suri, Director of Ministry of Environment & Forests, Government of India.  This is an edutainment tools to spread awareness about the importance of safety in local schools, colleges and among general public, he informed.  The Safety Tambola contains numbers from 1 to 9 what covers several events/dates and important topics on fire, safety which will served as an educational tool, he said.