SAIL bags 15 Vishwakarma Rashtriya Puraskar

New Delhi, Sep 18 (UNI) Public sector steel firm Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL) bagged 15 awards out of total 28 Vishwakarma Rashtriya Puraskars (VRP) 2007.

SAIL won 53 per cent of total VRP Awards presented for the year 2006 by Union Minister of State for Shipping, Road Transport and Highways K H Muniyappa at a function held here yesterday.

The awards are given every year to workers of industrial undertakings for their innovative suggestions leading to cost reduction, improvement in quality, productivity and working conditions, a statement said here today.

Of the 15 awards, shared by 68 employees from SAIL's five plants, four are from SAIL's Bhilai Steel Plant (BSP) and Rourkela Steel Plant (RSP) each, while three are from Durgapur Steel Plant (DSP) and Bokaro Steel Plant (BSL), and one from Salem Steel Plant (SSP).

SAIL employees won the award in three different categories-- two awards under class 'A', six under class 'B' and seven under class 'C'.

The winners under these classes received cash prizes of Rs 75,000, Rs 50,000 and Rs 25,000, respectively alongwith a certificate of merit. These 15 innovative suggestions of the awardees have helped SAIL accrue total annual savings of Rs 78.5 crore.

UNI BKS SR GC1819