A journey which began in 1976 took into account, and imbibed, the core-values of customer-centricity, development of people, ethics, trust, collaboration and innovation in all that we did. This is also practised by all our stakeholders, partners and advisors. It is because of this strong foundation that, even 40 years later, Bharat Petroleum continues to receive respect, support, recognition and love from all corners. Our motto of ‘Energising Lives’ is reflected in the important role that BPCL has played in India’s economy so far through our entire value chain, helping touch millions of lives across India and fuelling their dreams.
At 40, we are still young and we have just began our journey. With the support and guidance of the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, we have been constantly enhancing and upgrading our processes – both on-ground and digitally – which has helped reach our customers in the farthest corners of rural India. Moving ahead, our strategy will be to approach new issues in a whole new way, by undertaking ventures in bio-fuels and renewable energy with a focus on self-sufficiency and inclusive growth further energising many more lives.
With the encouragement from the Government of India and the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, we instituted Social Impact Awards on a national scale to celebrate our Ruby Anniversary. The ‘Energising Bharat Awards’ sought to recognise individuals, or group of individuals, who have been selflessly working on their own to help make the lives of others around them better. Our recognition of their efforts is just a token of our respect for the courage and commitment of these individuals to bring change and also motivate them to continue with their good work.
The three-month process which went behind instituting and implementing these awards with our partners – Open Media Network, KPMG in India and Mirum – proved to be an invaluable learning for us. The biggest insight was that there are countless ordinary individuals who are doing extraordinary work without looking for rewards or recognition; their happiness and satisfaction coming from the fact that they have been able to improve others’ lives. And this has given us, at BPCL, the motivation to continue to work for people – our true inspiration. As we move ahead, we hope to do more that will energise lives in different spheres of society, from start-ups to established initiatives.
The special issue of Open that you hold in your hands has been created to document the journey of the awards and record the good work done by the winners as well as so many other Indians whose stories moved us immensely. I hope you enjoy reading this issue of the magazine and that it will spur you on to energise someone’s life in some way.
– S. Varadarajan, Chairman & Managing Director, Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited
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