A thematic video on Vigilance Awareness Week was screened during the programme, along with a message from Mr. Alok Verma, Director-in-Charge (DIC). Highlighting the significance of this year’s campaign theme, “Probity for Prosperity” Mr. Bharti exhorted participants to uphold the highest standards of integrity in their work and treat vigilance as a shared responsibility for sustainable growth.

Mr. Sandeep Bansal, DGM (Vigilance), delivered a detailed presentation on public procurement, discussing various procurement procedures and emphasising the importance of strict adherence to PCP (Purchase Contract Procedures), SBD (Standard Bidding Documents), and CMMG (Corporate Materials Management Group) Guidelines in every procurement action. Mr. A.K. Biswal, DGM (Vigilance), took a session on ‘Preventive Vigilance’, apprising participants of various vigilance functions and explaining how planning officers can practice transparency, accountability, and ethical decision-making in their roles. Mr. M.K. Singh, Senior Manager (Vigilance), conducted a session on ABMS (Anti Bribery Management System) . The programme was coordinated by Mr. Sandeep Bansal, DGM (Vigilance).

This session reinforced RSP’s commitment to embedding a culture of integrity, transparency, and preventive vigilance across planning and procurement functions, in line with the Central Vigilance Commission’s directives for 2026.

In August 2026, SAIL achieved double digit year on year growth in overall sales volumes, with notable traction across Tier 1 and Tier 2 retail channels. Total sales stood at 1.871 million tonnes, registering a 13% y‑o‑y increase over the CPLY figure of 1.654 million tonnes. Cash collections also grew strongly by 23% y‑o‑y.

The Company recorded its highest ever August sales in several value added product categories like cold rolled, galvanized and alloy steels. The month additionally saw a meaningful reduction in inventory, indicating efficient supply chain coordination and faster market servicing. During August 2026, the rail supplies to Indian railways grew by 5% y-o-y to 1.23 Lakh Tonnes over 1.18 Lakh Tonnes in CPLY. In the Long Rails category, the company achieved highest ever supplies by supplying 1.12 Lakh Tonnes, with growth of 11% y-o-y. During this period, SAIL further strengthened its financial position, reducing borrowings by ₹870 crore from the 31.03.2026 level.

The momentum continued through the April – August 2026 period. SAIL’s cumulative sales reached 7.71 million tonnes scoring a growth of 5.6% over CPLY, despite global volatility. Finished and processed steel segments maintained healthy movement, supported by an improved product mix, stronger regional outreach and firm domestic demand. Cash collections for the five month period also grew, reflecting disciplined commercial practices and timely customer realisations.

Commenting on the performance, Dr. A.K. Panda, Chairman & Managing Director, SAIL, said: “SAIL’s performance in August and the April-August’26 period reflects the organization’s growing alignment between operational capability, commercial delivery and financial prudence. The record production levels, strong sales momentum and disciplined financial management together underscore the Company’s strengthening fundamentals. With expansion projects progress and demand outlook remaining positive, SAIL is well positioned to accelerate its growth trajectory while contributing meaningfully to India’s steel consumption story.”

The achievement assumes added significance as SAIL also holds its third consecutive ‘Great Place To Work’ certification, awarded by the Great Place to Work Institute for the period up to February 2027. With both certifications held concurrently, SAIL joins the select group of CPSEs that have secured two of the world’s most rigorous and independently validated workplace credentials at the same time.

The Top Employer Certification is based on a rigorous, fact-based assessment of an organization’s people practices. The HR Best Practices Survey evaluates practices across six key HR domains and 20 strategic topics, covering the entire employee lifecycle. Each submission undergoes independent validation by qualified HR auditors to ensure accuracy, credibility and consistency. The assessment is further strengthened through global benchmarking against nearly 2,500 certified employers across 131 countries.

The certification reflects SAIL’s sustained and progressive HR initiatives over the years, encompassing workplace flexibility, Performance Management, self-paced learning, succession planning and leadership development, organisational culture, employee engagement and wellbeing as well as collaborations with industry leaders and premier institutes for continuous benchmarking.

The two certifications offer complementary perspectives on an organization’s workplace practices. Great Place To Work is centered on the Trust Index©, a confidential employee survey that captures employees’ perceptions of leadership credibility, fairness and pride in their workplace, reflecting how organisational culture is experienced in practice.

Top Employer Certification, on the other hand, assesses the strength and maturity of an organization’s HR practices, including whether its people processes are formally established, consistently implemented and aligned with global benchmarks.

In essence, one reflects how employees experience the workplace, while the other assesses the strength of the HR systems and practices that underpin that experience.

For an organisation with more than 47,000 employees across integrated steel plants and units in India, holding both credentials concurrently represents a significant recognition of both its employee experience and the robustness of its HR systems and practices. For a Maharatna CPSE of SAIL’s scale and legacy, this recognition reinforces its position as an employer of choice, backed by independent external validation.

It provides greater clarity and uniformity in mineral taxation and levies and addresses pending retrospective levies, providing greater certainty and confidence to the mining industry. Ministry of Steel said that the reform is expected to encourage higher investment and production, reduce import dependence, strengthen mineral and energy security, and enhance the competitiveness of mineral-based industries.

Dr. Panda also reviewed the progress of the Rowghat Mines and interacted with senior plant officials on operational priorities. He inaugurated the Central Induction Programme for newly inducted SAIL Management Trainees, marking their formal entry into the organisation. The CMD further inaugurated Project Vihaan, SAIL’s ERP modernisation initiative aimed at strengthening digital systems and improving organisational efficiency. The visit underscored SAIL’s focus on expansion, technology-led modernisation, employee development and strengthening coordination with the State Government for future growth.

The department carried out extensive modification of LT power supply systems and service lines in Sector-22 residential quarters and laid copper power cables at the Tarapur Filter House and Booster Pump House to ensure smooth operation of motors. Several critical power distribution projects were also completed, including revival and commissioning of the Feeder-7 overhead line from Brahmani Water Works to Sector-8 substations, bus-bar modification at the Sector-17 Attending Substation, replacement and jointing of high-capacity underground cables and modification of Feeder-7 and Feeder-9 networks.

One of the major achievements during the year was the restoration of the 11 KV emergency power line from the Plant to the CISF Colony and CISF Barracks after nearly ten years, considerably enhancing emergency power reliability. The Vacuum Circuit Breaker (VCB) of Transformer-5 was also upgraded by replacing the Siemens make equipment with ABB make and successfully commissioned.

To further improve the reliability of the electrical network, the department overhauled three power transformers and 26 distribution transformers. In addition, repairs were carried out on three 630 KVA, five 500 KVA and five 250 KVA transformers installed across the Steel Township. Maintenance work, including repair and circuit modification of the crane main contactor at Intake Well-1, was also completed successfully.

In line with RSP’s sustainability initiatives, the department installed a 3 KW standalone solar power system at Lagoon Gate along with LT cable connectivity from Tarakera Pump House. It also installed 46 solar street lights at various locations in the peripheral and slum areas of Rourkela, promoting clean energy while improving public safety.

Through these initiatives, the Electrical Section has strengthened the township’s power infrastructure, enhanced system reliability, ensured uninterrupted power supply and advanced the use of renewable energy.

Speaking on the occasion Ms. Kartha encouraged the spouses to support the retiring employees in navigating the changes of post-retirement life and have a smooth and positive transition.

A session on “Mindset for smooth Transition to a new phase of life after Retirement” was conducted by Mr. Babula Nahak, AGM (CP-2) while Mr. K K Verma, DGM (F&A) deliberated on various aspects of Financial Security Planning.  Mr. T B Toppo, DGM (Horticulture) shared tips on Post Retirement Engagement while Dr. S Kumar, Additional CMO (OHSC) spoke about ‘Ensuring good health, well-being and holistic approach for a meaningful Life.’

Mr. S P Majhi, Assistant Manager (HR) welcomed the gathering and also proposed a formal vote of thanks. The workshop was co-ordinated by Mr. S K Nayak, Deputy Manager (HR) under the guidance of Mr. Avinash, AGM (HR) with the support of and HR- ER&C team.  It is noteworthy that the workshop is being held at regular intervals covering the spouses of the -to-be-retired employees.

NPM also registered its best first-quarter (Q1) performance for FY 2026–27 in both production and dispatch. Compared to the corresponding period last year (CPLY), production grew by 11.55% while dispatch increased by 5.29%.

Congratulating Team NPM, Mr. Alok Verma, Director In-Charge (RSP) has appreciated the outstanding achievement of the team, leadership and all supporting departments and commended their collective effort. He added that, at this critical juncture for Rourkela Steel Plant, performance must be raised further so that the plant can emerge stronger.

The achievement reflects coordinated efforts across operations, maintenance, quality, logistics and other supporting departments, and underscores NPM’s commitment to operational excellence and timely delivery to customers.

Finished-steel facilities delivered equally notable results. Both the Plate Mill and the New Plate Mill posted their best quarterly performances, and HR plate output from the Sheet Shearing Line of the Hot Strip Mill also achieved record quarterly production. The New Plate Mill produced 2,66,263 tonnes of plate in Q1, an 11.6% year-on-year growth,  while HR plate output from the Sheet Shearing Line rose by 14.9% to 82,514 tonnes, reflecting healthy growth in high-value product segments. Operational improvements helped maximize the road despatch coefficient, delivering a record June road despatch of 48,564 tonnes. RSP also achieved its highest April–June direct despatch figures of 8,27,871 tonnes, surpassing the previous best of 7,95,521 tonnes.

By prioritizing both road and direct despatch, RSP has also reinforced its focus on working capital optimization. High contributions from value-added segments such as Plate Mill and HR plate production have positively impacted the plant’s bottom line.