ITC strengthens women participation from shopfloor to research labs, includes rural communities

ITC’s new Integrated Consumer Goods Manufacturing and Logistics (ICML) facilities, which makes FMCG products have ensured larger participation of women by employing 50-80% of women workforce. According to ITC’s Sustainability Report 2023, the Company’s women-focused factories include ITC’s Pudukkottai facility in Tamil Nadu, Mysuru in Karnataka, Medak in Telangana, among others.

While there are challenges around perceptions of safety, size of the sourcing pool and working shifts, ITC has been constantly engaging with all stakeholders to provide an enabling environment that encourages more women to take up blue collar jobs.  In these facilities, ITC reinforces institutional support with employee welfare amenities like on-site childcare, 24/7 health centre access and secure transportation equipped with cameras, GPS and panic buttons.

Fostering diversity in the field of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) and R&D research, the ITC Life Sciences and Technology Centre (LSTC) employs 47% women workforce and aims to achieve 50% women representation among its employees by 2025-26.

Aligning with the commitment to enhance women's representation among employees, 41% of ITC's Management trainees and 47% of interns recruited in 2023 were women. ITC has also instituted a host of enabling policies including a hybrid work model for employees, additional flexibility in work arrangements for expectant and young mothers, extended maternity and child care leave, travel support for infants and caregivers during business travel by women employees. Dedicated committees are also in place to ensure safety and equity at work.

ITC's multi-dimensional Social Development Programme, under its Mission Sunhera Kal initiative, has positively impacted more than 50 lakh women across India, constituting over 75% of the total beneficiaries under its various initiatives. Over 6,500 women-focused Self-Help Groups (SHGs) have been established, benefitting more than 80,000 women living Below the Poverty Line. This initiative aims to link them with formal credit and foster inclusive growth.

ITC has also invested in creating women entrepreneurs through initiatives like Women Farmer Collectives, which leverage the strength of collectives to establish agricultural enterprises for landless and women farmers. Nearly 300 Farmer Field Schools (FFS) empower women with knowledge and technologies, enabling them to provide advisories on sustainable agricultural practices.

Women have been empowered as Krishi Sakhis to support women in agriculture, Yojana Sakhis for government scheme awareness, Pashu Sakhis in goat farming. They have also been enabled to run nurseries, participate in Water User Groups, manage forestry groups and partake in all-women FPOs (Farmers Producer Organisation) under the ITCMAARS (Meta Market for Advanced Agricultural Services), a one stop agri-advisory and agtech platform for farmers. ITC's Vocational Training Programme has empowered over 38,000 women.

Over 22 lakh women have been covered under financial literacy and inclusion interventions of ITC’s partnership with Madhya Pradesh State Rural Livelihoods Mission, resulting in enhanced knowledge of financial planning.

The Swasthya Choupal, an all-women initiative by the company, comprises a network of 430 rural women trained as Village Health Champions. They reach out to nearly 1.16 lakh women and adolescent girls in more than 650 villages. The Mother and Child Health initiative, covering over 6.8 lakh beneficiaries, focuses on improving the health and nutrition status of women, adolescents and children in the catchment areas of ITC’s operations.

This is a partnered post.