Press Release

The foundation stone was laid by Hon’ble Chief Minister of Odisha- Shri Naveen Patnaik in the presence of other dignitaries

The Academy will be a High Performance Centre to nurture and train young players in the sports discipline of badminton with an objective to prepare players of international level and will have 10 badminton courts, gymnasium, boarding and lodging facilities for players, coaches and support staff

Bhubaneswar, 25th February 2019: As a continuation of its commitment towards building and grooming talent in the state of Odisha, Dalmia Cement (Bharat) Ltd. (DCBL) laid the foundation stone for its state of the art high performance centre for badminton at Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar today. The foundation stone was laid by Hon’ble Chief Minister of Odisha- Shri Naveen Patnaik, Hon’ble Sports Minister of Odisha- Chandra Sarathi Behera, the Chief National Coach of Indian Badminton Team and Padma Bhushan and Arjuna Award recipient- Mr. Pullela Gopichand and Mr. Harmit Singh Sethi, Executive Director and Group Head- Corporate Affairs, Dalmia Bharat Group.Dalmia Bharat Gopichand Badminton Academy (an inititaive supported by Govt. of Odisha).

Odisha has a rich sporting history and has served the nation with world class athletes and sportspersons. The State Government has outlined their vision to make Odisha a major sporting destination by conducting national and international sporting events. Through DSYS, the Government of Odisha is desirous of establishing a High-Performance Centre to nurture and train young players in the sports discipline of badminton with an objective to prepare players of international level.

Mr. Puneet Dalmia, Managing Director, Dalmia Bharat Group said, “We are very obliged to Government of Odisha for providing us this commendable opportunity to set up a Badminton HPC in the state. We at Dalmia Cement (Bharat) Ltd., are committed to the growth of the state and its youth. And, as a responsible corporate, we believe that our humble contribution in establishing a high-performance center for providing world class coaching and training facilities by our Chief National Badminton Coach, Arjuna Awardee Mr. Pullela Gopichand - will be a step forward to develop new global champions of Badminton from the state.”

Dalmia Cement (Bharat) Ltd. has undertaken multiple activities to promote sports and sportsmanship in Odisha as well as in the country including a hockey coaching center for tribal youth in Sundargarh district of Odisha apart from being a prime sponsor in India’s international cricket matches. In the field of badminton, the Company is already contributing to growth of the sports in India as owners of Team Delhi Dashers in Premier Badminton League. It now aims to strengthen the consortium of excellence in sports through this association and nurture the dreams of the Badminton enthusiasts of Odisha.

About Dalmia Cement (Bharat) Ltd.

Dalmia Cement (Bharat) Limited (DCBL), a subsidiary of Dalmia Bharat Limited (BSE Code: 533309|NSE Symbol: DALMIABHA and listed in MSE), is a leading player in the cement manufacturing segment and has been in existence since 1939. Dalmia Cement is world’s greenest cement company with the lowest carbon footprint. Dalmia Cement was the first Indian company to join RE100, and the first company in the world to join both EP100 and RE100. With a growing capacity, currently pegged at 26 MnT, Dalmia Cement is also the fourth largest manufacturing capacity in India. Spread across nine states and 12 manufacturing units, the company is a category leader in super-specialty cements used for oil well, railway sleepers and air strips and is the country’s largest producer of slag cement. Dalmia Cement has also partnered with International Finance Corporation to promote sustainable business. Visit us at https://www.dalmiacement.com