Indian Railways is one of the world's largest employers, says Arogya World.
: Thirty two companies from various sectors across the country, including Indian Railways, were today named 'Healthy Workplaces' 2016 by a global body working to prevent non-communicable diseases through education and lifestyle change.
Amid growing challenges posed by NCDs, including diabetes and cancer, Arogya World, a non-profit organisation, today brought together top industry speakers to deliberate on improving the health of employees at workplaces during a conference organised here.
"32 companies from a variety of sectors across India are being named as 2016 Healthy Workplaces in the fourth year of a pioneering public health program underway by Arogya World... This brings the total number of Healthy Workplaces that the global health non-profit has recognised to date to 79, with a total workforce of approximately 2 million."
"Importantly, one of the world's largest employers, Indian Railways, with an employee strength of 1.3 million, is one of this year's Healthy Workplaces," the body said while commending the winners for their commitment to employee health and wellness.
Arogya World founder and CEO Nalini Saligram said "this year's Healthy Workplaces have brought us to an exciting inflection point in our journey to prevent chronic disease and create a Healthy India".
"Working with these pioneering companies, and our partners, we are on our way to building an ecosystem for NCDs prevention in the workplace. No one entity can do it alone, but together, we can make a profound public health impact," she said.
The 2016 Healthy Workplaces winners include Hindustan Unilever Limited, Mahindra and Mahindra Ltd, Reliance Industries Limited, Dow Chemical International, NTPC Limited, Britannia Industries, IOCL, Corporate Office, Tata Power Solar, Columbia Asia Hospital - Hebbal, and Indian Railways.
"What is noteworthy this year is the foray we have made into new sectors in our Healthy Workplaces, especially large government agencies and public sector organisations," said Geeta Bharadwaj, head, healthy workplace initiative, Arogya World India Trust.
Arogya World targets workplaces for chronic disease prevention because work is where so many people spend a large part of their day.
An estimated 20 per cent of Indians have at least one chronic condition. 60 plus million Indians live with diabetes, and one million die from it each year.