January 31, 2002

    Mr. Hemant Kumar Desai, Addl. Chief Industrial Engineer of Bhilai Steel Plant (BSP), has been awarded the national-level Coal India Productivity Award for 2000-01. The award, instituted by Indian Institute of Industrial Engineering (IIIE), is given to an individual for outstanding contribution to productivity and method improvement and propagation of Industrial engineering activities in the mining sector. Mr. Desai is the first industrial engineer in Steel Authority of India Ltd. (SAIL) to receive the award.

    The award was presented to Shri Desai at the 43^rd National Convention of the IIIE held in Chennai recently. Mr. Desai, is a graduate in Mechanical & Industrial Engineering. He received a gold medal in 1987 for topping the all-India graduateship exam of the IIIE.