Larsen & Toubro (L&T) wins top honours at Dubai’s Taqdeer Awards

Nourin Alem

Indian engineering and construction conglomerate, Larsen & Toubro (L&T) was honoured at the fourth edition of Dubai’s Taqdeer Awards for providing the best working conditions for workmen at their various project sites across the UAE.

L&T was awarded a three-star grading and their workmen honoured at a ceremony held at the Sheikh Rashid Hall of the Dubai World Trade Centre on Monday. The Taqdeer trophy was received by T. A. Rao, Vice President and Head, Middle East – Power Transmission & Distribution business vertical, L&T from Maj-Gen Obaid Muhair Bin Surour, Chairman of Taqdeer Awards and Deputy Director-General of the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs (GDRFA). A total of 77 workmen and companies were recognised in the five categories.

“We have always considered our workmen as the extended arm of our L&T family and therefore we are honored and humbly accept this award,” said Mr. S N Subrahmanyan, CEO & Managing Director, L&T. “During these pandemic times, we have gone many an extra mile to ensure that our workmen remain safe, healthy and engaged. Many thanks to the Taqdeer Awards committee for recognizing and acknowledging our efforts.”

Launched in 2016 by the Government of Dubai, the Taqdeer Awards aim to promote excellence in labour welfare practices and safeguard labour rights to increase productivity and efficiency across different sectors.

Maj-Gen Obaid Muhair Bin Surour said companies were evaluated by more than 105 qualified assessors based on essential fundamentals such as labour policies, occupational health, cultural and work environment factors such as communication, creativity and innovation, rules & regulations as well as results based on labour perceptions and performance indicators.

“The Taqdeer Awards recognise companies that provide the best care and working environment for their workers and honour exceptional workers for their contribution to setting new standards in labour welfare,” Bin Surour said during the award ceremony.

The organisers announced that the Dubai government was going to provide Excellence Cards to support and encourage the companies that received high Taqdeer Award ratings to continue their journey of excellence of caring for their workmen. The award ceremony was attended by government department heads, senior officials, representatives of regional and international organisations, professionals from both public and private sectors, members of the diplomatic corps and the media.