Honourable Minister Nitin Gadkari Lends his Support to United Spirits' Road to Safety Programme

NEW DELHI, January 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

National Conclave to Create High-level Impact and Awareness on Road Safety in India 

On the occasion of National Road Safety week, United Spirits Limited (USL), a Diageo Group Company, hosted a National Conclave in the august presence of the Honourable Minister for Road Transport, Highways and Shipping, Shri Nitin Gadkari. The conclave witnessed participation from Gul Panag, Bollywood Actor, Garima Bhatnagar - Jt Commissioner, Delhi Traffic Police, Dr. Amit Gupta, Director - AIIMS Trauma Centre, Harman Sidhu - Founder, NGO Arrive Safe and Former Accident Victim, Saji Cherian - Save Life Foundation, Navdeep Singh Mehram - Head, CSR & Sustainability, USL who pledged to 'Never Drink and Drive'.

Addressing the appalling state of road accidents in the country, the guests at the conclave discussed different issues affecting the safety of Indian citizens on roads within the cities and national highways.

Participants also discussed the salient features of the Road Safety Bill of 2016, the menace of Drink Driving and the increasing number of deaths on national highways due to irresponsible driving.

Recent government statistics reveal the appalling state of road safety in the country, bringing to light the astonishing data of 1 road accident occurring every four minutes in India. With over 1,45,000 fatalities a year, India accounts for 12.5% of global road accidents. The United Nations mentions that India suffers a loss of $58 billion annually due to accidents.

Shri. Nitin Gadkari, Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways of India, said, "The Ministry has set a goal to achieve a 50% reduction in road accidents in the next two years. I have taken up this cause personally to create more awareness on issues of road safety in India. The ministry is also working closely with law enforcement agencies and using technology to modernise and computerise our systems. I urge NGOs, corporates, the public sector and citizens to come together for the education and advocacy of road safety because only collective action can help us achieve this goal." 

Commenting on the initiative, Abanti Sankaranarayanan, Chief Strategy & Corporate Affairs Officer, United Spirits, said, "We are committed to the cause of road safety and reducing alcohol misuse in India. Our 'Road to Safety' initiative that is in its third year has been able to achieve major milestones as a result of strong partnerships with governments, NGOs, media, and civil society. Our aim through this initiative is to bring about a behavioural change in people."

Recently USL - Diageo Group Company, and Essar Oil Limited, announced a collaboration to create awareness and drive definitive behaviour change, particularly among commercial vehicle and truck drivers. The year-long programme will educate drivers, especially commercial drivers, who arrive at these petrol pumps, providing training and awareness on various aspects of road safety, particularly drunk driving, across 3200 petrol pumps and retail outlets by Essar Oil, many of which are situated along national highways.

In support of the World Health Organisation's goal to reduce the harmful use of alcohol by 10 per cent by 2025, USL-Diageo has a strong and multi-dimensional 'Road to Safety' initiative which endeavours to bring collective consciousness around responsible drinking, road safety and, encourage road users especially the youth to 'Never Drink and Drive.'

Launched in 2014, the 'Road to Safety' programme, till date has:

- Covered 23 states and 53 cities in India

- Trained 4000 police officials on traffic regulations, enforcement of drunken driving offences, types and correct usage of breath alcohol analysers

- Donated high quality breath alcohol analysers to police departments of several states

- Taught 6000 university students about the perils of drunk drinking and underage drinking

- Educated 5000 drivers of commercial vehicles (school buses, auto rickshaws, trucks and buses) on the dangers of drinking driving

- Received over 3,00,000 pledges to 'Never Drink and Drive' from people from all walks of life through the social media and on-ground activations.

About United Spirits Limited 

United Spirits Limited (USL) is a subsidiary of Diageo plc which is a global leader in beverage alcohol with an outstanding collection of brands across spirits, beer and wine categories. In 2013-14, Diageo plc acquired a 54.8% shareholding in United Spirits making India one of its largest markets.

The organization prides itself on innovative products that have made a mark on the world stage by regularly winning accolades and awards from international juries. USL exports its products to over 37 countries across the globe.

Headquartered in Bengaluru, USL has a strong global footprint supported by a committed team of 5000+ employees dedicated to fulfilling the company's mission of becoming the best performing, most trusted and respected consumer goods company in India. The company has a strong distribution network and point of sale coverage and is represented in 81000 outlets across India. It has over 74 manufacturing facilities across 23 states and 3 union territories in India. 

The company is listed on the BSE (Bombay Stock Exchange) and NSE (National Stock Exchange). For more information about United Spirits Limited, our people, vision, brands, and performance visit us at http://www.unitedspirits.in.

Visit Diageo's global responsible drinking resource, http://www.DRINKiQ.com, for information, initiatives, and ways to share best practice.

Media Contact:
Kamakshi Iyer
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Genesis Burson-Marsteller