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Airtel lists 32.7 mn paperless Aadhar-based acquisitions in ‘Sustainability Report’
MUMBAI: Bharti Airtel (Airtel), India’s largest telecommunications company, has released its 2017 India Sustainability Report that outlines its approach towards responsible, sustainable business practices and making a positive impact on all stakeholders including customers, suppliers, local communities, investors, employees and government bodies.
Bharti Airtel MD & CEO (India & south Asia) Gopal Vittal said, “As part of our governance DNA, we attach a deep sense of purpose to the way we conduct our business and ensure it has a positive impact on all stakeholders. Being a responsible corporate citizen, we have implemented a host of sustainability initiatives across the organization and remain fully committed to building on this strong foundation.”
Green Initiatives
81% reduction in CO2 emissions across network infrastructure in the last five years and 27% reduction in the last financial year.
23% reduction in CO2 emissions per square feet in our facility and 9% reduction in CO2 emissions per rack in data centre operations against 2015-16
Airtel saved over 1280 million sheets of paper since FY 2011-12 on paperless billing initiatives.
Adopted Aadhar based instant verification process which is secure and eliminates paperwork
Managed to recycle 2400 tonnes of e-waste and refurbished over 500,000 direct-to-home set top boxes
Over 1200 tonnes of paper have been saved since FY 2011-12 with the paperless billing initiative, over 170 millions have opted for e-bills. 191 tonnes of paper was saved across facilities
Adopted Aadhar based instant verification process which is secure and eliminates paperwork. 32.7 million such paperless Aadhar based acquisitions were completed last year.
Customer Initiatives
Unveiled India’s first Open Network, setting a new benchmark for transparency in the industry, by making the entire network information including coverage, site details and signal strength available to customers.
Doubled mobiles sites in just two years by deploying 180,000 sites. This is the same number deployed over the past 20 years.
Self-regulation: Airtel will contribute INR 100,000 for every 0.01% increase in call drop rate beyond 1.5% / month against the TRAI prescribed limit of 2%. The amount will be contributed towards education of the under privileged.
Listening to customers through various touch points – stores, customer care, website and social media. There is 74% increase in online interactions and 10 million social media queries were answered last year.
Community Initiatives
The company supports over 254 Satya Bharti School Program, Learning Centers and Quality Support Program through its educational initiatives and benefitted over 43,500 underprivileged children in rural India, impacting over 198,000 underprivileged children cumulatively.
Benefitted over 3.8 million farmers through the IFFCO-Kisan Sanchar Ltd by undertaking mobile based agriculture awareness Implemented a host of initiatives in the field of disaster relief management, environment protection and other social causes
Other key interventions
Deployed a ‘Win with people’ strategy. To help talent grow through strong learning, mentoring and succession planning, started conducting Career Fairs. Over 370 hours of training interventions with over 935,000 man hours of training delivered in FY 2016-17
Launched Airtel Payments Bank, the first payments bank in India, further consolidating the government’s agenda of digital payments and financial inclusion.
Enabled over 1000 villages to go cashless across India, through enabling Airtel Payments Bank accounts with over 250000 banking points and onboarding merchants who accept digital payments
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Maharashtra revokes Ola, Uber, Rapido bike taxi licences
Temporary e-bike taxi permits cancelled as firms fail to meet state rules
MUMBAI: Maharashtra’s roads are set to see fewer zipping two-wheelers after the state government pulled the plug on provisional licences granted to bike taxi giants Ola, Uber and Rapido. Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik announced in the Legislative Council on Monday that temporary permissions would be revoked.
“These companies were given permission for just a month and were required to submit certain documents. Since they have not complied, their temporary licences are cancelled. This is to ensure illegal bikes do not operate on our roads,” Sarnaik said.
The move follows the Maharashtra E Bike Taxi Rules 2024, designed to generate employment for local youth and offer commuters a cheaper, greener ride option. The rules, approved in August 2024, allow electric bike taxis in cities with over one lakh residents.
Under the policy, only electric vehicles can ply as taxis, and operators had 30 days to fulfil licensing and compliance requirements. Yet, officials claim many continued operations without meeting these conditions. Sarnaik added that a large number of bike taxis currently running in Mumbai and the wider Mumbai Metropolitan Region are illegal.
In a firm enforcement twist, the government has instructed authorities to focus on vehicle owners rather than riders when registering cases. Safety concerns, particularly for women passengers, and accident complaints have also been flagged by the transport department.
Since April 2024, Regional Transport Offices have taken action against 130 non-compliant bike taxis, collecting fines exceeding Rs 33 lakh. Authorities say further measures will follow to ensure services adhere to regulations before returning to city streets.
Maharashtra’s bike taxi saga has been a rollercoaster. Initially banned in January 2023 due to concerns over private vehicles ferrying passengers, the sector was later formalised through an electric bike framework in 2024. Provisional licences were granted in 2025, but the government now warns that any bike taxi operating on city roads without proper permits will be considered illegal.
Adding to the transport shake-up, the government has also halted the issuance of new auto rickshaw permits from March 9 to ease urban traffic pressures and safeguard livelihoods of existing drivers. A fresh standard operating procedure for future permits is set to go before the state cabinet soon.
Maharashtra commuters may have to find alternative rides as the state reins in its two-wheeled taxi revolution, leaving app-based bikers in a legal limbo.
