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DISPUTE RESOLUTION SCIENTIST MENTORSHIP
Air Liquide seeks govt. intervention to resolve CAS announces 2024 Selections for prestigious

14-year-old issue with RINL ‘CAS Future Leaders’ programme

The Ambassador of France to India, required for metal production through according to an offi cial of the Steel Mini- CAS, a division of the American ing in scientific disciplines that Participants in the programme,
Mr. Thierry Mathou, has written to Union blast furnaces. However, commission- stry, is yet to be accepted by the RINL Chemical Society (ACS) specialis- span computer-aided drug design, which will take place in August, will
Steel Minister, Mr. Jyotiraditya Scindia, ing was not carried out and failure to board. The settlement talks of takeover ing in scientific knowledge manage- atmospheric/environmental chemis- also get a behind-the-scenes look
seeking a resolution to a nearly 14-year- resolve differences stalled the commis- terms (of the unit by RINL) so as to enable ment, has announced the 2024 ‘CAS try, sustainable polymers, and cancer into how CAS connects the world’s
long dispute between Air Liquide India sioning. Since the contract was termi- revival of the third blast furnace. Future Leaders’. diagnostics. science. They will present their
Holdings, the Indian arm of French nated in 2014, it was ultimately referred research at ACS Fall 2024 in Denver,
industrial gases major, Air Liquide, and to arbitration tribunal. In its letter to the Embassy, Air Liq- These exceptional early-career “CAS Future Leaders offers early- Colorado, and receive a three-year
government-owned Rashtriya Ispat uide, said, the dispute “has signifi cantly scientists were selected from a career scientists the opportunity ACS membership as well.
Nigam Ltd. (RINL). The French company claimed that it affected Air Liquide India Holdings’
continued to carry out directions given to fi nancial health”. “This dispute has also
The dispute pertains to a 2010 supply it by the Tribunal, which included having strained Air Liquide proactiveness to
contract that RINL had entered into with various performance tests, health checks invest (here),” it said. The company said
Air Liquide for the “supply of oxygen, “on all equipment”, refurbishing and it invested close to €72.4-mn (close to
nitrogen gases, and liquid primarily for replacing some. COVID and the delayed Rs. 700-crore) in the last 14 years.
captive consumption” of RINL. commissioning of the third blast furnace
delayed operationalising the air separa- The French Ambassador in his letter
Air Liquide, in a letter to the French tion unit. said a joint solution is being preferred and
Embassy in January, claimed it ins- this will allow “for revival plan of RINL
talled the cryogenic air separation unit Alternatively, Air Liquide has offered to be initiated as soon as possible with
to meet the need for industrial gases a “mutual settlement” proposal which, the starting of their third blast furnace”.

DIFFERING VIEWS
Government’s objections to demerger to be taken up

in board meeting: Hindustan Zinc

It could be back to the drawing up again with the Ministry; or the pro- a whole resulting into value unlock-
board for Vedanta Group fi rm, Hindu- posed demerger plan could be put-off ing for all the shareholders,” he said.
stan Zinc, with the Union Mines Mini- for the time being. “We have received a response from the
stry – a minority share-holder in com- Ministry of Mines, which, however, is
pany – rejecting the initially proposed Value unlocking yet to be discussed in the board along
demerger plans of the zinc-miner. According to Mr. Arun Misra, MD with our observations,” he added.
and CEO, Hindustan Zinc, the demerger
The current proposal includes crea- will help improve market-cap of the The demerger proposal requires
ting three separate legal entities – one company and in value-unlocking. The approval of all shareholders. While
for zinc and lead, another for silver, and response of the Ministry, which the Anil Agarwal-owned Vedanta has a large pool of global candidates who to participate in leadership and Among the 35 scientists selected
ultimately a third for recycling business – company received, is “yet to be taken 64.92% majority-stake in Hindustan applied for a spot in the programme storytelling seminars, learn from is Ms. Pragti from the Indian Insti-
to unlock shareholder value. The objec- by the board”. Zinc, the Mines Ministry holds around known as one of the best leadership industry thought leaders how to tute of Technology, Indore.
tions by the Ministry are to be discussed 29.54%. Mines ministry offi cials are learning experiences in the world of present their ideas in an impactful
at a board level, while “observations” “Based on the report submitted by said to be of the view that Hindustan science. manner, engage in scientific dis- In addition to the 35 in-person
of the management will also be taken reputed consultant, we fi rmly believe Zinc was operating profi tably as a course, and develop connections participants, CAS provides virtual
up then. that the exercise of demerging Hin- single unit and there was no guarantee The 2024 selectees are a diverse with peer scientists from around programming and other career bene-
dustan Zinc to create a silver and zinc that post demerger, different companies group, hailing from 13 countries, the world,” said Mr. Peter Carlton, fits to 65 additional outstanding
There could be some more tweak- entity separately will help in improv- will continue to have a similar valua- working at 33 graduate or post-doc- CAS Future Leaders programme selectees through the CAS Future
ing of proposals and discussions taken ing the market cap of the company as tion or be equally profi table. toral programmes, and specialis- director. Leaders Top 100 program.

142 Chemical Weekly April 2, 2024 Chemical Weekly April 2, 2024 143

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