ITC

It was started by the Peninsular Tobacco Company on 6th November, 1907 in Munger in India because of its proximity to a suitable tobacco cultivating area and also due to the availability of transport facilities by rail, road and river. ITC was incorporated on August 24, 1910 under the name of 'Imperial Tobacco Company of India Limited'. The Company manufactured and distribute cigarettes and smoking tobaccos and speciality papers including cigarette tissue papers (Sole manufacturer in the country).It's headquarter building, 'Virginia House', which came up two years later, became one of Kolkata's most venerated landmarks.
The Company's ownership progressively Indianised, and the name was changed from the Imperial Tobacco Co. of India Ltd., to India Tobacco Co. Ltd in the year 1970, and the present name ’ ITC limited’ was given in September 18,2001. A wide range of businesses was started- Cigarettes & Tobacco, Hotels, Information Technology, Packaging, Paperboards & Specialty Papers, Agri-Exports, Foods, Lifestyle Retailing and Greeting Gifting & Stationery..The following are the milestones of the company:-
· ITC's Packaging & Printing Business Division, was set up in 1925.
· The Company was converted into a Public Limited Company in 1954.
· The Company launched its Hotels business with the acquisition of a hotel in Chennai which was rechristened 'ITC-Welcomgroup Hotel Chola' in 1975.
· ITC entered the Paperboards business by promoting ITC Bhadrachalam Paperboards Limited, which today has become the market leader in India in 1979.
· ITC set up Surya Tobacco Co. in Nepal as an Indo-Nepal and British joint venture in 1985.
· ITC acquired Tribeni Tissues Limited, a Specialty paper manufacturing company and a major supplier of tissue paper to the cigarette industry In 1990,
· ITC set up the International Business Division (IBD) for export of agri-commodities in 1990.
· ITC spun off its information technology business into a wholly owned subsidiary, ITC Infotech India Limited, in 2000.

In 2000 :
· The Company has launched a project "e-Choupal" in Bhopal to Web-enable farmers to make a beginning in agricultural e-trade.
· The company set up the Lifestyle Retailing Business Division for the greeting cards business under the Packaging and Printing Division..
· ITC Infotech Ltd., the recently-launched it subsidiary of ITC Ltd., has become one of the select software organisations in the world to achieve the distinction of being certified at Level-5 on the prestigious Capability Maturity Model.

In 2002
· ITC Limited has taken over Wills brand. ITC had to acquire the Wills brand in the US.
· ITC, moves towards match business, ito earn more revenues from non-tobacco businesses.

In 2003
· Agarbathis manufactured by Cottage Industries, a unit of the Sri Aurobindo Udyog Trust in Pondicherry was launched .
· Introduced salt under the brand name of 'Aashirvaad' which captured the market.

In 2004
· ITC signs MoU with Andhra Pradesh government for wasteland development.
In recent years it has bagged many awards which is listed down in later part of our report.
Thus ITC established itself in the market of India and endeavors to increase it’s profits by enhancing the farmers with most modern technology.

More information about ITC in next coloumn.