Jamshedpur, Jharkhand
"Every Company has a special continuing responsibility towards the people of the area in which it is located. The company should spare its doctors, managers to advice the people of the village and supervise near development undertaken by co-operative effort between them and the company" -JRD Tata(1969)
The above quote not only illustrates the ethos, but also summarizes the guidelines laid down by Tata steel' founder, Jamsetji Nusserwanji Tata. The facet of the Founder's remarkable breadth of conception was his recognition that, corporate social responsibility was fundamental to India's drive for industrialization,one of his defining tenets being, 'the wealth which comes from the people must as far as possible go back to the people'
TATA STEEL, one of the pioneering corporate sectors to evolve social responsbility, adhering to J.N. Tata, the founder`s dreams established Tata Steel Rural Development Society (T.S.R.D.S.) in 1979 to share its resources with the rural areas within which the company operates its business. The areas of operation extend to mines and collieries, spread over Jharkhand and Orissa.
T.S.R.D.S. has its head quarters at Jamshedpur and units are situated at:
Jamadoba,District Dhanbad,Jharkhand
West Bokaro, District Hazaribagh, Jharkhand
Noamundi, District Singhbhum (West),Jharkhand
Joda, District Keonjhar, Orissa
Bamnipal, District Keonjhar, Orissa
Gopalpur,District Ganjam, Orissa
The objectives of T.S.R.D.S. are:
1. To create a self sustaining process of integrated rural development
2. To build a model that could be replicated by like minded industrial houses and other organizations elsewhere with similar Socio-economic situation in India.
3. Networking with agencies- Govt,NonGovt- national & International for bringing best available resources and practices to the rural community it works with.
The pledge thus reads:
"Wededicate ourselves to the community we exist in.
We shall constantly strive to be knowledge-based catalysts, enabling the community to achieve economic independence and social intergration.
We shall ensure sustainability through continuous participation and empowerment of the people
We shall adopt current mamagement practices to achieve our goal"
The society began operation with an initial annual budget of Rs.8.5 lakh and a Total of 32 villages in 1979. Today, the annual budget has crossed the Rs. 4crore marketing to the needs of nearly 650 villages.
The company gives priority to felt need of the community . in the execution of all programmes, the company encourages community involvement and their solution in the context of and reponsibility towards its future i.e. with full participation of people. Programmes of self-help through education and social awareness help the rural community to learn the difference between welfare and rural development. Their contribution can approximately be quantified as over Rs. 20 lakh annually.
Set out to implement programme effectively, society established networking with the local community leaders, voluntary organzation, N.G.Os, Government and International Agencies and thus covers a wide range of activities like safe drinking water, health and hygiene,educational programmes, environmental awareness, youth development , programmes for income generation etc. T.S.R.D.S. works on all the above and more under 3 baskets namely: EMPOWERMENT, INCOME GENERATION and HEALTH & HYGIENE.
EMPOWERMENT - This includes
Capacity building of target population to take up responsibility of the community through
* Awareness Building- T.S.R.D.S. in its multifarious role, has moved forward from a mere "provider" to a "facilitator"and now a"catalyst" of change. True to identifying strength of the people , the society believes that change can be brought about when a person first identifies and recognizes his own strength. Likewise several Awareness building programmes are held at all its centres from time to time.
* Training & Motivation - T.S.R.D.S. while empowering, promotes opportunities for srlf employment through training in sewing, knitting, dairy farning, poultry farming , leaf plate making, construction of smokeless chullah, coir rope making, metal bin fabrication, papad making, vetenary training, youth leadership camps, Art of living ect.
* Stengthening Education - Education being the basic requirement of empowering community, T.S.R.D.S. has considered it, in separable from the overall mission of rural develoment. Society supports construction of schools, necessary repairs of existing school building, school furniture, laboratory equipment, libraries and teaching aids.
* Liasioning/Netwrok - In its attempt to increase the scope of its out reach TSRDS liasons with organizations - National, International, local to bring the best available practices to the community.
*Pani Panchayats - Pani Panchayats are micro water cooperatives establish around the available water sources that have remained untapped optimally. The Panchayat consists of democratically elected members and office bearers who are insider and are revered in the community. Members using the asset created - the water shade, pay a cess against services, the rate and periodicity of which is decided by them. The charges are deposited in the bank account held in the panchayat, to build the corpus that takes care of repairs and maintenance. Periodic meetings are held as per led down by-laws of the co-operative. It also manage the running and maintenance of the asset created and build on the project adding any new development that the community can afford.
*Self help group - The believe that self help is the best help is the core of all programmes designed and implemented by TSRDS. To eliminate the fear of getting trapped into the vicious cycle of loans and exploitative rate of interest, group are organized who develop their own corpus for meeting small consumption loan. The net earning out of the loans given within the group help initiate and activity that would build the total corpus of funds, strengthening the less priviledged.
INCOME GENERATION- TOP Enhance economic status of the target population through : *Skill Upgradation (Need Based Vocational Training) - Training on pump set repairing , TV repairing, scientific method of farming, etc. has led to upgrade skill along with increase in income. *Development of mirco Enterprises ( Terracotta/Brass Handicrafts) * Agro- Based Interventions ( Agriculture extension & training on crop planning Nursery raising & Afforestation, Livestock Management & Food processing units) *Helping rural youth plan for their future through allied activities- Encouraging rural poor to supplement their income, extending assistance in intiating goatery, intiatives under the Swarn Jayanti Swa Rojgar Yojna etc. Thus, marching forward, foussing on changing lives. HEALTH & HYGIENE- TOP Improve the quality of life through preventive, curative and promotive Interventions Preventive Interventions are*Awareness generation on measure for control of water and air borne diseases, Immunization & malnutrition.
*Eyecare - providing services to individuals in hospital and also through various camps.
*Family planning- Couples covered through temporary method, permanent sterilization for females ( tubectomy ) etc.
*Provision of safe Drinking water through installation/ repair of tube wells, chlorination of open dug wells and training in tube well repairs are now embedded in the very fabric of TSRDS culture.
*Advocating Environmental sanitation & personal Hygienic practices through awareness campaigns,construction of low cost toilets & WATSAN project- rural sanitation and clean drinking water are of paramount importance in rural areas today. TSRDS hold regular sessions and camps to spread the message WATSAN, an acronym for water and sanitation,a joint venture by Govt. of Bihar, UNICEF and partcipating NGOs.
Promotive Interventions are TOP*Capacity building of community health service providers- the ardent exponent of health services in ANM, CBOP and other para- medics are reaching out to those areas where perhaps sun shine is yet to reach. TSRDS not only assists the community in terms of providing health services but the community health worker are also given training from time to time to upgrade their skill and walk hand in hand with the need of the hour.
*Narrowing the health service gap- the mobile clinic & life line Express has made it possible for the remote villagers to avail of health services at their door step- thanks to the thoughtful initiative on the part of TSRDS.
*Aids & Appliances for orthopedics- individuals in village are assisted by the provison of calipers, wheel chair and other form of assisting appliances
*Blood Donation- camps are held from time to time to collect blood at various units of TSRDS.
Curative intervention fosters TOP*Treatment of genral ailments through mobile dispensaries
*Control of chronic diseases e.g. Treatment of TB,leprosy, malaria etc.
*Specialized Diagnostic/surgical camps-cases of cataract are operated.
*CSP- TSRDS and CARE India launched the child survical project,a four-year initiative in 162 village in East singhbhum. This USAID financed programme seeks to reduce the high rate of child hood mortality through four primary interventioins with a proven record in increasing child survival: antenatal care,immunization, infant feeding and family spacing.
Other Initiatives TOP Drinking waterThe activity aims to fulfil the basic needs of the villagers. The society has its own rig and many tube wells have been drilled. Repairing of existing tubewells are done from time to time.
T.S.R.D.S. helps villagers in digging wells and to develop other sources of water. It conducts regular programmes to educate the villegers on the importance and need of pure drinking water and ways to purify it.
Gram shree mela, a joint venture of T.S.R.D.S.& CAPART has now assumed the position of most awaited event because of its popularity, since it began in 1992(sale of Rs. 7 lakhs) and is a regular feature of Jamshedpur now. Its an attempt to promote rural artisans by bringing them interface with the urban buyer effectively deleting the middlemen and thier profit earned there of. In the year, 2000, the mela was held twice- once in March and next in the December, which brought 354 & 282 partcipants from all over the country respectively. Collectively, the total sale amounted to 84 lakhs.
Social Forestry TOPTSRDS encourages the spread of Social Forestry with plantation and distribution of saplings.School childern come forward to contribute in creating rural infrastructure - this was seen in the Gopalpur - a rehabilitative township spread over an area of 573 acres with barely any trees around. Today, it is green with 55,000 plants.
Networking- collaborating agencies TOPTSRDS join hands with voluntary organization, N.G.Os,Government and International Agencies. To name few:
Government organization- District Blindness control society,Ganjam, City Hospital Berhampur & MKCG Medical college, Berhampur; India Institute for Forest Management ,Bhopal; Lal Bahadur Shastri Academy of Public Administration, Mussorie Notified Area Council,Gopal; NABARD, CAPART, OMFED, DRDA, and others.
Non- Government organization- UNICEF, ESSYAL, Rotary club, Tata Relief Committee, PRADAN, ACTIONAID, etc.
Sports TOPTSRDS conducts sports meet at the village and panchayat levels along with annual sport and cultural meet, the intention being the continous exposure to competitions to encourage develop talent & prepare them for the state and national level competitions, spotting talent at grass root level.