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Christabelle
Noronha and Cynthia Rodrigues
Tata Steel has evolved, over the years,
an encompassing culture of social responsibility that
not only sustains but also enriches the lives of the
communities it supports
A 100 years ago, Tata Steel first
marked its imprint on a small, insignificant place called
Sakchi, which later transformed into Jamshedpur, the
birthplace of Indian steel. Today, Tata Steel is a beacon
to the corporate world, in its endeavours to enrich
the lives of the people and communities it touches.
The company’s corporate
social responsibility (CSR) strategy was inspired by
Jamsetji Tata’s conviction that, “In a free
enterprise, the community is not just another stakeholder,
but is, in fact, the very purpose of its existence.”
Tata Steel’s approach to its business has evolved
from this concept and the wealth it has created is continuously
returned to the people through its community initiatives.
The mandate given to the Tata
Steel CSR team was to work for the welfare of the socially
and economically disadvantaged communities living in
and around its areas of operation, including the mines
and collieries serving the plant. Over the years, its
initiatives have encompassed provision of healthcare
services, drinking water, rain water harvesting, tribal
development, relief and rehabilitation endeavours, income
and employment generation, women’s health and education,
awareness programmes on the ill-effects of drugs, alcohol
and HIV/AIDS, and patronage to sports and cultural activities.
The CSR programme is managed
by three organisations — Tata Steel Rural Development
Society (TSRDS), Tata Steel Family Initiatives Foundation
(TSFIF) and the Tribal Culture Society (TCS).
Of these, TSRDS assumes (and
uses) the lion’s share of Tata Steel’s services
and resources, because of the sheer range and volume
of its activities. TSRDS also serves as an implementing
agency for other international organisations engaged
in socio-economic development and empowerment initiatives.
The two other organisations are newer and more focused
in their specific areas.
The Tata Steel CSR policy encompasses
initiatives to conserve, sustain and renew the environment,
to encourage sustainable socio-economic development
of the community and to improve the quality of life
of the people living in the areas in which it operates.
In all their programmes, the
organisations seek to engage the ultimate beneficiaries
of an initiative right from the conceptualisation and
planning stage to the implementation, with the company
playing the role of a catalyst eliciting positive change.
The attempt is to get the people to act out of their
own convictions, and support them in their efforts to
build a better future.
Says AN Singh, deputy managing
director (corporate services), Tata Steel, “Community
development must have a beneficial impact on the lives
of the people, and should be sustainable. For this to
happen, people need to accept ownership of a project.
The understanding of the word “empowerment”
comes from enabling people to stand on their own feet,
and a step forward in this direction is to get those
people to replicate it for the good of the next community.”
To ensure this, Tata Steel follows
a participative model for its CSR initiatives, offering
resources in the form of expertise, guidance and direction.
The community plays a significant role, right from the
prioritisation of its needs to the planning and the
execution of the project. Once people begin to accept
ownership of a project, they become more enthusiastic
about what will work, and aware of what will not. This
commitment to the project means they are far more likely
to derive benefits from it, and look after it in the
future.
This model has been very successful.
In fact, just as Tata Steel has become a benchmark in
the industry for its business practices, its CSR programme
too has been hailed as a benchmark. It has also been
acknowledged as a best practice leader in the area of
corporate social responsibility since 1993.
Singh says, “We have a 100-year-old
legacy of working with the community. We have the experience
of working in different areas, different situations,
and using different approaches to achieve our objectives.
This has given us the opportunity to fine-tune our processes
and brought us where we are today. Other corporates,
public sector undertakings and NGOs often come to us
to study our processes. We are very happy to share our
learnings and to learn from others, because we believe
that if you network, you go a mile longer, and have
greater reach.”
Tata Steel doesn’t shy away
from collaborating with the government either. Singh
avers, “If we have a better delivery mechanism
than the government, and they have more funds than us,
we should work together.”
The greatest strength of the
company’s CSR activity is that it is looked upon
as a business process, like any other, not post-profit
philanthropy. There is an annual business plan, with
mid-, short- and long-term plans specified, thereby
encouraging the company to think in terms of sustainability.
Singh says, “When we spend money, we either create
an asset in terms of a building, pump, school, house
and so on, or we improve the quality of life through
programmes on adult literacy, TB treatment, empowering
women, etc. If money spent does not create an asset
or an improvement in the lives of the people, then the
money is wasted.”
It is this commitment that has
gained Tata Steel the unstinting support and admiration
of the grateful people of Jharkhand and Orissa. The
company has received numerous awards in recognition
of its CSR endeavours, including The Energy and Resources
Institute Award, recognising its corporate leadership
for good corporate citizenship and sustainable initiatives.
It is also the only Indian company to have pledged to
translate the Global Compact principles on human rights,
labour and environment into practice, and has been conferred
with the Global Business Coalition Award for Business
Excellence in the Community for HIV/AIDS.
Singh now has plans to take community
development initiatives even further. “Going forward,”
he says, “I see an enlargement of our community
development processes. I see them getting bigger, more
accentuated and focused. As we do well, we’d like
to do even more for the community.” The team is
now working on expanding its activities in Chhatisgarh,
where Tata Steel is putting up a greenfield site.
Through its work in CSR and sheer
perseverance, the Tata Steel team has proved its fidelity
to the Tata Group’s enduring commitment to “Improving
the quality of life of the communities we serve.”
Tata Steel Rural Development
Society
Tata Steel Rural Development Society (TSRDS), established
in 1979, has faithfully executed its mandate of enriching
the quality of life of the communities in which Tata
Steel operates. Over the years, it has worked in areas
such as food, water and health and ensured empowerment
to people whose lot has been otherwise abject and pitiable.
Today those people aspire and have access to things
they scarcely dreamed of some decades ago.
The society has a special focus
on income generation, health and hygiene and empowerment.
It has established a network of health stations and
trained staff who act as providers of basic healthcare.
TSRDS has offices in West Bokaro, Noamundi, Jamadoba,
Gopalpur and Sukinda, besides Jamshedpur.
TSRDS’s efforts have led
to the economic development of an area once classified
as backward. Starting with 32 villages, it now covers
over 700 villages in its programmes, including those
surrounding Sukinda, Bamnipal and Gopalpur.
Its projects have included the
developing of water sources, training farmers on improved
agricultural practices, promoting rural enterprise,
infrastructure development to boost the village economy,
encouraging animal husbandry, promoting art, culture,
sports and games. Some projects have also been in the
area of sanitation, water conservation, tube well installation
and the enhancement of livelihood.
The infrastructure it has developed
includes schools and hostels, community sheds, rehabilitation
hutments, link roads, culverts, etc, the absence of
which pose a serious hindrance to rural development.
The society also conducts health
awareness programmes and health camps to promote awareness
on health issues, especially on the preventive and curative
aspects. TSRDS has also made arrangements for the Lifeline
Express to visit villages under its care. This is a
unique ‘hospital on wheels’, equipped with
a modern operating theatre that provides diagnostic,
medical and surgical intervention to people living in
remote areas.
No effort has been spared in
involving the government and other NGOs in the task
of improving rural conditions. TSRDS was well aware
that in the struggle to achieve rural development, it
needed to work hand in
hand with others with similar goals. Many such partnerships
have raised the standard of living of the people of
Jharkhand and Orissa. More importantly, they have brought
to the fore specific types of skills and expertise to
cater to specific needs, making projects more effective.
Also, being a part of Tata Steel has enabled it to access
and utilise the tremendous resources of the company
and the Group.
TSRDS’s commitment and dedication
have inspired and directed numerous people to play a
more proactive role in their spheres of existence. The
thrust has always been on participative leadership as
a successful model of rural development. Groups such
as Salahakar Samiti, Pani Panchayat, Community Health
Guide, Save the Forest Group and Mahila Samiti have
helped the organisation to garner support in all its
endeavours.
The idea was to encourage the
ultimate beneficiaries to play a more active role in
the projects so as to make it more self-sustaining.
To ensure this, TSRDS conducts periodic leadership camps,
where youngsters are encouraged to develop their talents
in the service of their own people.
The greatest achievement of TSRDS
has been its ability to empower people, give them a
glimpse of latent capabilities, and drive them to use
their talents for the good of the community. Pleased
with its commitment, the government has granted the
status of a “mother NGO” to this society.
The Tribal Culture Society
The Tribal Culture Society (TCS) of Tata Steel has done
outstanding work for the tribals of Jamshedpur and the
surrounding areas in Jharkhand. The society evolved
from a pure company department for Adivasi affairs in
1974, to a Tribal and Harijan Welfare Cell in 1984.
In 1993, it assumed its present form as a non-profit
organisation, equipped with the expertise and financial
resources to make a difference in the lives of marginalised
tribal communities.
The intention was extremely laudable
since developmental concerns often have a way of neglecting
indigenous people. TCS was set up to ensure that the
voice of the tribal community did not go unheeded. Empowerment
of the marginalised community was TCS’s primary
aim.
The society focuses on three
important issues: education, improvement of livelihood
opportunities and the preservation of the ethnic identity
of the tribal community.
At its basic level, education
requires the creation of functional literacy within
the community. Shakshar Samaj uses the software developed
by Tata Consultancy Services
to teach people to read and write. RK Singh, honorary
joint secretary, TCS, says, “We have shifted from
using only computers to using flip charts and alphabet
charts.” Currently learners are taught how to write
in the Devanagari script. Plans are on to teach them
the local language, Santhali.
Programmes like the Jyoti fellowship
and other coaching programmes have served to create
a positive impact on the lives of youngsters. SC/ST
candidates appearing for the Trade Apprentice entrance
exams are made to undergo a six-month residential training
programme to increase their capabilities. Similar coaching
classes are held for those wanting to appear for the
civil services exam.
Aspirants are also given training
to become motor drivers, fitters and mechanics, pathologists
and community health providers, etc.
Project Sahyog helped youth to
gain a better understanding of themselves, develop leadership
skills, and inculcate a feeling of fellowship. Beyond
this, TCS decided to work on building the capacities
of adolescents. This gave rise to DISHA — Development
Initiative on Supporting Healthy Adolescents, a programme
seeking to delay the age of marriage, and provide access
to information and better health services.
SPARSH — Strategies for
Promotion of Adolescent Reproductive and Sexual Health
— provides information on issues related to adolescence
and seeks to improve the status of the girl child in
the community. All these steps have served to integrate
tribal youth into the mainstream.
TCS also nurtures the talent
of youth chosen for their sporting abilities. They are
given training and financial support to participate
in meets around the country. They then secure an entry
into the athletic, archery or football academies established
by Tata Steel.
TCS takes its goal of livelihood
generation very seriously. The idea, says Singh, is
not so much to guarantee livelihood as to improve their
employability. Self-help groups enable TCS to fulfil
dreams of running microenterprises. The society arranges
for bead and jute handicraft making, paper making, candle
making, stone carving classes, etc.
TCS also supports numerous local
clubs and promotes tribal customs and traditions in
an attempt to help tribal children understand their
heritage. This programme includes a tribal appreciation
programme to promote indigenous value systems.
A heritage hall has been created
in Jamshedpur to showcase the rapidly dying culture
and lifestyle of the four major and six minor tribes
in Jharkhand. TCS has a library of books, which are
available to students conducting research on tribal
issues.
TCS has also made arrangements
for a number of mobile clinics to treat diseases like
tuberculosis, diarrhoea, leprosy, cleft lip and other
general ailments. It also looks into immunisation of
babies and creates awareness on subjects like contraception,
breast feeding, etc.
Through these and other measures,
TCS has demonstrated that it has the will and the desire
to give a helping hand to the less privileged sections
of society.
Family Initiatives Foundation
Tata Steel’s Family Welfare Programme began in
the 1950s. Since March 2000, the activities are being
carried out under the Tata Steel Family Initiatives
Foundation. It provides maternal and child health and
family planning services. It also works on adolescent
reproductive and sexual health issues and has a care
and support programme for HIV/AIDS.
“TSFIF believes that investing
in a health system is the key to improve the quality
of life of people and is continuously striving for it,”
explains TSFIF head Shakti Sharma. The foundation operates
in Jharkhand, Orissa and Chhatisgarh.
TSFIF has six main focus areas:
- Maternal and Child Health:
TSFIF addresses family planning concerns through the
use of communication media. This programme has successfully
destroyed prejudices created by myths and traditional
beliefs. TSFIF focuses on reproductive health services
and creates awareness on spacing methods and family
planning options.
- Adolescent Reproductive and
Sexual Health: TSFIF has four projects —
- Youth Access to Reproductive Health Services
in India (YARS) provides high quality, comprehensive
reproductive health services to youth and adolescents
and helps them to practice healthy sexual behaviour.
- Strategies to Improve Adolescent Reproductive
Health and Rights through Advocacy and Services
(SAHAS) seeks to improve the sexual and reproductive
health and well-being of adolescents.
- Apni Baatein is a school-based teen health programme
that emphasises value-based education. “There
was a need for school students to have a platform
where they could share their concern about values
and reproductive health. The project was born
from this need,” says TSFIF manager Dilith
Castleton. The topics include effective communication
skills, dealing with emotions and peer pressure,
understanding one’s body, HIV/AIDS and personality
development.
- RISHTA is an adolescent health project, in collaboration
with the Tata Steel Rural Development Society
and the David and Lucile Packard Foundation.
- AIDS awareness: Understanding
the threat of HIV/AIDS, TSFIF realised the importance
of integrating HIV/AIDS programmes with RCH services.
Screening tests for pregnant mothers were introduced
along with counselling and treatment for those infected.
- Drinking water and sanitation:
Nearly 2,000 tube wells have been constructed for
a population of 3 lakh. At least 2,000 toilets are
constructed annually.
- Eye care and cleft lip:
More than 1,500 eye-related and 500 cleft lip and
palate correction services are provided annually.
- Lifeline Express: This
hospital on wheels has helped over 50,000 patients
in Jharkhand, Orissa and Chhatisgarh.
TSFIF also looks at livelihood concerns of the community
through:
- Watershed management:
It trains villagers on water use, crop diversification,
multicropping, hybrid farming, maintenance of assets,
etc.
- Land and water management:
It teaches villagers to adopt improved agricultural
techniques.
- Enterprise promotion: It
trains villagers on financial management, entrepreneurship,
etc through activities such as goat rearing, poultry,
banana cultivation, etc.
The organisation has worked hard to enhance the quality
of life of the people in and around Jamshedpur. It truly
believes in what JRD Tata once said: “The wealth
gathered by Jamsetji Tata and his sons in half a century
of industrial pioneering formed but a minute fraction
of the amount by which they enriched the nation. The
whole of that wealth is held in trust for the people
and used exclusively for their benefit. The cycle is
thus complete; what came from the people has gone back
to the people many times over.”
Uploaded in August, 2007
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