Companies in the Tata Group have always displayed a keen interest in and dedication to the welfare of the communities in which they operate. The commitment they bring to this task is channelled through the slew of organisations established by individual Tata enterprises to further the cause of community development. We highlight the most prominent of these organisations.

Tata Chemicals Society for Rural Development
Tata Chemicals set up the Tata Chemicals Society for Rural Development (TCSRD) in 1980 to promote its social objectives for the communities in and around Mithapur and Babrala, where its facilities are located.

The Society works to protect and nurture the rural populations in these areas and helps people achieve self-sufficiency in natural resource management, livelihood support and the building of health and education infrastructure.

Through TCSRD, Tata Chemicals works to improve the quality of life of the people and communities around its operations, and to support sustainable development, a theme that is central to the company's corporate philosophy. Tata Chemicals employees endorse this philosophy by actively empowering rural communities to chart their own developmental course.

These are some of the many initiatives TCSRD is involved in:

• Agricultural development
• Education
• Women's programmes
• Animal husbandry
• Rural energy
• Training
• Watershed development
• Relief work
• Infrastructure

Contact: Alka Talwar — alka.talwar@tatachemicals.com
More information: TCSRD on Tata Chemicals website

Tata Steel Rural Development Society
Established in 1979, the Tata Steel Rural Development Society (TSRDS) is deeply involved in various social development programmes aimed at helping the rural communities living around Tata Steel's operational units.

Prior to the setting up of TSRDS, Tata Steel's community initiatives were conducted through its rural and community services division. However, the fundamental differences between the imperatives of rural and urban development prompted the company to reclassify its community initiatives programmes under three units: Community Development and Social Welfare, TSRDS and Adivasi and Harijan Welfare Cell, now known as the Tribal Cultural Society.

TSRDS covered 32 villages around Jamshedpur in its first year of operation. Today the Society has seven separate units, six in Tata Steel's operational areas, and covers 600 villages in the states of Jharkhand and Orissa. TSRDS is most actively involved in the spheres of livelihood generation, health and hygiene, and people empowerment.

Tata Steel has joined hands with international partners and governments to ensure that both individuals and the wider community get the best developmental results. TSRDS has expanded its agenda and identified the advancement of education, sports and self-reliance as tools to ensure a better quality of life for the people it works with.

Contact: Shakti Sharma — shakti.sharma@tatasteel.com
More information: TSRDS on Tata Steel website

Rallilove ACTS (Assisting Communities Through Service)
Rallilove ACTS (Assisting Communities Through Service), an organisation set up by Rallis, seeks to improve the quality of life of the poor, especially women and children, through sustainable community development programmes.

Rallis has, through ACTS, been involved in the following community development initiatives:

• Contribution to the Akanksha Foundation, Mumbai.
• Girl Child Project of Rallis Committed Community Development Trust (CCDT), Mumbai.
• Educational support for 285 underprivileged students in Lote, Maharashtra.
• Tree plantations in and around its factories and at RRC, Bangalore.
• Dental and eye check-up camps at various factories.
• Health awareness programmes for Adivasis and other communities in Turbhe, Maharashtra.

Additionally, the Rallis CCDT Ankur Girl Child Project aims to create opportunities for a healthy and safe environment for girls living on the streets near Kamapthipura, the largest red-light area in Mumbai.

Contact: Zarine Poonawala — Phone: +91 (22) 6665-2700
More information: Community care at Rallis

Voltas for Women
Voltas for Women (VOW) was founded in 1965 and registered in 1975. The organisation, whose membership is restricted to female employees of Voltas and the wives of male employees, helps the needy with assistance in health and education, and offers career and vocational guidance.

VOW has supported a number of deserving organisations; its contributions have included:

• Setting up a ward at the Vimala Dermatological Centre in Mumbai for women afflicted with leprosy.
• Establishing fully equipped speech and physiotherapy units at SPJ Sadhana School for the handicapped, Sophia College, Mumbai.
• Setting up a medical care unit at Asha Sadan, a home for destitute women and children run by the Maharashtra State Council of Women.
• Providing audio-visual equipment to assist the mentally challenged at the Dilkush School at Juhu in suburban Mumbai.

Contact: Margaret D'Souza — margaretdsouza@voltas.com
More information: Community service at Voltas