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- Creates 192 jobs for educated youths at Khopoli with the opening of a rural BPO
- Initiates promotion of modern agricultural practices for alternate income generation in Khopoli and Maval-Mulshi areas; 206 farmers already trained, 2,000 targeted in 25 villages across Maharashtra
- Helps 50 families to generate additional income through sericulture in Maval-Mulshi region
- Helps communities with environment-friendly energy solutions; 1,000 smokeless chullahs, six bio-gas units and solar lights installed in villages in Maval-Mulshi region
- Develops infrastructure facilities in rural areas of Khopoli, Lonavla and Maval-Mulshi region
- Imparts computer education in association with Pratham to 408 students in Alibaug
Mumbai: As India’s largest integrated private power company, Tata Power has undertaken various community development programmes for more than nine decades in its endeavour to improve the quality of life of the communities in and around its area of operation in Maharashtra.
In 2009-10, the company enhanced its focus on vocational training schemes for unemployed youth, self-help groups for women, and income and employment generation for the people. In addition to this, infrastructure development schemes for the development of roads, schools and basic facilities for the villages were initiated.
During the year, the company also won two awards in the area of corporate social responsibility (CSR), the Golden Peacock CSR Award and the TERI Corporate Award (2nd prize) for its response to HIV/Aids.
Key community development initiatives in 2009-10
Income generation:
- Rural BPO at Khopoli:
In its endeavour to arrest unemployment and reduce the dependence on traditional sources of employment by the local community, the company started a call centre in Khopoli with the objective of creating employment opportunities for the people residing in Khopoli and its surrounding villages. The call centre selects and hires youth from the socio-economically backward communities in the catchment areas of Khopoli and Lonavla. Till date, the call centre has provided jobs to 192 educated youth and aims at generating around 360 jobs in the near future.
- Pisciculture and sericulture at Khopoli and Maval-Mulshi:
The company has undertaken the promotion of pisciculture among villagers as an important activity, wherein, fast-growing 4-5 lakh fingerlings of fish were procured from government hatcheries and were released in the perennial ponds of 14 villages in the Maval region. These fishes, once full grown, can be consumed by villagers, thereby adding nutritive value to the daily diet.
Under its sericulture programme, which involves rearing of silkworms for the production of raw silk, the company has set the path for 50 families to generate additional income through Tasar silkworm rearing. Each family involved in this activity has the potential of earning Rs4,000 to Rs25,000 per year. The first crop was harvested in December 2009 (in a period of 60 days) and generated an income of about Rs5,000 per family.
- Agriculture promotion:
As part of its strategy to take the benefits of future trading to farmers’ doorsteps, the company has joined hands with the Multi Commodity Exchange (MCX), and started ‘Sahyog’. Through this alliance, Tata Power aims at increasing the accessibility to spot and future prices of agricultural commodities traded on MCX and advisory services of watershed management to more than 2,000 farmers across 25 villages of Maharashtra. The alliance will empower farmers to undertake well-informed decisions on crop selection as well as deciding the time to sell their produce. The advisory service educates farmers on better agricultural practices across 50 villages of Khopoli and Maval-Mulshi. Till date, 206 farmers have been trained to adopt modern agricultural practices.
- Distribution of mango grafts:
Good quality mango grafts (12,000) were distributed to the village farmers on their request to help them enhance their additional income.
- Watershed development:
The company has covered 400 families of nine villages of the catchment areas in Kundali and Shirwata dam under this initiative. The major objective of the project is enhancing agriculture development, livestock development, women empowerment and water and land treatment. Tata Power has partnered with Bharatiya Agro Industries Foundation for the implementation of this project since July 2009 in these nine villages.
- Self-help groups (SHGs):
Sixty-eight SHGs were formed by 1,115 members (85 per cent women) in the hydro catchment area with savings of Rs65 lakh during the year.
- Health care:
Tata Power’s health care programmes endeavour to provide free and better health care services to the poor and needy in the remotest of locations. Mobile medical dispensaries have been started to undertake regular medical camps for the villagers, and till date a total of 16,329 patients have been treated in the Maval and Mulshi region. Further, the company also undertakes dental camps for students, which has examined and treated a total of 185 students for oral and dental diseases.
The company’s HIV/Aids awareness programme with an NGO, PSI, has reached out to over 10,300 people and facilitated volunteering, counseling and testing of 221 people. These HIV positive patients are later referred to government hospitals in Mumbai for further treatment.
- Infrastructure:
The company has undertaken several infrastructural activities such as asphalting of roads and construction of bus stands and classrooms on an ongoing basis. A 2.8-km road was constructed in the Khopoli and Maval–Mulshi region to ensure connectivity to remote areas.
- Education:
Five hundred students are undergoing computer education in Dehrand (Alibaug), Khopoli, Mulshi and Bhira. Tata Power has partnered with Pratham, a well-known organisation in the field of education and child rights, to conceptualise and implement the programme. Today, over 408 school children have been sensitised and approximately Rs6 lakh have been spent under this program.
- Energy:
In its quest to propagate the message of reducing carbon emissions, Tata Power is helping communities through environment-friendly energy solutions. Till date, six bio-gas units have been constructed along with sanitation facilities in Mulshi, Maharashtra. Solar lights were installed in villages in and around Warnanagar, Maharashtra, and 1,000 smokeless chullahs were installed in 16 villages of Mulshi and Maval blocks.
- Employee volunteering:
Employee volunteers have contributed a total of 2,311 hours for various social and environmental causes in Maharashtra. Three volunteer workshops were conducted for 80 employees, upgrading their skills to create a positive impact on the community. The employees of Tata Power are involved in various volunteering activities for social and environmental causes through the year, which benefit the society and are undertaken without being motivated by financial or material gains.
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