"We will adopt the villagers"
Business Today — August 28, 2006

Tata Steel has decided to "adopt" the people who will be displaced by its proposed steel plants in Orissa, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh. Its managing director B. Muthuraman discussed the issue with BT's Ritwik Mukherjee. Excerpts:

What prompted you to think on these lines?
Most rehabilitation and resettlement (R&R) efforts in the country have not been implemented to the satisfaction of the displaced people. So, we have decided to give a commitment to the displaced people that we will improve their quality of life by making them a part of the Tata Parivar.

What exactly do you mean by the term "adopt"?
We will employ those who have the requisite qualifications; those who can be trained will be trained to make them employable; some will get help to gain self-employment. We will monitor each family's income at regular intervals and ensure that their income levels go up after the displacement from their original homes.

How many people will be brought under this new programme?
We will try to ensure that there is minimum displacement. In Orissa, this figure could be 500-600 families. In Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh, the numbers will depend on the land we are allotted.