Hyderabad: Tata Council for Community Initiatives (TCCI), a body formed by the TATA Group for implementing community development programme across the country through various TATA enterprises, announced in an investiture ceremony held on August 15, a project in the state of Andhra Pradesh to enhance the quality of basic education, in association of United Nation Development Programme (UNDP). Mr. S. Ramakrishnan, Managing Director, Tata Teleservices drives the Hyderabad Chapter of TCCI as the Guardian CEO and the programme is being implemented under his direction. A team of volunteers drawn from various Tata enterprises would support him.

The ‘Child Literacy’ programme was launched at Alur, a village forty kilometers from Hyderabad. The project would help upliftment of the quality of education in the village primarily through training and development of the teachers, providing technology back up for education. It also includes enhancing the quality of environment at the school besides attending to the basic essentials for the children. The project is in its first phase and this will be rolled out in other schools in the same region.

On this occasion, Mr. S. Ramakrishnan, Regional Guardian CEO, TCCI said, "This is the first initiative of TCCI in Andhra Pradesh and we are happy to be able to work together towards the betterment of the state. We are sure that the meticulous designing and implementation of this programme would enable us to make the project successful and to replicate the same in other schools of the region. It gives us immense satisfaction to know that we have achieved and given something to the community in which we are working."

Tata collaboration with MV Foundation is to abolish child labour through the programme of universalisation of education. MV Foundation believes that the issue of providing literacy to children must be in conjuncture with the issue of protection of child rights and this is possible only if children are in schools. TCCI has been successful to implement various projects for the Tata group of companies for the upliftment of the community. TCCI has specifically designed programmes such as vocational training, education and computer training, which have been imparted to various sections of the community. With the active contribution and participation of Tata Group companies, TCCI has helped communities to become strong and self-reliant. TATA Council for Community Initiatives, Hyderabad Chapter comprises of Tata Teleservices, Tata Projects Limited, Taj Hotels, Voltas Limited, Tata Consultancy Services, Tata Cellular and Rallis.

Background information:
Tata Teleservices Limited is a part of the Tata Group, India's largest business house with 82 companies. Tata Group has over 260 thousand employees, with 2.7 million shareholders and has a turnover of US $ 8.8 billion.