Review of Corporate Sustainability Initiatives
Tata Steel’s journey over the past hundred years is a fascinating
saga of pioneering initiatives in steel making, responsible
industrialisation with minimal impact on environment and the
socio-economic empowerment of the community. In pursuit
of its Vision of improving the quality of life of its employees and
of the community it operates in, including its ore mines and
collieries, Tata Steel carried out numerous activities in the area
of social development. The year under review was significant
due to the announcement of several capacity expansion plans
in greenfield sites. The company showed commitment to
address the sentiments and concerns of the people living in
the vicinity of such sites and the families that may get displaced
by the projects through its Tata Parivar programme.
Rural development & income generation
In an effort to encourage long-term benefits and sustainable
livelihoods through agriculture, the company has been taking steps
to strengthen agricultural development in the region. This year,
1,504 acres of wasteland were brought under single cultivation,
while 412 acres of land under single cropping were brought
under two crop rotations. An additional income of Rs. 103.55 lakhs
was generated, benefitting 1,748 farmers. Apart from agricultural
improvements, 128 beneficiaries have been supported to take
up their own livestock enterprises including poultry, piggery,
pisiculture as well as floriculture to make them self-reliant.
To promote economic development among the rural poor,
particularly women, Tata Steel encouraged the development of community self-help groups. In the reporting year, 218 new
groups were formed while 450 existing groups were sustained.
Rs. 75 lakh savings were generated through bank linkages of the
self-help groups. In addition, self-help groups received training
in making jute and stone products and a candle and paper
artifacts unit was established at the Tribal Cultural Centre.
Population management
Tata Steel, in the period under review, focused on popularising
its numerous reproductive health programmes. Its adolescent
reproductive health project covered over 50,000 people during
the year providing counselling on adolescent sexual health.
About 10,000 couples adopted various spacing and permanent
methods of family planning in this period. The company
organised camps at block levels which enabled about 7,500
women to undertake sterilisation (tubectomy). It also trained
doctors to provide non-scalpel vasectomy (NSV) services.
Education
Under the Jyoti Fellowship, Rs. 25 lakhs were distributed among
430 tribal students, including two students who qualified for
the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT). Similarly, under the
Moodie Endowment programme, 59 science students were
awarded scholarships worth Rs. 12 lakhs, this year. In addition
to this, Project Sahyog covered 2,500 children through basic
education. It conducted Bal Vikas classes for 1,300 children who
were given primary education. Under the Shaksar Samaj project,
8,790 people were made functionally literate. Apart from this,
vocational training was provided for aspiring community
health providers and pathology technicians and for advance
software management, office management, electrical welding,
computer hardware, refrigerator repairing, etc.
Community health
The company sponsored the Lifeline Express, a unique hospital
on rails, in the states of Chhattisgarh and Orissa and reached
out to over one lakh people with diagnostic, surgical and
post-surgery consultation on orthopaedic and ENT disease,
and vision and hearing impairment. The company through a
private-public partnership programme launched a project that
focused on tuberculosis eradication through early detection
and treatment. DOT Centres (Directly Observed Treatment
Short Course) were set up across the city of Jamshedpur for
referral, diagnosis and medicine distribution which covered
nearly 600 cases of tuberculosis. The Sneh Kendra set up by
the company in Jamshedpur continued to provide pre and
post-test counselling to people living with HIV/AIDS victims.
It provided vocational training to HIV/AIDS affected women to
help them become economically independent.
Civic and municipal facilities
In order to further improve the quality of life of the citizens
of Jamshedpur, 75% of who are non-employees, Tata Steel
extended its water supply network in the peripheral areas. The
treated effluent discharge exceeded the requirements of the
State Pollution Control Board. This effluent is now being reused
inside the Tata Steel works as clarified water. Jamshedpur’s
drinking water quality exceeds the norms set by the World
Health Organisation and Bureau of Indian Standards.
Sports and adventure
At the Doha Asian Games, two bronze medals were won by
cadets coached at the Tata Archery Academy and Tata Athletic
Academy and two cadets trained at the Tata Football Academy
were selected to make the national football team. The Tata
Steel Adventure Foundation organised the first expedition
consisting of Indian women to cross the Thar Desert. The
Jharkhand basketball team, which won a Gold Medal in the
Special Olympics National Basketball Championship, consisted
of six physically and mentally challenged children trained
at the JRD Tata Sports Complex. This year, trainees from Tata
Steel coaching centres won a total of 373 medals at state and
national level competitions.
Art & culture
Local cultural events like the “Chhau Mahotsava”, “Ho
Mahasabha” and “Sarna Jhanda Julus” were organised at the
Tribal Culture Centre set up by Tata Steel. The “Gram Shree
Mela” organised by Tata Steel in association with CAPART,
India enabled artisans from all over India to showcase and sell
products worth more than Rs. 58 lakhs directly to the public.
Disaster relief by Tata Relief Committee
TRC took up massive relief operations that spread over five
districts in tsunami ravaged Tamil Nadu. It distributed family
kits, engine boats and nets to fishermen. It also set up a
water desalination plant for supply of safe drinking water,
helped in the construction of 1,104 houses each of 400
sq.ft., constructed five community-cum-rain shelters each
of 5,000 sq.ft. to accommodate a marriage hall, a panchayat
office and a village Knowledge Centre and also helped set
up infrastructure for electrification, water distribution, sewer
network and roads.
Environment management
In this year, the company attained re-certification of its
Environment Management System as per ISO 14001: 2004 and
successfully cleared the surveillance audit of OHSAS 18001:
1999. During the reporting period, approximately 10,000 trees
were planted, an intensive water conservation campaign was
launched and field trials for use of LD slag, as soil conditioner,
were started.
Tata Steel Parivar
The company’s Rehabilitation & Resettlement (R&R) initiative is
designed to adopt all families affected by its greenfield projects
under its ‘Tata Parivar’ programme. It is committed to increasing
their income level and creating opportunities of sustainable
livelihood, improving their quality of life and also preserving
and promoting their culture. The programme includes tracking
of each affected family vis-à-vis their income and quality of life
for at least five years. Nearly 100 youth nominated from such
families affected by Tata Steel’s project in Orissa and Chhattisgarh
were given vocational training under a tailor made programme
called ‘Prerana’.
Affirmative action
Tata Steel fully supports the need for growth and development
of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (SC/ST) in a spirit
of Affirmative Action through its Policy on Affirmative Action
and adoption of the Code of Conduct for Affirmative Action.
In income generation, Tata Steel is creating entrepreneurship
by supporting the development of two enterprise centres
and empowering SC/ST women through the development
of self-help groups. The company is providing education
to 100 SC/ST children through the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan
programme at Tata Steel Community Centres, supporting 2500
children in seven peripheral schools in life-skills development
and financing 60 SC/ST youth through a residential coaching
programme. Apart from the Jyoti Fellowship and the Moodie
Endowment described above, 29 candidates from SC/ST
are also availing funds in educational pursuits under the
Millennium Scholarship and the V. G. Gopal Scholarship. In
the area of sports development, Tata Steel is successfully supporting a number of SC/ST sportspersons with twentyseven
such candidates performing well at national and
international meets. A major investment of Tata Steel in
Affirmative Action occurs through the Tribal Cultural Society
which works to preserve and celebrate the cultural heritage of
tribal communities and develop growth opportunities through
an adult literacy programme, vocational training, scholarships
and self-help groups, all targeted specifically at Scheduled
Tribes and Scheduled Castes.
Conclusion
Tata Steel has been most steadfast in upholding the vision
laid by its founder, Jamsetji N. Tata over a hundred years ago.‘What comes from the people should go back many times over’
- has been practised at Tata Steel most resolutely. This belief is
the key to its sustainability. Tata Steel aims to touch more lives
through its principles of corporate sustainability as it continues
to grow and globalise
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