Witnessed participation from 128 participants from 25 Tribal communities in the West

Running-up to its annual pan-India tribal conclave Samvaad held in Jamshedpur in November, Tata Steel organized its second regional-level ‘Samvaad’ in Netrang, Gujarat. Covering the western region, the two-day conclave witnessed participation and support from rousing speakers and tribal groups from the states of Gujarat, Dadra, Nagar Haveli, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh

The second in its series, the two-day conclave was based on the theme ‘Aspirations of Tribal Youth & Leadership for Future’ which witnessed participation from 128 participants from various tribal communities attending discussions on community empowerment, basic amenities, livelihood, education, health etc. serving as an ideal platform for the tribal population to present their views and exchange ideas. Seeking to address issues faced by the rural population, the event was held in association with Aga Khan Rural Support Programme, India (AKRSP).

With the aim of promoting community based interventions, the AKRSP programme focuses on supporting marginalized communities’ economic development and environmental protection through community-based methods to natural resource management (NRM) and livelihood enhancement at the village level. Additionally, they focus on facilitating wider learning and outreach at state and national levels.

“Tribals are at the crossroads of tradition and modernity. The need of the hour is to give them an opportunity and encourage them to share their views as there is so much to learn from them, which often goes unnoticed. We at Tata Steel are providing a platform that will uplift them and make sure their issues are addressed.” added, Mr. Biren Bhuta, Chief, CSR, Tata Steel.

One of the key speakers present at the conclave was Mr. Nayan Patel, a development professional working with Janvikas (a training and support organization based in Ahmedabad, Gujarat). Nayan has been working with youth from marginalized communities since past 15 years in Gujarat and other parts of the country on issues ranging from leadership, livelihood, conflict transformation, designing and developing youth led spaces, vocational education and entrepreneurship etc. As part of the cultural events at the conclave, there were various dance performances from tribes including Malhar Koli tribe, Warlies and Vasava tribe from Gujarat and Maharashtra.

The third regional-level Samvaad is being arranged in partnership with the North-East Zone Cultural Centre at Kamrup, Assam on 19th, 20th September ’17 and will witness participation from states across North East India.

About Tata Steel: Tata Steel Group is among the top global steel companies with an annual crude steel capacity of 27.5 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) as on March 31, 2017. It is the world's second-most geographically-diversified steel producer, with operations in 26 countries and a commercial presence in over 50 countries. The Group recorded a consolidated turnover of US $18.12 billion (INR 117,420 crore) in FY17. Tata Steel Group is spread across five continents with an employee base of nearly 74,000. Having bagged the Deming Application Prize and Deming Grand Prize for continuous improvement in 2008 and 2012 respectively, Tata Steel has now been recognised as the global ‘Industry Leader’ in ‘Steel category’ by Dow Jones Sustainability Index (2015). Besides being a member of the World Steel Climate Action Programmer, Tata Steel has also been felicitated with several awards including the Prime Minister’s Trophy for the best performing integrated steel plant for 2013-14 (received in 2017), Best Risk Management by CNBC TV18 (2016), ‘Best-in-class Manufacturing’ award from TIME India (2016) and the ‘Most Ethical Company’ award from the Euthyphro Institute (2016), IIM Sustainability Award (2015), among several others.
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Kulvin Suri
Chief, Corporate Communications, India & SEA
Tata Steel