Key Commitments On Human Rights

Tata Steel shall:

Key Rightsholders

Tata Steel defines a rightsholder as a person whose human rights can potentially be impacted by the operations of the organisation and, accordingly, the following six categories of rightsholders have been identified, namely:

Security Forces

At Tata Steel, our dedicated security forces play a crucial role in safeguarding our employees and upholding the law. We prioritise respecting human rights and ensure that our security forces operate in alignment with international and national laws and regulations.

We ensure this through the following measures:

Tata Steel remains committed to continuous improvement in this area and will further work with security forces within the legal framework to uphold human rights.

Resettlement & Rehabilitation

Tata Steel’s mining and manufacturing operations in India, primarily located in Jharkhand and Odisha, have historically necessitated relocation of communities which has been done while striving to minimise inconvenience to affected communities. The Company has not made any new land acquisition with associated Resettlement & Rehabilitation (R&R) in recent years.

R&R Policy and Approach: An Overview

The R&R experience, within a larger emerging social context, has also led to the formulation of Tata Steel’s Business and Human Rights Policy which recognises communities impacted by the Company’s operations as one of six priority rightsholder groups while also recognising ‘land rights settlement and rehabilitation’ as a salient and priority human rights issue across the business. The implementation of this policy is governed by an Apex Human Rights Committee comprising senior leadership of the Company.

Although there is a national R&R policy framework in India, each state has specific guidelines based on the needs and contexts of local communities. Tata Steel complies with the relevant government R&R regulations and strives to minimise disruption to the lives of affected communities while improving their quality of life through comprehensive R&R packages, often exceeding social and economic regulatory requirements. Some instances are as follows:

Strategic Focus and Talent Allocation for R&R

The Company has strong, qualified social impact teams who work on local development challenges, build social capital, and engage in dialogue with communities at each location much before a project comes on board or the commencement of R&R at a location. A specialised team is also designated at each location to drive the R&R process to minimise disruption and share information relevant to displacement for the affected communities. The eligibility details for entitlements and benefits are shared with them in advance as part of the project’s planning process to enable the community to make thoughtful decisions for a better future.

The Company’s annual plans set out activities, outcomes, and responsibilities for the R&R process, subject to management reviews with a pre-defined cadence. The above strategies and plans derive from benchmarking with agencies, models, and concepts from foremost thought leaders, and industry practices on the subject.

The ‘Tata Steel Parivaar’ initiative strives for a better tomorrow for each community member displaced or affected by the Company’s projects. It emphasises providing emotional and psychological support to every person who is being relocated, guided by the following principles:

• Reassuring communication emphasising long-term outcomes
• Resettling the displaced population with care
• Rehabilitation to ensure a better quality of life, income and happiness
• Re-check implementation through continuous monitoring and assessment process

The Company remains committed to its legacy of pioneering societal outcomes for communities, including those affected by R&R efforts for our past and future projects.