NE BUSINESS BUREAU
MUMBAI, JUNE 22
Tata Motors announced that the scope and the depth of the CSR programmes of the company have consistently increased and has positively touched 8.3 lakh lives in FY19-20, out of which nearly 41% belong to the SC and ST communities. It was revealed in the company’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Report for FY2019-20 released.
In line with the Tata Group’s vision of promoting community well-being, Tata Motors has actively implemented initiatives under its key thrust areas of Health (Aarogya), Education (Vidyadhanam), Employability (Kaushalya) and Environment (Vasundhara) and the Rural Development.
Speaking on the occasion, Guenter Butschek, CEO & MD, Tata Motors said, “As we enter the 75th year of Tata Motors, I share with immense pride that our collective CSR efforts over the last decade have made a positive difference to the lives of 5 million people across India. Our role has progressively grown from being just a resource provider to a facilitator and now an enabler for driving positive change. This is a true testament to ‘innovating mobility solutions with passion to enhance quality of life’ philosophy rooted in our mission statement. We will continue our endeavor towards uplifting the unprivileged communities and improve their quality of life by making them aware and self-reliant.”
1. Building and Strengthening Healthcare Facilities ‘AROGYA’
In FY20, 3.9 lakh people benefitted from the health initiative ‘Aarogya’, which aims to curb malnutrition through the facilitation of clean drinking water to remote communities and by the provision of preventive/ curative health services. Over 74% of the acutely undernourished children treated by Tata Motors are now in a healthy status. Water security ensured for around 21,666 individuals through the company’s National Drinking Water Programme titled ‘Amrutdhara’.
The company has also laid down a strategy to contain the spread of COVID-19 and to assist those who have been impacted most by the lockdown. The company is achieving this by the provision of essentials, equipping the heroes on the frontline with protective gear and education masses on ways to prevent transmission. This direct assistance benefitted 1.5 lakh people, including migrants, daily wage earners who lost livelihood, and those who were left stranded or forced to seek shelter in transit camps.
2. Augmenting Education System ‘VIDYADHANAM’
Over 1.5 lakh students were engaged through the education initiative ‘Vidyadhanam’, which focuses on improving the academic performance of secondary/college going students through targeted approach by instituting need-based financial support, special coaching classes, etc. These initiatives have led to an improvement in pass percentage from 55% in 2015 to 80% in FY20. More than 44% of students scored above 60% in their 10th standard pre-board exams in FY20. During the year, the company also collaborated with Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya (JNVs), to coach over 400 students for JEE and NEET entrance exams. Tata Motors is the first corporate in India to support IIT Bombay under Affirmative Action (AA) for Financial Aid Programme (FAP).
3. Enhancing programmes on Employability ‘KAUSHALYA’
Over 1 lakh people were trained through under employability initiative ‘Kaushalya’, which focuses on training unemployed youth in three segments viz. auto trades, non-auto trades and agriculture & allied activities. 63% of the people have found employment (or are self-employed) resulting in an annual increase in family income by ₹1 lakh.
The company also engages with community-based groups of women and farmers and helps them earn supplementary income through agriculture and allied programmes.
4. Nurturing sustainability through environmental programmes ‘VASUNDHARA’
Close to 1.2 lakh new saplings were planted across Tata Motors plant locations through and ensured their survival rate remained significantly high (i.e. 71%) despite prolonged rains last Monsoon. Through the environmental awareness programmes, over 91,000 people (mostly young children) were sensitized about this cause. The company also encourage communities to adopt alternative sources of energy.
5. Integrated Village Development
With a focus on the holistic development of a tribal village/hamlet, Tata Motor collaborated with Sahabhag (the CSR Cell of Government of Maharashtra) to run a pilot project that improved the quality of 3000 tribal lives of Pathardi gram panchayat in Jawhar block of Palghar district. 70% of the resources for village development came from the government.
6. Volunteering Programme:
The Tata Motors Employee Volunteering Programme also saw a surge in volunteering hours with more employee participation and deeper engagement in various community welfare initiatives. More than 50% of the 28000 employees participated and invested over 1.1 lakh volunteering hours for social causes, a 67% increase over the previous year.
Two exceptional natural occurrences during the year necessitated extraordinary interventions. Ferocious floods in Maharashtra caused extensive damage to life and livelihoods, demanding a substantial relief effort to support the ones impacted. Tata Motors complimented Maharashtra State Government Flood Response Programme and provided aid to over 45,000 people.
During the year, the company received several prestigious accolades from a diverse set of stakeholders – (1) 5th Tata Affirmative Action Programme (TAAP) Jury Award, (2) Creating Shared Values Initiative for Inclusive Business and (3) SIAM’s CSR Award. The CSR work done in and around Sanand Plant was also recognized by the Ahmedabad Collectorate.
