By
Dr. Pragnya Ram
Group Executive President
Corporate Communications
Our
project strategy
How have we translated it into action through
five parallel steps.
Step
one: Fostering self reliance through sustainable
livelihood
Agriculture
and watershed development
During
the course of the survey, we discovered that
the villagers had to face innumerable problems.
In the agricultural hinterland of these 71
villages, most of the fields were parched
as the water table was abysmally low. There
was hardly any water. The land was of an undulating
nature as well. Besides this, there were problems
of water runoff and top soil erosion. Irrigation
proved to be both cumbersome and complex,
causing untold misery to the farmers.
To resolve this issue in a holistic manner,
we introduced a structured programme of agriculture
and watershed development.
Our aim has been to ensure the optimum use
of land and water resources, raise the ground
water table through harnessing the available
water resources, recharging the ground water
and easy to operate appropriate water lifting
technologies.
Promoting multi-cropping so that the return
on the investment of the farmers, is enhanced,
forms part of the process.
On-going processes such as the installation
of hydro towers, pedal pumps, erection of
bandhs and digging wells are the critical
components of the watershed management process
which we pursue. Bandhs are structures that
collect water by blocking the area, rather
than letting the water run off. This had led
to a judicious blend of rain water harvesting,
re-cycling and channelising it to the various
fields.
The end result was the erection of 211 hydro
towers, 237 irrigation channels,
288 irrigation wells, 246 check dams, 273
pedal pumps and 282 rain water harvest tanks.
Professionals such as the International Development
Enterprise (IDE) for the pedal pumps, aided
us with a simple technology whereby a woman
or even a child of 10 years could easily operate
the pump.
Consequently, we were able to bring 23,148
acres of land under irrigation, reaching out
to a 9,875 farm population.
Farmer
focused initiatives
To boost the performance of farmers and
their farmlands additionally, we conducted
farmer training programmes. Here, farmers
are exposed to best in class agricultural
practices actually using demonstration plots.
To enable them to shore up their earnings,
they are taught inter-cropping as well.
To increase the productivity of the farm
through the seed multiplication programme,
we encourage them to harvest cash crops
and vegetables that can fetch them a better
price. Likewise helping procure milch cattle
for the villages and backing them with marketing
support by buying off most of the milk for
our own factory completed the loop-from
production to marketing.
Furthermore, eighty three vegetable growing
self help groups and thirteen milch cow
rearing groups were set up.
Step
two: Self employment through providing vocational
training and in doing so raising their living
index
To empower men and women through helping them
becoming economically independent, we have
their inherent skills honed through training
and education. Men are imparted several skills,
such as repair and maintenance of diesel pump
sets, hand pump repairing, cycle repairing
and operating flour mills among others. We
engaged 18 trainers to train the villagers
in different skills. These training classes
are organised in various blocks in a cluster
of villages.
We
also mentor the villagers, facilitating them
in setting up of their shops in crafts such
as shoe making, hair dressing, carpentry,
carpet weaving, basket making and pottery,
etc. Whenever necessary, we provide them with
the seed capital to kick-start their mini
enterprises.
We trained 3,859 villagers through 15 training
centres, manned by 18 trainers in 15 villages.
Self employment through women empowerment
processes rendering them economically self
reliant and raising their family income.
To empower women through attaining financial
independence, we have encouraged the formation
of women self help groups. As a first step
in that direction, we have provided them with
training in bamboo craft making, ropes, pottery,
carpets, animal husbandry, tailoring and growing
vegetables. Over 188 self help groups, encompassing
1,880 women have eked out a living for themselves
and their families. In the villages, it is
not uncommon to find many men getting into
vices such as drinking and pushing the burden
of running and feeding families, on to women,
most of whom suffer in wounded silence. Our
women empowerment processes have enabled women
wear the pants. The Mahila Shilp Kala Kendra
— a local body that provides training
in several creative crafts, provides immense
support.
Another positive outcome — the influence
on men.
Interestingly, we have been able to goad men
also to follow the example of women self help
groups. Thus, 168 men self help groups comprising
a 1,680 work force have been formed. They
have been engaged in pottery making, rearing
milch cows and pigs, along with growing vegetables.
So for 3,560 men and women, earnings have
touched US$ 67 (Rs. 3,000/- per month) and
this has altered their status to an annual
income of US$ 800 (Rs. 36,000/-).
Step three: Fostering
self reliance through sparking the desire
for education and raising the literacy rate,
a process which will eventually help better
living standards and reduce poverty.
Education
Our
involvement in educating the rural masses
stems from the belief that through education,
we would be able to raise their aspirational
levels. We believe that it will stimulate
a sense of self-pride and spark in them the
urge to stand on their own feet. We look upon
our investment in education as a compelling
initiative that will yield results long-term.
Deep in the interiors, endeavouring to raise
the literacy level is indeed a challenge.
In these 71 villages where we worked, the
literacy rate was below 28 per cent. In many
of the villages, there were no schools in
proximity to the homes of the villagers. If
children had to go to school, they would have
to trudge a 5-kilometre distance. Parents
were hardly motivated then to send their children
to school. We therefore began a two step communication
process. Firstly, through an awareness campaign,
on the merits of education, we stimulated
an interest among the villagers. Secondly,
having done so, we set up 18 primary schools
in the vicinity of the villages.
Named "Aditya Bal Vidya Mandir"
these are up and running in Uttar Pradesh,
Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh. Today, 4,059 children
between the age of 6 and 14 have enlisted
in these schools, accessing quality primary
education.
On completion of the primary education, we
get their admission to the
nearest Government run Junior High School.
We also began Balwadis. A Balwadi is a pre-primary
education centre. We instituted 16 Balwadis
where we were able to attract 964 children.
Often, we provide monetary support along with
text books and exercise books, as parents
can ill afford them.
So the literacy rate moved up from 28 per
cent to 54 per cent, which for our teams,
was very rewarding.
Step
four: Supporting the villages through providing
health care inclusive of mother and child
care.
As
is well known, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand
and Chhattisgarh are amongst the backward
states of the country. Primary health care
centres, are few and far between. The government's
primary health care centres operate at intervals
of 50-60 kilometres. Given the hopeless
transport situation, it should come as no
surprise that villagers would die if struck
by any disease. To elevate this situation,
we have set up 18 primary health care centres.
More importantly, we have begun plying mobile
health care vans and conducting medical
camps in these 71 villages.
Rural
medical camps
Medical
camps for primary health check-ups are conducted
thrice a week at these locations. A team of
doctors from the Hindalco hospital attend
to patients. Various ailments ranging from
polio to leprosy, to tuberculosis, to cardiovascular
problems, to blood related issues, to visual
and physical impairment are attended to by
these doctors.
Patients who cannot be treated at these camps
because of serious ailments are taken to the
Company's hospitals and looked after until
the case is closed. In this way, we have been
able to render health care services to 32,498
patients.
Over 40,464 children, under the age of 5,
were immunised in
close collaboration with the block health
department.
Our medical camps enabled us spot 192 tuberculosis
patients who were then supplied with free
medicines. Some of them were treated at the
Hindalco Hospital.
To help the visually impaired, we organised
18 eye care camps where we were able to restore
the complete sight of 1,685 patients, suffering
from cataract.
In many of our camps, our team of doctors
have provided restorative surgery to the physically
handicapped. Where surgery has not been possible,
patients have been given supportive aids such
as calipers, tricycles, crutches and artificial
limbs. This programme is carried out with
a like minded socially oriented organisation
such as the Viklang Kendra, Allahabad. We
have been able to reach out to 72 persons,
putting their lives back on track and restoring
their self-confidence as well.
Additionally, we have evolved a mother and
child care strategy. Our intent here is to
provide services and help stem the population
tide in our country.
Our mother and child care project is based
on an integrated approach which encompasses
educating women and their development, maternal
and child health care areas apart from sensitising
men to the need for small families. The scope
of our work is varied. It includes providing
easy access to the entire gamut of family
planning services, distribution of contraceptives,
pre-natal and post-natal counselling, medical
care, medical check-ups, raising maternal
survival levels and also sanitary hygiene
for adolescent girls. Spanning 71 villages,
we have set up 18 number of outreach clinics,
catering to 17,652 families of which the number
of eligible couples is 12,596.
We managed to bring in a tremendous improvement
in the health of the communities, such as
better birth control, considerable lowering
of the infant mortality rate, lower birth
rates due to proper spacing between subsequent
births and lowering of sexually transmitted
diseases and reproductive tract infections.
Additionally, through a carefully crafted
AIDS awareness campaign, we lowered sexually
transmitted diseases and arrested the spread
of AIDS.
Step five: Bettering
living conditions through espousing social
causes.
Way
back in 1993, we found that many young girls,
wedded very early, regrettably were widowed
in the prime of their lives. Most of the
widows were in the age group of 20-34 and
were condemned to lead a life of poverty
and hardship. They had to suffer humiliation
even in the confines of their extended family.
Often widows had to face social exploitation
and many of them had no other choice but
to become ladies of the night.
Disturbed by their conditions, our Chairperson,
Mrs. Rajashree Birla, goaded Mr. Askaran
Agarwala, the then whole-time Director of
Hindalco to work
out an acceptable solution and thus was
born the widow re-marriage project.
As the subject itself seemed so sensitive
and given the stigma attached, we felt it
best to take the village elders, the Panchayats
and other influentials into confidence.
Our teams were able to persuade the Panchayat
and the District Authorities to partner
with us.
The project operates at two levels. Firstly,
mapping of young widows through surveys
and counselling and persuading them to get
married again. Secondly, scouting for bridegrooms
from the villages with the help of the village
Panchayat, briefing them about the widows
and eliciting their empathy with their plight.
Since the inception of the project four
years ago, more than 400 widows have become
wives again. In the last year alone, 65
widows became wives again. As part of the
rehabilitation process, couples were encouraged
to go in for self-employment schemes and
are given tools and equipment to start a
business.
Our
project outcome
Through our close involvement, we have been
able to transform the lives of 4,558 families
in 15 months by:
- Providing
sustainable livelihood skills/means to
4,558 people who are now
self employed.
- Imparting
vocational training to 3,859 persons.
- Enhancing
the literacy rate from 28 per cent to
54 per cent.
- Tending
to the health care needs of 87,435 villagers.
- Bettering
lives through espousing social causes,
making 65 widows — brides again.
In
a 15-month time span, in all humility, we
have been able to see a changed face of these
71 villages. From abject poverty to having
two square meals a day. From helplessness
to substantial self-reliance.
And it is for rendering this kind of measurable
impactful community service, that the Asian
Institute of Management Centre (AIM) have
honoured us. They believe that we have shown
the villagers "light at the end of the
tunnel."
| Our
team at Hindalco |
|
::
|
Mr.
D. Bhattacharya, Director |
|
::
|
Mr.
Ratan Shah, Chief Officer — Operations |
| Renukoot
|
|
::
|
Mr.
A. Sultan |
|
::
|
Mr.
B.K. Choudhary |
|
::
|
Mr.
Ashish Ranjan |
|
::
|
Mr.
Rajesh Ranjan |
|
::
|
Mr.
P.K. Soni |
|
::
|
Mr.
Rajesh Singh |
| Renusagar
|
|
::
|
Mr.
Samar Jain |
|
::
|
Mr.
Avijit |
|
::
|
Mr.
Sanjeev Shrivastava |
| Silvassa
|
|
::
|
Mr.
Rudra Deo Gupta |
| Lohardaga
mines |
|
::
|
Mr.
Neeraj Kumar |
|
::
|
Mr.
Randheer Kumar |
|
::
|
Mr.
Nan Kumar Sahu |
|
::
|
Mr.
Sameer Kispotta |
|
::
|
Mr.
Rajesh Dungdung |
| Samri
mines |
|
::
|
Mr.
Francis Nag |
|
::
|
Mr.
Vijay Kumar Singh |
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