CSR

Corporate Social Responsibility at Tata Steel Long Products derives inspiration from its CSR vision “Enrich the lives of people in our operating locations, to build a happy community, through participative and sustainable interventions”. The company has always been conscious of its priority as a responsible corporate citizen to contribute towards the societal wellbeing & benefits and has played its part responsibly to bring about a perceptible change in its immediate surrounding. TSLP’s CSR strategic interventions have been divided into 5 primary heads – education, health & sanitation, livelihood enhancement, youth engagement and essential services, besides a few signature projects.
Company’s CSR agenda is also aligned with the framework on Affirmative Action (AA) prepared by Tata Business Excellence Group which focuses on employment, employability, entrepreneurship, education and essential amenities.
For us, sustainable CSR is at the confluence of the efforts of the government, non-governmental organisation (NGO), the village representatives and our company. We continuously strive towards onboarding all these representations with us.
Over the past 2 years, the company has been successful in implementing several CSR programs, which have impacted the lives of people in its surrounding and also won recognition at national level.
Details | Gamharia | Vijay-II | Joda | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|
Gram Panchayat | 3 | 4 | 1 | 8 |
Village | 16 | 14 | 8 | 38 |
Population (estimated) | 25, 200 | 8,700 | 9,800 | 43,700 |
SC/ST Percentage | 35 | 90 | 75 | 55 |
Primary source of income | Work in factory, Local jobs, agriculture | Agriculture, Mining, local jobs | Agriculture, Mining, local jobs, | -- |
FY'23 performance |
|||
Rs.7.73Cr
spent in FY23 |
54,275
lives impacted |
1478
Volunteers |
7239
Volunteering hrs |
The education scenario in our focus area has been not very encouraging. As has been generally observed in areas dominated by the tribal populace, education has not been given priority here. Consciously, the company has taken up several initiatives in the field catering to three major prerequisites to improve education i.e. Availability, Access and Quality. Some of the interventions taken by the company towards education, within these three approaches, are as follows :
The organisation of Primary Learning Coaching(PMC) and Pre- Matric Coaching facilitates some of the primary & secondary needs of the children to create a joyful place to elicit their interest in education and fair well in examinations.
This is a program under which many meritorious & poor students have been encouraged from the peripheral villages to pursue technical courses, through monitory scholarship.
We identify orphan & destitute children from our vicinity, who dropped out of school for various distressful personal reasons and work diligently towards mainstreaming them by providing age-appropriate education. This is currently extended to a group of boys and they are provided all-in-all facilities, e.g. accommodation, food, education, medical facilities and all other requirements.
A volunteering initiative in our Gamharia plant to impart free tuition on core subjects to poor high school students from the nearby villages who were unable to take private tuitions.
In order to make the children, and especially the girls, feel safe in school, the company has been constructing boundary walls in primary schools. Besides, a number of new classrooms have been constructed in various schools with modern facilities, thus replacing the old tiled roofed & frail classrooms. The company has also constructed new school buildings, Anganwadi centres, kitchen & dining centres, and catered to other infrastructural requirements. Apart from this, the company has provided desks, benches & almirahs in the classrooms built by it, considering the ergonomic needs & expediency of children. All Anganwadi Centres have been provided with tube wells which are maintained regularly.
Swabhiman project aims at covering the houses located in the 6 villages of Birikala Gram Panchayat and making them open defecation free(ODF) villages. The project model includes a household toilet, bathroom and community water supply facilities. To facilitate in this mega project, TSLPL forged a partnership with a credible NGO named Gram Vikas and District Rural Water and Sanitation Services (RWSS) wing. So far, the company has already constructed 800 toilets & bathrooms, out of the 1100 units that it intends to complete shortly.
The company has also been organising the provision of borewells & tubewells in the surrounding areas of its locations, to provide water sources in close proximities. In Joda, where its presence has been for over 30 years, the company has made 173 such provisions, for the benefit of ~5000 families who reside in these 5 GPs. In other locations also, the company has made elaborate plans to ensure supply of uninterrupted potable & service water for drinking and agricultural purpose. Besides, the company has also been making arrangements for the repair & maintenance of these water stations, to ensure incessant supply of potable water.
Several camps have been organized on different medical requirements, for the benefit of villagers. These include eye camp, skin camp, prevention of TB, heart camp, neuro camp, etc. On a periodical basis, a mobile camp of doctors & paramedics visit nearby villages for free diagnosis and distribution of medicines. The company also organizes a number of health awareness camps where free diagnoses and medicines are provided to patients.
During the later part of 2018, the company decided to operate a special campaign to identify all cases of cataracts in its entire focus area and facilitate their operations at a proficient eye hospital. Accordingly, a good number of patients have been screened and all eligible cases of cataracts have been operated upon successfully. Currently, all the 3 locations have decided to ensure that there are no current cases of matured cataract cases.
It facilitates the village youths, SHGs, farmers and others to general primary / supplementary income, through capability building, marketing (as necessary), etc. A number of job oriented programs & training, including on developing entrepreneurs from the villagers, are organised from the time to time and eligible candidates are encouraged to participate in large numbers. Over the years, many youths and groups of SHGs have benefited and have secured gainful engagements through such programs.
Besides spending its own fund, the company also extends all assistance to the eligible locals from the focused areas to apply for government subsidies and implement programs in collaboration with Government. For this purpose, all required supports are provided to the eligible candidates.
Besides, the company organises & facilitates the implementation of some of the government projects in our focus areas through schemes like MGNREGA, to provide temporary engagements to locals.
To convert tracks of barren land into fruit orchid which not only contributes to the greenery but also provides regular income to the beneficiaries, the company has encouraged local peasants to come forward and, with the help from the company, convert such lands into productive farms. A number of such farms have been developed by the company, some of which have grown quite well.
TSLPL has also made a focused approach towards promoting sports in the Schools/villages through a special project called “Krida”. Annual Sports in Schools, Gram Panchayat level Panchasakha Football, Cricket & Volleyball tournaments are organized every year. Besides, the company also sponsors annual sports in Youth Club and nearby schools. Arrangements are also made for professional coaching of youth on football. Besides, the company has developed a playground at Joda for the benefit of villagers and students from village schools to hone their talent in various outdoor activities.
TSLPL has sponsored the organization of various cultural activities in villages which include HO Dance, Sankirtan, Jhumar, etc. amongst local tribal youths. Besides, the company has also constructed community centres to facilitate the villagers to use the space for social gatherings, meetings and indoor games & entertainment facilities.
TSLPL has evolved a CSR Vision of “mainstreaming the village Community in its immediate surrounding”. The company’s project based implementation programs in its surrounding villages is in the right direction of accomplishing its CSR Vision and creating a platform for the inclusive growth of the disadvantaged community in its immediate neighbourhood.
Vulnerable communities across the country had to face several challenges during the times of COVID-19; and it was no different in our close surroundings…. specially for the section with deep entrenched poverty. As a responsible corporate citizen, the company genuinely felt concerned about the wellbeing of these hapless people.
The management made instant arrangements for long supply of dry ration and cooked food, to prevent any casualty out of hunger. This also included constant coordination and persuasion with the local administration to normalize supply of basic amenities. Free masks & sanitisers were distributed to those who could not afford. Special arrangements were made to build virtual set up for village children through tailored programs so that they did not miss out on regular classes. Direct & indirect job opportunities were created for the migrant workers. Soft loans and arrangements were made for the petty shopkeepers to reinstate their business. As a policy, company arranged to disburse full payment of the wages to every such contract worker who could not come to the plant due to lockdown restrictions. Besides, the company also extended able support to the local administration and public health centres in equipping them to effectively continue their treatments and organised a number of vaccination camps for free vaccination of locals from its surrounding villages.
Employee Volunteerism has always been at the core of Tata Group’s operating philosophies. With every passing year, it has grown stronger and better in popularity and reach. Every year, employees & their kin participate in two such month-long Volunteering programs called Tata Volunteering Week (TVW). Besides, the company also encourages its employees to join ProEngage program, an initiative in which the employees help certain NGOs through the application of their skills & competencies.
Company has initiated programs to develop few projects on a long-term basis, to create a lasting impact among the beneficiaries, while strengthening relationship with the community. To begin with, the focus is primarily on women from the society, with focus on people from ST/SC community.
The objective is to create a marked difference in the lives of beneficiaries, where the benefit is sustained and will serve as a distinct example for others to emulate. Besides, this will also encourage others from the communities to come forward with fulfillment of their interests in similar programs.
A synopsis on the two programs shortlisted under this project is as follows :
The company has provided 25 sheds to 15 SHGs and 10 individuals and all preparatory arrangements have been made. The beneficiaries have already started cultivating and selling mushrooms.
company’s original plans, 5 girls were selected during FY22 and plans have been drawn to onboard another 15 this year. Another 10 will be selected during FY24. As per the scheme, the girls have been extended all required financial help to pursue their career.