CSR

One of our unique initiatives is to develop model villages, so each of our major companies is working towards the total transformation of a number of villages in proximity to our plants. Making of a model village entails ensuring self-reliance in all aspects viz., education, health care and family welfare, infrastructure, agriculture and watershed management, and working towards sustainable livelihood patterns. Fundamentally, ensuring that their development reaches a stage wherein village committees take over the complete responsibility and our teams become dispensable.

“To actively contribute to the social and economic development of the communities in which we operate. In doing so, build a better, sustainable way of life for the weaker sections of society and raise the country’s human development index.”

All projects are planned in a participatory manner, in consultation with the community, literally sitting with them, and gauging their basic needs. We take recourse to “participatory rural appraisal”, which is a mapping process. Subsequently, based on a consensus and in discussion with the village panchayats, we prioritise requirements. And thus a project is born. Implementation is the responsibility of the community and our team, as is the monitoring of milestones and the other aspects. Monitoring entails physical verification of the progress and the actual output of the project.

Education is important for everyone, but it is especially significant for girls and women. This is true not only because education is an entry point to other opportunities, but also because the educational achievements of women can have ripple effects within the family and across generations. Investing in girls’ education is one of the most effective ways to reduce poverty.

Rural development generally refers to the process of improving the quality of life and economic well-being of people living in relatively isolated and sparsely populated areas. Rural development has traditionally centered on the exploitation of land-intensive natural resources such as agriculture and forestry. However, changes in global production networks and increased urbanization have changed the character of rural areas. Increasingly tourism, niche manufacturers, and recreation have replaced resource extraction and agriculture as dominant economic drivers. The need for rural communities to approach development from a wider perspective has created more focus on a broad range of development goals rather than merely creating incentive for agricultural or resource based businesses.