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Community Development Initiatives at Pune
Community development activities
 For its Community Development initiatives, Tata Motors chose the voluntary approach method, so successfully tried out with its rural development schemes. Assistance offered was in response to the needs of the Community - including employees. Employees are encouraged to solve their off-the-job problems through self - help. The philosophy was: rather than looking for external help, bring people together and come up with a solution that ensured a win-win situation for everyone. The solution was formation of co-operative societies that would in turn generate employment opportunities for employees’ family members.
The Rural Development activities at Tata Motors are based on the philosophy of “self reliance". Tata Motors, Pune initiated rural development activities in 1977. Village Pimpri Budruk situated 35 Km away from the Pimpri Works was the first adopted village, which has been gradually extended to twenty-two villages in Khed Taluka of Pune District.
Economic Development
- Tata Motors Grihini Udyog
Is an autonomous enterprise owned and run by women for women, all of whom are Tata Motors’ employees’ family members. The Tata Motors Grihini Social Welfare Society (TMGSWS) was founded in 1973 to enable a housewife earn a modest amount without neglecting her traditional duties towards the family.
- Industrial Co-operatives
Tata Motors, while extending welfare facilities, not only considers its employee in isolation but also includes his / her family members. Employees are motivated to form “Industrial co-operatives” which resulted in generating employment for male members of employees' families.
Villagers are provided with semi matured drum-grown fruit trees that bear fruits in a couple of years. Shade bearing trees, drought resistant fruit trees, medicinal trees etc are planted on village waste lands with the active participation of the villagers, Tata Motors employees and their families.
Health Services
The organisation provides curative and preventive health services to the villages. Five days a week, Tata Motors' Mobile Medical Unit consisting of a lady doctor and two nurses makes the rounds of the project villages. The team not only engages in immunising children under five years of age, but also conducts school health check-ups, natal checkups etc. Tata Motors's medical team has trained a number of village women. These Village Health Workers (VHW) are responsible for health education, family planning motivation, treatment of minor ailments and Ante Natal Care.
The attempt is also to promote good health through “improved village sanitation”. Installation of “soak- pits” (absorption pits), results in elimination of waste water that is generated in homes. This in turn improves village cleanliness.
Smokeless chulas, prepared by the trained village health worker's (VHWs) from moulds that are supplied by Tata Motors reduce respiratory problems and eye ailments triggered by the smoky home environment. These fuel efficient "chulas" consume lesser quantities of wood or dung cakes, give more “energy” and generate lesser smoke.
Soil and Water Conservation and Water Management
Management of water and its conservation as also the conservation of soil has been effected through multi pronged approach. It comprises construction of weirs, bunds, percolation tanks, drilling wells, de-silting old ponds, excavating new wells, farm ponds, and educating the rural populations on the various methods of water management. This has ensured irrigation of hundreds of acres of land that was fallow.
Tata Motors has an integrated approach of combining construction of open wells and excavation of “ponds” at select locations to facilitate percolation of water into adjacent wells, resulting in improved ground water conditions. Drinking water is supplied to drought prone villages, which are not a part of any specific project, in the summer months. Water is taken by tanker and pumped into village reservoirs built by the Company.
Enhancing Educational Facilities
Tata Motors motivates villagers in the project areas to get their children educated by assisting them in building schools and class rooms, thus making up for the paucity of school rooms. These are in addition to the two primary schools built by Tata Motors in two villages, run by education trusts. The schools have been built on land donated by the villagers and are today equipped with science laboratories and furniture with assistance from Tata Motors.
The Company also conducts “Teachers development programmes” where expert education pedagogues guide the village teachers. The trained teachers have improved abilities to generate interest in students and give them a better education through the use of self made teaching aids and improved teaching methods.
Alternative Sources Of Energy
Villagers tend to use lots of “wood”, “Cow dung cakes” which are known pollutants of environment. Tata Motors pursued these villagers to stop its use and popularise environment friendly alternatives like “Gobar gas” / “Bio gas” plants.
Tata Motors's community development centres, first established in the mid seventies, were merely places where its employees could meet in an informal environment and relax. Today these centres have multiplied manifold and are in strategic places in and around the city. These centres are engaged in socio-cultural activities and on occasions even include non Tata Motors residents living in the vicinity of the particular centre.
“Volunteering” is a way of life at Tata Motors. Employees genuinely interested in diverse activities of social importance have come together to form a group of “Volunteers” called Tata Motors Yuva Swayamsevak Dal
Developing 'corps of volunteers' was identified as major performance area. The activity is not confined to Tata Motors’ employees but also includes project areas under rural development.
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