TCSRD believes in joining hands with the community and for this purpose, it develops and strengthens community-based organisations (CBOs) in the form of self-help groups, user groups, farmers’ groups, youth clubs, etc. The planning of the project is done with the help of the community, which helps in developing a sense of ownership among the target population. The community also contributes in the form of labour, cash and kind to meet the expenditure of the project. After its completion, the project is handed over to the CBOs, ensuring its sustainability.
The funding agencies for TCSRD’s programs are government and national / international organizations. Need-based project proposals are prepared and are submitted to like-minded funding organizations and government departments for partnering with government schemes. Various funding agencies also approach TCSRD for implementation of issue-based programmes.
TCSRD supports capacity-building of its stakeholders such as the members of the CBOs and user groups, to strengthen these institutions. Training sessions are organized on various aspects like leadership qualities, group dynamics, awareness of best practices through exposure visits, financial linkages, etc. TCSRD also arranges training programs for TCSRD volunteers and staff to develop their skills and expertise for successful implementation of programs. The training includes community mobilization, PRA, institution building, environment education, etc.
Monitoring and evaluation of programs is undertaken to take corrective action during the implementation of projects and to understand the impact of initiatives at the end of the projects. The monitoring of the projects is done by TCSRD internally and impact assessment is carried with the help of a third party every three years. TCSRD develops next-level programs on the basis of the findings of the impact assessment.
TCSRD partners with NGOs, educational institutions and technical organizations to bring in their expertise and learning for achieving higher impact fromthe community development projects. Partnership is also done with governments and NGOs for specific causes having national as well as global significance.
Tata Chemicals (TCL) has always promoted the engagement of employees and their family members in the CSR initiatives implemented by TCSRD. This helps in building a culture where community is not just seen as a stakeholder and the employees also feel the responsibility of improving the quality of life of people residing in the neighbourhood. This also helps in strengthening the rapport between Tata Chemicals and the community, resulting in goodwill and greater trust. Various studies have revealed that employees who are engaged with social and environmental issues through the company’s CSR initiatives feel more engaged and are more satisfied. TCSRD, at all its locations, provides numerous opportunities to TCL employees and their family members to join hands in improving the socio-economic and environmental conditions in the areas where they live. The programs are organised based on the issues existing in the area and the interest of volunteers to work on those issues. The active participation by volunteers has provided greater outreach, better ideas and enthusiasm to TCSRD projects and activities.
