OREANDA-NEWS. April 21, 2011. Providing opportunity for social and economic development of the community around its area of operation, is the key endeavour of Tata Power, India’s largest integrated private power company. Tata Power has undertaken various community development programmes and has been working relentlessly to provide self-development opportunities and programmes for the people of Belgaum. These community initiatives implemented for the betterment of people, has gained wholehearted acceptance of the local people.

Based on an assessment through survey and taking into consideration the immediate requirements of the locals, Tata Power designed the community initiative programmes focused on education, infrastructure and environment as the priority areas for the people living around the Belgaum power plant.

Speaking on the community development initiatives, Balaraja Bhat, head, Belgaum plant, Tata Power, said, “Tata Power believes in the philosophy of improving quality of life of the communities living in and around its area of operations. It’s heartening to note the acceptance of these programmes by the people and further motivates us to design more such programmes. We are committed to being a ‘neighbour of choice’ for the communities in and around our areas of operations.”

Taking cognisance of the request of the villagers on the acute water shortage, Tata Power has successfully completed a pilot project wherein rainwater harvesting was undertaken at Government Kannada Primary School, Kanbargi, Belgaum.

The company aligned to its sustainability agenda, is also widely promoting afforestation and has till date planted over 4,100 saplings at the substations serving customers and the plant premises. This tree plantation exercise has been further extended to two more villages around the plant with the objective to create a green belt not just in and around the plant, but also in the region.

Tata Power’s nationwide energy conservation programme, Tata Power Energy Club, has also been well received by the students and the school management has shown further interest to extend the initiative on energy conservation at their school and at their home. Today, Tata Power Energy Club has covered over four schools and sensitised more than 1,030 students and hundreds of citizens across Belgaum city.

Further, a team of volunteers from the company are committed to such social initiatives and have recently distributed study material incuding notebooks and pencils to schoolchildren with the aim of creating awareness and imparting education to schoolchildren studying in the nearby villages. A total of more than 350 notebooks and pencils were distributed amongst two school children studying in Class 1 to Class 3 at Kannada Government School of Mall Hole in Vantamuri village and Kanbargi Kannada Medium Primary School, Karnbargi, in Belgaum. Similarly, wooden benches made from in-house packing material (wood) were also distributed to the Mall Hole school. Various toys for Aanganwadi children are also distributed at regular intervals in Mall Hole village.

A general health checkup camp was also organised for the benefit of schoolchildren at Government Kannada Medium School, Ramathithnagar, Belgaum and at Government Kannada Medium School, Kanbargi, Belgaum. Multi-vitamin and calcium tablets were distributed to more than 550 needy students.