Bhubaneswar: There is an old adage that says, ‘when a child is born, new parents are also born’. The responsibility of parenthood marks the transition of a man and a woman to parents. And this same sense of responsibility and willingness to nurture is inherent to industrialization. Whenever a new industry is born, a new industrial ecosystem is also born!
Just as joyful parents work towards raising a successful and responsible citizen, so too with industry. While setting up a new plant brings an industrialist a sense of pride, purpose and fulfilment, it comes with the responsibility of ensuring the well-being and prosperity of the communities around them, supporting them to play a larger role in building the nation.
Over the years, several industries have played a significant role in contributing to society through their operations, creating employment, and ensuring a better quality of life for those living around their plants. Industries have built infrastructure, supported the area’s development through the construction of roads, water supply, sewage treatment facilities, and made electricity available.
Deepak Fertilisers and Petrochemicals Corporation Limited (DFPCL), has played a similar stellar role in the development of Taloja in Maharashtra since it set up operations there in 1979. The plant has been a key manufacturing hub for the company for the production of Technical Ammonium Nitrate (TAN), Industrial Chemicals and Fertilisers. In the process, it has created employment for thousands of people from the area and played a significant role in empowering the community by supporting them to learn employable skills that generate sustainable livelihoods, thus enhancing financial and emotional independence of the population.
The Shanbag family in Taloja is a direct beneficiary of DFPCL initiatives for community development. Vaibhav Shanbag, head of the family, is employed as a foreman with DFPCL TAN plant, and his wifewas trained by Ishanya Foundation (IsFon), the CSR arm of DFPCL to build a successful business in handicrafts, making gifting bags and jewellery pouches.
The couple’s two children, Vinod and Ravi, are studying in a school supported by IsFon’s Gyanam initiative that is committed to providing a better learning environment in schools and raising the standard of education all around. The initiative has to date improved the educational environment for more than 1200 students by launching several programs in the rural communities of Panvel, Raigad, and Rahiyad. What it means for Vinod and Ravi is the opportunity for an education that is on par with some of the best schools in the country and a level playing field when they apply to colleges and jobs in the future.
IsFon has touched the lives of 1000’speople over the last 25 years. In Taloja and Panvel (in Maharashtra) itself, the foundation has supported the development of rural communities in the areas of dairy, health, vocational training, and income creation initiatives with a focus on women’s empowerment. IsFon’s initiatives in the area such as Wadi, Dairy Development Project, Aarogyam, Gyanam, Community Development & Social Welfare, Entrepreneurship Development and Vocational Skills Development Project, have positively impacted the local communities, including small and marginalized farmers, women and youth and won appreciation from the beneficiaries. Through its Skill Development Program, IsFon has helped thousands of youths and unskilled personnel developskills that have helped them find rewarding jobs, attaining financial independence. In 2021-22 alone, the foundation touched the lives of 26,516 beneficiaries through its rural and urban initiatives for health, education, and sustainable livelihoods. IsFon’s holistic healthcare initiative, Aarogyam, has significantly shifted the focus from curative to preventive healthcare through proactive diagnosis and care. For vulnerable populations in and around Pune city and in the villages of Taloja, IsFon has provided preventive healthcare services, improving the health and quality of life of more than 21000 individuals.
What has made DFPCL’s Taloja plant truly unique is the ability to tap into the existing business ecosystem around the plant to drive prosperity and growth for surrounding communities. As wonderfully put in words by our current government real growth and prosperity only comes when there is ‘SaabkaSaath, Sabka Vikas’. DFPCL has taken it a step further with the underlying conviction that meaningful growth will only be achieved when we gain the confidence and trust of the regional communities and stakeholders and when they embrace our vision and aim.Many small businesses have sprung up in the neighbouring villages as a result of the contract workers who work at the plant unit staying in and around the villages and supporting local contractors and shopkeepers in the area.This local ecosystem has created value to earn and also helped develop small entrepreneurs.
In the past, locals would travel to Panvel City for necessities like education and shopping. Now nearby villages have access to all the necessities. As a result, industrialization has enhanced civilization systems and generated values.
As DFPCL now embarks on one of its largest projectsto date – the TAN plant at Ganjam, IsFon has already put into action a plan to supportthe nearby villagers to grow with the plant – socially and economically. Various CSR Projects have been earmarked to support holistic rural development by empowering the communities through smart and sustainable health, education, transportation,and environmental solutions. The CSR activities are expected to positively impact more than 5000villagers in the region and improve the locals’ livelihood by improving socioeconomic conditions.
IsFon intends to provide health and veterinary care facilities to the nearby villages and will upgrade the infrastructure of community hospitals, libraries, and public schools by leveraging the Foundation’s knowledge and experience working with rural communities. The Foundation plans to launch the “Skill Development” program, a comprehensive skill development training that will help youth in the village improve their employability as well as train them to run self-sustained businesses in their chosen field, thus helping in the creation of employment opportunities. Also, qualified engineers /diploma holders from the community will be selected for an apprentice program and trained at DFPCL facilities at Mumbai. The successfully qualified apprentices will be absorbed at the Gopalpur facilities as staff. DFPCL will also institute scholarship programs to encourage the local students to excel in studies as well as sports.
Mr Sailesh Mehta, CMD, DFPCL, shares with certitude, “We firmly believe in a model of inclusive growth.There is no greater source of joy than the millions of smiles we have been able to share with people from communities around our plants. At DFPCL, our mantra has always been and will continue to be, ‘Come, grow with us’.”
