Striding Ahead

A Cairn India CSR Magazine
Striding Ahead I 1
January 2012 Issue

Striding Ahead

Striding Ahead I 3

Covered Features
Education Health Economic Development Infrastructure

These are the four pillars on which Cairn India’s values are enriched. They form a
360O approach towards the betterment of the community and rural people. It is for
these rural communities that Cairn strives to improve their living standards, health
& hygiene, literacy level, economic independence and much more.

4 I January 2012 Issue

Contents
Introduction 2

Strides We Took 4

Education 6

Health 8

Economic Development
12

Infrastructure 16

Transforming Lives 20

Conceptualised, designed and developed by the
Communication and Design department of Cairn India Ltd.

Disclaimer: The information provided in this magazine
has been gathered from actual incidents and experiences.
The content is sole property of Cairn India Ltd. and must
not be misused. To post your queries/ questions, write to
stridingahead@cairnindia.com

© Cairn India Ltd.2011

Striding Ahead I 5
Striding Ahead I 5

Cairn India is committed at maintaining bring about in our business development
the highest standards of Corporate activities and we are proud of what we
Social Responsibility (CSR) in its business have achieved – and continue to achieve –
activities and aims to make an impact wherever we are operational.
wherever it operates. Cairn India strongly
endorses and believes that its CSR Responsibility – Cairn India is operating
commitment of Respect, Relationships and in many areas that face economic, social
Responsibility for the communities cannot and environmental challenges. It has the
be restricted and limited within regulatory responsibility to understand these CSR
requirements. By Respect, Relationships challenges, identify the potential impact
and Responsibility we mean the following: of its activities and, through engaging with
stakeholders, look for opportunities for
Respect – People are Cairn India’s key mutual benefit.
asset and the attitude of the Cairn team
is critical to its business culture. Cairn’s The CSR team has strived to ensure long
entrepreneurial spirit is underpinned by term socio-economic and environmental
a depth of knowledge and a strong set of sustainability of the communities across all
cultural core values, including integrity, its areas of operations.
social and environmental responsibility,
teamwork, nurturing of individual Cairn CSR programmes are embedded
creativity, risk management and developing within the four thematic areas namely
alliances with key partners. Health, Education, Infrastructure
and Economic Development. These
Relationships – These are the key programmes are directly impacting
to developing any business and Cairn thousands of community members. The
India’s success in the region for more programmes are in sync with Government
than a decade would not have been programmes and partner agencies
possible without the consistent support working towards similar goals. In this
of all stakeholders, from Governments, issue of Striding Ahead, you will read
regulators and JV partners to the people about the inception to sustenance of these
living near our sites. The level of support programmes.
and understanding on the ground is
something we have worked hard to


Introduction
India is united by diversity spread across Cairn India, a significant player in the
a population of about 1.2 billion people Indian energy sector has consistently
composed of several ethnic groups, leveraged social responsibility towards the
speaking more than 1,000 languages and communities and rural people in areas of its
following varied religions. With an annual operations. As a committed corporate, Cairn
population growth rate of 1.4 per cent, India has been sensitive towards the situation of
faces many challenges primarily in the rural the marginalised sectors and has buckled
sectors. India ranks in the bottom few on the up to transforming the lives of people across
United Nations Development Programme’s its operational areas. Focus has been laid
2011 Human Development Index – a on areas which needed enhancement and
comparative measure of life expectancy, consistent efforts are being made everyday
literacy, education and standards of living
for countries worldwide. Close to 75 per
to enrich the livelihood of people. Cairn
India CSR initiatives and programmes
In 2007, in S’Yanam village close to 100
micro vendors were developed by Cairn
“Cairn India, a
cent of India’s population lives in rural areas aim at fostering inclusive growth in the India. Today the same micro vendors are significant player in the
of which more than 10 per cent of rural communities around its operational area. drawing orders of close to INR 22.5 crore. A Indian energy sector has
households are reported to be landless. Today Cairn has emerged as one of the student from Suvali who benefitted from the
The sector constitutes of day wage earners most responsible corporates in the country education initiatives went on to achieving consistently leveraged
as labours, farmers and casual workers. because of its honest commitment to the greater heights in academics and Cairn India social responsibility
Within these communities its women who society. sponsored his higher education in IIT in the
are further more deprived due to tradition, year 2010. Such has been the momentum towards the communities
caste, society and other constraints. It was in the year 2006 when Barmer, a of consistent and genuine community and rural people in areas
Taking this into consideration, many drought-prone area in Rajasthan witnessed engagement at Cairn India. Even today Cairn
Government programmes and welfare floods; the villages were under 25 feet is effectively disseminating needed support of its operations.
initiatives have mushroomed in various water; Cairn India plunged in to help the in form of initiatives for better education,
marginalised areas of India. However, community in every possible way. The health and economic independence for the
the scenario is not rosy and a lot needs relief operations were lead by Cairn India marginalised section of the society not just in
to be done by corporate companies and officials and representatives from the Barmer but also in areas of Gujarat, Andhra
individuals. armed forces and district administration. Pradesh and Sri Lanka.

Striding Ahead I 7

Encouraging education for the girl child


Strides we took HelpAge Silver Plate Award in
2010 for impacting over 25 Lac
community people through the
health initiatives.
Golden Peacock Award for Corporate
Social Responsibility 2011.

CMO Asia Award
for Best Overall
Corporate Social
Responsibility
Practice in 2011
in Singapore.

The Science on Wheels
Cairn India was able to add value to van has touched the
approximately 80% of the trainees from lives of more than
Cairn Enterprise Centre as they started 16000 students across
their own enterprises after going through schools in Barmer and
rigid training sessions under supervision Bhogat areas.
of specialised trainers.

Striding Ahead I 9

The Cairn Enterprise Centre has been The Dairy Development
instrumental in bringing about economic Programme has
stability for the women by imparting successfully strengthened
trainings in handicrafts, thereby making the economic status of
way for business prospects for women. the rural community as
the milk production has
increased 108% from time
of inception. This is due
to various factors such
as better veterinarian
facilities, improved fodder,
regular fat measurement
and much more.

The Room to Read, Library Project
has been taken beyond borders.
Students in Monaragala district in
Sri Lanka are being benefitted from
the resources and knowledge being
imparted through these libraries.
Construction and repairing of around
1350 Tanka Tankli (Water Harvesting
Structures) in 19 villages of Barmer,
Rajashthan. The total project cost was
Rs. 131.4 Lacs.


Education
Education is a tool that helps combat the availability of good books and learning benefit from the library resources. This is in • Facilitation of learning programmes that
cut-throat competition in today’s times. At aids etc have been realised by Cairn India background of the belief that by enabling equip students with the necessary skills.
every juncture in a man’s life, its ‘Education’ and constant efforts are being made in these resources an environment will be • Experience of joyous learning and
that makes the difference as it is the 4th this direction. Programmes like Theater created which will further help the students thereby enriching student’s intellectual,
highest necessity after food, clothing and in Education (TiE), Science on Wheels and community members to develop aesthetic, cultural and emotional growth.
shelter. India has been constantly striving to (SoW) and Room to Read Libraries are and create reading as a culture in the • Access to a wide range of materials,
improve the quality of education and aim at instrumental in achieving the objective of community. fiction and non-fiction, print, audio, video
increasing the literacy rate of the country. Cairn’s education initiatives. and digital.
Development of rural school libraries is • Opportunity to adapt to learning
Cairn India has joined the efforts and is Library Programme one of the key projects that Cairn has programmes which integrate information
committed to creating an environment for implemented in the education portfolio resources and technologies.
children and young people to develop and Room to Read is a non-profit organisation across various operational areas. The
evolve as responsible citizens. Through founded on the belief that World Change initiative has been instrumental in Theater in Education
the education initiatives, Cairn focuses Starts With Educated Children. The inculcating reading habit in children which
on accessibility, equity and quality of organisation focuses on literacy and in turn has helped them in improving overall Cairn India started Theatre in Education
education. gender equality in education and works academic results. (TiE) programme in partnership with
in collaboration with local communities, BNKVS (Bharatiya Natya Kala Vikas
The importance of appropriate partner organisations and governments. Libraries have shown to have a positive Sansthan) at Barmer to introduce innovative
infrastructure, skilled teachers, innovative Room to Read is a global organisation impact on reading skills as they provides way of teaching and learning. The aim
teaching methodology and curriculum, dedicated to promoting and enabling access to supplemental reading materials, of the initiative was to provide quality
education through various programmes which support extended vocabularies, education through a process of interactive
and believes that all children, regardless creative thinking, enrichment of class learning for the marginalised students. The
of gender or background, have a right to materials, and encourage independent attributes of the programme also aim at
education. access to information and arouse the slashing monotony of classroom teaching,
interest of students in matters beyond the improving teacher-student interactions,
Cairn India partnered with Room to Read curriculum. making learning interactive and joyful,
to magnify its own education initiatives and increasing power of expressions and
to envisage a learning process wherein Some of the benefits of school libraries can imparting theatrical training to teachers as
the children and community members be summarised as: teaching aids.

Striding Ahead I 11

and Jalore districts. In Barmer itself the
programme has reached schools in 4 blocks
(Baitu, Barmer, Bhadka and Dhorimana).

Science on Wheels

In order to transform and stimulate the
thinking of rural children and teachers,
Cairn India in collaboration with Agastya
International Foundation introduced the
Close to 40 percent of India’s population Science on Wheels (SoW) programme in
is illiterate and schools in rural areas are and around Cairn operational areas.
not completely equipped to solve this
problem alone. Education for girl child, child The Science on Wheels vans are driven to
marriage and unemployment are only some schools in rural areas and two instructors
of the hindrances in way of attaining higher along with an array of around 100
literacy rate. Due to this, the enrollment experiments teach the students in these
levels are low in rural schools. In order to schools. The models and experiments are
boost the literacy levels of Government demonstrated to the students so that they
schools in Barmer district it was proposed to get hands-on-experience and retain interest
extend support for an interactive mode of in the subject of science.
learning for children in the district schools • Government of India

KEY
PARTNERS
as well through the programme - Theatre in The Agastya instructors teach scientific the ‘entire solar system’.This initiative has • Government of Rajasthan
Education (TiE). concepts through simple experiments in been instrumental in improving the overall • SURE (Society to Uplift
sessions that emphasise interaction and academic result of the students in the Rural Economy)
The programme has also been endorsed questioning. Most of the experiments regions where it operates. • Local Panchayats
by the Chief Minister of Rajasthan. Cairn are simple in nature and use indigenous • District Administration
India has demonstrated running of the material.The SoW van is also equipped
programme in 34 schools in Barmer with models to show complex workings like


Health
Recognising the importance of good health Cairn India is dedicated to enhancing health around Cairn India’s operational area like Other districts and villages like Suvali,
is the first step towards improving the seeking behaviour of communities with Viramgam, Radhanpur, Barmer, Ravva, and Ravva, Banaskantha, etc., dealt with this
quality of life of the people. A synergistic respect to various issues such as: child and Suvali amongst others, have easy access problem too.
approach is all that it takes to inculcate maternal health, nutrition and diet, diseases to quality healthcare facilities provided by
good health and hygiene habits in the of poverty, life threatening diseases (HIV/ Cairn. Lack of health facilities in the vicinity,
community as the first step to ensure AIDS / TB/ Cancer) etc. It has been unavailability of female doctors and lack
healthy living. ensured that community members living As a responsible corporate, Cairn India has of awareness on health issues pertaining
been complementing and supplementing especially to women and children have
the government health system for effective been the problems prevailing in the region.
primary healthcare. The scope of work for
Cairn includes, working with Panchayats to Moreover, the rural population is not aware
catalyse health governance through micro about different diseases and Government
level strategising and planning. health schemes for the community. As
Cairn India has been instrumental in the villages are scattered, the community
empowering communities to take people have to travel long distances to
actions to address various health access healthcare services.
requirements in collaboration with
Cairn India’s CSR programmes. Keeping in view the challenges of access
and availability of quality healthcare service
Mobile Health Van options, Cairn India in partnership with
HelpAge India started the Mobile Health
Remote districts in the country and their Van (MHV) project in the rural areas in and
difficult terrain pose many challenges in around Cairn operational areas.
providing access to healthcare services. The MHV not only aims at the curative
Instances have been recorded when healthcare services but also focuses on
there were only 10 doctors catering to preventive healthcare services which are
a population of 2 million in and around done through awareness programmes,
Barmer. health camps and much more.

Striding Ahead I 13

Catering to the community’s medical
requirements at their door step


The project has been successful as there
has been active participation from the
community and the local leaders who have
played an important role in communicating
the benefits of this health initiative run by
Cairn India. Over the last three years the
MHV programme of Cairn India has been
regularly sighted in the local newspapers.

Today the Mobile Health Van has become a
lifeline for the villagers as they look forward
to the provision of medical services. The
villagers have also been extremely active
and supportive in running this project. A
fleet of volunteers have played a significant
role in mobilising the villagers towards
the MHV and other health awareness
programmes.
services of the MHV.
Role of volunteers in the success of the • Volunteers helped in conducting
programme: sessions on virtually any subject
ranging from proper hygiene to
• Volunteers focused on assisting sessions on life threatening diseases.
patients to properly use the healthcare
system in terms of making the patient As a responsible corporate, Cairn India
cards, helping the elderly patients, etc. caters to raising awareness on healthcare
• Volunteers encourage appropriate within the community and has been
immunisation levels in case of instrumental in providing the necessary
vaccination for children; provide support to the government health
translation to people in their local initiatives. This has helped achieve the
language. This helped the patients objective of making available primary
Providing necessary medical assistance for maternal healthcare in navigating the health system and healthcare facilities in the community, for
encouraged them to optimally utilise the community.

Striding Ahead I 15

AIDS awareness campaign

• SURE (Society to Uplift

KEY PARTNERS
General Health Awareness Camps The advisors and counselors at the camps Rural Economy)
strive to encourage the rural community • IL&FS
Though the Mobile Health Van caters to optimally utilise the available facilities • NIIT
to the medical requirements of the provided by Cairn India. • LiQVid
community, Cairn India accelerated the • Thomson Reuters
process of generating optimum health The process is carried out in consultation • Multi Commodity
awareness through regular camps. with the block level officials, village Exchange (MCX)
• Rajasthan Mission on
These camps are organised for the sarpanch, key community members,
Livelihood (RMoL)
underprivileged section of the community school teachers and anganwadi workers to • GMR Varalakshmi
in association with HelpAge India. The create magnified impact of the initiative. In Foundation
prime agenda of the general health addition to generating awareness through • ALEAP
awareness camps is to propagate the camps, added initiatives like door to door • Jana Kalyan Welfare Society
importance of health and hygiene amongst counselling and distribution of nutritional
men, women and children. food are carried out.


Economic
climatic conditions. Majority of the milk As this sector becomes more remunerative,
produced is retained by the communities there will be an increase in self
for their own use. The widespread hostile employment and independence amongst
terrain offers limited opportunities for the community members. This programme
selling the surplus milk and, to add to this, has been groundbreaking in cutting across

Development
the milk from the marginalised community cultural barriers and providing a new sense
is not accepted by the upper castes. of independence and empowerment
Most of the collection is localised and amongst the women of Barmer. Women
largely managed by private vendors. The have begun SHG’s, started internal
traditional milk fat analysis system ensured loaning, started saving thereby placing
that the communities were unable to derive themselves in the forefront of their families
Dairy Development Programme society in rural areas with limited or no full benefits out of the milk that they sold. as productive, indispensable members.
land resources. Rajasthan has one of
Livestock breeding has been the traditional the highest livestock populations in the Looking at the scenario Cairn India in July Through increased spending power;
subsistence strategy in Western Rajasthan country. Despite this, the milk production 2007, decided to support an intensive women have exerted their independence
for the marginalised sections of the in Rajasthan is very low due to the extreme community based dairy development by resisting traditional societal pressures,
programme with an aim to improve the
economic condition of the rural poor.
The Cairn India Dairy Development

HIGHLIGHTS
Programme aims to:
The programme was initiated in Barmer.
The thrust was to identify and collectivise • Establish a bulk collection and
the local community as potential milk distribution network of milk in the
villages and link the small dairy farmers
suppliers, ensure price discovery system
to an assured and remunerative outlet
for the milk suppliers, create an assured for their milk produce
base, organise the untapped milk pockets • Organise rural households in Self Help
and enhance the economic status of dairy Groups (SHGs) and enable capacity
farmers. The programme was designed building
• Increase the quality and quantity of
in a manner that it targeted women to
milk production through technical
help them uplift their economic status assistance to SHG farmers on improved
in the community. Over time, the local livestock care, veterinary services,
community experienced increased income breed improvement and fodder
which empowered them to form Self development.
• Establish linkages with banks and
Help Groups (SHG’s) and explore other
financial institution to access of loans
livelihood options. for livestock

Striding Ahead I 17

• Trade skill exposure and enhanced • Key Partners “Touching the lives of over ten thousand

KEY PARTNERS
OBJECTIVES

employability for communities in
the Barmer Development Area
• SURE (Society to Uplift local community members.
Rural Economy)
thereby developing micro, small • IL&FS
and medium enterprises (MSMEs). • NIIT
• Facilitating access to finance for
• LiQVid
gained control of their finances and Over the years, through the programme
SMEs and micro-entrepreneurs to developed immense self reliance. SMS subscriptions were sold to several
establish and expand businesses. • Thomson Reuters
• Multi Commodity Exchange (MCX) Traditionally members of different castes hundred thousand farmers.
• Collection and dissemination
of information on employment • Rajasthan Mission on Livelihood would never be seen in the same room,
opportunities, enterprise (RMoL) and now due to this programme, caste The subscriptions are sold as an easy-to-
development, government • GMR Varalakshmi Foundation is no longer a distinction as people are use card in thousands of retail outlets in
schemes and upcoming contracts • ALEAP working together without discrimination. rural India. Each farmer can choose his
and tenders. • Jana Kalyan Welfare Society The programme is currently running in choice of content, which is delivered to
14 villages of Barmer, Rajasthan. The big him in his locallanguage over his mobile
strides in milk production from 196,873 phone. The service is delivered as SMSes
litres to 2,195,424 litres made in the last that fit in the daily workflow of the farmer,
four years (2007 – 2011) under Dairy in 8 local languages, across 13 states
Programme, have catapulted Cairn and over any operator or mobile phone.
India’s Dairy Development programme as The service helps the farmer with timely
a catalyst for social and economic change information on calamities, demand –
in Barmer, Rajasthan. supply rate in markets, etc.

Programme on Agri Advisory to Right of Use (RoU) farmers have shown
Farmers through SMS their willingness for continuation of
services from RML programme and have
Cairn India has partnered with Thomson requested for its renewal. It is evident that
Reuters to implement the programme on the SMS services have improved livelihood
agri advisory through SMS for the farming for the farmers.
community living across the Cairn pipeline This initiative of Cairn India has been
route. instrumental in empowering the farmers,
leading to direct financial benefit to
The programme offers a highly their incomes.
personalised micro-information service
over mobile phones to the farming
community that is changing their lives.


Skill based training for the local youth

Striding Ahead I 19

Cairn Enterprise Centre “7000 people including land
In order to cope with problems of contributing families have
unemployment, lack of opportunity been trained at the Cairn
and business possibility, Cairn India
Enterprise Centre in various
conceptualised an ‘Enterprise Centre’
which would focus on cutting edge training skills from mobile phone
solutions that have an industry linkage, repairing to masonry and
thereby increasing the chances of greater
electric wiring. It also has a
employability for the students.
centre to help small and micro
The aim of the Cairn Enterprise Centre business start-ups with skills
is “to improve the quality of life through
like preparing business plans
economic empowerment of communities,
and development of community owned and designing websites to
sustainable businesses by building local market themselves. As part
capacities and entrepreneurial talents”.
of training schedule, more
Using specialised training patterns and than 1500 women have been
methodology from facilities at ITI, Barmer ‘trained in handicrafts making
along with specialised instructors and
and business skills.“
trainers; the Cairn Enterprise Centre
presents a modular approach and delivers
modules that are highly focused.

Some of the trainings being held at the • Advanced Welding Training for ITI
Cairn Enterprise Centre include: Students
• Two Wheeler Repairing Training
• Mobile Phone Repairing Training • Spoken English Course
• Genset Repairing Training • Basic Computer Training

Dairy Development Programme


Infrastructure
was propelled and sponsored by Cairn ones, however, those with existing but
India. This initiative directly impacted close damaged were provided with support
to 10,000 people in the area. The expertise for repair.
and equipment used for all these structures
was up to date including 30 high degree • Government of India

KEY
PARTNERS
submersible pumps, control panels, spares
• Government of
and leak detection technology.
Rajasthan
The beneficiaries were selected through • SURE (Society to Uplift
a process of conducting surveys Rural Economy)
followed by village-level deliberations • Local Panchayats
and suggestions. Selected families with • District Administration
no existing structures were provided new

Rajasthan developing the infrastructure across its Number of Tankas / Tankis
operational areas. (Water Harvesting Structures
A 3% dip in agriculture production triggers
a threefold rise in essential commodity To provide enriching experience to
prices. Such is the contribution made by the rural people, Cairn understood the
our farmers, who live in rural areas and need of the community and supported it
contribute approximately the fifth of India’s accordingly. In the areas of Thar, water is a
GDP. The villages where these farmers live, precious commodity and rarely available.
lack basic infrastructure like roads, homes
made of brick and mortar, hospitals and Access to clean drinking water or water
schools; indeed, much of what we take for agricultural purposes has been an age
for granted in urban areas! Cairn has old problem. Construction of around 1350
cared to this cause and looked into water harvesting and storage structures

Striding Ahead I 21

Inculcating best hygiene practices in the community


village. Today, the Panchayat has taken
Ravva responsibility of water supply to individual
homes and street taps.
Cairn has been instrumental in developing
the infrastructure around its operation Cairn India is sensitive towards nature and
areas in Ravva. Many initiatives have eco systems and maintains high standards
been planned based on the needs of the of operational efficiency to mitigate
community. Sanitation facility was provided environmental damage and destruction.
in villages in Ravva and more than 465 Keeping this in mind, a ‘Green Belt’ has
individual toilets across households were been developed in S’Yanam with an aim to
constructed. This initiative helped prevent protect the environment.
various kinds of diseases in the community.
Cairn India also took the ownership of Today the belt is spread over an area of
ensuring safe drinking water for the 229 acres around the Ravva terminal,
community. village roads and the beach. There are
various species of trees in the Green Belt,
Since the water table, in coastal Andhra dominated largely by Casuarinas and
Pradesh is at the surface level, it is Mangroves. Cairn has been contributing
contaminated with sewage and agricultural to the community in the field of Education
runoff which is the prime cause of water through various programmes, however,
borne diseases. at S’Yanam special focus was laid at the
school infrastructure. Cairn has been
The first step Cairn took was by supplying supporting various Government schemes
water through tankers for the community like mid-day meal, provision of utensils,
in S’ Yaman village. Thereafter, a reservoir, uniforms, school bags and books.
sand filters, overhead storage tank and
a distribution system for a population of The most impactful contribution has been
4500 was put in place. In response to the the learning experience gained by the
demand generated at the community level students at the science laboratory set up in
and voiced by the Village Development schools by Cairn. Along with this required
Committee of the village, Cairn initiated number of computers, furniture and other
an extensive water distribution system by equipment to create a better learning
laying pipelines in all the segments of the environment for children was ensured by

Striding Ahead I 23

Cairn. In addition to this, many solar lights animal husbandry as the main occupation
have been installed in the village for the of the local population, hence, Cairn India
benefit of the local community. has built a pond for the animals.

Suvali village has always faced acute water
CB/OS-2 shortage. Villagers worked miles to fetch

The coastal area of Hazira Industrial Belt drinking water. To ensure safe drinking
is an economically backward area, which water for the community in Suvali, Cairn
requires infrastructural development for has taken several initiatives. In the first
benefit of local population. Suvali village stage in 2005, and overhead as well as
is one of the backward villages of the area. underground tanks were constructed. The
The Surat-Hazira road has witnessed overhead tank has a capacity of 1 lac litres
many severe accidents and many more and the water sump has a capacity of 2 lac
near misses. litres’. To supply this water pump houses
were also constructed. In 2006, Cairn
Therefore, as part of Cairn’s commitment constructed RO pumps to add to its earlier
to the development of the community, it efforts. These pumps were later handed
was essential to construct proper roads for over to the Panchayat for management
this area. A road joining Hazira and Suvali and maintenance.
to other nearby villages was constructed
by Cairn for the benefit of both Suvali and As part of another initiative, Cairn invested
Junagam village population. Cairn India has in the construction of pipelines which
also taken a step further and installed street helped in facilitating drinking water to the
lights for the villagers. The street lights households. A total of 1200 villagers have
have been set-up on the road from the been benefited by this initiative.
onshore terminal to the village. The lights the Suvali village school. Further support equipments and computers. In addition,
ensure safety for the villagers traveling in To support the education system, and has been provided by supplying basic Cairn provides support for computer
the late hours. to ensure continuous education for the utilities like furniture, green boards, and teachers of Suvali Primary School by
children, Cairn has taken some measures. cupboards. The school has also been helping out with their salaries. Students
Another step taken for the convenience To address the dropout rates, Cairn had receiving power for fans and lights. To pursuing higher studies are also supported
and community building is construction initially upgraded the infrastructural enhance the education experience, Cairn through award of scholarships.
of the cattle pond. Since Suvali thrives on facilities, which included toilet blocks in has contributed towards the laboratory


Transforming Lives
Cairn’s Agri Advisory conditions which ruined his crops several possible way and he was able to enhance
Programme times. The little that he made from the his income from farming.
repairing workshop barely sufficed the
Ramesh Kumar Prajapati from Sinad Village family of four. Prajapati recalls “Once on receiving a
from District Patan in Gujarat was working message of a predicted storm and heavy
as a farmer and as a part time at a repairing One fine day, Prajapati got to know about rain, I and my brother warned the other
workshop to make a living. 36 years old, the RML services and was keen to try villagers. The message helped us being
Prajapati had four members to look after it for better yielding of his crops. With prepared for the worst situation.”Prajapati
and feed in his family. He often lost a lot information ranging from weather forecasts received his messages in English language
of money due to unforeseen weather to crop rates, it benefited him in every even though he was not well versed with
the language. His sons Sunil and Nikul
helped him sometimes and this way
Prajapati was learning a new language
as well.
equipped to handle calamities and other
Though Cairn has ensured that RML troubles.
services include messages in local
languages, Prajapati was determined to It makes one believe that Cairn India has
learn English through this initiative. “I want given not just door step counseling and
to learn English so that I can communicate opportunities but is slowly embedding the
directly with everyone, overlooking roots of confidence in various individuals.
‘language’ as a barrier” he said.
Mobile Health Van
He is determined to enroll other famers
for RML services as he believes that Cairn Damma Ram from village Dunda Kawas in
India initiative of bringing this boon to him Rajasthan was always perceived as one of
has improved his livelihood. As a farmer the most active and energetic member in
he is more prepared, acquainted and the community. He is the first to take part in

Striding Ahead I 25

realise his dreams can come true. He came
with the purpose to learn English as he
wanted to start his own real estate business
in Hyderabad. Being a student of bachelors
of art, Vinod was never able to learn
English and gain fluency in the language.
He joined the first batch of spoken English
course at the Cairn Enterprise Centre and
began learning through instructor led
training modules.

With the help of class participation,
software support and appropriate guidance
from the trainer, Vinod learnt the language
effectively. The course helped him
understand the dynamics of the language
and the ways to address formal meetings,
informal conversations and much more.
all the development initiatives at his village, the health of Damma. He had almost given again. A regular at the MHV for his timely Vinod emerged as a hard working,
always volunteering to help the needy etc. up hope of survival till he was told about medication, Damma now plays the role successful student who completed his
the ‘Mobile Health Van’ (MHV) Programme of spreading awareness about facilities of course with dedication and commitment.
However life changed when Damma Ram initiated by Cairn. Villagers told Damma Cairn’s MHVs and how the villagers can
was almost paralysed by arthritis. His Ram and his son about the MHV which benefit from the same. Damma Ram’s Today, Vinod is based at Hyderabad and
movement was ceased by the disease and would provide medicines and free health ‘good soul’ tag is back and he continues to is successfully executing his Real Estate
he was unable to perform his daily chores. check up to ensure healthy living for take care of his fellow villagers. business as he can fluently speak and
Only one of his four sons stayed with him community members. write in English. This course helped him
who worked as a daily wage labourer Spoken English Course - CEC deal with foreign customers easily and
leaving nobody to take care of Damma In his first visit to the MHV, Damma Ram effectively. He has maintained contact
Ram at home. was thoroughly checked by the doctor and With dreams packed in a bag, Vinod Puro with representatives from Cairn Enterprise
was provided free medicines for arthritis. from Langera village in Rajasthan came to Centre and continues to share his daily
The father and son could not afford The medicines soon proved to be magical Cairn Enterprise Centre (CEC). Located 12 experiences.
treatment and the disease was hampering as after a few months Damma could walk Kms away from Barmer, Vinod travelled to

Striding Ahead

More Related Content

What's hot

Viewers also liked

Similar to Striding Ahead

More from Cairn India Limited

Recently uploaded

Striding Ahead