OREANDA-NEWS. Tata Power, through its wholly-owned subsidiary, Coastal Gujarat Power (CGPL), has always remained committed towards inclusive growth and development of all the communities in and around its areas of operation. In line with this, Tata Power has implemented programmes to enhance the quality of life of the fishermen community through various social and development activities.

The inhabitants of the Kutch district face numerous issues, such as lack of proper education, skills-sets, proper exposure in the fishing business and infrastructure, which are necessary for sustaining their income and increasing productivity. Being a coastal area, the main source of livelihood of the community is fishing which yields a low annual income as the fish catch is seasonal. Fishermen are trapped in the vicious cycle of borrowing from traders and selling their catch at pre-determined rates as they are at the mercy of traders.

In order to improve the quality of life of the fishermen community at Tragadi Bunder (in Mandvi Taluka), Tata Power signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Aakar, an organisation with technical know-how and expertise in implementation of community development programmes for the holistic development of the community. The objective of the MoU is to create awareness on health and hygiene, establish a fisheries information centre, extend training to the fisher folk on behaviour change communication, spread the importance of education among children, support the existing school at Tragadi Bunder, promote folklore among the fisher community and adopt best practices for improving processes in the fish-catch value chain. It aims at organising vision-building exercises in convergence with government schemes.

The MoU encompasses the framework and strategy in order to undertake social development activities for sustainable livelihood of the fishermen community in the Tragadi Bunder area. CGPL and Aakar have nominated project coordinators to design, orchestrate and implement the integrated social and economic development initiatives in a strategic manner. In order to develop initiatives which will address the key challenges faced by the community, the team will first conduct rapport-building exercises with the local people. Post procuring inputs from the fishermen community, a vision document will be prepared which will map the issues and provide appropriate solutions which will then be implemented stage-wise.

Aakar will submit monthly and quarterly reports covering the progress of the initiatives which will be vetted by an independent agency in order to maintain complete transparency and disclosure. Such initiatives will lead to adoption of better technology, process improvements, value-addition to product, improved price realisation and exploration of new markets, which will accentuate the need for better living standards and education of children.

Speaking on the initiative, KK Sharma, ED and CEO, CGPL stated, “We at Tata Power work towards the well-being and development of the community, environment and our employees. We aim to set up a strong support system for the benefit of the fishermen community and furnish them with the necessary skills-set in order to improve their quality of life. We thank Aakar for their support and contribution and look forward to working together for the betterment of the community in Mundra and Mandvi.”