sir ratan tata trust · 2019-09-11 · sir ratan tata trust • annual report 2004-2005 sir...
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SIR RATAN TATA TRUSTAnnual Report
2004-2005
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His thoughts, in 1913, on the manner in which the Trust’s funds could be used:
“… for the advancement of Education, Learning and Industry in all its branches, including education in economy, sanitary services and art, or for the relief of human suff ering or for other works of public utility….
“To engage qualifi ed and competent persons to investigate into matters that pertain to the social, economic or political welfare of the Indian community, the object being to design schemes of a practical nature calculated to promote the welfare of the said community, care being taken that such work is not undertaken from the stereotyped point of view but from the point of view of fresh light that is thrown from day to day by the advance of science and philosophy on problems of human well-being…
Further, he also directed that:
“No experiment and no venture should be aided or undertaken unless the scheme thereof is carefully prepared…”
“No institution or organisation should be aided of which the accounts are not subject to periodic audits and are not regularly issued and which would not be open to inspection and examination…”
Sir Ratan Tata’s Vision
Vision
Sir Ratan and Lady Navajbai Tata during their travel to the Orient.
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Board of Trustees
Mr. Ratan N. Tata (Chairperson)
Mr. H. N. Sethna
Mr. N. A. Soonawala
Mr. J. N. Tata
Mr. K. B. Dadiseth
Mr. R. K. Krishna Kumar
Ms. S. K. Bharucha
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Trust Management Team
Secretary & Chief Accountant Mr. Hoshang D. Malesra
Institutional Grants
Programmes Manager Mr. Arun Pandhi
Senior Programme Officer Ms. Vartika Jaini
Programme Officer (Education) Ms. Amrita Patwardhan
Programme Associates Mr. Sudipto Saha Mr. Ganesh Neelam
Programme Associate (Intern) Mr. Krishna Kumar Singh
Resource Person (Communications) Mr. Jamshed F. Bamji
Individual Grants
Programme Officer Ms. Nandini Janardhanan
Senior Programme Associate Ms. Kumudini Kudalkar
Programme Associate Ms. Suja Nair
Accounts Mr. Freddie P. Movdawala Ms. Sanober C. Patel Ms. Bhanu Chidambaram Mr. Manoj Bhatkar Mr. Micky B. Billimoria
Executive Assistants Ms. Razia Khan Ms. Meher Raghina
Office Assistants Ms. Jasmine D. Billimoria Ms. Sheetal Nandanwar Mr. Ravi M. Shetty Mr. Ramesh V. Thingalaya Mr. Navin D. Thingalaya
The Trust is grateful to the following for their valuable contributions during the year.
Bankers American Express Bank, Mumbai State Bank of India, Main, Mumbai ICICI Bank, Fort, Mumbai Standard Chartered Bank, Fort, Mumbai
Statutory Auditors M/s Jayantilal Thakkar & Co. Chartered Accountants
Internal Auditors M/s C. C. Chokshi & Co. Chartered Accountants
Solicitor Mr. Jehangir N. Mistry, Partner M/s Mulla & Mulla & Craigie Blunt & Caroe
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Refl ections
The younger son of Jamsetji Tata, Sir Ratan Tata, was a sensitive and artistic individual, with an ardent
passion for paintings, sculpture, exhibits and archaeology, amongst other things. However, his love for
art and culture was complimented by a keen desire to share his valued collection with the citizens
of the country, so that the generations to come could behold and regale in their splendor. Sir Ratan
also supported causes that sought to promote India’s glorious cultural history. One can recall the
following instances that come to mind.
Amidst his involvement with causes of national importance like Gopal Krishna Gokhale’s Servants of
India Society and Mahatma Gandhi’s non-cooperation movement in South Africa, in March 1911, Sir
Ratan expressed his desire to Sir Harcourt Butler, the then Lt. Governor of Bihar & Orissa, to fi nance
upto Rs. 20,000 a year towards any archaeological excavations which the Archaeological Department
of the Government of India would undertake, to unearth ancient relics, having museum value. Sir
Butler promptly referred the offer to the Director General of Archaeology Survey of India, Sir John
Marshall, who proposed Pataliputra or Taxila. Subsequently, it was decided to perform excavations
at Pataliputra (Patna), which was the ancient capital of the Mauryan dynasty.
Pataliputra had long been regarded as one of the most promising areas in the country for excavation;
however, the enormity of the site, coupled with the depth at which the more important remains lie
Excavations in progress at Pataliputra. Findings made include the 100 column Mauryan Throne Room
of Emperor Asoka.
Of Days Gone By...
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Refl ections
buried, had till then rendered meaningful excavation beyond the means of the Department itself. Sir
Ratan’s princely magnanimity meant that the Department could focus on the task at hand, without
having to worry about the fi nances required. A few months later, in December 1911, Sir John Marshall,
who was familiar with the site, visited Patna in order to conduct preliminary investigations on the site
and decide the spot on which the excavations should be conducted. Dr. D. B. Spooner was placed
in charge of the work, which was fi nanced to the extent of Rs. 75,000 (a tidy sum during that period)
during the four years between 1913 to 1917.
In the course of the excavation, a large amount of museum artifacts like coins, plaques and terracotta
were located, which were subsequently exhibited in the Museum at Patna. However, the most
remarkable discovery made by Dr. Spooner was the location of the 100 column Mauryan Throne
Room of Emperor Asoka. A large number of columns of the Hall were unearthed, which revealed a
peculiar mason’s mark, similar to those found in Persepolis. This led to Dr. Spooner establishing his
fi nd as a replica of the Palace of King Darius at Persepolis in Persia! In his chronicles on Sir Ratan
Tata’s excavations, published in the Archaeological Report, Dr. Spooner wrote, “The importance
of the monument is signifi cantly apparent and whether it is of purely Persepolitan origin or not,
we may legitimately refer to the famous Hall of a Hundred Columns at Persepolis for purposes of
comparison”.
Plate with Lotus Design; Porcelain with underglaze-blue decoration
and six-character mark; Qing dynasty; Kangxi period; 1662-1772.
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Sir Ratan’s love for art was complimented by his wanderlust. As a prolifi c traveller, he toured many
places in India, as well as the world, to obtain pictures, paintings, manuscripts of ancient literature,
besides items like rare Indian shawls and old Indian arms like daggers, guns and swords. He purchased
a collection of jade, in different colours, made up of vases, snuff bottles and ornamental fi gures
during his visits to Paris. On his tour of the Orient, he purchased blue and white china and Japanese
wall hanging ornaments in ivory.
After Sir Ratan’s demise in 1918, his art collection, valued at approximately Rs. fi ve lacs, (at that time),
was handed over by his wife, Lady Navajbai Tata, to the Prince of Wales Museum, Bombay, in 1921,
as per his directives.
The entire collection is currently displayed at the Museum and bears testimony of Sir Ratan’s fi ne
taste of art and of course, his generosity. The collection covers a variety of antiquities from China,
Vessel in shape of a Dou; Cloisonné enamel; Qing dynasty;
18th century.
Vase with fl owers and classical treasures; Porcelain with
blue glaze and gold decoration; Qing dynasty; Kangxi
period;1662-1772.
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Japan, Tibet, Nepal, Persia, Europe and India. The materials range from porcelain and glass to bronzes,
textiles, arms, woodwork, lacquerwork, jades and other precious stone, snuff bottles and ivories. 1
Nearly a hundred years later, in keeping with the artistically inclined sensitivities and the vision of
Sir Ratan, the Trust continues to support organisations that energize traditional and contemporary
art forms in the country, besides supporting institutions that restore ancient works of art, thereby
preserving our glorious legacy for future generations.
1 Desai, Kalpana (2001) The Tata Collection of Chinese Antiquities; Trustees, Prince of Wales Museum of Western India,Bombay.
Container in the shape of a Lotus Plant; Greyish nephrite; Qing dynasty; 18th century.
The Trust wishes to thank the Tata Central Archives for their inputs.Photographs from Sir Ratan Tata Art Collection reproduced with kind permission from the Prince of Wales Museum of Western India, Bombay.
VII
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An Overview: 2004 - 2005 ............................................................................................... 1
Institutional Grants
Programme Grants
Rural Livelihoods and Communities ................................... 10
Education ............................................................................ 34
Health .................................................................................. 46
Enhancing Civil Society and Governance .......................... 53
Arts and Culture .................................................................. 61
Endowment Grants ..............................................................................................65
Small Grant Programme ..............................................................................................68
Individual Grants ............................................................................................. 88
Financial Highlights ............................................................................................. 94
Guidelines for grant applicants ............................................................................................. 97
Contents
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Overview 2004 - 2005
An Overview
Reviving the Green Revolution: Diversifi cation in Punjab, promoted by Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana. A farmer amidst his groundnut crop fl anked by paddy, in Sangrur district, Punjab.
The year that was:
During 2004-05, the Trust completed its third year of activities based on the Strategic Plan 2006 (SP 2006).
The total disbursals made by the Trust during the year touched an all time high, rising to Rs. 511.46 million
(US $ 11.63 million), a massive 45% increase over the previous year and 60% over 2002-03. Disbursals of
Rs. 340.26 million (US $ 7.74 million) were made on all programme grants during the year. Endowment
grant disbursals totalled up to Rs. 30 million (US $ 0.68 million). Small grants touched Rs. 35.81 million
Grant Disbursals: 1997-2005
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Central India Initiative: Chief Minister of Orissa, Mr. Naveen Patnaik, at the Central India Initiative workshop in Bhubaneswar, organised to disseminate fi ndings and recommendations of the research undertaken by IWMI-Tata Programme.
Overview 2004 - 2005
Details of grant disbursals: 2004-2005
Type of grant Rs. in million US$ in million
Institution: Programme grants 340.26 7.74
Institution: Endowment grants 30.00 0.68
Institution: Small grants 35.81 0.82
Individual grants 105.39 2.39
Total 511.46 11.63
Rs. 10 million is Rs. 1 crore; 1 US$ is approximately equal to Rs. 44
(US $ 0.82 million). Thirty four new programme grants and ninety three new small grants were added
to the Trust’s portfolio during the year. The total disbursals to individuals were Rs. 105.39 million (US
$ 2.39 million), an increase of 16% over the previous year.
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Overview 2004 - 2005
The following are some of the key achievements and areas of engagements during 2004-05.
• The fi nancial year 2004-05 marked the third year of activities under Strategic Plan 2006, which is
the Trust’s fi ve year guiding document and continued to implement its recommendations through
focussed thematic initiatives. The Trust’s concerted efforts towards up-scaling various initiatives
has resulted in the highest quantum of disbursals ever achieved. 69% of the total disbursals were
made within the thematic area of Rural Livelihoods and Communities (RLC), where the Central India
Initiative (CInI), which focuses on enhancing livelihoods of poor tribals in central India, accounted
for 36% of RLC disbursals.
• Under CInI, three large fi eld projects with Professional Assistance for Development Action (PRADAN)
and Tata Steel Rural Development Society (TSRDS), both in Jharkhand, and Maharashtra Institute of
Technology Transfer for Rural
Areas (MITTRA) in Maharashtra
were operationalised, based
on the strategy prepared by
the IWMI-Tata Water Policy
Research Programme (IWMI-
Tata Programme), India’s
leading water sector research
institution, supported by the
Trust.
• The Trust signed a Memorandum
of Understanding (MoU) with
the Government of Uttaranchal
to ensure the timely realisation
of goals under Himmothan
Pariyojana, its key initiative
in the Himalayas. During the
year, 14 watershed projects
were supported, covering
7,000 hectares and 34 villages
were covered under water Children at the Bal Vividha organised by Comet Media Foundation in Unai, Gujarat.
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Himmothan Pariyojana: Memorandum of Understanding signed between the Trust and the Government of Uttaranchal.
Overview 2004 - 2005
and sanitation projects in Uttaranchal and Himachal Pradesh. Besides this, two Government
Boards, namely, Uttaranchal Organic Commodity Board (UOCB) and Uttaranchal Bamboo and
Fibre Development Board (UBFDB) were supported to promote livelihood enhancement efforts in
Uttaranchal.
• Under Kharash Vistarotthan Yojana (KVY), the Trust’s coastal salinity initiative in Gujarat, the Coastal
Salinity Cell was operationalised as a nodal agency to help the Government of Gujarat, the Trust
and its partners coordinate and focus efforts to mitigate salinity.
• As part of the initiative ‘Reviving the Green Revolution’, which tackles stagnation in Punjab’s
agriculture by facilitating crop diversifi cation, the fi rst phase drew to a close. The initiative has
successfully developed replicable technologies and a well rounded package of practices for
groundnut and Basmati as alternate crops and on Integrated Pest Management for cotton. This has
prompted the Trust to initiate the second phase of support to both, Punjab Agricultural University
(PAU) and the Directorate of Agriculture, Government of Punjab.
• During the year, under ‘Sakh Se Vikas’, the Rajasthan Microfi nance initiative, the four on-going fi eld
projects focused on promoting community based institutions with a view to move towards self
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Programme grant disbursals: 2004-2005*
Thematic Area No. of grants Rs. in million US$ in million
Rural Livelihoods & Communities 46 232.72 5.29
Education 24 50.94 1.16
Health 15 21.28 0.48
Enhancing Civil Society & Governance 12 31.82 0.72
Arts & Culture 2 3.50 0.09
Total 99 340.26 7.74
Overview 2004 - 2005
sufficiency. The field projects demonstrated that consumption lending, if adequately member
focused, can help meet the first level of financial viability even in an overall depressed economy
such as rural southern Rajasthan.
• The Trust operationalised the second phase of support to Kalanjiam Foundation (a spin-off
institution of DHAN Foundation), for its community banking programme, which covers 61,500
women and their resource poor families, in 30 specified locations in select areas of Karnataka,
Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh.
• During the year, the Trust organised an external review of its Education portfolio. Based on the
recommendations, the portfolio was restructured and now focuses on reforming elementary
education, nurturing education as a discipline and building institutional resource in education.
The Trust is implementing the new strategy through projects that involve the participation of
Programme grant disbursals: 2004-2005
*The figures in the table reflect programmatic disbursals during the financial year 2004-05.
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Overview 2004 - 2005
Individual grants: 1997-2005
the community, besides subject specific interventions in schools. During FY 2004-05, 73% of its
disbursements within Education was towards elementary education.
• An external review of the Small Grant Programme (SGP) was conducted during 2004-05.
Subsequently, the SGP was restructured, based on the recommendations. Whilst simplifying the
procedure for applying for grants under the SGP, through a freshly designed application form,
the Trust has linked grants to its thematic areas. Furthermore, programmatic inputs are being
provided to all SGP projects by external specialists or the Trust’s own team. As many as 93 grants
were made under the SGP during the year, as compared to 53 made during 2003-04.
• A review of the Arts and Culture portfolio, which was initiated in 2003-04, was completed by the
Centre for the Study of Culture and Society (CSCS). Based on the recommendations, the Trust
has decided to keep ‘institution building in the arts’, as its overriding area of focus. This would
build on the strength of the Trust in understanding and supporting its institutions.
• In July 2004, the Trust operationalised its website, which is actively used to disseminate information
on activities in key on-going projects.
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Individual grant disbursals: 2004-2005
Type of grants Rs. in million US$ in million %
Medical 82.45 1.87 78.23
Education 22.94 0.52 21.77
Total 105.39 2.39 100.00
Overview 2004 - 2005
Finance, property and administration:
The year under review saw a quantum rise in the Trust’s income from Rs. 412.80 million to Rs. 673.63
million, an increase of 63 per cent over the previous year. Correspondingly, disbursals touched an all
time high of Rs. 511.46 million (US $ 11.62 million). The general administration and programme costs
were 2 per cent of the total income and 3 per cent of the total disbursals. The accounts for the year
ending March 31, 2005 have been fi nalised and the statutory audit completed.
Onward Grant making by the India Foundation for the Arts, Bangalore: Artistes singing an ode to Guru Nanak at the shrine of Bhikham Shah, in Ghadaam, near Patiala, Punjab
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Overview 2004 - 2005
Human Resources:
The increasing size of the portfolio and complexity of the grants, has led to the outsourcing of
some programmatic functions to external specialists for reviewing ongoing projects, appraising
proposals and providing inputs to strengthen project implementation. Additionally, the Trust made
a conscious decision to organize independent appraisals of all large proposals by sectoral experts,
in an effort to strengthen their design and enhance transparency in processing. The growth in the
portfolio necessitates a re-look at the Trust’s human resources strategy. Consequently, the Trust is
considering decentralising certain programmatic functions in large initiatives, to ‘Cells’, based in the
area of operation, which would be staffed with appropriate human resources to guide the initiative.
Apart from providing technical support, each Cell would function as a one-shop stop for all relevant
information, besides functioning as a ‘Knowledge Bank’ for the initiative.
Looking ahead:
• With 2005-06 being the last year of the SP 2006, the Trust would focus on consolidating the
major initiatives across its programmatic portfolio, besides conducting external reviews of the
thematic portfolios of Rural Livelihoods & Communities, Health and Enhancing Civil Society &
Governance. Along with the reviews of the Education, Arts & Culture and the SGP portfolios
conducted during 2004-05, the exercise would lead to the formulation and finalisation of the
Strategic Plan 2011. Expected to be operationalised from 2006-07, the document would be the
guiding light behind the Trust’s operations for five subsequent years.
• Like the Coastal Salinity Cell under KVY that was operationalised during the year, the Trust would
similarly set up Cells under Central India Initiative (CInI), Himmothan Pariyojana, Reviving the
Green Revolution and the Rajasthan Microfinance Initiative. Besides programmatically guiding
the initiatives, the Cells are envisaged to add immense value, through their focus on knowledge
management.
• During the coming year, the Trust would initiate the second phase of support to the IWMI
Tata Water Policy Research Programme, besides using its research recommendations to
operationalise new grants under CInI. It would also focus on the implementation of the Strategic
Plan for Himmothan Pariyojana, which has been developed.
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Overview 2004 - 2005
• Within the Education portfolio, the Trust would focus on implementing the recommendations of
the Education review, whilst operationalizing its Learning Centres Initiative (LCI), besides launching
an initiative on ‘Development and Dissemination of Education Material’. It would also support
comparative research carried out in education, whilst nurturing education as a discipline.
• The Trust would also endeavour to set up a communications unit for dissemination of work done
within its initiatives, through various products like fi lms and the website, besides coordinating
presentations on key initiatives during Trustees meetings. To optimise its efforts, close links with
all the Cells within key initiatives would be maintained.
Central India Initiative: An executive from PRADAN on his way to attend a SHG meeting in a remote village in Godda district, Jharkhand.
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Rural Livelihoods & Communities
Institutional grants : Rural Livelihoods & Communities
In keeping with the strategy pursued over the past four years, the Trust continued its efforts to
further develop key initiatives in Land and Water Development and Microfi nance. During these four
years, the Trust has made disbursals to the tune of Rs. 529 million (US $ 12.02 million), of which,
Rs. 164 million (31%) has been made towards grants within the Central India Initiative (CInI). This
initiative has been the focus area of the Trust, in accordance to the recommendations of Strategic
Plan 2006, which exhorts the Trust to center its attention on the poverty belt across central India,
which is home to over 50 million marginalized tribals. Whilst making grants within this thematic area,
the Trust continues to work closely with reform oriented state governments, non-profi t organisations
and community based organisations, focusing on strengthening delivery systems to alleviate poverty
through well defi ned regional initiatives. Although the Trust’s interventions are comparatively modest,
given the overall scenario, efforts have been made to invest in innovative regional initiatives, which
seek solutions to problems and then facilitate up-scaling, by drawing in larger funding agencies to
advance well developed and fi eld tested pilots.
The Trust recognizes the role of land and water development in enhancing people’s livelihoods. In order
to ensure quality output, the Trust’s initiatives in land and water development are based on research
and subsequent fi eld testing of fi ndings through pilot projects. The bulk of the Trust’s engagement
within CInI is based on the research recommendations of the IWMI-Tata Water Policy Research
Programme (IWMI-Tata Programme). With the Trust’s support, the IWMI-Tata Programme
presents new perspectives and practical solutions derived from the wealth of research done in India
on water resource management, with the objective of helping policy makers at the central, state and
local levels address future water challenges, by translating research fi ndings into practical policy
recommendations. A mid-term review of the IWMI-Tata Programme was undertaken by external
specialists, which, amongst other issues, recommended the Programme to devise an effective
communication strategy, focusing on decision makers, within a large framework of providing critical
knowledge inputs to the various players associated with infl uencing water policy. The Trust also
supported the IWMI-Tata Programme to undertake the ‘North Gujarat Sustainable Groundwater
Initiative’ (NGI), to locate and replicate community based local strategies to arrest groundwater
depletion and improve the livelihood of the rural poor in Banaskantha district. Over the past two
and a half years, the NGI has led to increased knowledge of several low-cost water saving irrigation
devices, adoption of different types of water saving irrigation systems like micro-tube drips and
sprinklers in alfalfa and horticulture, vermi-composting and other scientifi c composting practices.
Dissemination of the research undertaken by the IWMI-Tata Programme during the current period
was facilitated thorough the Annual Partners’ Meet, which was attended by over 200 researchers,
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Institutional grants : Rural Livelihoods & Communities
IWMI-Tata Programme: North Gujarat Initiative - acres of pomegranate fi elds irrigated through low cost drip
irrigation systems in arid Banaskantha district, Gujarat.
development professionals and representatives of international organizations and leading water
scientists from India and abroad. Substantial participation from central and state governments was
also the hallmark of this year’s meet. Around 100 research papers, under 12 diverse research themes,
were presented and discussed during the three-day event.
The Central India Initiative (CInI) continues to remain the focal area of the Trust. It supported the
IWMI-Tata Programme for the second phase of its research study under CInI, during which, 40
studies were undertaken to review processes which determine the relationship between tribals and
irrigation in ten districts in the central India’s tribal belt. The research fi ndings have been published in
the form of a book and highlight the need for taking a livelihoods centered approach through water
control for tribal development in the region. As per the research fi ndings, the central Indian region
has been sub-divided into the following four zones, based on agro-climatic and socio-economic
conditions. Zone ‘A’ covers the states of Jharkhand, Orissa, Chhattisgarh and West Bengal. The states
under Zone ‘B’ are Madhya Pradesh and parts of Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra. Maharashtra and
parts of Madhya Pradesh comes under Zone ‘C’ and parts of Gujarat and south Rajasthan fall under
Zone ‘D’. Specifi c strategies have been suggested for each zone. In Zone ‘A’, the focus needs to be on
stabilizing Kharif crops, through the creation of decentralized water harvesting structures near farm
lands. In Zone ‘B’, the strategy suggests a focus on the promotion of ‘Wadi’ (orchards) and creation
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Institutional grants : Rural Livelihoods & Communities
of water harvesting structures such as nallah and cement bag bunds. In Zone ‘C’, a similar strategy
to that specifi ed for Zone ‘B’ needs to be adopted, with the introduction of crops such as cotton for
income enhancement. Revival of irrigation systems through Participatory Irrigation Management
could also be taken up. Finally, construction of large check dams and lift irrigation systems, through
community managed Natural Resources Management, has been suggested for Zone ‘D’.
Within Zone ‘A’, the Trust is actively supplementing the efforts of Professional Assistance for
Development Action (PRADAN) towards enhancing rural livelihoods. During the year, a new
livelihood project focusing on enhancing food and livelihood security of pre-dominantly tribal,
marginalised families in 1,600 villages in 16 districts of Jharkhand, through stabilizing Kharif paddy,
introducing alternate crops and promotion of lac and tassar was operationalised. Similarly, a project
on Kharif paddy stabilization was launched in January 2005 with Tata Steel Rural Development
Society (TSRDS), focusing on enhancing livelihoods of over 20,000 tribal families in 21 villages in
Seraikela and Kharsawan blocks of Seraikela-Kharsawan district in Jharkhand. Over the next year,
the Trust would be developing further fi eld based projects in Jharkhand, focusing on Kharif paddy
stabilization, which would help reduce distress migration. Within Zone ‘C’, the Trust is supplementing
a project, sanctioned by the Government of Maharashtra (GoM), to Maharashtra Institute of
Central India Initiative: Promotion of tribal livelihoods by PRADAN – a Tassar rearer in West Singhbhum
district, Jharkhand.
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Institutional grants : Rural Livelihoods & Communities
Technology Transfer for Rural Areas (MITTRA), an off-shoot of BAIF Development Research
Foundation. The GoM project, titled ‘Jan Utkarsha Programme’, has a total outlay of Rs. 1.4 billion;
spread over a five year period to upscale the ‘Wadi’ model. It focuses on development of ‘Wadi’,
community health, micro-watersheds and women development programmes, thereby reaching out
to 52,500 tribal families in 15 districts in Maharashtra. In Zone ‘D’, the Trust continued working with
N. M. Sadguru Water & Development Foundation (Sadguru Foundation), in Jhalawar and
Banswara districts in Rajasthan, the focus being on water resources and watershed development
projects. During the year, Sadguru Foundation constructed 16 lift irrigation schemes and 20 check
dams, besides developing over 3,100 plots for horticulture and facilitating plantation of over two
million seedlings under its social forestry programme. Sadguru Foundation raised Rs. 50.88 million
from the government to supplement interventions.
In the coming few months, the Trust would be taking the lead in establishing the ‘CInI Cell’, which
would be initially based in Anand and housed at the IWMI-Tata Programme. The ‘CInI Cell’ would: (a)
act as a networking and coordinating unit between civil society organizations, government agencies
and donors working in the central India region; (b) serve as a knowledge bank, which would be a
single source for the information related to tribal livelihoods in central India, especially with regard
to productive use of water resources; (c) play a role of an idea incubator, by exploring new ideas in
the field by further developing CInI; (d) develop brand equity for CInI; and (e) monitor and provide
technical support to organizations implementing CInI strategies, through regular monitoring missions
and field visits.
Since January 2002, the Trust, along with its partner organisations, namely, Aga Khan Rural Support
Programme (India) (AKRSP(I)), Ambuja Cement Foundation (ACF), and Shree Vivekanand
Research and Training Institute (VRTI), are undertaking the Kharash Vistarotthan Yojana
(KVY), earlier known as the Gujarat Coastal Salinity Ingress Prevention and Mitigation initiative, to
tackle the problems caused by salinity ingress in coastal areas of Gujarat, besides attempting to arrest
the rate of intrusion. During the first two years, AKRSP(I) and ACF, both in Junagadh district, had
primarily undertaken interventions to supplement the availability of drinking water in project villages.
Experience has indicated that tackling salinity requires a mixture of demand and supply side water
interventions. To have a lasting impact on salinity, it is necessary to encourage farmers to change
crop patterns and switch over to equally remunerative, but less water consuming crops. During the
year under review, whilst ACF has been shifting gradually from its drinking water and groundwater
recharge approach to increasing its focus on agriculture, AKRSP(I) has widely extended water saving
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The coastal belt of Kutch, Gujarat, especially the villages adjoining the coastline in the Mundra taluka, have been
severely affected with salinity ingress, due to fl agrant exploitation of groundwater for cultivation and providing irrigation
to horticulture crops. Prolonged use of saline water for irrigation has led to a decline in agricultural productivity and
decreased soil fertility, rendering the land unsuitable for future cultivation. As a direct consequence of this environmental
disaster, a large number of cultivators have been compelled to abandon their once thriving plantations. Enter the
Vivekanand Research and Training Institute (VRTI), which was set up in 1974 and has been active in the fi elds of
water resources development, watershed management, agriculture and animal husbandry in Kutch and Bhavnagar.
In 2003, the Trust operationalised a Rs. 61.5 million project with VRTI, under the Kharash Vistarotthan Yojana (KVY), earlier known as the Gujarat Coastal Salinity Ingress Prevention & Mitigation Initiative, for developing and implementing a
comprehensive programme on salinity management in 18 villages in Mundra taluka in Kutch, involving capacity building
and formation of community organizations, revival of salt affected horticulture plantations and establishment of new
ones, group irrigation, promotion of water saving technologies and construction of water harvesting structures.
Reviving salt affected plantations is one innovative concept under KVY through which, VRTI aims to revive 200 hectares
of damaged plantations. A trench, 1.5 feet wide and 1 foot deep is constructed surrounding the tree trunk, under the
canopy, in which 10 kilograms of manure and an equal quantity of farm waste is added. Appropriate culture is also
introduced, in order to accelerate the decomposition process, following which the trench is adequately watered and
covered with date palm leaves. This procedure enhances the moisture holding capacity in the root zone and arrests
the radial growth of the roots beyond the trench area and into the saline zone. Besides, the organic matter provides
a buffer for salinity ingress and reduces the evaporation losses, resulting in a 40% saving of water, compared to fl ood
irrigation, where large quantities of water are used, which lead to salt deposition due to the salinity.
This innovative approach experimented by VRTI has kicked-off the revival process of the plantations, with over 300
trees sprouting branches and lush green leaves. The organisation is currently studying the observations recorded with
respect to fl owering and fruiting. It is the Trust’s endeavour to enhance its support in KVY to combat salinity and
improve the lives of the people living in the coastal villages of Gujarat.
Kharash Vistarotthan Yojana: Trench being dug around a date palm to implement trench irrigation to offset
the impact of salinity in Mundra taluka, Kutch, as part of a project being implemented by VRTI.
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technologies, such as drips and sprinklers, apart from increasing area under horticulture. In Kutch, VRTI
has focused on groundwater recharge and implementing different innovative agricultural interventions,
including reviving salt affected plantations, trench irrigation and experimenting with various water
saving technologies. During the year, a new field project commenced with Tata Chemicals Society
for Rural Development (TCSRD) for developing a model on salinity management through a
pilot involving agricultural, groundwater recharge and drinking water interventions in six villages in
Okhamandal taluka on the Jamnagar coast in Saurashtra. In recognition of the complexity and the
multi-faceted nature of the problem, the need was perceived to tie in the work carried out by the
Trust’s partner organisations, including the relevant departments of the Government of Gujarat (GoG),
through the formation of a Coastal Salinity Cell, which would co-ordinate and provide technical
inputs to on-going salinity mitigation projects. Apart from being the nodal agency for KVY, it would
develop innovative programmes and initiatives. In April 2004, the GoG issued a Government Order
constituting the Coastal Salinity Cell and its Steering Committee. Consequently, in March 2005, the
Coastal Salinity Cell was operationalised, which apart from coordinating efforts, would: (i) network
with individuals, groups and concerned government departments; (ii) facilitate efforts of individuals,
civil society institutions and concerned departments, through technical and professional support,
extension training, media, exposure visits and education; (iii) generate awareness amongst people
in project areas about the problems of salinity, judicious use of water, etc.; and (iv) promote research
and studies on specific issues related to salinity. The Coastal Salinity Cell is expected to become
the fulcrum to develop and strengthen KVY.
The Trust’s flagship initiative ‘Himmothan Pariyojana’ (HMP), which was operationalised in
January 2002, addresses some of the key rural development issues confronting the inhabitants of
the Himalayas on a systematic basis. With the initiative well into its second year, the Trust signed a
Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Government of Uttaranchal (GoUA) on May 5, 2004,
for a period of ten years. The MoU sets out the commitment of the Trust and GoUA to ensure the
timely realization of goals under Himmothan Pariyojana. As an outcome of the MoU, the GoUA and
the Trust has constituted a joint team, to develop a strategic plan for HMP, which would chart-out a
framework for interventions. The strategic plan would ensure that assistance is given to critical areas
where funds are insufficient or not possible through conventional government funding patterns.
The current phase of HMP has three components. The first component enhances livelihoods through
participatory watershed development and focuses on tackling land degradation by implementing
micro-watershed projects designed specifically for Himalayan conditions, through community based
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watershed committees. Whilst Peoples’ Science Institute (PSI) is undertaking the capacity building
exercise for both, Non Profi t Organisations (NPOs) and watershed committees, in the Garhwal region
of Uttaranchal and Himachal Pradesh, Central Himalayan Rural Action Group (CHIRAG) has
focused its efforts in Kumaon region of Uttaranchal. As on March 2005, a total of 14 watershed projects
emerging from the watershed capacity building programme have been operationalised, of which, six
are in Garhwal and three in Kumaon regions of Uttaranchal, whilst fi ve are in Himachal Pradesh. The
experiences gathered over the past three years indicates that as the activities progress from capacity
building to the actual physical implementation, the Trust and its partners need to provide regular
inputs to the fi eld projects, through hand-holding and further capacity building of communities, with
a view to ensure quality model watersheds. The second component improves community health
through drinking water and sanitation projects and is being implemented through village based water
and sanitation committees, known as ‘Management Societies’, which plan, implement and manage
their own schemes. As on March 2005, implementation activities have covered 34 villages across
Tehri Garhwal, Uttarkashi, Dehradun, Bageshwar and Pithoragarh districts of Uttaranchal, being
facilitated through on-going grants to Himalayan Gram Vikas Samiti (HGVS), Himalayan Institute
Hospital Trust (HIHT) and Society for Motivational Training & Action (SMTA). Implementation
activities in a further 11 villages in Bageshwar and Chamoli districts of Uttaranchal are expected to
be taken up next year, facilitated by Kassar Trust. The fi nal component focuses on enhancing rural
livelihoods through farm and non farm activities, so as to prevent migration and reduce dependence
on subsistence agriculture. Under this component, the Centre for Organic Farming (COF), based
Himmothan Pariyojana: Farmers spray bio-pesticide on a Basamti fi eld in Udham Singh Nagar district,
Uttaranchal, as part of the organic farming project with Uttaranchal Organic Commodity Board.
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Rankote is a small village of 89 scheduled caste families in Pithoragarh district, Uttaranchal. Not too long ago, the
villagers lacked decent drinking water facilities. There were three defunct drinking water schemes, along with only
nine functional toilets, leading to a general decline in health and hygiene of the population. Poverty, lack of awareness
and poor education has led to alcohol addiction amongst the people. This scenario had a telling effect on the fragile
eco-system, with the forest above the water sources becoming severely denuded, leading to a drastic reduction in
discharge in the sources.
In 2002, the village was selected for the planning phase of the water and sanitation projects under Himmothan Pariyojana.
Rankote was divided into four clusters and extensive meetings were conducted for discussing various problems. A
Village Empowerment Committee (VEC) was formed, consisting of 40% women, following which, a detailed household
survey and PRA was conducted. Various awareness camps on health and hygiene related topics were organised and
Self Help Groups (SHGs) formed to protect the environment. The Implementation Phase commenced once people’s
contribution to the tune of 10% was received in the VEC’s accounts, towards the capital costs of construction of the
three water supply schemes. Consequently, these three defunct water schemes were revived. Today, 29 stand posts
are supplying clean drinking water to the entire village, where there is also 100% sanitation coverage. Other individual
structures constructed in the village include poly-houses, soak pits, fi sh tanks and roof rain water harvesting tanks,
for which, the community contributed 60% of the capital costs. A nursery of 2,000 saplings has also been raised and
plantation activities have been undertaken in an area of two hectares, as part of the Catchment Area Protection
works. Currently, the VEC is focused on putting in place a comprehensive Operation & Maintenance (O&M) system,
to ensure that the water supply schemes become sustainable.
The Himmothan Pariyojana endeavours to deliver sustainable health and hygiene benefi ts, through a holistic
approach towards water supply, catchment area protection and sanitation, besides health and hygiene awareness.
Himalayan Institute Hospital Trust (HIHT), Himalayan Gram Vikas Samiti (HGVS), Society for Motivation Training & Action (SMTA) and Kassar Trust are facilitating the process, which is implemented through village
based water & sanitation committees, known as Management Societies, that plan, design, implement and manage
their own schemes. During the initial pre-planning phase, which commenced in May 2002, pre-feasibility exercises were
conducted in 72 villages. Thereafter, a one year planning phase was initiated in 49 villages in November 2002, where
communities demanded better drinking water and sanitation facilities. A two year implementation phase covering
23 villages commenced in February 2004 facilitated by HGVS and HIHT, followed by SMTA, which commenced its
implementation phase, covering 11 villages, from October 2004. Today, the villagers of Rankote exhibit exuberance at
the change in their lives brought about by Himmothan Pariyojana.
Himmothan Pariyojana: A family stands besides their Roof Rainwater Harvesting tank in Dhungli village,
Tehri Garhwal district. A project facilitated by Himalayan Institute Hospital Trust.
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at the Uttaranchal Organic Commodity Board (UOCB), was instrumental in facilitating the
marketing and export of 260 tons of organic Basmati from Dehradun & Udham Singh Nagar districts,
registering the logo “Organic Uttaranchal”, as a brand name for all organic products of the state and
helping develop market centers in each district. The Trust sanctioned a new grant to COF towards
the creation of an annex to the existing Centre, at Machkhali in Almora district, which would extend
its organic activities to the middle Himalayas through research & development, organic interventions
in horticulture and development of items like Mandua baby food and buckwheat for export and
E-commerce. Another new grant was made to Uttaranchal Bamboo and Fibre Development
Board (UBFDB) towards bamboo & fi ber based livelihood promotion in Uttaranchal, through research,
demonstration and dissemination of bamboo and fi ber based technologies, creation of livelihood
options amongst rural poor through cultivation of bamboo and fi ber as a reliable and profi table
income generating alternative and exploring markets for bamboo products.
The initiative ‘Reviving the Green Revolution’ was operationalised by the Trust in April 2002, along with
Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) as its key partner, to seek answers and solutions to arrest
the stagnation in agriculture in Punjab that had set in the recent times, due to over-exploitation of
ground water, pollution of ground and surface water, water logging, infestation of crops by insect
Himmothan Pariyojana: Members of the water & sanitation committee of Bora village, Pithoragarh district,
besides the clear water reservoir of their water supply scheme. A project facilitated by Himalayan Gram
Vikas Samiti.
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pests, falling nutrient levels in the soil, uncertain and unreliable agricultural markets and crippling
debts, amongst other factors. In May 2004, the Trust had the whole initiative externally reviewed.
The review recommended continuation of on-going programs of alternate cropping, groundnut
improvement and Integrated Pest Management (IPM) on cotton. It also recommended exploration
of cost effective replicable models for extension of proven technologies of alternate crops within
a reasonable span of time, besides indicating the need to develop a vision of extending alternate
cropping to all the areas suffering from excessive exploitation of ground water. More importantly, it
highlighted the need to provide necessary market infrastructure for alternate crops, group marketing/
contract farming, agro-processing and market intelligence services, which required active involvement
from the Government of Punjab (GoP). The first phase of the initiative drew to an end during the year
under review and successfully developed replicable technologies and a well rounded package of
practices for groundnut, Basmati and IPM on cotton, which have been favorably received by farmers.
Consequently, a dialogue was initiated with the Government of Punjab (GoP) to take forward these
success stories, especially through developing market linkages, plant protection mechanisms and
input supply. The focus has been on developing an integrated implementation strategy with other
agencies involved with the diversification process. To facilitate the process and consolidate gains,
Phase II of the initiative was operationalised through three new grants sanctioned in March 2005. The
first project supports the Department of Entomology at PAU towards further developing, validating
and disseminating cotton-IPM technology in Bhatinda, Ferozpur, Mansa and Muktsar districts of
Punjab. The second project with the Department of Plant Breeding at PAU focuses on developing
high yielding, early maturing, disease and insect resistant varieties of groundnut, by utilizing already
identified resistant stocks and enhancing the seed production of SG 99 and promoting its adoption in
Punjab. The third project forges a partnership with the Directorate of Agriculture, Government
of Punjab, towards up-scaling of the dissemination of cotton-IPM technology across the cotton
belt in the state, covering 56 villages annually in 28 blocks, by undertaking a host of activities in
project villages during the Kharif season. During the year, the Trust has also supported three on-going
projects with the Department of Water Engineering, the Department of Soils and the Department of
Agronomy, all at PAU. Whilst the first project focuses on management of water resources through
efficient utilisation of water, through drip irrigation and augmentation of groundwater by artificial
recharge through tube wells, the second project focuses on management of water resources, with
the objectives of reducing groundwater withdrawal. The project with the Department of Agronomy
titled ‘Comparative Performance of Alternative Cropping Systems to Rice-Wheat in Saving Water’,
entails field demonstrations being conducted on less water demanding cropping systems in Jalandhar,
Sangrur and Faridkot districts of Punjab respectively.
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The lush green fi elds of Punjab are considered to be the granaries of India. However, over the past few years, the Green
Revolution, spearheaded by the utilization of high yielding variety seeds, irrigation, chemical fertilizers, pesticides and
farm mechanization, has stagnated and consequently, agricultural productivity is on the decline. Multiple problems
confront agriculture here, chief amongst them being over-exploitation of ground water, pollution of ground and surface
water, water logging and soil salinity, infestation of crops by insect pests, etc. With a view to tackle this situation,
the Trust has collaborated with various departments at the Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), Ludhiana, to
spearhead a Revival of the Green Revolution. Under this initiative, the Trust has supported the Department of
Entomology at PAU, through a three year project called “Research and Development on Integrated Pest Management
(IPM) in Cotton and Rice in Punjab”. Undertaken on irrigated cotton, the project commenced in 2002 in two villages in
Ferozepur district, Punjab, where cotton-IPM technology was validated and promoted at farmers’ fi elds. The technology
was further demonstrated in four more villages in Ferozepur and Muktsar districts, during 2003 and 2004.
For the project, 166 farmers, possessing about 796 hectares of land, were adopted for implementation of IPM technology
and for comparison, 52 non-IPM farmers, with 210 hectares of cotton were selected. The cotton-IPM module consisted
of timely sowing of early maturing, rapid fruiting hirsutum cotton varieties/ hybrids, judicious use of fertilizers and
irrigation, weeding of alternate weed hosts of cotton leaf curl virus, weekly monitoring of pest population, releases
of Trichogramma chilonis at weekly interval, hand collection and destruction of big larvae of Helicoverpa armigera,
besides spraying of recommended insecticides. Scientists from PAU regularly visited the farmers’ fi elds to survey and
monitor the crop and pest situation, besides educating them about identifi cation of insect pests and their nature of
damage, besides use of insecticidal sprays based on the ETH levels and the benefi ts of effi cient spray technology.
The impact of the cotton-IPM programme, as recorded during 2004, was most encouraging compared to 2002: (a) the
area under early maturing, rapid fruiting, CLCV resistant hybrids in 2004 rose by 25 per cent; (b) the area under timely
sowing of crop in 2004 (April to mid May) increased by 11 per cent; (c) the IPM farmers gave on an average 5.4 sprays
in 2004, as compared to 12.2 in 2002; and (d) the IPM farmers also reduced the use of synthetic pyrethroids and
insecticide mixtures signifi cantly. Overall, the IPM farmers obtained 33 per cent higher yield, whilst spending 36 per cent
less for control of insect pests, compared to the non-IPM farmers, thereby benefi ting by Rs. 17,000 per hectare.
The successful demonstration of the IPM has encouraged farmers in these districts in Punjab to adopt this technology
on a large scale. It has also spurred the Trust to expand its involvement with PAU through a second phase with the
Department of Entomology, besides supporting the Department of Agriculture, Govt. of Punjab, towards up-scaling
the PAU model of cotton-IPM technology across the cotton belt in the state.
Reviving the Green Revolution: Dr. A. S. Sohi of the Entomology Department, PAU, explains intricacies
of IPM on cotton to young farmers in Ferozpur district, Punjab.
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However, robust livelihoods cannot be provided solely through supporting and developing natural
resources. When one considers the landless and marginal cultivators, it is apparent that alternate
avenues are essential for diversifi cation of livelihoods. The Trust’s grant making in microfi nance
continues to encourage promotion of savings and credit groups, with a view to organize communities,
improving access to credit to reduce vulnerability and encourage asset creation.
Sakh Se Vikas – the Trust initiative in Rajasthan is focused on developing contextually relevant
client-centric programmes for the poor, as part of the Trust’s focus on underserved regions. While
grant making towards microfi nance programmes in Rajasthan was initiated in 1999, the initiative was
launched in the fi nancial year 2003-04. In this initiative, the Trust supports fi eld projects, namely, Jan
Shiksha Evam Vikas Sangathan (PEDO), Prayatna Samiti, Ibtada and Hanuman Van Vikas
Samiti (HVVS). These organisations together reach out to about 800 Self Help Groups of women
and about 12,000 families across three districts. During the year, these projects were involved in
promoting community based institutions with a view to move towards self suffi ciency. 57 clusters have
been promoted and the associations are being strengthened through regular capacity building input
including developing community leadership. The community is increasingly meeting costs of these
services through the profi ts generated from the programme. The fi eld projects have demonstrated
Women undertaking grading of groups within the Kranti Mahila Sabha in Saalpuri village, Alwar district, as
part of a microfi nance project facilitated by Ibtada.
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that consumption lending, if adequately member focused, can help meet the first level of financial
viability even in an overall depressed economy such as rural southern Rajasthan. Handholding support
though regular review visits by Kalanjium Foundation, Madurai continued during the year. To provide
more intensive handholding to smaller organisations, the Trust has supported Association for Rural
Advancement through Voluntary Action and Local Involvement (ARAVALI). ARAVALI works
with 20 partner organisations and reaches out to over 4,000 groups and 54,000 families. A forum
between bankers and non profit organisations was established in Churu district and a Microfinance
Management Development Programme (MMDP) was developed and launched in Alwar, during the
year. To supplement the professional resources brought in through the Professional Assistance to
Voluntary Action programme, local microfinance cadre was developed with placing four grassroots
workers to focus on microfinance programme in select partners. Studies have shown that sustained
efforts to promote microfinance can improve the access of financial services to rural poor. The Trust
is considering seeding a state level support group for microfinance. A feasibility study on this was
planned and undertaken by Dr V S Vyas, an eminent economist, during the year. Over the coming
year, the Trust would focus on operationalising the recommendations of the study. It would also be
engaging with large scale livelihood programmes in the state such as the District Poverty Initiatives
Programme, with a view to add value and support institution building and livelihood promotion
processes.
The Trust grant making envisages microfinance as a tool for development. While the Rajasthan
initiative is geographically focused, an effort has been made to see how key development concerns
can be addressed through microfinance. Academic and field studies note the role of health related
expenses in increasing household vulnerability. In recognition of this, the Trust has initiated a series
of planning grants, using the small grant instrument, that explore linkages with health financing on
a microfinance platform. Future direction would be taken based on review of these grants. As part
of this larger effort, Kalanjium Foundation (KF) has been supported since its inception through
successive grants. The Trust supported 41% of total costs and 46% of the total groups promoted and
households supported by programme. A new phase grant, approved this year, would demonstrate
the model in 10 tribal and coastal areas and 15 drought prone blocks; experiment and upscale
development financing products such as those on de-addiction and electricity. Nine new locations
were initiated with Trust’s support, reaching out to about 18,000 families. Efforts would be intensified
in the area of business development service provision. An innovative incubation fund allows KF to
incubate new locations and raise funds for it from mainstream sources, including banks for about
25-30 blocks. This is being used to raise promotional funds from the Canara Bank. While the Trust
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Sakh Se Vikas – The Trust’s Rajasthan Initiative
This initiative seeks to demonstrate contextually relevant programmes that use micro fi nance as a tool for development,
particularly livelihood promotion and building community based organisations. This experience would feed into
engagement with the stakeholders for shaping a strategic vision for the microfi nance movement in Rajasthan. Field
projects in the initiative focus on strengthening groups for more responsiveness to member needs, streamlining functioning
and encouraging sustainability. All partners are promoting secondary institutions as fi nancially viable community based
organisations. Currently, more than 50% of costs associated with running the groups are being met by the groups.
Besides benefi ts at individual member level, the initiative has some learnings for microfi nance programmes in under-
served regions, such as Rajasthan. The initiative has
reaffi rmed that lending for consumption can support
attainment of fi rst level fi nancial self suffi ciency. While
business development efforts are important and
need to be undertaken, the initial effort should be on
understanding member’s usage of fi nancial services
and help plug leakages. This builds member interest,
which fuels quality improvement of the programme.
For instance, PEDO revamped its entire credit policy to
suit the needs of the members. An internal assessment
pointed out large sums of idle funds in bank accounts. A
new policy was introduced that: (a) created three distinct
loan products – very short term, short term and long
term loans, with different repayment period; (b) made
smaller installments to repay loans that encouraged
off-take without creating large recurrent demand; and
(c) linked loan sanctioned with savings and maturity of
groups. Transactions at group level, which were routed
through banks, were now made in cash, increasing the
member-friendliness of the system. The loan sanctioning
limit at various levels (groups, clusters and organisation)
were also increased. The results were phenomenal.
Between September 2003 and 2004, the number of
members availing loans increased by more than 35%.
Savings increased by 47%. The credit off-take from the
members’ own savings increased by 151%, while that
from banks increased ten times. The demand for loans
shot up and linkages worth almost Rs. 10 million were
made, the leverage ratio was up at 1:1.41.
HVVS streamlined its dual membership by creating savings products within the group. Community based quality ratings
have shown very positive results on group quality. The initiative has reiterated the imperative to break the’20-women-
save-Rs 20-a-month’ cycle and design products based on member needs, if microfi nance is to be an effective tool for
development. Paucity of member level information and organizational capacities somewhat constrain the effort. While
research studies in Dungarpur would provide some useful inputs, the setting up of a centre for development of micro
fi nance, as a knowledge hub and a resource for microfi nance efforts in the state, holds promise.
Women undertaking grading of groups within the Kranti
Mahila Sabha in Saalpuri village, Alwar district, as part of a
microfi nance project facilitated by Ibtada.
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supports a grant of Rs. 60 million, the Sir Dorabji Tata Trust has committed to Rs. 61 million. The Trusts
would undertake joint monitoring of the grant. Besides up-scaling and deepening programmes, KF
is expected to prepare and raise funds for its next phase of growth.
Research under the Fund for Research Collaborations in Microfinance at the Indian Institute of
Management, Ahmedabad made some meaningful explorations. A study on the cash flows of the
rural poor in Dungarpur was completed and further rolled out in Sarguja and Deoghar districts of
Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand respectively. Case studies on transformation experiences of Sanghamithra,
and Sarvodaya Nano Finance Limited were completed. Data collection on other Microfinance
institutions was completed during the year. Literature review on migration and remittances was
completed and a pilot on this will be launched in the coming year. In September 2004, a one day
brainstorming workshop on the theme “Rural Finance in Contemporary Times: Interface with
Microfinance”, co-funded by Microfinance Management Institute, was organized in collaboration with
Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore. The workshop was attended by senior bankers, policy
makers, microfinance professionals and a few academics. In the coming year, while the research
gains further momentum, key dissemination events would be held to share the research findings.
To support new livelihoods ideas which are experimental in nature and test ways of doing things
with potentially large and long-term gains for the society, the Trust operationalised a new grant to
Just Change Trust, to set up a community trading structure for essential products, thereby envisaging
Grant Disbursals for Rural Livelihoods and Communities: 1997-2005
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livelihood enhancement benefi ting upto 14,000 families across six-eight partners. The planning phase
for Just Change Trust was supported earlier under the Small Grants Programme of the Trust. The
current grant is focused on setting systems, initiating trade products including rice, tea and coconut
oil across 2,500 families through three partners.
The Trust’s disbursals during the year under review were Rs. 232.72 million (US $ 5.29 million) towards
46 grants, as compared to Rs. 113.28 million towards 40 grants during 2003-04, a 105% increase from
last year. Remarkably, this quantum exceeds the disbursals made in all the fi ve thematic portfolios
during 2003-04, vindicating the efforts of the Trust in developing the portfolio and the initiatives within
it, all of which have now attained critical mass. During the coming year, the Trust would organize a
comprehensive review of all the initiatives within the portfolio, which would form the basis for the
Strategic Plan 2011 of the Trust.
Central India Initiative: Parasli Check Dam cum Lift Irrigation constructed on Shipra river in Jhalawar district, Rajasthan, by
Sadguru Foundation, bringing 295 acres under irrigation.
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Institutional grants : Rural Livelihoods & Communities
Rural Livelihoods & Communities:Details of grant disbursals in 2004-2005
WATER SECTOR RESEARCH Rs.
IWMI-Tata Water Policy Research Programme, Anand Towards the IWMI-Tata Water Policy Research Programme, for conducting cutting-edge studies, by engaging Indian and global scientific and research management institutions in a practical agenda of water sector research andpolicy discussion. 13,000,000
IWMI-Tata Water Policy Research Programme, AnandTowards the ‘North Gujarat Initiative’ (NGI), which augments water availability in Banaskantha district, through promotion of low-cost micro-irrigation and water savingtechnologies. 850,000
Self Reliant Initiatives Through Joint Action (SRIJAN), New DelhiTowards developing a community managed model for ground water utilization inthree micro basins in Karnataka. 513,000
CENTRAL INDIA INITIATIVE (CInI)
Navinchandra Mafatlal Sadguru Water & Development Foundation (SWDF), DahodA multi-year Rs. 125 million grant, focusing on community managed integrated land and water resources development activities in Dahod, Gujarat and Banswara andJhalawar in Rajasthan. 45,200,000
IWMI-Tata Water Policy Research Programme, Anand Towards a series of studies to develop strategies for CInI, to tackle poverty in tribal areas of Central India, by enhancing livelihoods through water basedinterventions. 1,676,000
Action for Social Advancement (ASA), Dahod For a comprehensive land and water management programme in three villagesof Jhabua district, Madhya Pradesh. 1,400,000
Professional Assistance for Development Action (PRADAN), New Delhi Towards a watershed development programme in Purulia district, West Bengal, benefiting over 8,000 families, largely tribal, small, or marginal farmers and thelandless. 1,077,000
Professional Assistance for Development Action (PRADAN), New Delhi Towards enhancing livelihoods of tribals in 1,600 villages in 16 districts of Jharkhand, through women’s Self Help Groups, thereby enhancing food andlivelihood security of 47,000 pre-dominantly tribal families. 26,520,000
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Tata Steel Rural Development Society (TSRDS), JamshedpurTowards enhancing livelihoods of over 20,000 tribal families in 21 villages in Seraikela and Kharsawan blocks of Seraikela-Kharsawan district in Jharkhand, by attempting to stabilise Kharif paddy cultivation, through creation of water resources, soil and moisture conservation measures and providing agriculture extension services. 2,000,000
Maharashtra Institute of Technology Transfer for Rural Areas (MITTRA), NasikTowards a comprehensive livelihood promotion programme, focusing on development of ‘Wadi’ (orchards), dairy cattle, community health, micro-watersheds and women development programmes, covering 52,500 tribalfamilies in 15 districts in Maharashtra. 5,500,000
KHARASH VISTAROTTHAN YOJANA (Gujarat Coastal Salinity Ingress Prevention & Mitigation Initiative)
Aga Khan Rural Support Programme (India) (AKRSP(I)), Ahmedabad To develop a model on salinity management through a pilot on the Mangrol coast of Junagadh district, which involves agricultural and drinking waterinterventions in 5 and 15 villages respectively. 1,018,250
Ambuja Cement Foundation (ACF), Kodinar To develop a model on salinity management through a pilot on the Kodinar coast of Junagadh district, which involves agricultural and drinking waterinterventions in 5 and 20 villages respectively. 1,200,000
Vivekanand Research and Training Institute (VRTI), Mandvi, (Kutch) For developing and implementing a comprehensive programme on salinity management in 18 villages in Mundra taluka in Kutch, involving capacity building and formation of community organizations, revival of salt affected horticulture plantations and establishment of new ones, group irrigation, promotion of water saving technologies and construction of water harvesting structures. No disbursals
Tata Chemicals Society for Rural Development (TCSRD), MithapurTo develop a model on salinity management through a pilot in Okhamandal taluka on the Jamnagar coast in Saurashtra, involving agriculture, groundwaterrecharge and drinking water interventions in six villages. 2,200,000
Coastal Salinity Cell (CSC), RajkotTowards the Salinity Cell, based at the Salinity Ingress Prevention Circle (SIPC) in Rajkot, Gujarat, which would coordinate and focus efforts with on-going projects to mitigate salinity, besides generating awareness on water managementtechniques and becoming a one-shop stop for all issues related to salinity. 4,000,000
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HIMMOTHAN PARIYOJANA
Peoples’ Science Institute, Dehradun Towards undertaking the capacity building of non-profit organisations in Himachal Pradesh and Garhwal region of Uttaranchal in community managed watersheddevelopment and provide technical support to on-going watershed projects. 4,300,000
Central Himalayan Rural Action Group (CHIRAG), Sitla Towards undertaking the capacity building of non-profit organisations in Kumaon region of Uttaranchal in community managed watershed development and undertaking a natural resources management project in Bageshwar district,Uttaranchal. 5,500,000
Chinmaya Tapovan Trust (CTT), Kangra Towards a three year comprehensive watershed development project, to treat 582 hectares in the Bhagan Khadd watershed, covering three villages in KandKardiyana Panchayat of Kangra district, Himachal Pradesh. 1,304,000
Himalayee Paryavaran Shiksha Sansthan (HPSS), Tehri Garhwal Towards a three year comprehensive watershed development project, to treat 562 hectares in the Nagudagad watershed, covering five villages in Pratapnagarblock of Tehri Garhwal district, Uttaranchal. 1,367,000
Himalayan Jan Kalyan Evam Bal Vikas Samiti (HJKEBVS), Rudraprayag Towards a three year comprehensive watershed development project, to treat 573 hectares in the Bhanajgad watershed, covering four villages in Agustyamuniblock of Rudraprayag district, Uttaranchal. 1,498,000
Gram Sewa Sansthan (GSS), Tehri Garhwal Towards a three year comprehensive watershed development project, to treat 502 hectares of Inangad watershed, covering four villages in Bhillangana blockof Tehri Garhwal district, Uttaranchal. 1,173,000
Samaj Kalyan Evam Vikas Mandal (SKVM), Mandi Towards a three year comprehensive watershed development project, to treat 509 hectares of the Kotlu Nala watershed, covering six revenue villages in TebbanGram Panchayat, in Mandi district, Himachal Pradesh. 1,340,000
Pan Himalayan Grassroots Development Foundation, Ranikhet Towards a three year watershed development project that initiates community forestry on 90 hectares of contiguous degraded hill slopes, besides bringing 90 acres of farm land under improved irrigation systems in five villages in thePidyadhar micro-watershed area in Sirmaur District, Himachal Pradesh. No disbursals
Institutional grants : Rural Livelihoods & Communities
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Mount Valley Development Association (MVDA), Tehri GarhwalTowards a three year comprehensive watershed development project, to treat 465 hectares of the Semgadhera watershed, covering five villages in Bhilanganablock of Tehri Garhwal district, Uttaranchal. 877,000
Jan Vikas Sansthan (JVS), Tehri GarhwalTowards a three year comprehensive watershed development project, to treat 376 hectares of the Hilaigad watershed, covering five villages in Jakholi block ofTehri Garhwal district, Uttaranchal. 760,000
Society for Environment and Rural Awakening (ERA), KangraTowards a three year comprehensive watershed development project, to treat 502 hectares of the Nakehad Khad watershed, covering eight villages in Dol-Khariyana and Thil Panchayat of Kangra district, Himachal Pradesh. 920,000
Himalayan Gram Vikas Samiti (HGVS), Gangolihat Towards a two year Implementation Phase that supports village level water and sanitation management societies to implement, operate and maintain drinking water and sanitation schemes in 11 villages in Bageshwar and Pithoragarhdistricts, Uttaranchal. 17,500,000
Himalayan Institute Hospital Trust (HIHT), Jolly Grant Towards a two year Implementation Phase that supports village level water and sanitation management societies to implement, operate and maintain drinking water and sanitation schemes in 12 villages in Tehri-Garhwal district,Uttaranchal. 23,500,000
Society for Motivation Training & Action (SMTA), Vikas Nagar Towards a one year Implementation Phase that supports village level water and sanitation management societies to implement, operate and maintain drinking water and sanitation schemes in 11 villages in Uttarkashi and Dehradundistricts, Uttaranchal. 4,100,000
Kassar Trust, Bageshwar, UttaranchalTowards a one year planning phase to set up village level water and sanitation management societies management societies which plan, implement, operate and maintain their own drinking water and sanitation schemes in 12 villages inBageshwar and Chamoli districts, Uttaranchal. 2,768,000
Himalayan Institute Hospital Trust (HIHT), Jolly GrantTo administer a consultancy assignment to appraise the Detailed Technical Reports and Community Action Plans prepared for 45 villages under the planning phase of Himmothan Pariyojana, so as to ensure that the proposed water &sanitation projects in the implementation phase are technically soundand cost-efficient. 234,800
Institutional grants : Rural Livelihoods & Communities
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Centre for Organic Farming (COF), Uttaranchal Organic Commodity Board, (UOCB) DehradunTowards a collaboration with the Government of Uttaranchal to set up COF, which would perform as a capacity building and decentralized production oriented technology transfer mechanism, providing technical and marketing expertiseto UOCB to promote organic activities in the state. 2,700,000
Centre for Organic Farming (COF), Uttaranchal Organic Commodity Board, DehradunTowards the creation of an annex to the existing Centre for Organic Farming (COF), at Machkhali in Almora district, which would extend its organic activities to the middle Himalayas through research & development, organic interventions in horticulture and development of items like Mandua baby food and buckwheatfor export and E-commerce. 4,000,000
Uttaranchal Bamboo and Fiber Development Board (UBFDB), DehradunTowards bamboo & fiber based livelihood promotion in Uttaranchal, through research, demonstration and dissemination of bamboo and fiber based technologies, creation of livelihood options amongst rural poor through cultivation of bamboo and fiber as a reliable and profitable income generating alternativeand exploring markets for bamboo products. 4,000,000
REVIVING THE GREEN REVOLUTION
Departments of Agronomy, Entomology and Plant Breeding, Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), Ludhiana Towards demonstrating alternate cropping systems to rice-wheat; demonstrating integrated pest management technology on rice and cotton; and developinghigh yielding, early maturing and pest resistant varieties of groundnut. 2,300,000
Department of Water Engineering, Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), LudhianaTowards a three year project for management of water resources through efficient utilisation of water, through drip irrigation and augmentation of groundwaterby artificial recharge through tube wells. 1,100,000
Department of Soils, Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), Ludhiana Towards a three year project for management of water resources, with the objectives of reducing groundwater withdrawal, suggesting an alternative cropping sequence based on soil characteristics and evaluating crop response under different textured soils, moisture retention, inherent fertility and watertransmission characteristics. No disbursals
Institutional grants : Rural Livelihoods & Communities
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Department of Agronomy, Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), LudhianaTowards the project titled ‘Comparative Performance of Alternative Cropping Systems to Rice-Wheat in Saving Water’, in which field demonstrations would be conducted on less water demanding cropping systems, in Bhogpur, Bhawanigarh and Bagha Purana blocks of Jalandhar, Sangrur and Faridkot districts of Punjabrespectively. 1,200,000
Department of Entomology, Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), LudhianaTowards further developing, validating and disseminating cotton-Integrated Pest Management (IPM) technology in eight villages in Bhatinda, Ferozpur, Mansa and Muktsar districts of Punjab, under the second phase of the ‘Reviving theGreen Revolution’ initiative. No disbursals
Department of Plant Breeding, Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), LudhianaTowards screening new varied germ plasmas against major diseases and insect pests; developing high yielding, early maturing, disease and insect resistant varieties of groundnut by utilizing already identified resistant stocks; and enhancing the seed production of SG 99 and promoting its adoption inPunjab,under the second phase of the ‘Reviving the Green Revolution’initiative. No disbursals
Directorate of Agriculture (DOA), Government of Punjab (GoP), ChandigarhTowards up-scaling of the dissemination of cotton-IPM technology developed by PAU across the cotton belt in Punjab, covering 56 villages annually in 28 blocks,by undertaking a host of activities in project villages during the Kharif season. 2,600,000
DROUGHT PROOFING IN WEST RAJASTHAN
His Highness Maharaja Hanwant Singhji Charitable Trust (MHSCT), Jodhpur Towards drought proofing in 15 villages in Balesar block of Jodhpur district, West Rajasthan, through ground water recharging, supplementing drinking waterand diversifying and sustaining livelihoods. 4,500,000
SAKH SE VIKAS (RAJASTHAN MICRO FINANCE INITIATIVE)
Jan Shiksha Evam Vikas Sangathan (PEDO), Dungarpur Towards strengthening livelihoods and reducing vulnerabilities in Dungarpur district, Rajasthan, covering 4,550 women through 245 Self Help Groups(SHGs). 1,800,000
Institutional grants : Rural Livelihoods & Communities
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Prayatna Samiti, Gudli Towards strengthening livelihoods and reducing vulnerabilities in 30 villages inUdaipur district, covering 82 women’s groups. 1,600,000
Ibtada, Alwar Towards the promotion and consolidation of 20 clusters called Mahila Sabhas, in Alwar district, Rajasthan, each comprising of ten groups, to address micro-credit needs, as well as make them financially sustainable. 850,000
Hanuman Van Vikas Samiti (HVVS), Sakroda Towards consolidation of a micro finance programme, which strengthens savings and credit groups, covering over 2,800 women in 45 villages in Udaipurdistrict, Rajasthan. 1,100,000
Association for Rural Advancement through Voluntary Action & LocalInvolvement (ARAVALI), Jaipur Towards enhancing effectiveness of 20 field level organisations and their micro finance programmes, through placement of young professionals, training, and organisational development support; augmenting ARAVALI’s capacity as aresource agency; and organising an annual microfinance retreat. 3,300,000
DEVELOPMENT AND MICROFINANCE
Development of Humane Action Foundation (DHAN), Madurai Support towards consolidation and expansion of the community banking programme in 30 specified locations in south India, covering 90,000 membersthrough 4,500 groups. 3,590,320
Kalanjiam Foundation (KF), MaduraiTowards core support for Kalanjiam Foundation’s community banking programme, which would cover 61,500 women and their resource poor families, in 30specified locations in select areas of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh. 17,500,000
MICRO–ENTERPRISES
Just Change Trust, GudalurTowards seed support to set up a community trading structure for rice, tea and coconut oil, thereby envisaging livelihood enhancement, which would benefitupto 14,000 families in Gudalur district, Tamil Nadu. 900,000
Institutional grants : Rural Livelihoods & Communities
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RESEARCH ON MICROFINANCEIndian Institute of Management (IIM), Ahmedabad Towards a research programme in the area of microfi nance that develops a comprehensive research agenda around identifi ed themes, including fi nancial products and the policy environment for microfinance institutions. Thisinitiates the SRTT fund for research collaborations in micro fi nance. No disbursals
OTHERS
Adarsa Social & Health Services Association (ASHA), JharsugudaTowards a preparatory phase, that aims to strengthen Self Help Groups and promote livelihood generation activities in Jharsuguda, Sambalpur andSundargarh districts of north-western Orissa. 850,000
National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER), New DelhiTowards a research programme on rural infrastructure. No disbursals
Kharash Vistarotthan Yojana: Farmers bunding their fi elds, as part of soil and water conservation works, in
Mangrol taluka, Junagadh district. A project facilitated by Aga Khan Rural Support Programme (India).
Institutional grants : Rural Livelihoods & Communities
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Education
‘Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan’, an ambitious nation wide initiative of the Government of India endeavours
to universalise Elementary Education and by 20101, visualises every child in the 6-14 age group to be
in school, receiving quality education, besides achieving universal retention. Presently, with almost
100% enrolment and availability of primary schools within 1 km radius for 94% children, availability and
access to schooling is no longer the issue; the challenge now lies in making the system of schooling
relevant and meaningful for every child. Hence, “…the task ahead is not so much to expand the
enrolling capacity of the school or to mobilise parental desire and awareness concerning children’s
education, but rather, to reform the system of education in a manner that the years of schooling
become a valuable time for personal development for every child.”2
Keeping this challenge in mind, the Trust has supported different non-profi t organisations working
towards improving the quality of government schools through subject-specifi c interventions,
community involvement in under served regions and sections of society and providing training to
teachers. In order to take stock of the work done over the last few years and strengthen its engagement
with the education fi eld, the Trust commissioned a comprehensive external review of its portfolio
(fi ndings and recommendations summarised overleaf).
Children at a library run by SAHMET in Kesla block, Hoshangabad district, Madhya Pradesh.
1 http://www.ssa.nic.in2 Prof Krishna Kumar (2005); Sir Ratan Tata Trust’s Education Portfolio - Review report; page 6
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The Review of the Education Portfolio
In accordance with the Strategic Plan of 2001 and 2006, the Trust has laid great importance to Education as part of its
grant making. Over the past nine years, the Trust’s portfolio in this thematic area has been balanced between promoting
innovative pedagogic initiatives, while enhancing quality of service in government schools and supporting institutes of
higher learning. Towards this, a focused approach has been followed by the Trust towards: (a) enhancing the quality of
service delivery and value additions in government schools; (b) promoting initiatives to educate out-of-school children;
(c) education management and research; and (d) supporting institutes of higher education.
During the first half of 2004, the Trust decided to review the focus areas of its education portfolio, whilst identifying the
gaps and seeking directions for future grant making. The objective of the exercise was two-fold:
1. Reviewing the current structure and design of Trust’s education portfolio in order to evaluate the effectiveness of
specific projects, their larger contribution to the sector and relevance of the approach adopted.
2. Give recommendations to the Trust to strengthen the education portfolio by mapping the needs and present
strategies of the education sector at large; identifying grey areas and suggesting high priority areas for the Trust’s
grant making.
To conduct this exercise, the Trust appointed a team of three esteemed educationists, each one an authority in his or her
field. Headed by Professor Krishna Kumar, the team consisted of Dr. Govinda Rao Marapalli and Dr. S. Anandalakshmy.
Over a period of six months, the team traveled extensively, reviewing past and present partners of the Trust in education
before preparing their report. The key recommendations of the team were:
1. The review stressed that education is a poorly defined area of study, thereby resulting into unproductive investments
in the sector. Hence, the review recommends that the Trust invest in the development of the field itself, by supporting
research on systemic issues, with a special focus on comparative studies across regions. Such studies would have
the potential to bring out systemic insights, which can be useful in choosing alternative reform strategies.
2. The review recommended that the Trust focus on supporting some of the key, neglected areas within education,
such as early childhood, production and sale of toys, children’s literature and professional development of teachers.
It was suggested that the Trust should work with the State, wherever possible, by identifying points of entry for
supporting systemic reforms.
3. The review team also recommended the Trust focus on institution building in elementary and higher education,
by continuing and expanding its support for innovative institutions. Thrust areas suggested include: (i) small, non-
commercial schools, attempting to build a strong local institutional base; and (ii) focused support to expose average
institutions with those known for quality.
4. The review also made specific recommendations to improve the Trust’s grant making strategy, which include: (i)
establishing linkages between different portfolios; (ii) floating pre-designed proposals in order to make its concerns
understood better by potential grantees; and (iii) closer monitoring of the recipients of endowments grants with
the help of experts empanelled for this purpose.
Accordingly, the Education portfolio was re-classified and now consists of three major sub-themes: (a) reforming
elementary education; (b) nurturing education as a discipline; and (c) building institutional resource in education. During
a meeting with the Trustees in February 2005, Professor Krishna Kumar presented his vision of the Trust’s Education
strategy, which would now form the basis of grant making to be made within this theme over the next few years.
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Based on these recommendations, the Trust has focused its grant making efforts during 2004-05
through the following three sub-themes:
• Reforming elementary education
• Nurturing education as a discipline
• Building institutional resource in education
In its endeavour to transform the quality of elementary education within the country, the Trust is
supporting systemic reforms through collaborative projects, that improve educational administration
in a district or block, by interventions that improve the quality of education through community
involvement, subject specific interventions in schools, supporting innovation within state institutions
and finally, service delivery on a selective basis. Its support to the National Institute of Advanced
Studies (NIAS) saw the operationalisation of the ‘Vidyankura’ project, or District Quality Education
Programme in Chamrajnagar district. During the year, NIAS initiated a dialogue with the District
Institute of Education and Training (DIET) and State Council for Education and Training (SCERT),
Karnataka, offered a certificate course for cluster resource persons in Chamrajnagar district and
prepared a handbook for parents and community members to augment their involvement in the
monitoring of government schools. In collaboration with the Promise Foundation, NIAS has evaluated
the language curriculum in primary schools and implemented interventions in tribal schools involving
intensive training of teachers, to equip them to handle multi-grade situations in classrooms, besides
enhancing their understanding about literacy acquisition. In order to seal its commitment towards
ensuring the success of the District Quality Education Programme, NIAS has extended its year-old
Memorandum of Understanding with the Government of Karnataka for another three years. The Trust
also supported Viswa Bharathi Vidyodaya Trust (VBVT) and Sir Albert Howard Memorial Trust
(SAHMET) towards improving rural school education in Gudalur and Pandalur blocks of Nilgiri district,
Tamil Nadu and Kesla block of Hoshangabad district, Madhya Pradesh, respectively. These grants
encourage the organisations to set their agenda, in tandem with the government school teachers,
whilst building community involvement for improving the quality of education.
The Trust’s subject-specific interventions in schools led to the operationalisation of a second phase
grant to the Centre for Environment Education (CEE). The organisation’s ‘Environmental
Education in Schools of Andhra Pradesh’ (EESAP) programme up-scaled its activities to strengthen
environmental education to 1,465 schools in 39 clusters in Andhra Pradesh. Whilst the first phase
grant had focused on a cluster approach, the present phase supplements it through the ‘outreach
approach’, reaching out to all the middle schools in the state. The current phase also places a
Institutional grants : Education
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Rajeshwari, a resident of Chikalwas village, near Udaipur, completed her class 10 studies from Vidya Bhawan Society’s (VBS) Basic Education School in Ramgeri. Along with the curricular studies, she also learnt tailoring for four years. Post
matriculation, Rajeshwari opted for a further six month course in stitching at the tailoring centre run by the school. With
the skills acquired, Rajeshwari now works in a tailoring centre in Chikalwas and earns a decent salary. Living in Pheniyon
Ka Guda, a village near Udaipur, Narayanlal had studied electrical repairs for three years whilst undergoing education
at the Basic Education School. The vocational training enabled him to secure employment at a factory nearby with a
monthly salary of Rs. 2,000.
Rajeshwari and Narayanlal are but two examples of the scores of students that have studied at this school since its
inception, way back in 1941. With a view to give children the opportunity to work with their hands, along with studies of
academic subjects, the school offers vocational training in various subjects. The Trust’s association with VBS goes back
to 1996, when the organisation was fi rst supported over a three year period to develop a resource centre at the Basic
Education School, in which children were trained in productive activities like vegetable cultivation, horticulture, poultry
farming and animal husbandry. The skills acquired by the children helped most of them in eking out a living and the success
of this intervention spurred the Trust to continue supporting VBS over a further three year period, during which several
new vocational subjects like food processing, tailoring, computers, carpentry, hand-made paper production, electrical
repairs and agriculture were introduced. The teachers were also trained in practicing learner-centered education and
linking academics with social and productive concerns of the community. During this period, VBS also made an attempt
in linking the Basic Education School with the community through extension work with youth.
The Trust’s third phase of support, initiated during 2004, aims at focusing on continuation and improvement of basic
education at the Basic Education School. This phase also concentrates on intensive work with 40 mainstream schools from
Udaipur, Jaipur and Ajmer, dissemination of basic education in nine districts of Rajasthan, orientation and collaboration
with Rajasthan State Education Board and dialogue and dissemination of basic education at the national level.
With India looking up to the challenge of Universalisation of Elementary Education, it is imperative that education is made
contextual to productive adult life. Through the Basic Education School, VBS has charted a refreshing approach towards
this objective. In its endeavour to sustain subject based interventions, as part of the ‘systemic reforms’, the Trust has
supported the organisation over the past nine years, through grants totaling nearly Rs. 20 million.
A carpentry workshop promoted by Vidya Bhawan Society’s Basic Education School in Ramgeri, Udaipur
district.
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Institutional grants : Education
greater emphasis on community participation. Grants to Dr. A. S. Rao Awards Council (ASRAC)
and Sahaj help expand the scope of science and mathematics teacher education programmes in
Mahboobnagar district, Andhra Pradesh and Vadodara district, Gujarat, respectively.
The Trust’s interventions have not been restricted to non-profit organisations alone. In its bid to
support innovations among state run institutions, the Trust has forged a partnership with the State
Council for Education and Training (SCERT) in Delhi, towards conducting an extensive study of
SCERT’s ‘Indradhanushya’ series of textbooks. During the year, data has been collected from 200
government schools in Delhi. The feedback generated from the teachers, parents and children would
be analyzed in the coming few months, which would be reflected in the revision of these textbooks
used by over 1.8 million students, in order to make them relevant and contextual.
The Trust continued its interventions to support organisations involved in educating children in
remote rural areas and slum localities within larger towns. Whilst the support to Muskaan enabled
the organisation to spread its programme of non-formal education and academic support to school
going children from six slums in Bhopal, Urmul Jyothi Sansthan (UJS) conducted residential camps
and vocational training for out-of-school adolescents in villages of Bikaner district, Rajasthan, in
order to link them to mainstream schools. The Trust also continued its support to Better Education
Through Innovation (BETI) towards its educational and vocational programmes in Balrampur and
Shravasti districts of Uttar Pradesh.
Recognizing the fact that professional development of teachers is an underserved area in India,
yet imperative to ensure quality education to children, the Trust is planning to focus on this aspect through
supporting teacher resource centres and professional courses in education. The Trust is supporting
the Ravi J. Matthai Centre for Educational Innovation (RJMCEI) to promote the teachers’
development approach. The project, which was launched during 2002-03, saw the final selection
of 58 teachers, from an overwhelming list of 755 entries that poured in during the national search
for educational innovation of primary school teachers. Having selected these teachers, RJMCEI
organised the first Sir Ratan Tata Trust Pedagogical Innovations Conference, in collaboration
with the Gujarat Council of Educational Research and Training (GCERT). Held over two days in
December 2004, the conference was a pinnacle to all the efforts made by RJMCEI since 2003, to
showcase innovations of government school teachers. During the event, these 58 teachers from
nine states across India were felicitated for their innovative contributions. Their views and ideas were
shared with fellow teachers and they were subsequently granted a fellowship to pursue innovative
practices.
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As the desert sun beats mercilessly on the sand covered landscape, a group of young girls assembled under a low-
thatched roof, interact with their teacher Urmila, who holds a spinning globe in her arms. “Now… where in the world
might we be?” she asks. A bunch of fi ngers reach out, bringing the spinning plastic ball to a stand still, to answer her
question. Welcome to the Balika Shivir, a residential camp where girls aged 9-15 come to live, learn and go to school.
Spread over a seven month duration, these camps teach the girls all they need to know to pass their class fi ve exams.
Most of these young minds have never been to school before, some too old to be enrolled in government primary
schools, whereas a few are school drop-outs for various reasons.
In rural Rajasthan, where remote blocks like Nokha in Bikaner district have a female literacy rate as low as 6.5%, the
Balika Shivir offers a practical solution to educators, facing the prospect of dealing with out-of-school children. Says an
elated Chetan Ram, Secretary, Urmul Jyothi Sansthan (UJS), “A great demand has come from villages for girls to attend
such camps. After seven months, they can read and write and are also aware of health issues. What would normally
take fi ve years, with no guarantee of success has been shortened to a period of seven months”. Conceptualized way
back in 1997 by the Bikaner based non-profi t organisation, the success of Balika Shivir has been achieved amidst many
diffi culties. In the beginning, the fi eldworkers of UJS had a tough task convincing the parents of the girls to allow them
enroll in the camps. This coupled with other challenges ranging from caste to personal hygiene. Over the years, the
efforts of UJS have dispelled the demons in the minds of girls and parents alike. Amidst sessions of games and songs,
girls from different castes come together and bond, whilst at the same time learning about all aspects of life. 95% of
the enrolled girls pass their class fi ve exams and on completion of the camp, stand a chance to be mainstreamed into
class six in regular government schools. A quarter of these girls return to enroll in an advanced three-month camp,
which enables them sit for class eight exams. UJS also conducts vocational camps where girls learn how to sew, thus
garnering skills to support their entire family.
In its efforts to promote initiatives to improve access and engage with the education system, the Trust’s continuous
support since 1999 has enabled UJS conduct seven girls’ camps in Nokha block of Bikaner district, Rajasthan, upto
March 2005, whilst building bonds with the community and focusing efforts on the delivery of quality education. Based
on feedback generated, the Trust also supports follow-up programmes conducted by UJS, thus ensuring that the girls
do not relapse into illiteracy, post completion of the camp. These programmes allow the girls to keep in touch and
simultaneously create a network for recruiting more girls for future camps.
A residential camp for young girls, organised by Urmul Jyothi Sansthan in Nokha block, Bikaner district.
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During the year under review, the Trust’s on-going support to Comet Media Foundation (CMF)
towards nurturing and promoting educational innovations led to five child focussed exhibitions called
Bal Vividhas, which reached out to people in Mumbai, besides small towns in Gujarat and Rajasthan.
CMF also organised the ‘Sir Ratan Tata Trust Colloquium on Education’ in Mumbai, which focused on
‘Textbooks and School Curriculum’. The keynote address was delivered by Professor Krishna Kumar,
Director, NCERT, who spoke on ’Curriculum Through Social Deliberation’, which set the stage for a
lively debate on critical assessment of textbooks and alternative curriculum developed by state and
civil society groups.
Despite the efforts and achievements towards universalizing school education, elementary education
continues to be an under-developed discipline. Weak linkages between the two, as well as the
gap between academics and the world of practice are the root causes of this problem. There is a
tendency to view higher education on a higher realm, as compared to primary education, in terms
of allocation of resources. However, the need for strong academic linkages between higher and
elementary education cannot be over-emphasized. Despite the critical role of higher education
institutions in developing school curriculum and training teacher educators, their interaction with
the elementary schools has been far from adequate. In view of this situation, nurturing education
as a discipline is the second sub-thematic area of focus proposed by the Education review, within
which the Trust endeavours to promote educational research by focusing on comparative research,
besides language and literacy development. It also strives to develop a link between higher and
elementary education. This approach is vital in order to enable education to develop an intrinsic
orientation towards reform, besides having leaders who understand education as a specialized field
of professional engagement. The Trust’s grant to the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) New
Delhi marks the beginning of the Trust’s foray in this sub-thematic area. Amongst other things,
the grant enables JNU to focus on completing preparatory work for setting up a ‘University-School
Network’, for establishing lasting institutional links between the Education Department of JNU and
primary schools in the neighborhood. More grants within this sub-thematic area would be planned
during the next financial year.
Building institutional resources in education constitutes the third sub-thematic focus area within the
Trust’s education portfolio. Within this, the Trust endeavours institutional support to alternative and
heritage schools, besides continuing strategic support to pioneering institutions of higher learning.
The ongoing support to the Tata Dhan Academy (TDA) enabled it to conduct three short duration
programmes during 2004-05, namely, (a) ART of up-scaling microfinance; (b) Social Development
Research Capacity (SDRC) building for academia, government, NGOs and researchers; and (c)
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Leadership Education in Agricultural Development (LEAD), besides continuing the long duration
Programme on Development Management. Over the coming year, the Trust would work on linking
average institutions with institutes of excellence, besides supporting new, pioneering institutions.
The Trust disbursed Rs. 50.94 million (US $ 1.16 million) towards 24 grants during the year, as against
Rs. 73.57 million towards 20 grants during 2003-04. The decline may be attributed towards the fact
that the Trust focused its efforts on the review of the education portfolio, rather than expansion.
Subsequently, taking a cue from the recommendations emanating from the review, the Trust has
focused on elementary education and smaller organisations, as against higher education institutions
with larger fund absorbing capabilities. Consequently, disbursements to elementary education
constitute nearly 81% of the disbursals in the education portfolio, as compared to 21% during 2003-
04. Over the next financial year, the Trust would focus on implementing the recommendations of the
Education review, whilst operationalizing its Learning Centres Initiative (LCI), besides launching an
initiative on ‘Development and Dissemination of Education Material’. It would also support comparative
research carried out in education, whilst nurturing education as a discipline.
Grant Disbursals for Education: 1997-2005
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Education: Details of grant disbursals in 2004-2005
Institutional grants : Education
REFORMING ELEMENTARY EDUCATION Rs.
Systemic reform through collaborative projects to improve quality of elementary education
National Institute of Advanced Studies (NIAS), Bangalore Towards implementing ‘Vidyankura’, the District Quality Education Programme in Chamrajnagar district in southern Karnataka, to enhance the quality of elementary education through capacity building of educational administrators, communitymembers and development of innovative curriculum. 7,600,000
Viswa Bharathi Vidyodaya Trust (VBVT), Gudalur Towards an integrated education programme for tribal communities, consisting of support for a village education programme, vocational training, VidyodayaResource and Training Centre and the Vidyodaya School. 1,200,000
Sir Albert Howard Memorial Trust (SAHMET), Secunderabad To improve rural school education in tribal villages of Hoshangabad district, Madhya Pradesh, through the involvement of youth in educational activities,community interface, supplementary teaching and village-based libraries. 1,000,000
Eklavya, Bhopal Continued support for their educational model in select schools of Madhya Pradesh, providing expertise and resources to the sector, improving publicationsand conducting action research and textbook revisions. 500,000
Subject specific interventions in schools
Centre for Environment Education (CEE), HyderabadTowards Phase II of EESAP, which involves CEE in channelising training, educational material and monitoring support, to strengthen environmental education to 1,465schools in Andhra Pradesh, through local non-profit organizations. 3,000,000
Centre for Environment Education (CEE), Hyderabad Towards a preparatory phase, prior to the proposed Phase II of EESAP, to sustain Phase I activities in 975 schools and introduce a few critical changes proposedin Phase II, to test their effectiveness and make suitable modifications. 454,000
Centre for Environment Education (CEE), Hyderabad Towards Phase I of EESAP, for environmental education in 1,000 schools in the state, through the training of 40 NGOs, covering 2,000 teachers and severalrepresentatives of the education department. 400,000
Dr. A. S. Rao Awards Council, HyderabadTowards expanding the scope of the science and mathematics teacher education programmes to five blocks of Mahaboobnagar district, Andhra Pradesh, overthe next three years. 300,000
Sahaj, VadodaraTowards promoting a learner centered science pedagogy approach in middle schools in Vadodara district, Gujarat, through development of teaching material,establishing science resource centres and school outreach programmes. No disbursals
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Vidya Bhawan Society (VBS), UdaipurTowards implementing the dissemination phase of the ‘Basic Education Rediscovery’ project, by focusing on continuation and improvement of basic and vocational education at the Ramgiri School in Udaipur district, besidesintensive dissemination of established pedagogic principles. 1,500,000
Supporting innovation among state institutions
State Council for Education and Training (SCERT), New DelhiTowards an extensive study of SCERT’s ‘Indradhanushya’ textbook seriesin 200 government schools, processing the documentation of the textbook writingexercise and enhancing illustrations’ quality in Class 1 Hindi textbook. 3,000,000
Improving access and engaging with the system
Muskaan, Bhopal Towards developing a model of intervention in slums, strategically emphasisingcommunity responsibility in improving the level of education of its children. 1,000,000
Urmul Jyothi Sansthan (UJS), NokhaTowards supporting the education of adolescent children through residentialcamps and follow-up activities, in Nokha block of Bikaner district, Rajasthan. 3,075,000
Better Education Through Innovation (BETI), LucknowTowards consolidation of its programmes in Balrampur and Shravasti districts of Uttar Pradesh, including continuation of 30 Alternative Learning Centres, establishment of 10 Vocational Training Centres, community mobilization and runninghelplines to address issues of rescue and rehabilitation of trafficked victims. 1,500,000
Professional development of teachers
Ravi J. Matthai Centre for Educational Innovation (RJMCEI), Ahmedabad Towards creating the Educational Innovations Bank, to promote teachers’ development approach for use by teacher institutions. Dissemination of this database will motivate new teachers and positively influence mainstreampractices and policies in education. 600,000
Development and dissemination of educational resources
Comet Media Foundation, Mumbai Towards support for nurturing and promoting educational innovations and educators, through child focused exhibitions, which are expected to reachpeople in Mumbai and smaller towns in various states. 2,000,000
Learning Centre Initiative
Govind Dham Shikshan Sadhana Trust (GDSST), BelgaumTowards serving as a nodal agency to co-ordinate the activities of the cluster of Learning Centres set up in Belgaum, Karnataka, within the Learning CentresInitiative. No disbursals
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Aamhi Aamchya Arogya Sathi (AAAS), GadhchiroliTowards serving as a nodal agency to co-ordinate the activities of the cluster of Learning Centres set up in Vidarbha region, Maharashtra, within the LearningCentres Initiative. No disbursals
Viswa Bharathi Vidyodaya Trust (VBVT), Gudalur Towards serving as the Secretariat for the Learning Centres Initiative, identifying new clusters and nodal organisations and providing them facilitating support and coordinating the work of the initiative through regular contact with nodalorganizations, cluster coordinators and the Trust. No disbursals
NURTURING EDUCATION AS A DISCIPLINE
Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), New DelhiTowards a programme planning phase of the project ‘The University - School Resource Network’, focusing on completing preparatory work in terms of base-line study of select schools, identifying key resource persons, building acollaborative institutional network and planning activities of the network. 800,000
BUILDING INSTITUTIONAL RESOURCE IN EDUCATION
Development of Humane Action (DHAN) Foundation, Madurai Towards strategic start-up support for the Tata-Dhan Academy and its development, with the aim to make it one of the leading schools in rural developmentmanagement in the country. 2,500,000
OTHERS
Education Support Organisation (ESO), Ahmedabad Towards a one year hand holding support for running 30 Gyan Shala classes reaching out to 900 children, development and fine-tuning of Gyan Shala syllabus, pre and in-service training of teachers by supervisors and core teammembers. 1,000,000
Society for Assistance to Children in Difficult Situation (SATHI), Raichur Towards scaling up of their programme for resettlement of runaway children living on railway platforms in Raichur, Pune, Guntakal, Wadi and Mumbai, engagingwith stakeholders in the sector and strengthening their internal systems. 4,800,000
Suvidya, Bangalore Towards a pilot programme for introducing knowledge of computers in 14 rural government schools in Kolar district, Karnataka, through customisation of training material and e-mail based collaborative projects, through communityinvolvement. 309,639
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Bharat Gyan Vigyan Samiti (BGVS), Rajasthan To support innovative continuing education programmes in Alwar, Baran, Paliand Kota districts of Rajasthan, through community-led education centres. 1,210,000
Rajya Shiksha Kendra (RSK) Bhopal Towards a programme to support 225 Education Guarantee Scheme schools in Betul, Raisen and Vidisha districts, Madhya Pradesh. Part of the above said amount was alsotowards resource support provided by Muskaan, to bolster RSK’s programme towards capacity building of their parent-teacher associations, to monitorprogress and enhance the facilities and material available at the schools. 3,100,000
Centre for Education Management and Development (CEMD), New Delhi Towards enhancement of their intervention for reform in government schools, through research on existing educational collaborations between thegovernment and non-profit organisations. No disbursals
Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations (ICRIER), New Delhi Towards research on issues related to World Trade Organisation (WTO) that have implications on India and disseminating this research through books,monographs and publications. 4,000,000
Society for Education, Welfare and Action-Rural (SEWA-Rural), Jhagadia Towards a vocational training programme for youth in the backward tribal areas of Gujarat, thereby helping them to secure employment in various industrieslocated in the Bharuch-Ankleshwar belt, Gujarat. 1,325,000
Indian Institute of Science, BangaloreTowards promoting research in science as a career, by providingfellowshipsupport for 180 young scientists and engineers. No disbursals
Institutional grants : Education
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Health
With advances in medical science, ailments which were once considered incurable are now routinely
treated with a fair measure of success. Access to quality and rational care, coupled with availability
of qualifi ed and community oriented medical professionals defi ne the agenda for action in this fi eld.
Health related expenditures make the community, especially the poor, increasingly vulnerable. Along
with resurgence of communicable diseases arising from under-nutrition and poverty, incidence of
new ailments such as diabetes and mental illnesses are growing. Civil society has a role to play in
pioneering new approaches, especially in underserved regions, and develop positive partnerships
with other players to upscale them. Developing human resources and in the long term re-orienting
medical education is also a key task ahead. The Trust’s work in health is structured in this context
into the following areas:
• Community based health programmes, including evolving new delivery systems
• Innovative strategies for institutions reaching specialist care for the disadvantaged including
research
• Building organisational capacities and human resources towards programme effectiveness
Access to rational and good quality care is supported through grants to Action Research & Training
for Health (ARTH) and Jan Swasthya Sahyog (JSS). The Trust’s support to ARTH enabled the
organisation to consolidate delivery of quality and timely reproductive healthcare services through
trained nurse mid-wives in tribal districts of southern Rajasthan. JSS is conducting a primary health
care initiative in thirty villages of Chhattisgarh, aimed at decreasing mortality due to TB and malaria,
while improving nutritional status of the children. Rural Women’s Social Education Centre
(RUWSEC), reached out to over 5,000 individuals in Chengalpettu block of Kanchipuram district, Tamil
Nadu through allopathic and siddha treatment. The grant to Association for Health & Welfare
in the Nilgiris (ASHWINI) supports an innovative community health insurance programme, which
developed linkages with Royal Sundaram Insurance Company for insurance of over 13,000 tribals
in the Nilgiris.
The year saw signifi cant developments on the Trust’s initiative in mental health. Based on preparatory
work done over the past few years, the Trust designed its work in the disability sector through
the Inclusion in Practice initiative. Inclusion refers to creating opportunities for the disabled, to
participate in the mainstream of life to whatever extent possible and with all the variety available to
‘normal’ persons, with varied interests and abilities. It also includes ‘integrating’ persons with different
abilities/disabilities into the education establishment. As a direct outcome, the recommendations
presuppose an orientation towards the minimization of stigma. While there is recognition on the
Institutional grants : Health
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Vicky was fi rst brought to the Latika Roy Memorial Foundation’s (LRMF) Early Intervention Centre (EIC), when he
was three and a half years old and unable to either speak or walk. “We assessed Vicky and found him to be a bright child
with athetoid Cerebral Palsy. In spite of being unable to walk, he had developed his own innovative style of moving and
got around by lying on his back and scooting his bottom along the ground. Though unable to speak, he communicated
his needs through his own ingenious signing system”... fondly recounts Jo Chopra, founder of the organisation.
His uncle, who had adopted him, regularly brought Vicky to the EIC and within a few months of regular physiotherapy,
he was standing with support and quickly progressed to standing on his own. At the age of fi ve he graduated to LRMF’s
Karuna Vihar School, where he learned to walk unaided and to develop his communication skills. Today, Vicky is a happy,
charming boy who loves playing and learning with his friends at Karuna Vihar and helping his uncle at home. Although still
non-verbal because of his Cerebral Palsy, his receptive language skills are excellent and he understands most concepts
that a child of his age should. His uncle is delighted with his progress and looks forward to the day when Vicky will be
able to attend a mainstream school.
LRMF was established in 1995, in Dehradun, with the objective of creating awareness and functioning as a resource
agency for sharing experience and ideas in the fi eld of education and disabilities. Today, the organisation runs Karuna
Vihar, a day care centre for children with mental disabilities and the EIC for mentally disabled children during their early
childhood to prepare them for schooling. The organisation also conducts awareness campaigns to sensitize the public
towards the needs of the disabled.
To address the issue of “Inclusion” of the mentally handicapped into the mainstream, the Trust has designed a focused
initiative titled “Inclusion in Practice”, which includes demonstration projects that are well thought out, planned, logical
and contextually relevant, besides empowering the care givers of mentally disabled children through resources of
knowledge, networking and innovation. The current phase of support to LRMF, beginning 2003 and spread over three
years would bolster the Trust’s efforts towards adding value to this initiative.
Happy faces at Karuna Vihar, a day care centre for mentally disabled children, run by Latika Roy Memorial
Foundation in Dehradun.
Institutional grants : Health
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need for such inclusion, there is limited understanding on practice in the Indian context. The Trust
seeks to address this gap through the initiative. The first grant under this initiative was made to
Rajasthan Mahila Kalyan Mandal (RMKM), towards inclusion of mentally challenged children.
Through this grant, RMKM would facilitate delivery of services to 260 mentally challenged children
and pilot inclusive education at six government schools & RMKM day care centres in Beawar block,
Ajmer district, Rajasthan. The early intervention centre, supported through a grant to Latika Roy
Memorial Foundation (LRMF), yielded interesting results. 59 children accessed care during the
year and LRMF also intensified its efforts to engage with public service providers such as hospitals
and transport services to build sensitivity and awareness. The positive response from local schools
in Dehradun is expected to be further supported through the Distinguished Lecture Series, which is
proposed in the coming year.
The field of mental illness is equally complex, with reduced family and increased state involvement.
The Trust sees its interventions at two levels. The first is to increase provision of basic mental health
care services at primary level. The second is to develop approaches to cater to needs to the homeless
mentally ill, who are often the most vulnerable. The Banyan is a key partner in this initiative. During
the year, the Banyan continued efforts to reintegrate destitute mentally ill women after appropriate
treatment at its facility in Chennai. Follow-up of resettled residents was intensified along with further
streamlining of treatment protocols. To cater to increased demand for such service, the Banyan
developed a unique partnership with local police. The Dial 100 programme allows citizens to report the
presence of a mentally ill person on the street. A further linkage with the Institute of Mental Health,
Chennai, enables the Banyan social worker, together with the police department, to rescue and
provide care to the mentally ill person. The Trust and Banyan organised the first National Workshop
on Mental Illness and Homelessness in August 2004 at Chennai. With closing of the current phase of
support to the Banyan, the Trust would further intensify its involvement in line, including a district
based mental health care programme in collaboration with the state government of Tamil Nadu. New
grants to provide mental health services along with primary health care would be supported. Finally,
care givers support, vocational concerns and research are areas common to both mentally disabled
and the mentally ill. During the year the Trust invested in understanding the current situation, through
a study on needs of caregivers. It would initiate work in this area in the coming year.
Under specialist care, the Trust supports palliative care through the Bangalore Hospice Trust
(BHT). In the year under review, the Trust made a third phase grant to the institution. Earlier phases
of support, enabled the setting up of Karunashraya, provision of palliative care to over 1,500 patients
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at the hospice, catering to the needs of more than 900 patients through home care services and
building linkages between home care and hospice based care. The next phase support, through a
three year grant, would aid in sustaining this work, especially through fund raising and increasing
awareness on Karunashraya. To further the Trust’s work in cancer, a grant was made in 2002 to
the International Network for Cancer Treatment and Research (INCTR) to improve and
contextualize the treatment of Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia in India. After a delay of over a year
in receiving clearances from the Government of India, the project with INCTR fi nally commenced
in May 2004. The project would be a collaborative effort between Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai,
Cancer Institute, Chennai, and All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi.
As in other thematic areas, the Trust’s support in health is linked with a concurrent effort to enhance
professional and organisational capacities in the sector. During the year under review, the grant to
Hyderabad Eye Institute (L V Prasad Eye Institute), supporting fellowship programmes focused
on ophthalmologists attaining specialized eye-care skills, came to a close. The organisation was able
to conduct a total of nine Low Vision Awareness programmes covering 223 participants, besides 11
short term fellowship programmes for 22 participants, during the three year grant period. A planning
grant has been supported, which enables LVPEI to focus the next phase of this unique programme
on greater engagement with fellows and the fi eld. 116 fellows were trained in cataract surgeries
Community health fellows of Community Health Cell involved in tsunami relief work, in Nagapattinam
district of Tamil Nadu.
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under the grant to Medical Research Foundation (MRF). During the course of their training, they
performed 2,502 sight restoring cataract surgeries.
To build careers in community health, the Trust has supported Community Health Cell (CHC)
to offer unique programme of fellowships to six professionals each year. Upto March 2005, 12
professionals have been supported through the fellowships with mentorship inputs from CHC and
other practitioners. An annual community health workshop was conducted by the fellows, which
brought together eminent practitioners. On completion, some fellows have started work with field
organisations while others have decided to go for advanced studies. The current batch of fellows was
involved in conducting health camps in the coastal areas affected by the tsunami catastrophe.
In the year under review, the Trust disbursed Rs. 21.28 million (US $ 0.48 million) towards 15 grants,
as against Rs. 19.88 million towards 16 grants during 2003-04.
Grant Disbursals for Health: 1997-2005
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Health: Details of grant disbursals in 2004-2005
COMMUNITY-BASED HEALTH PROGRAMMES Rs.
Action Research & Training for Health (ARTH), Udaipur Towards improvement of maternal and child health through trained nurse midwives and savings and credit groups, in Rajsamand district, Rajasthan, by strengthening outreach programmes, refining training material and developingmanuals. 1,900,000
Rural Women’s Social Education Centre (RUWSEC), Chengalpettu Towards meeting operating costs of a reproductive health clinic in both, traditional and allopathic treatment, laboratory and ambulance services in Chengalpettublock of Kanchipuram district, Tamil Nadu. 1,500,000
Jan Swasthya Sahyog (JSS), Bilaspur Towards an innovative primary health care initiative in 30 villages of Bilaspurdistrict, Chhattisgarh, which is aimed at decreasing mortality and fatal consequencesdue to tuberculosis and malaria, besides decreasing child mortality. 2,000,000
Kasturba Gandhi National Memorial Trust, Indore Towards an integrated health and development programme in six villages of Mhow and Barwaha blocks of Indore and Khargone districts of Madhya Pradeshrespectively. 331,587
Association for Health & Welfare in the Nilgiris (ASHWINI), Nilgiris Towards a community based health insurance programme, for provision of in-patient health care services to tribals accessing care at the Gudalur AdivasiHospital. No disbursals
SPECIALIST CARE FOR THE DISADVANTAGED
Rajasthan Mahila Kalyan Mandal (RMKM), AjmerTowards delivery of services to 260 mentally challenged children and piloting inclusive education at six government schools & RMKM day care centres inBeawar block, Ajmer district, Rajasthan. 900,000
Latika Roy Memorial Foundation (LRMF), Dehradun Towards seeding an early intervention care centre for mentally disabled children, for provision of services for assessment, diagnosis and therapy, parentalcounseling and outreach to medical professionals. 800,000
The Banyan, Chennai Towards part operating costs of a shelter in Chennai for 160 mentally illdestitute women. 1,500,000
Bangalore Hospice Trust (BHT), Bangalore Towards the part operating costs of Karunashraya, a 55 bed hospice, and forthe continuation of home-based palliative care for cancer patients. 500,000
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Bangalore Hospice Trust (BHT), Bangalore Towards the part operating costs of Karunashraya, a 55 bed hospice, and for the continuation of home-based palliative care for cancer patients. (Second phasegrant) 1,250,000
The W.Z.O. Trust Funds, Mumbai Towards meeting part costs of residents of the Bai Maneckbai P.B. JeejeebhoyCentre for Senior Citizens, Navsari. 360,000
The W.Z.O. Trust Funds, Mumbai Towards meeting part costs of residents of the Bai Maneckbai P.B. JeejeebhoyCentre for Senior Citizens, Navsari. (Second phase grant) 552,000
International Network for Cancer Treatment & Research (INCTR), New Delhi Towards developing improved protocol for the treatment of acuteLymphoblastic Leukaemia in India. No disbursals
BUILDING ORGANISATIONAL CAPACITIES AND HUMAN RESOURCESTOWARDS PROGRAMME EFFECTIVENESS
Medical Research Foundation (Sankara Nethralaya), Chennai Towards the second phase of a three-year fellowship programme to train 180 ophthalmologists. The grant also supports conducting 4,500 sight restoringcataract surgeries on deserving poor. 6,000,000
Hyderabad Eye Institute, (L V Prasad Eye Institute), Hyderabad Towards fellowship support, enabling 108 eye-care professionals to undergotraining on low vision related issues. 188,721
Community Health Cell (CHC), Society For Community Health Awareness, Research And Action (SOCHARA), Bangalore Towards promoting careers in community and public health throughfellowships to six professionals each year. 1,300,000
Charutar Arogya Mandal (CAM), Karamsad, Gujarat. Towards a cancer detection and treatment programme in Anand and Kheda districts of Gujarat, which would suggest lifestyle changes to prevent occurrence of cancer, create awareness on the symptoms of the disease, diagnosis anddetection, followed by world-class treatment. 1,700,000
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Institutional grants : Enhancing Civil Society & Governance
Enhancing Civil Society and Governance
The Trust’s grant making in this fi eld was initiated as the Public Initiatives portfolio, aimed at supporting
citizen action and engagement. In 2002-03, based on the recommendations of the Strategic Plan
2006, the Trust culled out its various investments in building capacities of civil society organisations
into this portfolio. The year under review is therefore the third year of this nascent portfolio. In these
three years, the Trust has realized that for greater effectiveness, it should view grant making in this
theme as one that cuts across all other grant making portfolios. This portfolio would echo and support
concerns on strengthening the non-profi t sector that emerge from grant making experiences in other
themes of the Trust. Its distinctive feature is its belief that strengthening non-profi ts is an agenda
worthy in itself. It also seeks to create new constituencies by building knowledge and awareness
on the non-profi t sector and create avenues for engagement with civil society. This then translates
into focus on strengthening the non-profi t sector, strengthening citizen engagement with public
systems and governance.
In strengthening citizen engagement with public systems, FDR – Loksatta’s programmes
have been supported by the Trust to promote citizen’s initiatives for better governance. This volunteer
driven programme has covered over 75,000 citizens across 23 urban and rural districts of Andhra
Pradesh, over a period of four years. Through a suite of interventions, it has focused on raising
people’s awareness, besides training them in the skills of collective assertion for better governance.
During the year, FDR conducted follow-up meetings with over 10,000 citizens covered by the training
programmes, besides holding 672 cultural programmes in Telugu for spreading awareness about
citizen’s role in governance in the remote areas of the state. Mahila Punarvaas Samooh Samiti
(MPSS), with support from the Trust, conducted a workshop with 30 women journalists from different
newspaper agencies of Rajasthan, besides organizing a one-day discussion with college youth for
evolving a joint strategy to combat sexual assault on girl students. Resource support from Jagori, New
Delhi, helped in providing capacity building inputs to Vividha to streamline operations. A study was
commissioned to explore potential of incorporating support to gender issues and women’s groups
as part of the Trust’s regional initiatives.
Strengthening non-profi t sector has been an integral stream of work at the Trust. In the late 90’s,
investments were made to bring young professionals to the sector. Professional organisations were
encouraged to reach out and mentor smaller organisations and institute fellowships. The current year
marked a year of review of this strategy. The review reiterated the importance of collective culture
of mentoring in host organisations and need for steady input to the fellows. The grant to PRERNA
for providing fellowships was restructured, based on these fi ndings. Besides selecting fellows and
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Institutional grants : Enhancing Civil Society & Governance
linking them with mentors, PRERNA now identifi es potential mentors and builds on their interest
in supporting fellows. During the year, the Trust grant to Ashoka Innovators for the Public was
operationalised. This would help Ashoka expand its reach to the central Indian region and encourage
fellow collaborations in organisation effectiveness. The Trust hopes to expand this area of work in
the future.
The year was also critical in defi ning the grant making strategy in organization development in the
social sector. A study was undertaken on Human Resource Development needs in the third
sector and a symposium organized to gather other experiences and develop an operational strategy
for the area. The support to Professional Assistance for Development Action (PRADAN) and
Gandhigram Trust continued during the year. PRADAN deliberated on the design of its on-going
in-career education programme, developed modules related to livelihood promotion and organized
regular learning events, including fi eld guides development programmes, training of trainers for
entrepreneurship motivation training and gender and development. An effort was also made to
streamline the system for individual refl ection and feedback. Gandhigram Trust was supported
for a participatory review of its programmes, which has led to setting up of Centre for Knowledge
Apprentices from PRADAN engrossed in a discussion with Self Help Group members during a PRA
workshop.
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Institutional grants : Enhancing Civil Society & Governance
Management at Gandhigram. Over the coming year, the Trust would focus on building the field of
organisation development in the social sector by augmenting the pool of practitioners and creating
knowledge on practice in the third sector.
‘Fostering Local Philanthropy’ initiative is focused on supporting grant-making foundations to
strengthen their capacities and augment grant making. While no new grants were made in the year
under review, onward grant making gained momentum through the grant to National Foundation
for India (NFI). The Sir Ratan Tata Trust Fund for Onward Grant Making was utilized to support
29 organisations in Orissa, Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand. In Jharkhand, the Trust support has been
dovetailed with the Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health Programme, funded by Packard
Foundation, to assist in programme and institutional deepening. Repeat grants were made to four
organisations. Three media fellowships were supported on issues of future of Dalits in Jharkhand,
forest rights and Self Help Groups in Chhattisgarh, along with grants to institutions in the area of
development communication. The progress on initiating discussion among grant makers has been
slow and the Trust hopes to utilize the experience of collaborative working with NFI to build this
initiative further.
To build awareness and knowledge on the non-profit sector, the Trust has supported Dr
Gita Sen, Sir Ratan Tata Chair Professor, Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore (IIMB)
to undertake research on globalization and civil society. During the year, the Chair was involved in
two research projects. The first project ‘Gender and Health Equity’ sought to improve reproductive
health and rights outcomes by building partnerships between the Government of Karnataka, Mahila
Samakhya, and the research and coordination team from IIMB. The second project explored
and strengthened partnerships between the Government and the non-profit sector in the field of
health. The grant to the Centre for Education and Documentation (CED) supports its ‘Effective
Public Information for Social Change and Development’ project in order to consolidate its physical
information services and develop a range of information in electronic form, accessible to students,
activists and development professionals. These include 14,000 articles in electronic form, clippings
filed under 750 categories, over 12,000 books and approximately 100 journals, more than 13,000
Government documents and studies conducted by non-profit organisations, around 900 electronic
news clippings on CDs and documentaries on development. Additionally, during the year, CED also
initiated preparation of focused outputs on specific themes related to education, besides digitizing
large sections of its current documentation material.
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Institutional grants : Enhancing Civil Society & Governance
The “Youth and Civil Society” initiative of the Trust focuses on creating knowledge and
awareness on deprivation and role of civil society with youth, who comprise about 19% of
the total population. The Trust also seeks to create a common forum for youth engagement
with civil society. It supported Centre for Civil Society (CCS) to organize fi ve ‘Liberty and
Society Seminars’ during the year with over 200 students and conducted a national livelihood
documentary competition titled ‘Jeevika 2004’. One of the fi lms generated at the event was
premiered internationally at the Himalayan Film Festival in Amsterdam. Pravah worked
to build capacities of youth focused organisations. It also worked directly with over 1,200
adolescents, as part of the ‘From Me to We’ programme and trained 61 teachers under their
teacher training interventions. A campaign ‘Action Bytes’ was organized in December 2004
to showcase various action projects that were undertaken by young people over a period
of time. The grant to Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), for engaging youth in
issues of sustainable development through pani yatras and a diploma in environment research
was approved, but is yet to be operationalised. A study was undertaken by Pravah on the
National Service Scheme with a view to identify possibilities for working together with the
Trust. In the near future, the Trust would expand this initiative through new grants to youth
focussed organisations. It would also proactively look for organisations that work with young
persons in diverse programmes and now wish to invest in them further.
Students working on their social action project during Pravah’s life skills workshop.
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Institutional grants : Enhancing Civil Society & Governance
There are times when an unexpected encounter with an organisation can change the outlook of an individual. Santosh, a fi rst generation migrant from the Konkan region in Maharashtra was studying in a technical school in Bombay when he came to know of an event organised by the Marathi Public Sphere project of PUKAR. After attending the orientation event in July 2004, he got interested in the activities of a group that focused on ensuring the rights of the mill-workers living in central Bombay, once a hub of textile activity within the metropolis. Santosh took on the responsibility of coordinating the team members of the group for conducting regular meetings and workshops. He took the lead in conducting surveys and interviews regarding issues related to the textile mills area. Within two months, Santosh’s enthusiasm led to the creation of the group newsletter, for which he regularly churned out relevant articles as its editor, besides getting other members of the group to contribute. Santosh’s continued interaction with PUKAR and reading Marathi books from its extensive collection has improved his writing skills, especially on socially relevant issues. Meeting journalists, editors and writers has also aroused his interest in journalism as a career, despite his current line of technical studies.
The Trust has supported the Marathi Public Sphere of PUKAR, under the Small Grant Programme, towards engaging with the Marathi speaking youth of Bombay through documentation. PUKAR has found that youth tend to locate the documentation exercises in their immediate context. The experience helps them understand their realities in a new way. This, together with having created a document, with their signature, helps them enhance their confi dence. Called Tarunaee, the initiative has engaged with construction workers, students and those outside the mainstream education system to produce texts that are unique in their content.
With the realization that the youth constitute a sizable proportion of the Indian population and have the potential to act as precursors for heralding change within society, the Trust has developed the ‘Youth and Civil Society’ initiative to support programmes that create options for their exposure and engagement with issues of poverty, development and civil society. Within this initiative, the Trust hopes to create a forum for youth engagement with the sector. It currently supports select organisations through grants that initiate discussion and refl ection on roles of civil society and create avenues to explore the third sector.
Collage by Madhavi Patil, participant in “So Many Marathis”, undertaken as part of PUKAR’s Marathi Public
Sphere project.
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In the area of Governance, the grant to Centre for the Study of Developing Societies (CSDS)
has instituted the Rajani Kothari Chair on Democracy. The Chair is expected to strengthen the tradition
of research on democracy, besides being committed to developments at the grassroots level. During
the year, Professor Douglas Lummis, a distinguished political theorist, was appointed as the first
Chair Professor, post which, he has delivered public lectures and addressed workshops in different
parts of the country on issues of local importance, including the workshop on ‘Idea of Property and
Tribal Perceptions’ at Salerbhatta, Chhattisgarh, which was attended by local tribals, activists, and
academics working on tribal issues.
During the year under review, the Trust disbursed Rs. 31.82 million (US $ 0.72 million) towards 12 grants,
as against Rs. 14.83 million towards 13 grants during 2003-04. This 115% increase is on account of
increased scale of ongoing grants. Efforts in streamlining the portfolio are expected to further fuel
this increase in coming years.
Institutional grants : Enhancing Civil Society & Governance
Grant Disbursals for Civil Society & Governance: 1998-2005
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Enhancing Civil Society & Governance:Details of grant disbursals in 2004-2005
CITIZEN INTERFACE WITH PUBLIC SYSTEMS Rs.
Foundation for Democratic Reforms (FDR), Hyderabad Towards promoting citizen’s initiatives for better governance, through training programmes, workshops and meetings. Planned activities include identifying and training concerned citizens on issues relating to governance, throughworkshops, meetings and cultural programmes. 900,000
Mahila Punarvaas Samooh Samiti (MPSS), Jaipur Towards strengthening the resource and documentation centre on women, which would respond to the immediate needs of the women’s movement andstrengthen the study of media and women, and violence and women. 1,200,000
FELLOWSHIPS
Institute of Rural Management (IRMA), Anand Towards fellowships for the doctoral programme and deferred fellowships for postgraduate diploma in rural management, referred to as Amul-Tata fellowships. No disbursals
Prerana, Raichur Towards providing fellowships and comprehensive support to ten fledgling voluntary initiatives, over a period of three years. The grant is expected to offeran opportunity for strengthening individual spirit and citizen action. 500,000
Ashoka Innovators for the Public, New DelhiTowards extending geographical outreach and encouraging collaborations onorganisational effectiveness. 1,200,000
FOSTERING LOCAL PHILANTHROPY
National Foundation for India (NFI), New Delhi Towards a grant making partnership for onward grant-making in Jharkhand, Orissa and Chhattisgarh, besides providing support towards research anddocumentation and enhancing NFI’s capacities as a grant-maker. 11,000,000
Sampradaan – Indian Centre for Philanthropy (SICP), New Delhi Towards undertaking a strategic review of the organisation and launching a training programme for professional staff of grant making foundations in India,thereby building their capacities and developing interaction between them. 200,000
ORGANISATION AND HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT
Professional Assistance for Development Action (PRADAN), New Delhi Towards strengthening human resources at PRADAN, through fine-tuning the apprenticeship skill building phase, besides supporting the on-goingprofessional development of the staff. 5,000,000
Institutional grants : Enhancing Civil Society & Governance
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Gandhigram Trust, Dindigul Towards a review exercise, supporting Gandhigram Trust’s efforts at re-examiningrelevance and performance for organisational renewal. No disbursals
YOUTH AND CIVIL SOCIETY
Centre for Civil Society, New Delhi Towards a programme, encouraging youth participation in civil society, through well designed programmes for college students and those in schools ofjournalism and media. 1,500,000
Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), New DelhiTowards encouraging youth participation in civil society, through exposure programmes and a certificate course in environmental research andcommunications. No disbursals
Pravah, New Delhi Towards a school based programme in life skills education and seeding a resource centre for the youth centred action, besides augmenting Pravah’shuman resources. 3,975,000
BUILDING KNOWLEDGE AND AWARENESS ON NON-PROFIT SECTOR
Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Bangalore Towards instituting the Sir Ratan Tata Chair on Civil Society and Globalisationfor a period of five years. 700,000
Centre for Education & Documentation (CED), Bangalore Towards strengthening financial self sufficiency of its programmes andbuilding relevant documentation for knowledge and awareness ofnon-profit sector. 5,000,000
GOVERNANCE
Centre for the Study of Developing Societies, New Delhi Towards instituting the ‘Rajani Kothari Chair on Democracy’, which strengthens CSDS’s tradition of research on democracy, besides contributing with animpact on public life. 640,000
Institutional grants : Enhancing Civil Society & Governance
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Arts and Culture
Arts and Culture as a theme has been supported by the Trust since the inception of systematic grant
making in 1995. In view of the programmatic thrust of the Trust in implementing Strategic Plan 2006,
the Trust was keen to strengthen its engagement with this thematic area. A comprehensive review of
the Arts and Culture portfolio was initiated in 2003-04, with expertise from the Education Initiatives
Programme of the Centre for the Study of Culture and Society (CSCS). Detailed reviews were
done for on-going grants including Asiatic Society of Bombay (ASB), Bala Balaga Srujansheela
Shikshana Trust (BBSST), Ustad Allauddin Khan Sangeet and Kala Academy (UAKSKA),
Attakkalari Centre for Movement Arts (ACMA) and India Foundation for the Arts (IFA).
The year also marked some important developments in key grants. During the year, CSCS, with core
support from the Trust, launched its Masters programme in Cultural Studies online, in collaboration
with the Distance Education Programme of Kuvempu University. 19 students registered for its PhD
programme. Academic collaborations with local and international institutions were strengthened by
offering joint programmes. The second annual peer review was conducted by multi-disciplinary panel
of eminent social scientists, which recognized that CSCS had initiated a vigorous teaching programme
and is setting the criteria for informed and critical research. With the Trust’s support, ACMA continued
its programmes in imparting training to dancers, for which, it has forged collaborations with select
schools in Bangalore. It also introduced certifi cate and degree courses in contemporary dance and
digital arts. 11 individuals were supported through IFA, under the Sir Ratan Tata Trust Draw-down
Institutional grants : Arts & Culture
A puppet show ‘Our Friends The Ogres’ performed by Bala Balaga Srujansheela Shikshana Trust.
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Grant making in the arts – lessons from the Trust’s portfolio Small performing group at grassroots: was supported by the Trust to sustain and promote programmes on shadow puppetry. The review suggested a need to institutionalize, what currently seemed to be working more at the level of enthusiasm and passion of a close knit group. It recommended that the grantee develop a revenue model, based on their income from theatre shows.
Leading movement arts group: was supported to enable it to work on its business plan over a five year period, which includes functioning as a training institute for professional dancers in contemporary movement arts, developing a repertory to create innovative performance and organizing festivals of art for the public. The review, undertaken by the P&P Group, highlighted certain strategic management tasks that required attention. These include capacity building, organisational identity and positioning, revenues and sustainability, leadership and management. The review has stressed the need for continued support during this crucial phase of institutionalization, when the routine management of the organisation would become a specialized need in itself, along with the task of providing artistic direction to its programmes.
Leading library: Their programme ‘Adopt a Book’ was supported by the Trust for preservation of 500 books, with a view to also rejuvenating this scheme. The review acknowledged the relevance for such support, given the urgent need of conserving valuable historical documents that are in a state of neglect in many libraries and archives across the country. The lack of computerization, which could help in digitizing preserved manuscripts and books, was also brought to light. The review also suggested creating an advisory board for selection of material for restoration and conservation, which could include valuable out-sized books, maps, paintings and manuscripts.
Government promoted performing arts institution: was supported for training of young musicians and dancers in traditional forms, besides rare musical instruments, and organizing performances of established artistes in ten small towns of Madhya Pradesh. The review recognized the success of the events in smaller towns in terms of performance quality, as well as audience participation. Their Dhrupad and Chakradhar teaching programmes had drawn students from small towns and rural areas in Madhya Pradesh and their skill level was commendable. The review has suggested mechanisms for engagement with organisations which are promoted by the state.
Grant making foundation in the arts: has been supported, over the past ten years by underwriting a section of the grants through endowment support and programme grants. The review recommended a move from a model of pure arts and culture philanthropy to a hybrid model of philanthropy with business, besides exhorting it to look at institutional building, organizational development and work at moving from strategic to tactical to operational. The potential of strategic partnerships with the Trust was emphasized.
Photographs from a source book on important sculptural traditions in south India, compiled by T. Pankajaksha,
through an onward grant from India Foundation for the Arts.
Institutional grants : Arts & Culture
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Fund created in 2000. Grants ranging from Rs. 50,000 to Rs. 550,000 were made to these individuals
towards pursuing innovative projects in the field.
During the year under review, the Trust’s support for initiatives in the Arts and Culture portfolio was
Rs. 3.5 million towards two grants (US $ 0.09 million), as against Rs. 4.21 million during 2003-04.
Based on the review, the Trust has decided to keep institution building in the arts, as its overriding
concern. This would build on the strength of the Trust in understanding and support to institutions. It is
based on the recognition that the field of the arts is at an interesting crossroads with the development
of new quasi-institutions; therefore, interfacing with older art practices and academic institutions can
be explored by the Trust. The contradiction between the Trust’s emphasis on funding institutions and
the reality that individuals have historically been the prime movers in the field, is turned to advantage
by noting the need for innovative, institution building practices. The Trust would support shorter
term projects for their merit, but would emphasize institutional concerns and support the process
of institutionalization of these projects. During the next financial year, new grants would be made in
two areas. Promoting Advance Learning in Arts would be the first area of focus. Secondly, the
Trust would see arts as a cross cutting theme for its portfolios. The Trust would create linkages
between the arts portfolio and its grant making in mental health, education and professionalizing the
sector through focus on arts therapy, arts education and arts management respectively.
Institutional grants : Arts & Culture
Grant Disbursals for Arts & Culture: 1998-2005
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Ustad Allauddin Khan Sangeet and Kala Academy (UAKSKA), Bhopal R s.Enables the Academy to train 20 young musicians and dancers in traditional forms, extend fellowship support to promising musicians to train on rare musical instruments, and organise performances of established artists in ten smalltowns of Madhya Pradesh. 500,000
Attakkalari Public Charitable Trust of Contemporary Performing Arts, BangaloreTowards a centre for contemporary movement arts in Bangalore, which will enable it to function as a training institute for professional dancers, develop a repertory company to create innovative performance works that break newground and organise festivals of art for the public. No disbursals
Centre for the Study of Culture & Society (CSCS), Bangalore Towards part support for its doctoral (Ph.D) programme, through an affiliation with the Manipal Academy of Higher Education. The grant supports three‘Sir Ratan Tata Trust Fellowships’ for Ph. D. guides and course professors. 3,000,000
India Foundation for the Arts (IFA), Bangalore For a draw-down fund to enhance grant-making across their thematic areas. The grant includes a challenge for IFA to raise matching funds from other Indiansources. No disbursals
Arts & Culture:Details of grant disbursals in 2004-2005
Institutional grants : Arts & Culture
Grants made by IFA during 2004-05, utilizing income earned from the endowment grant made by the Trust in 1997-98.
• T. Pankajaksha, Bangalore: For publishing a book on South Indian sculptural traditions.• Vimor Handloom Foundation, Bangalore: For research and documentation of the history and
weaving technique of traditional Indian saris.• Shri Siddeshwar Shikshan Mandal, Sholapur, Maharashtra: For documentation of heritage
buildings in Sholapur.• Navjot Altaf, Bombay: Towards producing new sculptural works in wood.• Gurvinder Singh, New Delhi: Towards producing audio recordings of Bhakti and Sufi music of
Punjab.• Shubhalakshmi Shukla, Pune: Towards translating the folklore of the Pulaya community into
English.• Soudhamini, Chennai: Towards the translation of the stage production, Brhannala, into a
film. • The Biblio Charitable Trust, New Delhi: Towards digitization of the archive of a literary
magazine. • Nakula Somana, Bangalore: To explore the intersections and differences between the
movement languages of contemporary dance and film dance. • Trista Madan, Kolkatta: For theme-based museum education workshops for junior and middle
school children in Kolkata.• Collective Research Initiatives Trust, Bombay: For preparatory work towards the Industrial
Museum Collaboration, involving artists and scholars in a series of workshops.
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Endowments
Institutional grants : Endowments
The Trust continues to draw from its endowment grants strategy, reviewed during 2001-02, to pro-
actively identify long term partners for endowments, especially those that have shown promise and
potential during an earlier period of programmatic grant-making. In keeping with the recommendations
of the review, the Trust generally discourages direct endowments to new organisations.
In 2001, the Trust had sanctioned a grant of Rs. 30 million to the Institute for Social & Economic
Change (ISEC), towards creation of the Sir Ratan Tata Deferred Endowment Fund. Over the past
three years, ISEC used the interest towards enhancement of its library facilities and infrastructure.
Following an internal review of the self assessment exercise carried out by the organisation, the Trust
converted the deferred endowment into a permanent Sir Ratan Tata Trust Corpus Fund.
During the year, the Trust released the fi rst instalment of Rs. 30 million under its endowment grant
to Medical Research Foundation (MRF). The corpus grant provides fi nancial sustenance for its
high quality eye-care to the poor and enables MRF to perform free surgeries on 11,000 poor patients
over a fi ve-year period. The endowment also enables MRF to streamline its systems and develop a
protocol for involving non-profi t organisations and strengthen its fund raising abilities.
The Trust has made endowment grants to 28 non profi t organisations since 1995. Though no new
endowments were sanctioned during 2004-05, the disbursals totaled Rs. 30 million (0.68 million), as
against Rs. 17.69 in the previous year. In view of the reduced quantum of funds available for disbursals
in the coming fi nancial year, coupled with a large number of on-going commitments, the Trust may
not consider new endowments in 2005-06.
Surgeries being performed by fellows at the Medical Research Foundation, Chennai.
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Organisations which have received endowment grants from Sir Ratan Tata Trust since 1995
1. Professional Assistance for Development Action (PRADAN), New Delhi
2. Bombay City Policy Research Foundation - Bombay First, Mumbai
3. Sir Ratan Tata Foundation at the London School of Economics (LSE), London, United Kingdom (U.K.)
4. University of Pennsylvania Institute for the Advance Study of India (UPIASI), New Delhi
5. Indian Centre for Philanthropy, (ICP), New Delhi
6. N.R. Tata Bandra Agiary Trust, Mumbai
7. Sir Ratan Tata Buildings, C.J. Colony Tardeo Trust, Mumbai
8. National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER), New Delhi
9. Eklavya Foundation, Bhopal
10. Child Relief and You (CRY), Mumbai
11. Viswa Bharati, Santiniketan
12. Co-operative Development Foundation (CDF), Hyderabad
13. Indian Grameen Services (IGS), Hyderabad
14. Centre for Advancement of Philanthropy (CAP), Mumbai
15. India Foundation for the Arts (IFA), Bangalore
16. Eight rural schools set up by the Society for Integrated Development of the Himalayas (SIDH), Mussoorie
17. Amar Seva Sangam, (ASS) Ayikudy
18. Navinchandra Mafatlal Sadguru Water and Development Foundation (Sadguru Foundation), Dahod
19. Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), New Delhi
20. Society for Rural Urban and Tribal Initiatives (SRUTI), New Delhi
21. Children’s Book Trust (CBT), New Delhi
22. Various tank farmers associations in south India through the DHAN Foundation
23. Vrindaban Charitable Trust (VCT), Mumbai
24. Adishakti Laboratory for Theatre Art Research (ALTAR), Pondicherry
25. Higher Education Committee (HEC), Mumbai
26. J.N. Tata Parsi Girls’ High School, Nagpur
27. Bai Navajbai Tata Zoroastrian Girls’ School, Navsari
28. Medical Research Foundation (MRF), Chennai
Grant Disbursals for Endowment: 1997-2005
Institutional grants : Endowments
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Rs.Dhan Foundation, MaduraiThis ongoing multi-year grant enables Dhan Foundation to provide endowment grants to Tank Farmers’ Federations and Tank Farmers’ Associations in TamilNadu, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. No disbursals
Professional Assistance for Development Action (PRADAN), New Delhi Towards augmenting the existing endowment made to PRADAN, to meet thecosts of recruitment and induction of fresh professionals. No disbursals
Medical Research Foundation (MRF), Chennai Towards creating an endowment for high quality eye-care to the poor, which would enable MRF perform free surgeries on 11,000 poor patients over a fiveyear period. 30,000,000
Endowments: Details of grant disbursalsin 2004-2005
Institutional grants : Endowments
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Small Grant Programme
The Sir Ratan Tata Small Grant Programme (SGP), which was launched in 1998-99, has disbursed
nearly Rs. 85 million (US $ 1.93 million) through 296 grants that were made upto March 31, 2005, in
all fi ve thematic areas of the Trust. Primarily conceptualised to cater to the needs of small welfare
oriented organisations, the programme was subsequently amended to include larger organisations
that needed support for strategic planning or evaluation, conducting focussed research activities,
mainstreaming of innovations, conducting reviews and appraisals and strengthening internal systems.
Grants made to the latter have been classifi ed under the ‘special’ category, as against ‘regular’ SGPs
made to smaller organisations. So far, 103 grants have been made so far under the ‘special’ category
of the SGP, along with 193 made under the ‘regular’ category to smaller organisations.
An external review of the SGP was commissioned by the Trust during the year to: (a) examine the
relevance of the SGP vis-à-vis the needs of small, grassroots level organizations and the overall grant
making of the Trust; (b) evaluate its performance with respect to the original objectives; (c) evaluate
the processing systems followed at the Trust; and (d) suggest suitable measures to strengthen
and improve the above in a cost effective manner. The key recommendations emanating from the
review were: (a) there was a need to synergize ‘regular’ SGP grants within the thematic areas of the
Trust’s grant making; (b) screening organizations thoroughly right at the outset would help not only
in choosing the right ones, but also benchmarking the chosen ones; (c) current procedures and
systems prevalent in the SGP needed to be simplifi ed; (d) periodic resource inputs or handholding by
resource persons and programme offi cers were required to build capacity and facilitate development
of small organizations; and (e) there was a need to stimulate organisational capacities by shifting the
focus from the project to the organisation, encouraging co-funding with other donors and setting
challenging goals.
Based on the recommendations emanating from the review, the Trust re-structured the SGP. At
the outset, the SGP has been mainstreamed into the programmatic grant making of the Trust and
unlike earlier, no separate team is responsible for its execution. Whilst simplifying the procedure
for applying for a grant under the SGP, through a freshly designed application form, the Trust has
linked grants made under the ‘regular’ category of the SGP, to its core thematic areas of focus, with
necessary programmatic inputs being provided to projects by external specialists and the Trust’s
programme team. Furthermore, many SGPs are being used to fi eld-test new ideas and innovations,
support preparatory phases prior to long duration projects and conduct critical workshops, events
and external reviews within key programmatic initiatives.
Institutional grants : Small Grant Programme
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Institutional grants : Small Grant Programme
The Trust’s financial outlay towards the SGP has increased steadily every year since the latter’s
inception. During the year, the Trust’s concerted efforts to make 93 grants within the SGP, saw a
91% rise in disbursals, which reached Rs. 35.81 million (US $ 0.82 million), as compared to Rs. 18.70
million disbursed during 2003-04. Significantly, Rs. 16.73 million was disbursed towards 43 grants
under the ‘special’ SGP category during the year under review, constituting 47% of the total amount
disbursed in the entire SGP. 37% of the disbursals in the SGP during the year were made for grants
within Rural Livelihoods and Communities (RLC) portfolio, with 29% and 20% being outlaid towards
Education and Health portfolios, respectively.
Under Kharash Vistarotthan Yojana (KVY), grants were made to Aga Khan Rural Support Programme
(India) (AKRSP(I)), towards operationalizing the Coastal Salinity Cell, besides producing a short film,
showcasing the Trust’s efforts, along with other partner organisations, in combating coastal salinity
in Gujarat. Under Himmothan Pariyojana, grants were made to Aarohi, Grameen Vikas Samiti
(GVS), Manav Vikas Sansthan (MVS), and Society for Rural Awareness & Development in
Himalayan Areas (SRADHA), for conducting preparatory phase watershed projects in Uttaranchal
and Himachal Pradesh. This phase would equip the organisations, besides building the capacity
of the community, to undertake larger watershed projects next year. Similarly, a grant was made
to Uttaranchal Bamboo and Fibre Development Board (UBFDB), for a four month planning
phase, during which it finalised the design and activities of the subsequent large project, currently
underway and supported through a programme grant, focusing on promoting bamboo and fibre
development across Uttaranchal. The Trust supported both, People’s Science Institute (PSI)
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Salinity ingress in coastal areas of Gujarat has been a growing phenomenon over the past 20 years. The resultant environmental degradation has led to migration and an acute crisis of quality drinking water for the villages, besides declining agricultural productivity and decreasing soil fertility. The Trust, along with its partner organisations is undertaking the Kharash Vistarotthan Yojana (KVY), earlier known as the Gujarat Coastal Salinity Ingress Prevention and Mitigation initiative, to tackle this developing environmental catastrophe.
Till date, four such partner organisations, namely, Aga Khan Rural Support Programme (India) (AKRSP(I)), Ambuja Cement Foundation (ACF), Vivekanand Research & Training Institute (VRTI), and Tata Chemicals Rural Development Society (TCRDS) have made pro-active efforts towards mitigating the ill effects of salinity through a series of innovative measures. These include, amongst others, construction of water harvesting structures for ground water recharge, Roof Rain Water Harvesting Tanks (RRWHT), well sealing and percolation wells for drinking water, propagation of horticulture and water saving technologies such as drip irrigation and sprinklers, farm bunding for soil and water conservation, capacity building and community organization, group irrigation and revival of salt affected old plantations & establishment of new ones.
In recognition of the complexity and the multi-faceted nature of the problems, the need was perceived to tie in the work carried out by these organisations, including the relevant departments of the Government of Gujarat (GoG), through the formation of a Salinity Cell, which would co-ordinate and provide technical inputs to on-going salinity projects in the state and develop innovative programmes and initiatives. In August 2003, a dialogue as commenced with GoG to set up a Salinity Cell to coordinate efforts and projects, both under KVY and the government schemes. In April 2004, the GoG issued a Government Order constituting the Salinity Cell and its Steering Committee. Consequently, in September 2004, the Trust sanctioned a four month planning phase to help AKRSP(I) operationalise the Salinity Cell and fi nalize its design.
Apart from coordinating efforts of civil society organizations and concerned government departments, the Salinity Cell would, amongst other things: (i) network with individuals, groups and concerned government departments; (ii) provide technical and professional support through extension, training, media, exposure visits and education; and (iii) generate awareness amongst people in project areas and educate them directly or through civil society organizations about the problems of salinity, judicious use of water, water saving technologies, etc. Housed at the Salinity Ingress Prevention Circle (SIPC) in Rajkot, the Salinity Cell would initially focus on the Saurashtra coastline and is expected to become the fulcrum to develop and strengthen KVY.
Kharash Vistarotthan Yojana: A family stands amidst its groundnut crop, as low cost sprinklers make judicious
use of irrigation water within AKRSP(I)’s project area in Junagadh district, Gujarat.
Institutional grants : Small Grant Programme
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and Central Himalayan Rural Action Group (CHIRAG) for organising external reviews of the
watershed projects underway and providing them field support. Grants were also made to MUSE,
to support their project focusing on the conservation and commercialization of indigenous plant
species like Seabuckthorn, with the aim of empowering tribal women in Spiti, Himachal Pradesh,
through environment conservation and eco-income generation and Uttaranchal Cooperative
Resham Federation (UCRF), for the up-gradation of traditional looms for silk weaving, developing
products using eco-friendly dyes, encouraging market development and studying market trends for
silk blending products, thereby developing strategies to strengthen the market linkages for weavers in
Uttaranchal. Under the initiative ‘Reviving the Green Revolution’, the Trust supported the Directorate
of Agriculture, Government of Punjab, towards up-scaling zero tillage technology in Punjab,
through farmer training camps at district, block and village levels and showcasing various benefits
offered by the technology through 100 front line demonstrations at farmer fields, thereby helping
create awareness amongst the farmers regarding resource conservation technologies.
The Trust also supported six organisations under its Rajasthan Microfinance Initiative, chief amongst
them being Society for Sustainable Development (SSD), Vishaka, and Prayas, towards
programme planning exercises to consolidate their microfinance work in their project areas and
subsequently charting a future course of action through various studies, strengthening women SHGs
and promotion of participatory processes in all development related activities. In order to provide
resource support and inputs to the programme grantees within this initiative, the Trust made a grant
to Kalanjium Foundation, which carried out field visits, discussions with implementing teams and
communities and reviews of training material reports.
In order to make elementary education accessible, enjoyable and meaningful for every child, it is
imperative that the institution of schooling is made sensitive to the developmental needs of children
and firmly rooted to the local community. Recognising this, the Trust is working in a proactive manner
to identify, develop and support innovative programs that strengthen education, to serve marginalized
communities through long-term support. It was in this context that the Trust actively developed the
concept of the ‘Learning Centres Initiative’, earlier known as the Small School Project, that proposes
to start alternative schools, to cater to the needs of disadvantaged rural communities. The initiative
involves setting up approximately 50 Learning Centres in a phased manner, having a regional focus.
During the year under review, the Trust sanctioned a grant to Govind Dham Shikshana Sadhana
Trust (GDSST) for running eight learning centres in the Belgaum region of northern Karnataka for one
year duration, under the SGP. GDSST will serve as a nodal agency for the Belgaum cluster of Learning
Institutional grants : Small Grant Programme
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Situated at a height of 3,300 metres above sea level in the vast expanse of the Himalayas, Spiti is a cold desert with an
arid landscape, lacking vegetative growth. During the long winters, the temperatures dip to a low of –30 degrees Celsius.
Such hostile conditions do not offer much for sustenance and due to lack of precipitation, agriculture is restricted to
only one season a year, with snow being the only source of moisture. The area is however endowed with diverse fl ora,
replete with immense economic and ecological value, which is rapidly getting depleted, due to lack of awareness on
the same and promotion of foreign species.
To prevent further loss of the area’s biodiversity, MUSE initiated a project on the conservation and commercialization of
these indigenous species, initially focusing on one plant, namely Seabuckthorn, which is the world’s richest known source
of Vitamin C and has proven useful in the manufacture of a wide variety of products, ranging from pharmaceuticals to
cosmetics. Seabuckthorn also has a highly developed root system, with the ability to fi x atmospheric nitrogen, thereby
presenting an excellent biotic choice for soil conservation, besides enhancing its fertility. The project encompassed
raising the awareness and capacity of the local community, organization of women and villagers into producer groups,
infrastructure development, primary processing and market linkages. The Government of Himachal Pradesh has pitched
in with funds for the machinery to process Seabuckthorn and initiated a shift from their policy of promoting foreign
species, towards supporting the propagation and commercialization of local species.
Initially having no perceived value, Seabuckthorn was indiscriminately extracted by the locals and used for fencing.
However, after realizing its economic and ecological potential, women involved in the initiative have not only started
protecting the existing resources by not allowing its extraction, but have also initiated its propagation along the river
beds. Moreover, the concept of ‘live fencing’ of Seabuckthorn hedges (being an extremely thorny bush) is also being
promoted and is gradually picking up as an alternative.
In its endeavour to promote empowerment of tribal women through environment conservation and eco-income
generation, the Trust has supported MUSE in this one-year action research project, thereby establishing a symbiosis
between natural resource management and the local community, besides exploring the possibility of income generation,
through optimal use of the local surpluses. The successful implementation of this initiative has led MUSE to focus on
other natural resources in the area, in order to address the core issue of bio-diversity conservation.
Sustainable livelihoods in the Higher Himalayas: Seabuckthorn being grown in the Spiti region of Himachal
Pradesh, through a Small Grant Programme with MUSE.
Institutional grants : Small Grant Programme
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Centres. SGPs were also made to various organisations involved in implementing interesting and
innovative projects. These included: Dhwani Trust, for creating teaching aids to illustrate Kannada
language and social studies concepts in 12 schools in Bangalore; Suvidya, for a project designed to
help teachers communicate complex mathematical concepts to primary school children in Bangalore;
and Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Ahmedabad, towards raising the literacy skills of
early literates through an innovative project that involves subtitling of popular song programmes on
television, in their mother-tongue. The Trust also supported Ravi J. Matthai Centre for Educational
Innovation (RJMCEI), towards hosting the Sir Ratan Tata Trust Pedagogic Innovations Conference
that was organised in Ahmedabad.
With the Trust laying emphasis on mental health within its programmatic portfolio, as many as five
SGPs were made under this sub-thematic area. These included: The Banyan, for hosting a national
workshop on mental illness and homelessness; Schizophrenia Research Foundation (SCARF), for
developing home based strategies for patients suffering from chronic mental illness; and Ashadeep
towards their programme of treatment and rehabilitation of homeless mentally ill persons in Guwahati.
The Trust also supported the Himalayan Institute Hospital Trust to conduct a study on the overall
health status, besides providing inputs in designing the Trust’s health strategy in Uttaranchal.
Within its Civil Society & Governance portfolio, the Trust made three grants to different People For
Animals (PFA) organisations focusing on the welfare of animals across India. It also supported the
Foundation for Democratic Reforms (FDR), towards the ‘Andhra Pradesh Election Watch 2004’
enabling the organisation to spread awareness of contestants, besides raising voter awareness and
conducting pre and post poll surveys.
During the coming year, the Trust would continue to consolidate the re-worked SGP strategy
operationalised in 2004-05.
Institutional grants : Small Grant Programme
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Mental health is a neglected area in developing countries. In India, an estimated 40 million people (approximately 4% of the total Indian population) suffer from various types of mental disorders, ranging from schizophrenia and depression to autism and cerebral palsy1. The number of trained mental health professionals is abysmally low, compounded by a lack of appropriate rehabilitation facilities. Care for the mentally ill homeless is equally dismal as most institutions do not cater to those without families. Especially for homeless mentally ill women, this lack of access to any care facility or support, results in terrible forms of abuse and neglect. The Mental Health Initiative of the Trust attempts to address some issues arising from this situation.
With the objective of sharing the experiences of various non-profi t organisations involved in providing care to the homeless and the mentally ill and to identify key areas for action, especially pertaining to the homeless mentally ill, a national workshop on mental illness and homelessness was held in August 2004 in Chennai. Organised by The Banyan, and supported by the Trust under its Small Grant Programme, the event was the fi rst workshop of its kind and brought together 35 non-profi t organisations, government agencies and activists working with the mentally ill, the homeless and the homeless mentally ill, both in rural and urban areas.
The participants at the workshop reviewed the current scenario of mental health care and homeless mentally ill and identifi ed 24 key areas for action, which were put together in the form of a manifest, highlighting the access to mental health care as a basic right. The manifest, a copy of which was presented to the President of India, addresses the need to integrate mental health care into basic/primary health care and to involve community caregivers in the early identifi cation, care and follow up. It also calls for a review of the current process of institutionalizing persons with mental illness and of the role of the police and the judiciary in the process. Creating general awareness and sensitizing the medical profession, the judiciary and police, the administration, as well as the general public, on the right and the need for care was identifi ed as a critical element in ensuring that the homeless mentally ill are given their rights.
From the Trust’s perspective, the national workshop enabled it to identify organisations providing care for mentally ill, for expanding its Mental Health Initiative and facilitating collaboration among other grantees within the initiative, besides commencing the process of developing a strategy for building meaningful partnerships with organisations working with the mentally ill. The Trust is confi dent that this workshop would pave the way for similar events in the future, which would be hosted by different organisations across the country.
1 Richmond Fellowship Society (India)
Mentally ill women engage in vocational activities during the course of their treatment at the shelter in
Chennai, run by The Banyan.
Institutional grants : Small Grant Programme
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Small Grant Programme:Details of grant disbursals in 2004-2005
RURAL LIVELIHOODS & COMMUNITIES Rs.
Central India Region
Shristi, Bhubaneswar, Orissa
Towards a project for strengthening livelihoods of rural women located in 10 panchayats in Sadar block, Keonjhar district, Orissa, by promoting sustainablewomen self help micro finance co-operatives. 426,000
The Jhalod Taluka’s Lift Irrigation Co-operative Societies Federation, Dahod Towards capacity building of cooperative members of the Lift Irrigation Federation, on various aspects of cooperative management in Jhalod taluka,Dahod district, Gujarat. 150,000
Harsha Trust, BhubaneswarTowards a project that seeks to increase access to natural resources and promote sustainable agricultural production, through the formation of 10 Self HelpGroups (SHG) in the Bisam Cuttack block of Rayagada district of Orissa. 100,000
Kharash Vistarotthan Yojana
Aga Khan Rural Support Programme (India), AhmedabadTowards a preparatory phase prior to a three year project with the Salinity Cell, which would, amongst other things, focus on: (a) registration of the Salinity Cell and finalization of its Memorandum of Association (MoA) and rules & regulations; (b) development and finalization of revised proposal for the three year project; (c) plans and targets for all the key activities for the first year; (d) formulation and finalization of MoUs with the key Govt. departments; and (e) introductoryactivities with Salinity Ingress Prevention Circle (SIPC). 499,000 Aga Khan Rural Support Programme (India), AhmedabadTowards production of a CD-ROM, consisting of a short film showcasing the Trust’s efforts, along with partner organisations, in combating salinity on the coastof Gujarat, under the Kharash Vistarotthan Yojana (KVY) initiative. 497,000
Himmothan Pariyojana
People’s Science Institute (PSI), DehradunTowards reviewing the Batch 1 watershed projects under Himmothan Pariyojana, through external experts, in order to significantly strengthen theirimplementation. 328,423
Institutional grants : Small Grant Programme
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Aarohi, SatoliTowards a one year preparatory phase watershed project under Himmothan Pariyojana, covering four villages in Okhalkanda block of Nainital district, Uttaranchal, which helps Aarohi build its own and the community’s capacity toundertake a larger watershed project in the area. 476,000
Grameen Vikas Samiti (GVS), KotabaghTowards a one year preparatory phase watershed project under Himmothan Pariyojana, covering three villages in Bhimtal block of Nainital district, Uttaranchal, which helps GVS build its own and the community’s capacity to undertake alarger watershed project in the area. 499,000
Manav Vikas Sansthan (MVS), BilaspurTowards a one year preparatory phase watershed project under Himmothan Pariyojana, covering four villages in Jhanduta block of Bilaspur district, Himachal Pradesh, which helps MVS build its own and the community’s capacity toundertake a larger watershed project in the area. 500,000
Society for Rural Awareness & Development in Himalayan Areas (SRADHA), UttarkashiTowards a one year preparatory phase watershed project under Himmothan Pariyojana, covering five villages in Purola block of Uttarkashi district, Uttaranchal, which helps SRADHA build its own and the community’s capacity to undertakea larger watershed project in the area. 496,000
Ambuja Cement Foundation (ACF), DarlaghatTowards the one year preparatory cum planning phase of a micro-watershed project in Arki tehsil of Solan district, Himachal Pradesh, under ‘HimmothanPariyojana’. 225,000
Central Himalayan Rural Action Group (CHIRAG), SitlaTowards monitoring and field support to organisations involved in community managed watershed projects in Kumaon and its own natural resources management project in Bageshwar, Uttaranchal, thereby strengthening theprojects. 408,000
Society for Motivational Training & Action (SMTA), VikasnagarTowards support to the Implementation Phase of the Water and Sanitation component of Himmothan Pariyojana, which is expected to develop sustainable water and sanitation services to a further 11 villages in Uttarkashi andDehradun districts, Uttaranchal. 363,000
Himalayan Institute Hospital Trust (HIHT), Jolly Grant Towards arranging an external independent appraisal of the Detailed Technical Reports (DTR) of 11 new villages, for the water and sanitation projects under‘Himmothan Pariyojana’. 188,500
Institutional grants : Small Grant Programme
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Himalayan Region
Society for Integrated Management of All Resources (SIMAR), Udham Singh NagarTowards promoting: (a) health and environment sanitation measures; (b) income generating activities among SHGs; (c) non formal education; and (d) better and appropriate agriculture and water management practices, through mobilisation and capacity building of 36 SHGs, covering 12 villages of Deval block, Chamolidistrict, Uttaranchal. 200,000
The Society for Himalayan Environmental Research (SHER), Dehradun Towards domestication of high potential species of Aconitum, a medicinalplant, for commercial cultivation in Mori Block, Uttarkashi District, Uttaranchal. 200,000
MUSE, ShimlaTowards a project focusing on the conservation and commercialization of indigenous plant species like Seabuckthorn, with the aim of empowering tribal women in Spiti, Himachal Pradesh, through environment conservation andeco-income generation. 498,000
Institute for Development Support (IDS), Pauri GarhwalTowards promoting an understanding of entrepreneurship development amongst the youth in Pauri Garhwal district, Uttaranchal, equipping them with skills to design and plan projects for enterprise development, enabling them to set up and successfully run micro enterprises and providing technical and back upsupport for the sustainability of the established micro enterprises. 221,000
Chhattrasal Seva Sansthan (CSS), HamirpurTowards a programme on management of livestock and its resources, through preparation of a booklet on problems and potential for livestock development, capacity building of the community and income generation,thereby sustaining livelihoods in Tarikhet block of Almora district, Uttaranchal. 241,500
Uttaranchal Cooperative Resham Federation (UCRF), DehradunTowards the up-gradation of traditional looms for silk weaving, developing products using eco-friendly dyes, encouraging market development and studying market trends for silk blending products, thereby developing strategies tostrengthen the market linkages for weavers in Uttaranchal. 222,500
Reviving the Green Revolution
Directorate of Agriculture, Government of Punjab, ChandigarhTowards up-scaling of zero tillage technology in Punjab, through farmer training camps at district, block and village levels and demonstrating various benefits offered by the technology through 100 front line demonstrations at farmer fields, thereby helping create awareness amongst the farmers regarding resourceconservation technologies. 500,000
Institutional grants : Small Grant Programme
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Rajasthan Microfinance
Vishaka Group for Women’s Education & Research, Jaipur Towards a programme planning exercise consolidating Vishaka’s micro finance work in Jaipur district, Rajasthan and developing a future course of action, through various studies, exposure visits and trainings of staff members and generating livelihood options through an assessment of the resources availablein the project villages. 500,000
Society for Sustainable Development (SSD), KarauliTowards a programme planning exercise consolidating SSD’s micro finance work in Karauli district, Rajasthan and charting a future course of action, through developing and strengthening women SHGs, developing a Natural Resource Management perspective plan and promotion of participatory processes in alldevelopment related activities. 450,000
Prayas, ChittorgarhTowards a programme planning exercise, consolidating Prayas’s micro finance work in Chittorgarh district, Rajasthan and developing a future course of action, through formation and training of motivation groups, health mapping, trainingof traditional birth attendants and formation of a mutual health fund. 480,000
Kalanjium Foundation, Madurai Towards reviewing and providing resource support inputs to the Trust’s grantees in the Rajasthan microfinance initiative, through field visits, discussions with staffand review of training material reports, thereby adding value to the projects. No disbursals
Social Work & Environment for Rural Advancement (SWERA), AjmerTowards women’s empowerment through promoting women’s organizations, thus helping SWERA strengthen and consolidate its work in microfinance inRajasthan. 480,000
Society for Promotion of Grass Root Environmental & Social Action (PROGRESS), Banswara Towards building a livelihood enhancement platform to strengthen and consolidate the Self Help Groups already formed by PROGRESSin Rajasthan. 480,000
Ibtada, AlwarTowards organisational development and a strategic review of the activitiescarried out by Ibtada in Alwar district, Rajasthan. 201,000
Mahila Evam Paryavaran Vikas Sansthan (MePVS), Jaipur Towards a second phase grant for promoting and strengthening 15 women SHGsin Mojamabad village of Dudu block of Jaipur district, Rajasthan. 120,000
Institutional grants : Small Grant Programme
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Others
Prayas Kendra Sanstha, Jaipur Towards participatory resource management, which involves repair of three ponds, repairing and deepening of ten wells and field bunding in three villagesof Dudu block in Jaipur district, Rajasthan. 241,000
Motilal Jan Sahyog Samiti (MJSS), Allahabad Towards livelihood improvement of marginal farmers, through organic vegetable cultivation and business promotion in five villages in Allahabad district, UttarPradesh. 107,000
Alternative Livelihood Orientation Kendra (ALOK), DeoriaTowards women empowerment through SHGs and village based livelihood promotion activities such as goat rearing and vegetable cultivation, in Deoriablock, Lucknow district, Uttar Pradesh. 240,000
Society for Upliftment of People with People Organisation and Rural Technology (SUPPORT), Hazaribagh Towards the promotion of 50 new and strengthening 25 existing SHGs, focussing on agro based income generation activities in Layo and Banj Panchayats inMandu block, Hazaribagh district, Jharkhand. 100,000
Programme for Rural Action & Youths Association for Social Service (PRAYAS), HazaribaghTowards sustenance of education and awareness generation programmes forwomen SHG members in four blocks of Hazaribagh district, Jharkhand. 328,000
Ankur Kala, KolkataTowards a self-employment and alternative marketing project, which would build a strong and stable infrastructure to set up alternative marketing outlets, besides creating a viable marketing network for the women artisans from slumsin and around Kolkata. 300,000
Professional Institute for Development & Socio Environment Management (PRISM), KolkataTowards an initiative for women’s health development and protection of rights through women SHGs in Kolkata, through formation of new SHGs, trainings on preventive health care and reproductive child health, orientation and trainingto the local barefoot doctors and awareness building programmes. 250,000
Sahyog Nirmitee Trust, LaturTowards organizing awareness campaigns on women’s health issues andbetter sanitation and hygiene, through SHGs in Latur district, Maharashtra. 445,000
Institutional grants : Small Grant Programme
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Priyadarshini Mahila Mandal, YavatmalTowards formation of a SHG federation in Yavatmal district, Maharashtra, through 35 new groups and consolidation of old groups, focusing on women’sempowerment, by providing them training and linking them with banks. 200,000
Bhopal Yuwa Paryavaran Shikshan & Samajik Sansthan (BYPASS), BhopalTowards a project titled ‘Swayamsiddha’, which envisages empowering tribal women for effective participation and partnership in decision making and development processes, from 242 households in five villages in Silwani blockof Raisen district, Madhya Pradesh. 265,000
Development Support Centre (DSC), AhmedabadTowards a four month extension phase for DSC’s agriculture productivity enhancement project (earlier supported by the Trust through a programme grant),which would build capacity of village institutions for watershed plus activities. 498,200
Center for Collective Development (CCD), HyderabadTowards promotion and formation of co-operatives for marketing of soya, groundnut and pulses for farmers in Adilabad, Anantpur and Mahboobnagardistricts of Andhra Pradesh. 175,000
EDUCATION
Lokmitra, RaebareliTowards appointing supplementary teachers that address the issue of teacher-child relationships, besides creating awareness and mobilizing the community to improve the quality of government run village schools in Deeh block, Raebarelidistrict, Uttar Pradesh. 500,000
Sir Albert Howard Memorial Trust (SAHMET), KeslaTowards planning the next phase of the ‘Community Control of Quality Education’ project, which seeks to improve rural school education in tribal villages inKesla block, Hoshangabad district, Madhya Pradesh. 430,000
Aseema Charitable Trust, Mumbai Towards a preliminary phase of support, for meeting the recurring expenses of the Pali Chimbai Municipal School in Mumbai, besides supporting its recreational activities, which would help determine the long-term strategy forself sufficiency and future plans of the school. 200,000
Dhwani Trust, BangaloreTowards project ‘Poorana’, which creates teaching aids to illustrate Kannada language and social studies concepts in 12 schools in Bangalore North district,Karnataka, covering 22 teachers and 1,000 students. 250,000
Institutional grants : Small Grant Programme
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Jagadis Bose National Science Talent Search (JBNSTS), KolkataTowards a one year pilot training programme of science teaching for 15teachers from Kolkata, West Bengal. 250,000
Navnirmiti, Bombay Towards preparation and dissemination of an interactive poster kit for a ‘do and discover’ approach for classes five to eight, covering schools in tribal, ruraland urban areas on the outskirts of Mumbai. 200,000
Suvidya, BangaloreTowards the project, “Place Value Kit”, which is designed to help teachers communicate complex mathematical concepts to children in primary schoolsin Karnataka. 451,000
Sandarbh Society, PuneTowards the marketing efforts of the Society’s Marathi magazine ‘Sandarbh’, inorder to create a large subscriber base for the vernacular language periodical. 500,000
Centre for Environment Research and Education (CERE), MumbaiTowards documenting successful models of environmental education in urban schools, country-wide, with a special focus on sustainability and innovation intheir projects. 500,000
Going to School Fund, New DelhiTowards translation of ten stories from the book “Going to School” in Kannada and photographic documentation of two partners of the Trust, thus lending itsexpertise in dissemination. 500,000
Nirantar Trust, DelhiTowards supporting the publication of six issues of ‘Pitara’, a bi-monthly newsand features magazine in Hindi, for neo-literates and semi-literate readers. 250,000
Indian Institute of Management (IIM), AhmedabadTowards the project titled “Same Language Subtitling (SLS) on Television for Mass Literacy”, for raising the literacy skills of early literates on a mass scale throughentertainment and popular culture. 500,000
Inter University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA), PuneTowards support for personnel and educational material at ‘Pulatsya’, achildren’s science activity centre based at IUCAA, Pune, Maharashtra. 300,000
Ravi J. Matthai Centre for Educational Innovation (RJMCEI), AhmedabadTowards supporting the Sir Ratan Tata Trust Pedagogic Innovations Conferenceorganised in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. 376,000
Institutional grants : Small Grant Programme
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Comet Media Foundation, MumbaiTowards additional support for the Sir Ratan Tata Trust Colloquium ontextbooks and school curriculum held in Mumbai. 190,000
Ananya Trust, BangaloreTowards operational expenses of the semi-residential school ‘Ananya Shikshana Kendra’ and towards training of teachers in innovative and creative teachingmethods at Ananya Centre for Teachers, in Bangalore. 500,000
Deena Bandhu Trust, ChamrajnagarTowards recurring expenses of a school run by the Deena Bandhu Trust in Chamrajnagar, Karnataka, which imparts education in a creative, childcentered manner. 425,000
Govind Dham Shikshana Sadhana Trust, BelgaumTowards operationalizing the Belgaum cluster of the Trust’s ‘Small School Project’, which would reach out to disadvantaged children in eight small schools inBelgaum district, Karnataka and provide locally relevant education. 383,000
Palakneeti Pariwar, PuneTowards providing academic support to school going children and running alibrary-cum-study centre for children from the slums in Pune, Maharashtra. 292,000
The Bombay Community Public Trust, MumbaiTowards starting two Community Learning Centres in Mumbai, in order toprovide academic support to school going children in slum communities. 212,000
Society for Integration & Rural Development (SIRD), Kothakota Towards meeting the operational costs of a residential school located at the Jurala Project Campus, in Pebbair village, Mehboobnagar district, Andhra Pradesh, as part of the project to eradicate child labour and ensure cent percentenrolment of the girl child through child labour schools. 200,000
Sivagiri Vidyaniketan, ErnakulamTowards providing support for 100 economically weaker students of SivagiriVidyaniketan, Aluva, Ernakulam district, Kerala. 500,000
Sri Sai Baba Pooja Samiti, MumbaiTowards providing scholarships and school bags to underprivileged children inmunicipal schools in Mumbai. 50,000
Rawal Mallinathji Foundation, JodhpurTowards a mid day meal programme that reaches out to 71,000 students inschools of Barmer district, Rajasthan. 497,000
Institutional grants : Small Grant Programme
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Collaborative Research and Dissemination (CORD), New DelhiTowards studying the functioning of the mid-day meal scheme in the state of Delhi, which would serve as a pilot to assist in the design of a comprehensive,inter-state study on mid-day meals. 500,000
The Promise Foundation, BangaloreTowards the preparation and organisation of a national consultation on careerpsychology in Bangalore, Karnataka. 250,000
Ecological Society, PuneTowards strengthening and widening the scope of the Ecological Society’seducational programme in eco-restoration and natural resource management. 250,000
National Institute of Public Finance and Policy, New DelhiTowards a research project focusing on the holocaust that occurred in 1947,after the partition of India. 370,200
Institute of Rural Management (IRMA), AnandTowards a silver jubilee symposium on ‘Governance in Development: Issues,Challenges & Strategies’ at IRMA, Anand, Gujarat. 300,000
Kala Raksha, Bhuj Towards strengthening and expanding Kala Raksha’s Basic Education Programme, which incorporates a strong component of community participation, therebyraising awareness levels of artisans in Bhuj, Kutch district, Gujarat. 118,000
Shaishav, Bhavnagar, Gujarat Towards training 20 lokshikshaks and balwadi teachers in the slum areas ofBhavnagar, for the Community Education Center at Bhavnagar, Gujarat. No disbursals
HEALTH
School for Potential Advancement and Restoration of Confidence (SPARC), Lucknow Towards a project focusing on income generation and special education to children with disabilities, in the slums of Lucknow, in order to integrate them into normal schools. The project also provides vocational training for identified trades and economic assistance to initiate income generatingactivities. 100,000
Swasti Sewa Samiti, SamastipurTowards empowering the community in the Vadyapati block of Samastipur district, Bihar, to overcome lack of awareness on health issues, thus laying thegroundwork for an effective health care system. 225,000
Institutional grants : Small Grant Programme
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Aarohi, MukteswarTowards a project enabling Aarohi to develop a proposal focusing on a health care delivery mechanism with other NGOs in Kumaon, besides sustaining andstrengthening its current level of activities in community health. 330,000
Nethrodaya, ChennaiTowards operational expenses of ‘Jothirbhavan’, a residential care-cum-ruralhome for under-privileged blind students in Chennai. 400,000
Himalayan Institute Hospital Trust, Dehradun Towards a study to understand the overall health status, identify niche areas of support and provide inputs in designing the Trust’s health strategy inUttaranchal. 70,000
Rajathan Mahila Kalyan Mandal, AjmerTowards a programme planning exercise enabling RMKM to consolidate anddevelop its interventions in the field of mental health in Ajmer district. 455,000
Centre for Women’s Development (CWD), TorpaTowards Jadi-Buti training and strengthening CWD’s resource centre for alternate medicine, thereby increasing capacities of the community in 10 villages ofTorpa block, Ranchi district, Jharkhand. 500,000
Indian Medical Association Blood Bank Society of Uttaranchal, DehradunTowards laboratory equipment for setting up a blood bank in Dehradun, which would cater to the needy patients. 500,000
Swayam Shikshan Prayog, MumbaiTowards a planning proposal focusing on improvement of health services forwomen in Latur and Osmanabad districts of Maharashtra. 483,000
The Banyan, ChennaiTowards a national workshop on mental illness and homelessness. 230,000
Schizophrenia Research Foundation (SCARF), ChennaiTowards the project, ‘Strengthening SCARF’s Work with Caregivers of Mentally Ill: Home Based Intervention & Empowerment’, which develops home-basedstrategies for patients suffering from chronic mental illness. 498,000
The Coorg Foundation, PollibettaTowards project ‘Swastha’, which covers the activities of the organisation’s ‘School for Special Education’ and ‘Centre for Rehabilitation’ for differently abled students in Kodagu district, Karnataka. The former focuses on teaching students according to their abilities, whilst the latter imparts vocational trainingin envelope making, screen printing, tailoring, etc. 250,000
Institutional grants : Small Grant Programme
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Ashadeep, GuwahatiTowards their programme ‘Nav Chetna’, which identifies and picks up homeless mentally ill individuals from the streets in Guwahati, Assam, provides medicaltreatment for their mental and physical ailments and rehabilitates them. 300,000
Chaitanya Charitable Trust, PalakkadTowards meeting the recurring expenses of the ‘Developmental Training Institute for Special Children’, which provides multidisciplinary training andmedical attention to differently abled children, through special educators andphysiotherapists. 245,000
Sakhi, DahodTowards enhancing skills of midwives, thus reducing maternal mortality in 15villages in Dahod, Jhalod, and Fatehpura blocks of Dahod district, Gujarat. 275,000
Foundation for Research in Health Systems (FRHS), BangaloreTowards the preparatory phase of a study to identify parameters like affordable premium, service delivery systems, risk management, etc. in order toformulate a community health insurance policy for the poor. 497,462
Health and Education Foundation, MumbaiTowards the publication and free distribution of 2,500 copies of the book ‘How to Prevent or Reverse Heart Disease’, to cardiac patients in various hospitals,cardiac nursing homes and yoga centers in the country. 500,000
Janakalyan Sevashram, MumbaiTowards part operating and establishment costs of Jankalyan Sevashram’ssenior citizens home at Panvel in Raigad district, Maharashtra. 400,000
L. V. Prasad Eye Institute, HyderabadTowards a programme planning exercise, to develop a comprehensive intervention in grooming professionals for advancement of low vision care in the country,which would form the basis of the Trust’s second phase of support. 490,000
Paripurnata, KolkataTowards providing intensive skill and vocational training to the ex-residents of Paripurnata and strengthening the capacities of its staff to treat, shelter andrehabilitate mentally ill women. 250,000
Faiz – E –Aam Charitable Trust, AurangabadTowards purchase of surgical equipment for the operation theatre of theirhealth centre in Kagzipura village, Aurangabad district, Maharashtra. 278,264
ARTS & CULTURE
Urban Design Research Institute (UDRI), MumbaiTowards expansion of its research and education activities, with a special focus on collection of government and legal documents, maps, CT survey sheets,development plans and satellite and digital images of Bombay. 500,000
Institutional grants : Small Grant Programme
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Natarang Pratishtan, New Delhi Towards documentation and acquisition of material on theatre directors,through books, journals, posters, catalogues, etc. 200,000
Madras Craft Foundation, Chennai Towards supporting five projects in order to streamline and develop theorganisation’s art education programmes. 250,000
CIVIL SOCIETY & GOVERNANCESrijan Kendra, Janjgir Champa Towards the ‘Gram Vikas Project’, which works towards capacity building of Panchayat representatives and village level institutions, as well as micro-planning in 10 Panchayats of Janjgir Champa district, Chattisgarh. 175,000
Press Institute of India (PII), New DelhiTowards an exhibition focusing on the best human development stories andcompiling a compendium on the same. 250,000
Foundation for Democratic Reforms, HyderabadTowards the ‘Andhra Pradesh Election Watch 2004’ during which, activities like campaign against criminalization, voter awareness drives, media campaignsand pre and post poll surveys were conducted. 300,000
Mitra Technology Foundation, New DelhiTowards the project ‘India Fellows’, which would create awareness about civic responsibility among 3,000 urban youth in five reputed institutions in northIndia, besides developing short term volunteering assignments for youth. 220,000
Rejuvenate India Movement (RIM), BangaloreTowards the ongoing ‘Samaj Shilpi’ programme in Madhya Pradesh, Uttaranchal, West Bengal and Karnataka, which envisages mobilizing the communitythrough formation of new organisations and strengthening local governance. 396,000
Centre for Development, AhmedabadTo ensure continuation of education to riot affected children in Gujarat, rehabilitate them with society, create awareness of their rights and generate movement through establishing linkages with other child rights movementsand capacitating them to fight against injustice and discrimination. 424,000
Communication for Development and Learning, BangaloreTowards a series of training programmes in communication and media skills to build capacities of grassroots workers and middle management in non-profitorganisations. 250,000
People For Animals (PFA), MargaoTowards capacity enhancement of PFA animal shelters, sterilization of straydogs and emergency relief to stray animals in Panaji, Ponda and Margao, Goa. 250,000
Institutional grants : Small Grant Programme
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People For Animals (PFA), BhubaneswarTowards operating expenses of its facility in Bhubaneswar, Orissa, which provides shelter and an ambulance service to domestic animals, besides an emergencyshelter for animals. 241,000
People For Animals (PFA), DehradunTowards birth control and immunization of stray animals at PFA’s shelterhouse in Dehradun, Uttaranchal. 250,000
Pravah, New DelhiTowards support for a theatre production on the theme of citizenship, diversityand identities, as a part of Pravah’s campaign on citizenship. 251,000
Jagori, New DelhiTowards reviewing and providing capacity building inputs to ‘Vividha–Women’sResource and Documentation Center’, in Jaipur, Rajasthan. 490,000
Visthar, BangaloreTowards hosting two symposia focussing on improving curriculum in Organization Development (OD) and Institutional Development (ID), related to social development programmes, resulting in an action agenda towards the launching ofan alternative curriculum for an OD/ID course for development professionals. 404,000
Mediact (Media Education for Awareness and Cultural Transformation, TrivandrumTowards the project “Media Education for Democratic Society”, which imparts media awareness among students in ten schools in Trivandrum, Kerala, thus enabling them to critically and creatively evaluate the role and conduct ofMass Media. 250,000
Tata Institute of Social Sciences, MumbaiTowards a consultation on the ‘National Resettlement and Rehabilitation (R & R) Policy’, which discussed all components of the draft R & R policy, reviewed stages dealing with appraisal, planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of resettlement and rehabilitation and finalised the R & R policy draftfor submission to National Advisory Council. 210,000
Institutional grants : Small Grant Programme
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Individual Grants
Grants given to individuals during their hour of need have constituted a prominent portion of the
Trust’s grant making efforts, since its inception. The systematic approach adopted by the Individual
Grants Programme has ensured a fi ne-tuned system that identifi es those in need of assistance,
besides expeditiously granting relief. The Trust’s well established linkages with quality medical and
educational institutions across India have played a key role in appropriately identifying deserving
individuals, besides streamlining procedures of grant making.
The Trust provides fi nancial assistance to individuals for:
• Meeting medical expenses
• Educational needs for higher education within India and assistance for education-related travel
overseas.
Medical
With the advent of liberalization and subsequent opening up of the Indian economy, citizens are in
a position of availing world class treatment at multi-specialty medical facilities within the country.
However, high import duties, coupled with patent rights, have resulted in a steep increase in the
costs of many life saving drugs, thereby making quality health care services beyond the reach of the
common man. The paucity of State supported health care or medical insurance schemes, is another
limiting factor. This scenario makes the Trust’s support towards medical relief most contextual.
The Trust continued to utilize its established network of medical professionals and social workers
at hospitals in India. During the year under review, the Trust formed institutional linkages with two
more institutions, taking the total number of linkages to 23. This included the Shri Siddhivinayak
Ganapati Cancer Hospital in Miraj, Maharashtra and H. M. Patel Centre for Medical Care and Education
Life took an unpleasant turn for the Matthews family in October 2003, when their 12 year old daughter, Mary, sustained
severe burn injuries, after being electrocuted by a high tension live wire. The child was admitted to the Hosmat Hospital in
Bangalore, where, due to the severity of the burns, her right arm had to be amputated. In the eight months that followed,
Mary was hospitalized several times, whilst undergoing a series of surgeries. Within this period, the expenses for the
ongoing treatment crossed Rs. 350,000, which the family managed to bear through their own savings and donations from
well-wishers, besides borrowing and taking loans. With a view to normalize Mary’s life to the best extent possible, the
doctors at the hospital decided to fi t an artifi cial limb, which needed to be procured from Otto Bock Health Care India (a
world class manufacturer and distributor of orthotics and prosthetics componentry) at a cost of Rs. 440,000. This proved
to be beyond the means for the family of four, with only one earning member drawing a monthly income of Rs. 8,200. In
June 2004, Mary’s beleaguered father approached the Trust for assistance. The Trust, realizing that the family had spent
a huge amount, not to mention the emotional trauma undergone, sanctioned a medical grant of Rs. 200,000.
Individual grants
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in Karamsad, Gujarat. Both the institutions offer treatment and would commence recommending
patients effective April 2005.
During 2004-05, the Trust sanctioned Rs. 81.57 million (US$ 1.85 million) towards medical grants,
which indicates a reduction of 20% over the amount sanctioned during 2003-04. Correspondingly,
the number of grants sanctioned during the year has reduced by 11%. This can be attributed to the
following three factors: (a) an increased number of field visits were undertaken by the Trust during
the year to scrutinize applications, even those referred by linked institutions, thereby ensuring
only genuine applications; (b) an increased emphasis on checking applications during receipt and
summarily rejecting those with incomplete documentation; and (c) applications from two linked
institutions being kept in abeyance, due to intrinsic discrepancies in the information provided by
them to the Trust.
Natasha Gala, a 50 year old housewife from Mumbai, suffered a cardiac infraction with cardiac arrest, followed by
hypoxic brain damage. She was hospitalized at the Nanavati Hospital in Mumbai, where she underwent specialized
treatment over the course of two months, at a cost of Rs. 392,000. Natasha’s husband, Ramesh, a well placed manager
in a prominent organisation, received Rs. 300,000 from his company on compassionate grounds and was able to claim Rs.
75,000 from medical insurance. However, Natasha’s recovery was only partial and the doctors at the hospital reckoned
that complete recovery would take at least one year, during which she would require to undergo brain surgery, followed
by good nursing, medical and physiotherapy care at home. The estimated cost of the treatment during this period was
Rs. 1,200,000, which was beyond the means of the Gala family, although having a monthly income of Rs. 38,000. In
February 2005, Ramesh applied to the Trust for assistance. After gauging his capacity towards paying for the astronomical
medical expenses during the course of the year, the Trust has sanctioned a grant of Rs. 200,000.
Individual grants
Sanctions of Medical Grants: 1997-2005
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EducationThe Trust supports meritorious scholars through:
1) Scholarships to students to pursue professional studies in India.
2) Travel grants to provide part-travel assistance for studies and professional development abroad.
The strength of the Trust’s ‘Studies in India’ programme is in its linkages with institutes, including
colleges of repute in the country, especially in the fields of engineering, management and medicine.
During the year under review, the Trust successfully corresponded with 29 institutions, which
included the Indian Institute of Managements (IIMs), Institute of Rural Management, Anand (IRMA),
Xavier Labour Relations Institute (XLRI), National Institute of Design (NID) and Tata Institute of Social
Sciences (TISS), among others. It also established a new institutional linkage with Prerana, a non-
profit organisation. Apart from the institutional linkages, the Trust encouraged direct applications
Gopalsingh Rajput, a bright 19 year old lad, is pursuing his MBBS at Rajiv Gandhi Medical College in Kalwa, Thane (having
an institutional link with the Trust) and is currently in his second year. Gopalsingh’s steely resolve to study hard and
become a doctor is however beleaguered with problems arising due to his weak economic condition. His father had
passed away in 1996 and his mother toiled in the fields, earning a meagre annual income of Rs. 14,000. He submitted
his application to the Trust under its ‘Studies in India’ programme, requesting financial assistance towards tuition fees
for the academic year 2004-05, which were as high as Rs. 32,000 and definitely beyond his means. The Trust carefully
examined Gopalsingh’s past academic record, which revealed that he was an exceptionally hard-working student. It was
imperative that he required financial support to study further, for which, the Trust sanctioned Rs. 32,000.
Medical: Details of grants made from April 2004 to March 2005
No. of applications No. sanctioned Rs. in million* %
Heart 1,140 492 30.10 36.9
Kidney 300 105 5.26 6.5
Cancer 498 222 21.74 26.6
Burns 13 9 0.95 1.2
Tuberculosis 18 15 0.56 0.7
Others 607 351 22.87 28.0
Special 7 7 0.09 0.1
Total 2,583 1,201 81.57 100.0
* The amount mentioned is for grants sanctioned and may vary from actual disbursals.
Individual grants
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from students pursuing undergraduate / postgraduate courses in nursing, pharmacy, architecture,
law, fine arts, education, etc. These students approached the Trust based on the basic eligibility /
cut-off percentage.
During the year under review, the Trust also maintained its association with the British Council,
for providing travel assistance to scholars who were awarded the British Chevening Scholarships,
besides scholarships awarded under their Higher Education Link Programme. Travel grants were
also awarded to scholars under the Trust’s ongoing programme with the International Development
Programme (IDP) Education Australia Limited.
Focused efforts of the Trust enabled 1,112 individuals pursue their dreams for higher education,
through a total grant outlay of Rs. 20.41 million (US $ 0.46 million), as against Rs. 17.25 million to 854
applicants in 2002-03.
Twenty four year old Liju Thomas is pursuing his post-graduate diploma in Personal Management and Industrial Relations
from the prestigious Xavier Labour Relations Institute (XLRI) in Jamshedpur, which has a link with the Trust, and is currently
in his second year. Hailing from a family of four, residing in Trivandrum, Liju lost his father in 2001 and his mother is a
pensioner with an annual income of Rs. 257,000. Despite his personal hardships, Liju had managed to maintain a consistent
level of proficiency in his studies, whilst attaining his B Tech in Electronics. However, the family’s economic condition
had become a severe impediment, when it came to paying up the fees for the second year at XLRI. As giving up studies
was not an option, he submitted his application to the Trust under its ‘Studies in India’ programme, requesting financial
assistance towards tuition fees for the academic year 2004-05. Impressed by his track record and desire to study, the
Trust awarded a scholarship of Rs. 50,000, which is the maximum amount sanctionable, towards his tuition fees.
Individual grants
Sanctions of Education Grants (individual) 1997-2005
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Aanand Chabukswar is the Practitioner and Secretary of the World Centre for Creative Learning Foundation, Pune. In
April 2004, he was invited by the Rowan Romania Foundation to participate in their summer projects scheduled over
July–September in Zarnesti, Romania. During this period, the Foundation saw a role for Aanand as the manager of the
young people’s theatre project ‘Project Wolf’, which involved producing plays with young teenagers, in one of the Romanian
villages. For a practitioner involved with drama-therapy techniques for special need groups like mentally challenged adults,
de-addiction centres and children, this was an unparalleled opportunity for his professional development. The cost for
this programme worked out to Rs. 73,000, of which Rs. 42,465 was towards return airfare. Looking into the nature of the
theatre project, its relevance to the Indian context and the impact it would have on Aanand’s career as a professional,
the Trust sanctioned Rs. 35,000 towards partial international airfare of Aanand Chabukswar. Upon his return, Aanand
submitted a vivid and well illustrated account of his participation in Rowan Romania’s Summer 2004 projects.
Mr. Chabukswar amidst a group of young gypsy students during his trip to Romania.
Education: Details of grants made from April 2004 to March 2005
No. of applications No. sanctioned Rs. in million* %
Studies in India 1,167 957 15.14 74.18
Studies abroad 405 110 3.35 16.41
Short term courses/Mid-career trainingabroad 64 11 0.44 2.16
Conferences /presentations 160 27 1.17 5.73
Others 36 7 0.31 1.52
Total 1,832 1,112 20.41 100.00
* The amount mentioned is for grants sanctioned and may vary from actual disbursals.
Individual grants
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Individual grants
Expressions….
....We appreciate your kind gesture and encouragement in our relentless fi ght against cancer and hope to get your support in future….
– M. S. Patil, Offi cer-in-Charge, Medical Social Services, Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai
….Thank you for sanctioning my scholarship, which has helped me, overcome my fi nancial diffi culties. I will now continue my education with renewed zeal and vigor, whilst pursuing my goal of becoming an electronics engineer….
– Mahaling Mamadapur, student, recipient of the Trust’s scholarship
….We hope that our partnership with the Trust will grow and we will have the opportunity to continue to render the best quality health care to the poor and deserving members of our society….– D. K. Sood, Medical Social Worker, Sir Hurkisondas Nurrotumdas Hospital & Research Centre, Mumbai
….Though I have lost my wife, your Trust has saved me from my debts and diffi culties….– Dawood Perekar, widower of Halima, recipient of the Trust’s medical grant
….Endovascular surgeries for the brain are expensive and considered life saving procedures. I must say that we are able to continue to offer this treatment option to most of our patients because of your generous help….– Dr. Uday Limaye, Division of Interventional Radiology, King Edward Memorial Hospital, Mumbai
….How do we thank you for your kindness? Because no amount of gratitude will ever allow you to feel what we feel at this very moment…
– Jayesh and Hemakshi Khagram, parents of fi ve year old Jeet, a recipient of the Trust’s medical grant
….Your generous and noble act of granting such substantial aid proves that Humanity is Godliness….
– A. P. Shahane, recipient of the Trust’s medical grant for his ailing mother
….The participation in the conference was useful in learning the development in the fi eld of irrigation management worldwide. I am happy that the state has initiated reforms in that direction….
– Sanjay Belsare, Executive Engineer & Under Secretary (CAD) Govt. of Maharashtra
….With no savings and constantly living hand to mouth, it was impossible for me to carry this burden without your help. I will forever be indebted to the Trust for the assistance…
– Prakash Sheth, husband of Neeta, recipient of the Trust’s medical grant
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Income
Expenditure
April 2004 – March 2005
2003-2004 Particulars 2004-2005
Rs. in US $ in % Rs. in US $ in % million million* million million**
331.7 7.37 80.35 Dividend Income 584.2 13.27 86.73
77.8 1.73 18.85 Interest 82.5 1.88 12.25
– – – Donation 2.5 0.06 0.37
0.1 – 0.02 Property Income 0.1 – 0.01
3.2 0.07 0.78 Rebate / Incentive on Investment 3.1 0.07 0.46
– – – Refund of Charities 1.2 0.03 0.18
412.8 9.17 100.00 673.6 15.31 100.00
April 2004 – March 2005
2003-2004 Particulars 2004-2005
Rs. in US $ in % Rs. in US $ in % million million* million million**
353.0 7.84 85.60 Programme Grants / Charities 511.4 11.63 75.92
11.0 0.24 2.70 Administrative Expenses 13.4 0.30 1.99
0.6 0.01 0.10 Property Expenses 0.6 0.01 0.09
3.0 0.07 0.70 Contribution to Charity Commissioner 3.6 0.08 0.53
1.8 0.04 0.40 Depreciation 1.8 0.04 0.27
43.4 0.97 10.50 Balance surplus 142.8 3.25 21.20
412.8 9.17 100.00 673.6 15.31 100.00
* 1 US $ is approximately equal to Rs. 45** 1 US $ is approximately equal to Rs. 44
Financial highlights: 2004-2005
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As on March 31, 2005
March 2004 Particulars March 2005
Rs. in US $ in Rs. in US $ in million million* million million**
13.8 0.31 Immovable Properties 12.5 0.28
2.1 0.05 Movable Properties 2.0 0.05
906.8 20.15 Investments 1,022.9 23.25
0.6 0.01 Other Debit Balances 1.0 0.02
36.2 0.80 Outstanding Income 33.5 0.76
13.3 0.30 Cash and Bank Balances 12.6 0.29
972.8 21.62 1,084.5 24.65
As on March 31, 2005
March 2004 Particulars March 2005
Rs. in US $ in Rs. in US $ in million million* million million**
42.4 0.94 Trust Fund 42.9 0.98
291.6 6.48 Investment Reserve Fund and Other funds 294.0 6.68
35.8 0.80 Other Credit Balances 1.7 0.04
603.0 13.40 Income and Expenditure Account 745.9 16.95
972.8 21.62 1,084.5 24.65
Liabilities
Assets
* 1 US $ is approximately equal to Rs. 45** 1 US $ is approximately equal to Rs. 44
Financial highlights: 2004-2005
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Guidelines for Grant Applications
The Strategic Plan 2006 of the Trust has identifi ed Education, Health, Rural Livelihoods and Communities, Civil Society and Governance, and Arts and Culture as its fi ve thematic areas. The Trust supports its thematic areas through:
• Programme Grants• Endowment Grants• Small Grants
For Programme Grants, the Trust gives preference to projects that:• are from enterprising organisations, willing to innovate• have a close bond with the community• aim at mainstreaming innovations on scale• build in long-term sustainability in design and cost-effectiveness in delivery• have clear reporting parameters and monitoring milestones• make effective use of human resources• strategically position their intervention in the fi eld
Organisations seeking programme grants should write to the Trust with a concise concept note, clearly stating the purpose for which funding is sought, the problems to be addressed, and a brief outline of the proposed project, stating its rationale, objectives, approach, strategies, milestones, expected outcomes and the estimated budget.
The concept note should be accompanied by the following documents:• Narrative report and audited statement of accounts for two previous years• Registration certifi cate under the Societies Act or the Public Trust Act• List of present funding agencies• List of members of the Board• The Curriculum Vitae of the project leader
Subsequent to assessment of the concept note, the Trust invites a proposal, which is meticulously appraised and used as the detailed operational document for programme implementation. Only proposals falling within the thematic areas of support that have been described in the Programme Grant chapters of the Annual Report, are considered. The Trust discourages requests for support towards the cost of construction and purchase of land/capital expenditure. The Trust does not sanction all the proposals invited by it.
Endowment grants are made selectively, after a successful programmatic relationship with the Trust, to those mission-driven institutions which have exhibited enterprise and initiative for at least ten years, who meet the criteria laid down in the 1997 Endowment Strategy and the follow-up Strategic Planning Exercise, carried out in 2001.The grant will be made after a rigorous and thorough appraisal of the institution.
Grants under the Sir Ratan Tata Small Grant Programme are made to organisations with an annual expenditure of less than Rs. 2 million and employing not more than 20 people, for seed support to implement new and innovative ideas. Larger organisations can also apply to the Small Grant Programme for: (a) strategic planning and/or evaluation; (b) focused research activities; (c) mainstreaming of innovations; (d) setting up or strengthening of internal systems; and (e) project planning and appraisal. A letter of enquiry should be sent to the Trust along with a brief description of the past and present activities of the organisation and the purpose for which the funds are sought.
All communication should be addressed to: The Secretary Sir Ratan Tata Trust, Bombay House, 24, Homi Mody Street, Mumbai 400 001 Email: [email protected]
Guidelines
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Layout and printing by Impress, Mumbai
The Trust is grateful to its grantees for the photographs used in the report.
Cover Photo: A distribution stand post in Vankol village, Dahod district, Gujarat.
Cover photo credit : N.M. Sadguru Water and Development Foundation, Dahod.
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