VEDANTA CSR: October 2014

HINDUSTAN ZINC "MARYADAA" CAMPAIGN ARTICLE IN RAJASTHAN PATRIKA - 27TH OCTOBER, 2014

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HINDUSTAN ZINC "MARYADAA" - TIMES OF INDIA - NOW RAJASTHAN'S 7 TRIBAL VILLAGES DECLARED FREE FROM DEFECATION IN OPEN

TNN | Oct 26, 2014,

UDAIPUR: South Rajasthan may be a tribal dominant and a socio-economically backward area in the state but great things are happening here. Seven villages of Chittorgarh, Udaipur and Bhilwara districts have become Open Defecation Free (ODF) as 10,000 households have broken off from the traditional practice of defecating in the open after constructing pucca toilets at their homes.

Project 'Maryadaa' is being championed by the state government and Vedanta group's Hindustan Zinc, one of the global largest producer of zinc, silver and lead, with a mission to make Rajasthan an Open Defecation Free state. The project operates with an innovative methodology for mobilizing communities to progressively work towards stopping open defecation.

"Vedanta 'Maryadaa' campaign joined the Prime Minister call for Swachh Bharat, we carried a special drive at Vedanta premises, colony and within community," Anil Agarwal, chairman of the group, tweeted recently. Vedanta business locations carried out cleanliness drive and employees too joined the campaign in its townships.

"Taking forward the Swachh Bharat campaign, Hindustan Zinc is constructing 30,000 toilets out of which 10,000 have already been constructed. Once we complete our initial target, 80 villages will become ODF in Rajasthan within two years," Pavan Kaushik, the spokesperson informed.

"I learnt about the negative effects of open defecation, and I did not want to be the one contributing to the pollution of the environment and exposing other people to risks," said Kaisi Bai a poor tribal woman at Karget village, near Debari in Udaipur, who was among the first people to dig a pit. All the members of her family now use toilet and do not go in open for defecation.

"My grandchildren do not suffer from stomach problems now after we started using toilet," she said. Kaisi Bai had to spend only 900 rupees from her pocket, the rest of the expenditure, about Rs 8000 was met by Hindustan Zinc and the state government.

Similarly, many households of Maton village at Maton mines, Rela, Nevatalai and Chanawda villages at Zawar Mines, Dabok, at Zinc Smelter Debari are the villages in Udaipur while Bansen at Chittorgarh Parasrampura village at Agucha Mines in Bhilwara have been facilitated by the project partners to become ODF.

"I am very happy to have a lavatory. I find it very convenient using it instead of going to the bush. This gives me privacy to do my business with dignity" said Kanku Bai, another beneficiary. The project also emphasis on behaviour change as a more sustainable way to sanitation improvement. It triggers a realization in the community on the harmful consequences of open defecation and a desire to take immediate action. "The villagers required a great amount of persuasion and counseling for construction and use of toilets and importantly to maintain them amicably. Initially, no one was ready as they obviously preferred the easy way, open defecation.

But women and children played important role and so the elderly people. It's a collective effort to live a life of dignity" Kaushik added. Now all the households at the seven villages are are proud of their achievements. It is not easy for poor earning tribal families to spare money required to build their individual toilets when it can be had for free in the fields. Certainly there are going to be many more success stories on the lines of these villages, which has already taken a lead.

HINDUSTAN ZINC "MARYADAA" CAMPAIGN ARTICLE IN RAJASTHAN PATRIKA - 20TH OCTOBER, 2014

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HINDUSTAN ZINC "MARYADAA" - ECONOMIC TIMES - SMART SOLUTIONS FOR INDIA'S SANITATION CRISIS

ECONOMIC TIMES

Delhi Edition – October 14^th, 2014

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's emphasis on the issue of public hygiene presents interesting opportunities for corporates to come forward and support the cause of sanitation under their CSR agenda

PROFESSOR JACK SIM & ANURAAG SAXENA

The sanitation mantra is all-pervasive in India today, thanks to PM Modi's address highlighting the issue of public hygiene. While the non-believers stuck to their guns, the man with the mission is going ahead with the launch of 'The Swachch Bharat Mission' on October 2, under which every household is to be enabled with toilet facility by 2019.

IS SANITATION A HEALTH ISSUE OR A GENDER ISSUE?

54% of India's population defecates in the open. This leads to low public hygiene and a higher incidence of illnesses, hence an overall burden on health facilities and infrastructure. From a gender-equity perspective, we see girls dropping out of schools (that do not have girls' toilets) once they hit puberty. The horrific murder of the two girls in Uttar Pradesh showed us just how imminent the need for toilets are, in terms of correcting a huge socil inequity.

INDIA'S LOVE-HATE RELATIONSHIP WITH CSR

Indian corporate houses have had a deep rooted history of creating social good. So why is CSR considered a foreign concept that Indian business houses need to “adapt to“? The answer lies in where Indian CSR chiefs are perhaps not as well equipped as their western counterparts. (1) Structuring (clearly defined outcomes with well-defined budgets) (2) Management (program implementation and evaluation) (3) Amplification (reporting performance publicly).

SO WHY SHOULD CORPORATES CARE?

So, why should a corporate support a sanitation drive as a CSR initiative?

Interestingly, toilets lead to bad economy! The lack of access to a toilet leads to low hygiene which exposes individuals to health ailments and hence loss of productivity which in turn puts pressure on the economy and an increasing burden on taxpayers to fund health initiatives. A person family at the base-of-the-health-pyramid may neither have the interest nor inclination to be a 'consumer' of aspirational products such as talcum powder, perfumed soap, packaged food, oil, biscuits, etc. Promoting self -hygiene and sanitation, particularly amongst women may actually be in the best interests of the rural marketers and improve their bottom line. A healthier woman would mean a more aware set of consumers with a strong aspirational quotient.

SO WHY NOT JUST BUILD LOTS OF TOILETS?

The Indian sanitation story is not just an access-issue (i.e. access to toilets), rather a mindset-issue. Awareness is a much larger challenge larger than infrastructure.

Construction of more toilets and a rational approach explaining the health and hygiene benefits is just not enough. The mere availability of government-built toilets will not end open defecation. In many cases, toilets constructed in villages are being used as stores, kitchens, shrines and other purposes due to cleaning and maintenance-issues.

(Jack Sim is the Founder of the World Toilet Organization. Anuraag Saxena is the Regional CEO for the World Education Foundation)