The Essar Foundation continuously strives to reach out to the communities around its operations and improve the quality of life of the people that work in and around its facilities. Recently, the Foundation undertook two activities aimed at helping the villagers and laborers living near the Essar Paradip facility in Odisha:
Health camp for villagers
The Essar Foundation organized a health camp on April 29, 2012, near Paradip, Odisha,
for the benefit of villages located on the periphery of Essar’s facility. The camp was held at Gobinda Chandra High School, Nuagarh
Village and was inaugurated by Dr Rajendra Nayak, Executive Officer,
Paradip Municipality.
Two registration counters were set up, to encourage men and women to avail
of the free medical consultation services, as well as the free medication.
A
medical team, comprising diabetes specialists, pharmacists, a dental surgeon,
general physician and six parademics, attended to the patients.
Two nurses were dispatched to conduct preliminary checks, such as blood sugar and blood pressure of patients. Over 200 patients, from the villages of Nuagarh Gram Panchayat attended the camp and availed of the health services offered.
The team of volunteers who assisted patients at the camp included Essarites from the Paradip facility, youths from the villages, Ward Members and Panchayat Samiti members, and staff members of Gobinda Chandra High School.
Financial planning program for laborers
An awareness program on financial planning and investment opportunities was
organized in Paradip on April 30, 2012. The program, which was organized by
Essar Foundation in collaboration with the Essar Power Paradip team, aimed at
educating laborers in the vicinity about financial management and lighting
the spark of entrepreneurship among them.
For this purpose, two experts from
Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) and State Bank of India (SBI) were asked to participate. They explained the need for a savings plan and the various financial opportunities available to individuals from lower income
groups.
The participants were encouraged to opt for small savings schemes, which would ensure their financial security in the future.
As many as 80 laborers participated in the program. At the end of the event, many expressed the need for financial guidance so as to initiate their savings plans.
