The Tata culture of giving back flows from the tradition of nation and community building sowed more than a century back by Jamsetji Tata, the Founder of the group.
Tata companies are involved in a wide variety of community development projects, which relate to skills training and entrepreneurship, livelihoods and women empowerment. Tata companies work towards empowering people by helping them develop the skills they need to succeed in a global economy. The group equips communities with information, technology and the capacity to achieve improved health, education and livelihood outcomes.
Women's self-help groups and collectives
The Tata Trusts support 11,000+ self-help groups across India, most of them populated by women. Tata companies aren’t far behind. The all-women dairy at Maval by Tata Power encourages entrepreneurship among rural women. And Okhai, supported by Tata Chemicals, has come to symbolise women empowerment while promoting traditional handicrafts.
Digital literacy and access
In 2015, Tata Trusts and Google started Internet Saathi — an effort to bridge the digital literacy gender divide in India. The initiative involves women training other women in digital skills, and has impacted over 30 million rural women to date, with many (who previously had no access to smartphones or the internet) turning entrepreneurs.
Agricultural communities
Agriculture has been a focus area for the Tata Trusts since their inception. The Trusts' interventions in agriculture — like Lakhpati Kisan, Sukhi Baliraja, Coastal Salinity Prevention and Mitigation, Transforming Rural India and MKRISHI, among others — are promoting the welfare of agricultural communities while helping ensure food security for the country.
Non-agricultural rural livelihoods
From promoting sustainable livelihoods through the Tata Dairy Mission to initiating change in the handwoven textiles sector through its Antaran initiative — Tata Trusts is at the forefront of non-agricultural livelihood generation in rural India. The Trusts are also ensuring financial services and infrastructure are accessible to promote entrepreneurship.
Tata STRIVE and other skilling initiatives
Skill building is a key focus area for national development. The Tata STRIVE mission is to build capacity to train youth for employment, entrepreneurship and community enterprise. It reaches out to communities, develops skills of people from financially challenged backgrounds and acclimatises them with the changing work environment.
