The welfare and the well being of Tata Tea's large workforce - about 34,000 employees and their families drawn largely from the weaker sections of the society is of paramount importance to the company. The company has put in dedicated effort and large expenditure, entirely voluntary, that has gone into upgrading the quality of life of the workforce.

Referral Hospital & Research Centre, Assam

The Referral Hospital and Research Centre, is the focal point of the Company's existing medical network in Assam comprising 20 odd estate hospitals and 16 dispensaries. The Hospital is easily accessible by rail, road and air and is well connected to the estates by ambulance services. It not only caters to the health needs of 30000 workers of Tata Tea estates in Assam and their families but also to the weaker and poorer sections of the local population, absolutely free of cost.

The Referral Hospital with its medical outreach programmes covering a number villages also reaches out to the rural community.

Outreach Medical Programme, North Bank Assam

North Bank of Assam is extremely weak in medical facilities and in order to bring medical aid within easy reach of the rural population, mainly tribals, the Company set up an Outreach Medical Programme in Darrang District in North Bank in 1993. The Company has stationed a Mobile Health Clinic (ambulance) fully equipped with necessary medicare aids at Hattigor Tea Estate with a full-time Medical Officer in charge, assisted by a team consisting of nurse, health assistant and ambulance driver. This mobile clinic goes around this remote region on a daily basis and is stationed at predetermined contact points near the Company's Hattigor and Majuli Tea Estates. The total number of beneficiaries of this programme is more than 25000 people.

Shankara Deva Netralaya, Guwahati

The initiative taken by the Company in establishing the prestigious Shankara Deva Netralaya in Guwahati is of no small measure. The Company has provided financial and manpower assistance for setting up of this project by the Sree Kanchi Shankaracharya.

Special Health Camps

From time to time, the Company organizes malaria eradication camps in the epidemic prone areas in and around its tea estates in Assam on a war footing to combat this dreaded infection.

Life Line Express

The Company has co-sponsored the Lifeline Express, the first Hospital on Rails in the world, in collaboration with Sir Rata Tata Trust in 1995. A 45 day visit to Nalbari in North Bank Assam by the Life Line Express came as a great relief to the rural areas of North Bank, which is deprived of adequate medical facilities. Nearly 500 villages were covered under this project and a wide range of medical and surgical treatments were offered to the residents of these villages.

Lab-to-Land Programme

This project of the Company started in 1993, in active collaboration with the Extension Education Department of the Assam Education Department of the Assam Agriculture University, literally means transfer of modern farming techniques from the laboratories to the cultivable lands of the marginal farmers and small land holders. The beneficiaries are selected in batches every year in consultation with the local body called the Pathar Parichalana Samithy, which means Field Management Committee. The idea is to educate the farmers and assist them in improving yields from their land through modern farming techniques.

The Company provide finance for procuring inputs such as high yielding seeds, irrigation sets, fertilizers and pesticides, sprayers, etc., and also provides general supervision for the successful implementation of the Programme whereas technical assistance and know-how in areas such as land preparation, modern planting methods, selection and use of better quality seeds and fertilizers, crop maintenance, control of pests and diseases and so on come from the Assam Agricultural University.

The 'TEACUP' Programme for the Local Community

With a view to promoting socio-economic development of communities residing in selected villages around its tea estates, the Company has embarked on another unique programme call TEACUP, which is an acronym for Tea Estate Area Community Upliftment Programme.

The Company provides finance for implementation of various projects under the programme, supervision through full-time trained Welfare Officers and assistance in marketing the products.

Rehabilitation of the Handicapped Youths

The Company has set up three Vocational Training Cum Production Centers for the handicapped dependants of its estate workers in Dooars. Two centers, one at Rungamuttee and the other at Dam Dim Tea Estates produce stationery such as Company letter heads, writing pads, memo pads, envelopes, files registers, etc., for the Company's estates and Head Office.

Vocational Training

The Trade Centre at Chubwa, T.E., Assam, started in 1987, is a pioneering vocational training project started by the Company for the benefit of unorganized youths, who are dependants of the estate workers of the Company. This Trade Centre offers training in welding (gas and electric) - ten-month course for boys and tailoring - a six-month course for girls. Necessary infrastructure, equipment, dormitory accommodation, stipend, certificate of merit etc., are provided by the Company.

Industrial Training Institute

In furtherance of its commitment to the welfare and development of backward tribal areas in and around its tea estates, the Company has opened an Industrial Training Institute at Rowta Chariali in Darrang district, North Bank, Assam in 1997. The one-crore rupee project, situated in a sprawling plot of 16 bighas of land, is the first of its kind established in the region by a private sector company.

The Kaziranga Trust

This is one of the fine examples of the Company's genuine corporate concern, which stretches beyond business interests and community development schemes. The Kaziranga Trust is the outcome of the Rhino Conservation Movement, code named Operation Kaziranga, which was started by the Company to save the endangered one-horned rhinoceros with the active support of other tea companies in the region.