NEW DELHI: Road Safety has been a matter of deep concern in India, impacting the health and well-being of people and families. Considering the seriousness of the issue, ACC Limited is focusing its efforts to encourage safe driving amongst truckers who are a part of their logistics ecosystem.
As a part of this programme, Driver Management Centers have been set up across the country to monitor the real-time data and garner valuable insights about truck drivers through the Transport Analytics Center (TAC) and the In-Vehicle Monitoring System (iVMS) platforms.
These interventions have not only led to a reduction in offsite incidents and injuries but have helped build a safer driving culture in the community. Various rewards and recognition programs also help in positive reinforcement of road safety messages.
Vidyasarathi: Online scholarship programme
To further encourage drivers to adopt safety measures, ACC TRUST, the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) arm of ACC Limited, has launched the “Vidyasarathi” online scholarship programme, to provide financial aid to numerous truck drivers children to enable higher education and help them pursue their dreams.
This programme aims to link the children’s future with safe driving as it offers to sponsor up to 80% of the tuition fees if the driver attains the requisite parameters as outlined. Linking road safety with the “Vidyasarathi” scholarship programme has motivated truck drivers’ children, who are keen to pursue higher education, to tell their parents to follow road safety norms with firm conviction. The whole idea behind these linkages is to include a strong influencer ‘the families’ into the road safety fold.
Road safety, a necessity and not just a priority
Sridhar Balakrishnan, MD & CEO, ACC Limited, said, “By linking road safety with children’s education, we are committed to transform lives and create a better world for people. Through our “Vidyasarthi” scholarship programme, our aim is to encourage numerous youth to overcome their financial constraints and pursue academic excellence and varied career opportunities. Through this unique programme, we are helping build responsible citizens for tomorrow through education and road safety awareness.”
Fulfilling the dreams
Nithin, a recipient of the “Vidyasarathi” scholarship programme said, “ACC’s “Vidyasarathi” scholarship programme came as a blessing in my life. Getting educational aid has been a struggle for us due to our financial condition. My father’s driver safety score helped me get this scholarship and fulfill my dreams to pursue technical education. Now, I can pay for my college fees and lower the financial burden of my parents.”
Benefiting 10,000 drivers
The road safety and “Vidyasarathi” programme will effectively benefit as many as 10,000 drivers across India. The pilot phase of the programme saw 51 drivers’ children benefiting from this scholarship and over the years, it expects to cover as many as 3-5 lakh beneficiaries, the trust said.
Through this scholarship programme, ACC Limited aims to spread the underlying message of ‘You drive safe and we take care of your Children’s future, a statement said.
“The health and safety of employees and all stakeholders is a non-negotiable value in the way ACC Limited conduct’s business. The company aspires to conduct business practices with zero harm to people and to create a healthy and safe environment for employees, contractors, communities, and customers.”, the company said.
