Mega CSR Conference in Mumbai on 9 May 2012
(A Conference in Support of Business Sustainability)
Date: 9th May 2012
Venue: Ramada Plaza Palm Grove, Juhu Beach, Mumbai.
Last Date of Registration: 15 April 2012
For more information please write : info@indiacsrnetwork.com
Conference Contact : (0) 99810 99555 (Rusen Kumar)
For detailed information: http://www.conference.indiacsr.in/index.php
Mahaveer Prasad Khati is a small farmer of Khatikheda village. The village has 50 households in Hurda Block of Bhilwara District. Agriculture is the primary source of livelihood for the villagers. Most farmers in the village are marginal or small farmers.
INDIA CSR News Network
BHILWARA (Rajasthan): Hindustan Zinc Limited (HZL) Rampura Aguucha Mines is situated 65 km from main city. The inhabitation livelihood depends on Livestock, Agriculture and daily wages around the mine. Being a world class mining company, HZL always focused to raise the quality of life of people residing around the mine. In this regards HZL implemented various community development project under CSR for ensuring holistic development of the community.
For centuries, maize and wheat has been the staple crop of the local population. Since last few years, erratic rainfall has diminished the scope of two crops in a year and people were able to fetch only the rainfed maize crop.
The farmers continued to remain poor and debt ridden largely due to small farms, unpredictable rainfalls and poor yields. Adding to the miseries, diminishing ground water level further contributed to food insecurity and barrenness. Regardless of all the painstaking efforts by the farmers they were unable to make both the ends meet. Consequently, the villagers were not being able to fulfill their family needs. When the CSR team of Hindustan Zinc heard about the grievances of the poor, they took a stand to give full support to the struggle of these farmers by improving their livelihoods.
In 2009 HZL in collaboration with BAIF-RRIDMA and District Agriculture Department implemented Integrated Agriculture and watershed project in 07 villages around the business operation. Under this project emphasis are on –
Promotion of Water conservation
High Yield seed distribution
Promotion of Drip and Sprinkle irrigation system
Cash Crop
Farmers Group
Summer ploughing
Vermi compost for organic farming
Vegetable cultivation
Farmer training
Exposure visit
In a major bid to boost production and productivity in the farming sector the CSR team conducted various trainings and capacity building programs in the village on organic faming, mixed cropping etc. Along with the agriculture project, HZL also carried out health & hygiene and education programs in the villages to complete the whole circle of sustainable development.
It took almost 2 years to bring about the favorable changes.
HZL has played a positive role, largely to detriment poverty from the lives of the farmers of various Villages. The trees have also started bearing fruits. The village has got a picturesque look with greenery throughout the year and people busy in their agriculture farms. “If only this success is replicated a hundred-fold, all the problems of rural poverty will cease to exist.
Two villages i.e. Sultanpura and Khatikeda are slowly being transformed from a socially and economically backward village into a progressive village on the path towards development. The villagers feel gratified and proud of it.
Case study
Mahaveer Prasad Khati is a small farmer of Khatikheda village. The village has 50 households in Hurda Block of Bhilwara District. Agriculture is the primary source of livelihood for the villagers. Most farmers in the village are marginal or small farmers.
For centuries, maize and wheat has been the major crop of the area, the staple of the local population. Since last few years, erratic rainfall has diminished the scope of two crops in a year and people are able to fetch only the rainfed maize crop.
Mahaveer’s story was no different from other farmers of the village. A small farmer with 1.5 hectare agricultural land. Mahaveer and his wife are totally dependent on agriculture for earning their livelihood but Small farm, erratic rainfall, obsolete agricultural practices, lack of irrigational water resulted in a very low crop yield but then with HZL’s interventions things started getting better.
HZL has taken up several agricultural initiatives to improve farm productivity such as improved agriculture and water conservation project with RRIDMA Mahaveer tells how HZL’s interventions brought prosperity in his life
“HZL & RRIDMA people surveyed my farm & suggested to do organic farming with modern agricultural techniques. For Orchard development they provided me with 40 guava & 40 lemon saplings but scarcity of water was a matter of concern, to mitigate this problem pot technique was used for irrigation. During one of the farmers training I came to know that cash crop cultivation with micro irrigation set up in farms is more profitable So, I sowed cotton in my farm but due to financial constraints could not adopt micro irrigation. HZL installed drip irrigation system in my farm and I reaped 4 times more cotton this year as compared to previous because of this farm technique and I had 9 quintal maize & 16 quintal wheat production. I never had this much production before and I am expecting good production in mustard crop as well. Presently net house & poly house is being set up on my farm in which I’ll raise vegetable crops and vermicompost pit is also being set up which will provide me manure for organic farming and I’ll even sell it in market and earn good income for my family. Apart from agriculture, Livestock development has also been done & now I own a hybrid calf as well.”
Mahaveer of Khathikheda Village of Hurda Panchayat expresses his thankfulness as
“Main HZL ka bahut sukr guzaar hun, jinki wajah se aaj mere khet mein hari bhari faslein khadi hain aur mere jeevan mein Khushali aayi hai.”
Rampura Agucha Mine
The Rampura Agucha Mine is situated 225 km north of Udaipur, Rajasthan; 15 km, south-east of Gulabpura and 220 km. South-west of Jaipur, in the district of Bhilwara, Rajasthan. It is a world-class deposit – with the estimated geological reserve of 63.648 million MT at the geological grade of 13.54% Zinc and 1.97 % Lead. Rampura Agucha Mine is an ISO 9001, ISO14001, OHSAS 18001 & SA-8000 certified unit. An open cast mine with good mineralogy leading to higher recovery and overall low cost of production.This mine is currently working at a capacity of 6.15 MTPA of ore and 6.15 MTPA for beneficiation plant for which it has an environmental clearance dated 11.12.2009.
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