Jamshedpur: Tata Steel Foundation to provide 565 e-scooters to health workers of Kolhan

Jamshedpur, March 12: The health workers in Kolhan region will receive e-scooters to carry out their duties. In a novel step to ease the accessibility of the frontline health workers Tata Steel Foundation (TSF), in collaboration with HSBC bank, will distribute 565 e-scooters among all ‘sahiya sathis’, supervisor rank health workers, and selected auxiliary nurse midwives (ANMs) in Kolhan region. It is the first time that such a step has been taken.

The keys of the e-scooters with the helmets and other safety apps will be handed over to them at a function on Sunday.

Addressing a virtual press conference here, Chief CSR officer, Tata Steel, Sourav Roy, said the initiative has been taken with the support of the district administration and the Jharkhand government. During the COVID-19 pandemic, they found the health workers witnessed problems to reach out to expectant mothers in remote areas of the region.

These health workers were part of the Maternal and Newborn Survival Initiative (MANSI).  Tata Steel embarked on its Maternal and Newborn Survival Initiative (Mansi) in 2009 in Jharkhand’s Seraikela block. In just a few years, the project helped build an army of women health workers,  Sahiyas, who are delivering outstanding results.

Despite all the incentives the government gave through the Janani Suraksha Yojana to encourage women to deliver babies in hospitals, most people preferred home births. It was in this scenario that Tata Steel decided to implement the concept of home-based neonatal care — and Mansi was launched. Mansi is the brightest jewel in Tata Steel’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) crown. It is a unique project — a multi- collaborative association between the Jharkhand government, Tata Steel.

Of the 565 e-scooters, Roy said, 181 will be distributed among ‘sahiya sathis’ and selected ANMs in Seraikela-Kharsawan district on Sunday, 234 in West Singhbhum district, tentatively on March 20 and 150 in East Singhbhum on March 27. The scooters, which cost Rs 75,000 per unit on road, were sponsored by HSBC Bank, the TSF official said.

All bonafide ‘sahiya sathis’ and ANMs have sharpened their driving skills during a month-long training.

Apart from the individual household of the beneficiaries, Roy said, the charging stations for the e-scooters have been set up in all the Sadar Hospitals and nodal points in the region.

He informed that charging points would also be installed at the Sadar Hospital and Primary Health Centres. The light-weight e-scooters could easily be charged at home too.  The e-scooter, as reported, can cover a distance of 85 km on a single charge. The cost of this venture has been stated to be approximately Rs Five crore.

DC and SP inspect Town Hall for e-scooty distribution program

Saraikela-Kharsawan Deputy Commissioner Arava Rajkamal, Police Super Anand Prakash, Civil Surgeon dr Vijay Kumar, Saraikela SDO Ram Krishna Kumar and other officials on Saturday inspected the Saraikela Town Hall premises where a function will be organized for the distribution of electric scooters among 180 ANM Sahiyas at the Saraikela Town Hall on Sunday, March 13 under Tata Steel Foundation CSR. Chief guest on the occasion will be Jharkhand Tribal Welfare and Transport Minister Champai Soren while the MP and MLA will be present on the occasion as special guests.

The Deputy Commissioner gave necessary directives to ensure smooth functioning of the event on Sunday. While interacting with the media, DC Arava Rajkamal stated that the e-scooters would be distributed among ANM Sahiyas in collaboration with Tata Steel Foundation. He said that the problems faced by the Sahiyas in providing services in far-flung rural areas would be considerably eased after they received the e-scooters. The Deputy Commissioner thanked all the officials of Tata Steel Foundation and the entire team for this venture.