Education and health are crucial indicators of the wellbeing of any people. The initiatives by the Tata Chemicals Society for Rural Development in these sectors have been many and varied

Okhamandal
Awareness programmes: A number of awareness programmes and video shows are conducted on topics such as the responsibilities and duties of the village panchayat and villagers in the development of their village, the concepts of small savings and micro-credit system, healthcare and self-help groups.

Village libraries: To promote adult education and sustain the knowledge of newly literate people and school dropouts, a library, managed by village youths, has been opened at Poshitra village. Following the success of this library, two more village libraries have been set up, in the villages of Arambhda and Bhimrana.

Pulse-polio drive: To promote the goal of a polio-free world, TCSRD extended its support to primary health centres involved in the pulse-polio drive. It sent out volunteers for campaign drives and for administering the pulse-polio dose. About 1,500 children benefited from this initiative.

First-aid training: This was provided at the Mithapur hospital to nine volunteers from the Bhimrana, Tupni and Poshitra villages. The volunteers were provided with first-aid boxes containing 17 types of medicines, and the first-aid kits are kept at a central location in the village to ensure easy and timely access.

Babrala
Education: TCSRD believes that basic education for village children will result in rural development Towards this end, it has distributed school bags with educational material. In Mehua Hasan Ganj, the Society has provided furniture for students and teachers in the secondary school.

Eye camps: Every February, TCSRD, in association with the Dr Mohanlal Memorial Gandhi Eye Hospital, Aligarh, conducts eye checkup camps. The hospital provides the expertise and doctors, while TCSRD provides the infrastructure. In 1997-98, 341 patients were examined and 64 operations were successfully performed. In 1998-99, 400 patients were examined and 57 operations were conducted with success.

Intensive reproductive health and family-welfare programme: This programme was taken up in the Raipura block (covering 84 gram panchayats) and in five villages of the Gunnor block in collaboration with the Population Foundation of India.

The target groups of the programme, which is a three-year operation, are couples, women and children. The project aims at providing, among other things, ante-natal and post-natal care services, family planning services, immunisation and general healthcare to children, and creating healthcare awareness among people.

It also aims at increasing the number of primary health centres. The programme makes use of government infrastructure and the services of the local staff (especially auxiliary nurses and midwives).

As part of the project, village-level midwives are identified and comprehensive training is given to them. For the efficient management of the project, the target area is divided into seven groups. Each group is led by a youth volunteer who motivates people in his/her area towards family planning and guides them to mobile camps.