E-Kaksha project was implemented in collaboration with the Department of Education, Government of Rajasthan. The initiative was launched in October 2020, by the Chief Minister of Rajasthan Mr. Ashok Gehlot, and Chairman, Vedanta Resources Mr. Anil Agarwal in the presence of the Minister of Education, Government of Rajasthan Mr. Govind Singh Dotasra.

Cairn Oil and Gas initiated the Solar Electrification Project in 100 Adarsh Schools, to address the need for electricity at rural schools. Along with solar panels, fans were also installed in schools during this project. The provisions related to infrastructural facilities helped in creating a better academic environment and reducing absenteeism amongst students in the rural areas of Barmer.

As one of the pressing needs of the community has been unemployment, Cairn Oil and Gas has established two vocational skill training centers – Cairn Enterprise Centre (CEC), Barmer & Sanchore. Through these centers, various vocational courses related to electricians, masonry, computers, plumber, etc. have been imparted. More than 14,000 youths of Barmer and Jalore districts have been trained in different selected streams to date. Online courses on GST and Data Recovery Agent (DRA) were conducted during the COVID 19 pandemic. Last year, more than 600 youths have been trained at the CEC center and linked with different agencies for job opportunities.

In September 2019, Project Ujjwal was launched in government primary schools of Gujarat. The project focuses on the capacity building of school teachers and improving the academic results of students. Under this project, digital classrooms were set up and school infrastructure was strengthened by upgrading the existing sanitation and other facilities. Many behavioral communication sessions were also organized for the students.

The Barmer Unnati project aims to develop livelihood models and value chain interventions, to increase the income of the farming communities by introducing and promoting new crops and technologies in the region. The project supports 6,000 rural families across 145 villages, benefitting 44,707 farmers through sustainable agriculture and allied activities and natural resource management practices.

The Dairy Development project is a flagship programme of Cairn Oil and Gas CSR interventions. It was initially started in two villages nearby Rageshwari Gas Terminal to enhance livelihood opportunities within the community. Since its inception, the project has had a significant impact by engaging more than 5,000 families across 56 villages. Average milk collection has increased from 200 litres/day at INR 8 to 10 per litre in 2009, to 19,804 litres/day at INR 43 per litre in 2021. With key facilities of bulk milk collection units, mobile veterinary van services, one-stop solution shops, capacity building training, women empowerment, and green fodder support, the project has helped improve the lives of beneficiaries significantly,

The Community Help Desk Centre project was launched in February 2020. The project was funded by Cairn Foundation and it was implemented under the guidance of the Gujarat CSR Authority (GCSRA). The initiative started in five villages of Viramgam and Mandal Blocks of Ahmedabad District. All five Community Help Desk centers are working towards community awareness and linkage to government schemes as per the eligibility of beneficiaries.

The project in S. Yanam village was started to conduct awareness on various National Days and to implement one-time activities like Health Camps, Science Camps, Sports events, etc

The major focus of the project is ‘livelihood promotion’. The project is being implemented by NGO SeSTA. A tripartite agreement was signed between Cairn Foundation, SeSTA, and Assam State Rural Livelihood Mission Society- ASRLMS (Govt. of Assam) in January 2021. The project covers 25 villages in Jorhat District, in and around the business operation area. The project includes Community Connect (Jan Samvaad), community mobilization events, livelihood development through skill development and self-help groups, and village infrastructure development activities.

Cairn Oil and Gas have undertaken many infrastructures development projects to bring Barmer into the mainstream in tandem with the “green and smart city” initiative. The project ‘smart city’ was initiated in 2018-19 after a discussion with the district administration to focus on the infrastructure development of Barmer city. The project aims to develop green parks and beautify selected locations in the city. The developed sites have been handed over to the community in December 2018.

Aanganwadi (AWW) plays a vital role in the development of women and children in the community as they can avail various facilities provided by the government. Aanganwadi infrastructure must be robust so that it can provide maximum benefits to the community members and keep them engaged. Cairn Oil and Gas undertook the Aanganwadi infrastructure development project in 15 villages of Gujarat.

The availability of potable drinking water is a major challenge for communities in western Rajasthan. The groundwater is polluted with high fluoride and TDS content, which makes it unsafe to drink. To address this concern, a pilot initiative was undertaken by setting up 32 community-run RO plants in FY’13. Based on the response received from the community and following the project’s success, the company further expanded the project (in FY’16) in partnership with PHED in Rajasthan and has established 124 RO units across the Barmer district. An Annual Maintenance Contract (AMC) of these plants has been given to Swajal Pvt Ltd and Rural Development Organisation.

To meet the basic need for water in water-scarce regions of the Barmer district, the borewell project was conceptualized in partnership with PHED, under the theme of “Access to Water for All”. In phase 1, 10 community borewells along with 10,000 liters capacity water tank and cattle troughs were developed. These borewells cater to more than 30 villages and over 12,000 people in ten Gram Panchayats. The operation and maintenance of these borewells are undertaken by Public Health and Engineering department.

Cairn Oil and Gas customized its approach into a three-tier intervention, where the focus is on preventive healthcare while mitigating the challenge of affordability and accessibility of quality healthcare services. The Government District Hospital, Barmer, is the largest and most vital healthcare provider in the district, serving both urban and rural communities. The need for improving the medical services and facilities was of prime importance. Hence, in FY’15, Cairn in collaboration with the Health Department initiated two projects in the district hospital:

• Support of specialist doctors - service of 3 specialist doctors, an ENT, a Gynaecologist, and a General Surgeon was arranged for the hospital
• Clean Barmer, Green Barmer - 62 cleaning staff were provided to the district hospital to maintain the overall hygiene

To provide preventive and curative healthcare services, the company has launched Mobile Health Vans. MAVs have been able to effectively provide affordable, accessible, reliable, and quality preventive healthcare services to the beneficiaries at their doorstep. Three partner agencies – Wockhardt Foundation, HelpAge India, and Dhara Sansthan, are engaged in delivering the services across 249 villages in two states.

Pink City Half Marathon was launched in 2016 and was associated with Cairn Oil and Gas from 2017. Its 5th (virtual) edition became a record-breaking event with more than 40,000 registrations from India and 23 other countries. With the theme of “Wear Mask, Save Life”, the event set a record in the World Book of Records as the biggest virtual marathon across India.

COVID 19 pandemic affected the entire world, the virus put millions of lives at risk and slowed down the gears of the economy. Cairn Oil and Gas stepped up and proactively engaged with all the stakeholders to combat COVID 19 around its operations in Rajasthan, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, and Assam.

Project Sanjeevani was launched to support the administration and combat the pandemic.

Micro-Level intervention is designed in line with the CSR strategy in Gujarat which is focused on creating multiple channels of continuous engagement with communities through need-based projects in and around our operational areas. A micro-level intervention initiative has been customized to address some of the key issues of the community while continuously creating platforms of engagement.

Key Intervention

A. Through Partner Agency: In partnership with the Center for Education Developmental Research (CEDRA) and Action (implementing partner), three major activities were organized in the area of Suvali operations, benefitting students and women. The activities were:

• a. Shiksha Sambal Program - To motivate and handhold students of class 12 for performing better in their board exams, a Shiksha Sambal programme was designed, where 36 students of class 12 participated and underwent a mock training session. The session was conducted in association with Navchetan Vidhyalaya Junagam school authorities.
• b. Awareness camp on COVID 19 - To create alertness among students and staff of Navchetan Vidhyalaya Junagam School, an awareness session was organized. More than 220 students and teachers were engaged.
• c. International Women’s Day - To sensitize the topic of the role of women and acknowledge their hard work, an event was organized in the town hall. 64 women from all sectors (schools, homemakers, entrepreneurs, and SHG members) participated in this function.

B. Through Gram Panchayat: With an intent to support the community around the company’s operational area, Cairn initiated a programme ‘Salamat Suvali’ in partnership with the Gram Panchayat, to address the issues of theft and other misconduct reported in the villages. Under this initiative, support was extended to Gram Panchayat for the installation of CCTV cameras in inconspicuous areas of the village.

Impact created

• Over 2,000 people benefitted from the micro-level interventions.