Narendrapur(Dhenkanal, Odisha): Tata Steel BSL launched a massive sanitisation drive in villages around its plant at Narendrapur in Odisha’s Dhenkanal district.

By now seven villages including Narendrapur, Sarpa, Ganthigadia, Nuagaon, Kurunti, Kantanabia village and market area have been completed and more  8 villages  namely  Sibapur, Asanbani, Itap, Raghunathpur, Kankalu, Kusupanga, Mangalpur and Talbaha  of Sibapur, Kusupanga, Mangalpur, Nuahata, PurununapaniKote and NuagaonPancahyats to be covered shortly. Spraying of disinfectant by mist canon is being used to sanitize public spaces which are considered risk prone areas for local spread of virus.

To sensitise the community and build confidence, regular awareness programmes are being organised in six panchayats through multiple communication channels like posters, banners, pamphlets, public announcements covering around 25,000 people.

Besides employees and their family members have come forward to volunteer to support the community. Members of Ladies’ Club in the residential colony and employees have distributed 400 self-made masks, grocery-items of seven days among 250 families of adjacent ‘Hutting’ of migrant labourers, mostly tribal. The support will continue till May 3, 2020. In addition to this security personnel of the company have made contributions and distributed rations to  114 families living in the slum area of Nuahata Panchayat. Some additional food packets have also been distributed among poor people of the community.

Tata Steel BSL has given 10 Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs) and 1000 masks to the office of Chief District Medical Officer, Dhenkanal. Over 19,000 masks have been prepared by members of Gruhalaxmi Cooperative promoted by Tata Steel BSL to provide alternative livelihood opportunities to the women of periphery villages.  The CSR department has also facilitated in procuring of raw material for the members who now plan to make 30,000 masks. Masks have been also distributed amongst the frontline workers of the Gram Panchayats, Anganwadi workers, ASHA, local police personnel and volunteers who are engaged in relief work- community kitchen, distribution of ration.

The Tata Steel BSL CSR partner ASPIRE is helping in maintaining the data base for smooth food distribution of relief materials and running the community kitchen in Gram Panchayat.

Tata Steel BSL Limited, formerly known as Bhushan Steel Limited (BSL), is India’s fifth largest flat steel producing company with an existing steel production capacity of 5.6 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) as on March 31, 2019. It has India’s largest Cold Rolled Steel Plant and is one of the largest suppliers of automotive grade and high carbon special steel in the country. Tata Steel BSL has recorded a gross revenue of US $ 3004.49 Million (INR 20,892 crore) in FY19.

On May 18, 2018, the BSL was acquired by Tata Steel Limited through its wholly-owned subsidiary Bamnipal Steel Limited.