TATA Steel kicked off this year’s edition of Tejaswini Program recently. This initiative by TATA will empower women by creating for them, role models, who will define the way forward for women in society as well as industry.

As a first step, women including the members of panchayati raj institutions of Kalinga Nagar in Jajpur district were given training in Gandhi Labour Foundation on topics such as of empowerment and sustainable development. Gandhi Labour Foundation established in 1999 not only educates the rural populace of the country in order to improve their skills, but also imparts knowledge to them on their rights and duties as citizens. These efforts have benefited the rural people and made them better human beings.

As a second and final step to identify the Tejaswinis of Kalinga Nagar, a five month long competition has been initiated amongst the community of women, through self help groups to asses their creative and leadership qualities.

The program started with a song competition at Gobarghati in the presence of PRI members, TATA Steel officials and TATA Steel Parivar members. A total of 200 female participants from 15 Women SHGs from various villages like Ranipada gram panchayat, Trijanga, Dhuligada, Nadiabhanga and Gobarghati, attended the program on Monday.

Company officials said that around 1,000 tribal and non-tribal women are participating in this assessment process from 50 peripheral villages of Kalinga Nagar, through 65 women SHGs.

The competition will continue till April 2010 and include song, debate, fun games, sweater-making, musical chair, jhoti, dance, drawing etc. Along with professionals, local women PRI members are assessing each and every women participant in these competitions.

The final ceremony will be conducted at TATA Steel Paribar Rehabilitation Colony, Sansailo, and winners will be felicitated on the Oriya Naba Barsha day which falls on April 14th.

A company official said that “As a founder member of UN Global Compact, TATA Steel is committed towards the Millennium Development Goals of UN which lays stress upon promoting gender equality and empowering women. The search for Tejaswinis in Kalinga Nagar in Orissa once again reaffirms TATA Steel's commitment towards millennium development goals of UN and implementation of ESG issues of UN Global Compact at the grass-root level.”

(Sourced from Statesman News Service)

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