A catalyst for transformation

OIL took a revolutionary step by converting nine buses into mobile technology-enabled classrooms. Each bus is equipped with 12 laptops which can be used by 24 students. They have a router and a K-YAN device, powered by a portable generator. K-YAN is a portable computing device with a simple user interface, projector, speaker, wireless connectivity for input and USB interface for storage. It needs limited electricity and enables the teachers to make the classes more interesting with audio-visual content. The buses also house a small library, encouraging reading habits.

Each bus has two computer instructors to teach the children of classes VI, VII and VIII. “We train students of 30 participating schools in the basics of computer usage. The children almost never miss a computer class. Some of them like reading and often borrow books from the library,” says computer instructor Durlav Baruah, who has been working on the project since October 2017.

The course content of 33 hours is designed to match the academic calendar. In addition to computer, various value-added sessions and life skills education on health & hygiene, road safety, environmental awareness are imparted through peer group learning and sports-based modules. Certificates are given to all the students who pass the annual computer exam, with prizes for the top 10 performers.

Nitul Gogoi, Principal, Laipuli ME School, says “We have 221 students and see an increase in enrollments after the introduction of Computer Education under ‘OIL Dikhya’. OIL has also provided us with supplementary teachers in Science, Maths and English and study aids such as K-YAN with multilingual content and other interactive kits. Students are also provided with an education kit which includes a bag, books, note books and stationeries.” In addition, OIL Dikhya uses innovative application of BALA (Building as Learning Aid) concept for an interactive environment wherein the physical spaces of the classrooms were converted into interactive teaching learning tools.

Out of the fleet of nine, six buses work in the Dibrugarh and Tinsukia districts while three work in the Charaideo district.

Implemented in 30 villages of Tinsukia and Dibrugarh districts, Assam, the project involves pre and post-natal health check-ups, clinical tests, sensitises women on maternal health, childcare and benefits of institutional delivery, conducts tracking and counselling of pregnant women, babies, lactating mothers and adolescent girls. There are regular training sessions with focus on Menstrual Health & Hygiene (H&H) Management, immunization, nutrition, sanitation, family planning, etc.

Follow-ups and handholding being an important aspect of change, OIL Arogya has formed community support groups called Saathiya Clubs. In this, a select group of population like women, adolescent girls, healthcare providers like pharmacists, gynaecologists, community health workers and other service providers like local transport providers, etc. form a well-knit group to extend support to pregnant women, lactating mothers and children. In addition, the clubs carry out mass awareness in the rural areas pertaining to reproductive health and mother and child care.

Regular health camps are organised which include clinical tests, awareness sessions on nutrition, water and sanitation. The Saathiya Club women are supported to grow organic and locally available vegetables under the umbrella of 'Nutrition Gardens'. The produce is distributed amongst pregnant women and lactating mothers by the Saathiya Club women at nominal cost. The money earned is used in maintaining the gardens while also providing an opportunity to earn livelihood. The Nutrition Gardens have helped the community in getting better access to inexpensive nutritious food. Primary yields include the plantain, fiddle head fern and yam, which are a good source of iron and calcium. Then there are leafy vegetables, mango, jackfruit, Indian gooseberries or amla. Field health consultant Jobonita Gogoi elaborates, “While educating the women on the value of minerals such as iron, calcium, potassium, we also guide on the best ways to cook to retain the nutritional value. We distribute balanced diet charts and educate them on dietary restrictions.”

Talking about the benefits, Muleshwari Kurmi of Laipuli Panchayat, says, “We have been given many sessions on how to obtain or clean water for drinking, especially during the monsoon, as well as the foods to eat.”

The unit is managed and run by women of the Saathiya Club. The goal is to spread mass awareness on behaviour change communication and focus on production of environment-friendly and biodegradable sanitary napkins at an affordable cost. The result: better hygiene and opportunities of rural livelihood. For awareness against the social stigma, a comic book based on scientific facts in Assamese was distributed at the schools, colleges and community levels.

As of now, production is only one size and 500 pieces are manufactured daily. Three women operate the machine. Two handle the main pad-making machine which compresses and seals the materials, then cuts them into the necessary shape. The third person sterilizes them in an ultra violet sterilizer. Then they are packed into packs of eight pads each and sent for distribution at the beneficiary villages of OIL Arogya by the large network of Saathiya Club women.

OIL holds a major stake of 30 per cent in SDIG. As the managing partner, all the functioning and maintenance falls under its ambit.

The SDIs offer courses designed under the National Council of Vocational Training (NCVT), State Council of Vocational Training (SCVT), National Skills Qualifications Framework (NSQF) and Sector Skill Council (SSC).

The huge area of SDIG campus includes labs, workshops, offices, hostels, sports grounds. The students get free accommodation and food, besides the free training. SDIG started with two courses: Industrial Electrician and Industrial Welder with a capacity of 30 trainees per batch. But the growth has been phenomenal.From just 60 trainees and two courses in FY 2017-18, the institute has trained 1,100 students in 16 courses in FY 2021-22.

Pompi Gogoi is enrolled in the one-year Machine Operator Certificate course. “Apart from technical education, we are also trained in soft skills and communications. We have rigorous tests including MCQs and vivas.”

And there are four training providers with over 100 trainers on board. The courses are carried out in different locations across Guwahati, based on the resources, expertise, number of seats for each course and its duration. Priyanka Neog joined the CNC Turning course after passing class XII. “Along with the theory, we are also trained to operate various machines. We get free uniforms, shoes, notebooks along with free lodging and boarding.”

The admissions for the courses are advertised, even the Army helps in remote areas and a local resource person moves in the communities to mobilise young ones. The selection process involves written and oral tests and interviews.

The Technical Intern Training Programme is an important course as it falls under the healthcare domain. The goal is to train young ones in elderly care, both for India and abroad. Besides certification, the institute also gives placement assistance.

Students are placed across sectors such as hydrocarbon, energy healthcare, clothing and apparels, automobiles, FMCG, and hospitality. Sangeeta Shyam Gohain, trainer for Certificate Course in Machine Operator and Certificate Course in Fitter and Rigger, says, “Over 80 per cent of our students have been placed in good companies.” Noteworthy companies include ITC, Dabur, Adani group, Pidilite Industries, Sharda Hospitals, Novotel, Oberoi hotels and more.

There are plans to add new courses such as Pipe Fitter and Welder for CGD, Plumber for CGD, and more. Enhancement of the EMT & GDA, Industrial Electrician and Industrial Welder courses is also on the cards.

Though the produce is organic and high quality, it was being sold to middlemen, who offered low prices to the farmers. OIL trained the farmers to scientifically scale up their produce incorporating value-added production addition, aided them with infrastructure, brand building, packaging and forward market linkages. The farmers were supported in forming a cooperative society and registered a brand ‘Harbest’, meaning ‘Best of Harvest’ to sell their finished products. All products have been tested for their nutrition quotient and are FSSAI certified. Some of the products have also obtained organic certification.
Debajit Phukan, a beekeeper from Innao Pathar, says, “After the training in 2016-2017, we were sent to Jorhat, Guwahati, Shillong and Pune to learn more about rearing, collection and processing. Now, we can do everything ourselves, right from collection to packaging of honey.”

OIL also helped the farmers in identifying more crops, fruits and spices. The product basket now includes honey, bee wax, mustard oil, mustard cake, buckwheat flour, green gram, ginger powder, turmeric powder, Singpho tea, amla, banana chips, jackfruit chips, elephant apple powder, black pepper and Khamti Lahi rice.

Under the project, a massive 6,000 sq ft Common Facility and Business Information Centre (CFBIC) was constructed in Innao village by OIL. This houses state-of-the-art machinery for processing, filtering, packaging and all other functions. There is a storehouse for raw materials and semi-finished products as well. The community was also given two vehicles to facilitate transport from the fields and marketing of finished products.

The CFBIC is managed by Konseng Harbest Co-operative Society. Lajalah Singpho, Chairman, Konseng Harbest Co-operative Society, says, “Previously we sold raw produce at a low price, but now we are able to sell processed and finished products which fetches us more income. We are now connected to all the farmers of the region for supply of raw materials thereby generating employment opportunities. We hope to export the products too.”

Jahom Roy Singpho, Treasurer, Konseng Harbest Co-operative Society, cites other benefits, “The project has encouraged and empowered the ‘once idle’ youth to participate actively. They now work in the field or processing plant.”

The co-operative society has plans to set up counters where there are more footfalls to increase their range and sales. They also want to align with companies for corporate gifting.

How do you measure the impact of the initiatives?
Before launching any new project, we do a baseline study to understand the possibilities and probabilities. We collect the demographic profiles, trends, educational qualifications, and then we see what skills we can develop. With a thoroughly stringent scientific process, we can reach out to more beneficiaries and the results meet our expectations. Our team of experts and professionals ensures our commitment to making all the initiatives successful.
The evaluations are carried out by reputed third parties. We measure the impact based on Social Return on Investment. The reports for all our projects have been very encouraging, highlighting the visible changes to the demographics of this region.

What are the future plans?
In the last couple of years, sports have taken centrestage because physical health is linked to sports. Sports also encourage goodwill. These young ones will carry this spirit of teamwork and goodwill to their homes and throughout their lives. We have been implementing ‘OIL Volleyball Mission’ in association with the Brahmaputra Volleyball League to popularise the game at the grassroots level. Young ones, especially from the age of 12, are very passionate about volleyball in this region. We also hosted a league in Duliajan in association with ONGC. Football is another game we are promoting under ‘OIL Lakshya’. We also aim to reach a carbon-neutral status by ushering in a green revolution in the areas of our operations. The famous Padma Shri Dr. Jadav Molai Payeng, the man who grew a forest in Majuli, has been engaged as the Green Ambassador of OIL. Under ‘OIL Vasundhara’, we are planting 2,50,000 tree saplings in 100 hectares of land in a highly degraded forest land in Upper Dihing reserve forests (west block) in collaboration with Divisional Forest Officer (DFO), Digboi Division, Government of Assam. We are also creating a Bambusetum in 2 hectares. In future we aspire to replicate the activities in other operational areas of Assam.
With the commitment to work together for a ‘Cleft Free North East’ and impact lives of cleft patients, who are unable to afford quality cleft care, OIL and Mission Smile have collaborated through an agreement to support 100 nos. of surgeries for children born with cleft deformities from the districts of Dibrugarh and Tinsukia under OIL’s CSR. According to the agreement, 50% costs will be borne by OIL and balance 50% will be borne by Assam Government as per the public private partnership (PPP).

“With a thoroughly stringent scientific process, we can reach out to more beneficiaries and the results meet our expectations ”
Prasanta Borkakoty
Resident Chief Executive, Oil India, Duliajan