Tata Steel Foundation has inked an MoU with Saksham, a Delhi-based NGO working for the specially-abled, to implement a two-year-long project to identify and train persons with visual impairments in Odisha and Jharkhand on the use of assistive technology.

“This collaboration was for the Jyotir Gamya programme, which aimed at the ‘digital empowerment of visually impaired persons in under-resourced areas’ within the state of Odisha and Jharkhand,” said a tweet by Saksham.

According to a communique issued by Tata Steel which has footprints in both Jharkhand (plant at Jamshedpur) and Odisha (plant at Kalinganagar), Jyotir Gamya programme — an initiative of Saksham and Assistech Lab of IIT Delhi — is designed to recognise the importance of assistive technology-provided solutions not only to make persons with visual impairments independent in reading and writing but also enable them to independently perform several activities online such as operating their bank accounts and performing bank transactions on their own, doing railway reservations, online shopping, or using tools like google maps for navigation, from the complex to simple like using mobile phones for essential activities of daily living.

Tata Steel Foundation CEO Sourav Roy, speaking during the MoU signing on Friday, said: “Our own project Sabal has been quietly building a platform which brings together communities, civil society, companies, and public systems to stand by persons with disabilities in a quest for dignity and ability. It works with more than 10,000 people every year prioritising those who remain vulnerable even within the current discourse on disability.”

“We believe that programmes like Jyotir Gamya with able partners like Saksham and IIT Delhi have a shared ethos with Sabal, and we are excited at the possibilities that this collaboration may open for many,” said Roy.

The objective of this project is to create a network of visually impaired who have been made aware of and trained on the use of assistive technology and its solutions and who would continue to spread awareness and use of the same in the community and expand the network of users through peer engagement. The project aims to help 1,258 visually impaired persons by the end of two years.

“We would start the first phase of the programme in September in Delhi,” added Roy.

Tata Steel Foundation (TSF), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Tata Steel Limited, was incorporated on August 16, 2016. With over 1,000 members spread over 10 units and 6 states of Jharkhand, Bengal, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra and Punjab, the foundation is a corporate social responsibility implementing organisation.