Tata Salt reiterates commitment to the cause of educating underprivileged children
August 14, 2003

Launches second edition of the Desh Ko Arpan Programme

Tata Salt, the pioneers and undisputed leaders in the packaged and iodised salt category, today reiterated its commitment to the cause of educating underprivileged children and announced the second edition of its Desh Ko Arpan programme. The programme was launched last year and, in its maiden edition, raised over Rs 33 lakhs in a period of one month.

Speaking on the occasion, Prasad Menon, Managing Director, Tata Chemicals Limited said, "Last year was a huge experience for us and the response to the programme has been overwhelming. It is with great pride that each one of us at Tata Salt realises the difference we are making to the lives of the less fortunate children of the nation. With the second edition of Desh Ko Arpan, we are keen to continue with a cause that is close to our hearts and which we believe will impact the lives of the future generation."

Through the Desh Ko Arpan programme, Tata Chemicals Limited contributes 10 paise for every kilo of Tata Salt, sold during specific periods, to the education of underprivileged children. In its second edition, the programme will run over two periods: August 15 to September 14, 2003, and January 26 to February 25, 2004. Continuing with last year's association, Child Relief and You (CRY) has been chosen as partners for the first period. The money raised will support six child-development initiatives across the country, namely:

	Lok Shakti Vikas Sansthan, Barmer, Rajasthan
	Jabala, Kolkata, West Bengal
	The Good Shepherd Society, Chennai, Tamil Nadu
	Gramya, Nalgonda, Andhra Pradesh
	The Community Services Guild, Namakkal, Tamil Nadu
	Rachana Society for Social Reconstruction, Pune, Maharashtra

Says Ingrid Srinath, director, resource mobilisation, CRY, "The success of this partnership can be attributed to the commitment shown by Tata Chemicals in wanting to make a sustainable difference to the lives of underprivileged Indian children. By taking the programme forward into a consistent bi-annual contribution, Tata Chemicals has set a new standard for cause-related marketing initiatives in India."

About Tata Chemicals:
Established in 1939, Tata Chemicals Limited is one of India's leading manufacturers of inorganic chemicals and fertilisers. Part of the US$ 11-billion Tata Group, the company owns and operates the largest and most integrated inorganic chemicals complex in the country at Mithapur, Gujarat. Its fertiliser complex in Babrala, Uttar Pradesh is known for world-class energy-efficiency standards, and has won several awards in the fields of environmental conservation, community development and safety. Tata Chemicals is today acknowledged as the leader in the chemicals and fertiliser industries. The company has a turnover of over Rs 1,700 crore and employs about 3,000 people.

About CRY:
CRY is a registered Indian trust working towards building a people's movement to restore to India's underprivileged children their most basic rights. CRY harnesses the money, time and skills of thousands of individuals and organisations to partner 163 child-development initiatives across India. CRY is governed by values of respect for human dignity, transparency, accountability, secularism, non-violence and the spirit of innovation.