Tata Motors’ Integrated Village Development Programme Empowers Chandrakant to become a Lakhpati Kisan
In India agriculture remains a cornerstone of employment and sustenance, particularly in rural and tribal regions. Chandrakant Sonya Andher, a farmer from a tribal hamlet of Jawhar, in Maharashtra, once lived the harsh reality shared by thousands of farmers across India. With only matriculation education and two acres of rainfed cultivable land, his livelihood was dictated by erratic rainfall and chronic water scarcity. Chandrakant’s remaining land remained uncultivable, forcing him into seasonal migration to neighbouring cities for manual labour—leaving his family behind with little income security and no clear path to progress.
Tata Motors’ Integrated Village Development Programme (IVDP) brought a hope of holistic development to the remote hamlet and in Chandrakant’s life. The essence of IVDP lies in the implementation of multi-layered sustainable framework tailored to the unique challenges faced by the local communities keeping convergence of Government schemes as core.
Tata Motors became a facilitator for leveraging various government schemes to help Chandrakant augment his livelihoods. He built a farm pond for water harvesting, drip irrigation systems for efficient use of scarce water, and a bio‑gas unit to reduce fuel expenses. IVDP also helped him in crop and income diversification through agro-forestry plantations, fish farming, installation of solar panel, bamboo cultivation, and a nursery unit for high‑value crops.
The results of these efforts have been transformational. With assured water, improved farming practices, and diversified income streams, Chandrakant’s farm productivity surged. He now meets household needs comfortably, sells surplus produce, and has more than doubled his annual income. He has invested in his children’s education, improved healthcare access for his family, and constructed an additional house on his land—marking his journey to becoming a “lakhpati kisan.”
Reflecting on his transformation, Chandrakant shared, “The lack of water meant most of my land was useless, and I had to leave my family behind for months every year. But Tata Motors gave us hope and a practical path forward. Today, I don’t have to migrate anymore. This support has completely rewritten my family’s destiny.”
Vinod Kulkarni, Head of CSR at Tata Motors, explains,“Chandrakant’s journey from a seasonal migrant labourer to a confident, self‑reliant farmer illustrates the power of community‑centric rural development approach. As Chandrakant and the farming community breaks the cycle of vulnerability, it strengthens our resolve of leveraging government schemes to scale and replicate our sustainable social development models.”
Chandrakant’s inspirational success has motivated other farmers to transform their livelihoods, embrace innovative farming techniques, thus mitigating the challenge of migration.
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