• Aims to enable a phygital network of trained paraprofessionals & volunteers to further early identification of children on the Autism Spectrum among the underserved and in Tier 2 & 3 cities and rural India
• To activate a ‘National Working Group’ to work jointly with key actors in the space including the Government of India – for taking forward sustainable value-adds & support programmes’ integration in the current system

Mumbai, December 2, 2022: Tata Power Community Development Trust (Tata Power CDT) and the Indian Hotels Co. Ltd. (IHCL) jointly organized the first National Workshop on Neurodiversity in Mumbai with a focus on Autism Spectrum.

The workshop brought together representatives from the Tata Group, Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, Government of India (GoI), The United Nations, practitioners and domain experts from the field of neurodiversity to deliberate and implement phygital interventions and support programs in Tier 2, and Tier 3 cities and rural India. A series of pre-consultation with experts from the field were carried out to put forward challenges and recommendations for working group to deliberate in the workshop. Several ground visits to early intervention centers in different regions were also conducted, along with a Disability Tech Expo event with set of experts to get maximum possible range of insights from the sector.

According to estimates by the Indian Council of Medical Research, India is home to more than ten million individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).

The event aimed to create a collective platform for key actors to optimize existing efforts, cross-pollinate and enable required support ecosystems for early diagnosis, acceptance & care by leveraging the combined power of technology, people, corporate and Govt. schemes networks. The roundtable served as a prelude to form a National Working Group that will work jointly with key actors in this space including the Government of India – for taking forward sustainable value-adds & support programmes’ integration in the current system.

The day-long brainstorming session was part of Tata Power Community Development Trust’s PAY AUTENTION initiative, India’s first phygital Autism Support Network. The session saw participation from Mr. K. M. Chandrasekhar, Independent Director, Tata Power, and former Cabinet Secretary, GoI; Dr. Praveer Sinha, CEO&MD, Tata Power; Mr. Puneet Chhatwal, MD & CEO, IHCL; Mr. Rajeev Sharma, Joint Secretary, Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities, Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment, GoI, who pressed upon the need to enable cross-sectoral collaboration among government, corporates and not-for-profits to strengthen the pan-India support ecosystem for ASD.

They also urged the academic/research institutions and social enterprise incubators to contribute to as ecosystem enablers by plugging in innovation and inclusive phygital solutions, where viable.

“Tata Power’s Pay Autention network strives to mainstream individuals with Autism and Neurodiversity. This workshop co-hosted with IHCL, will speed up our efforts to develop a pan-India ecosystem of services in the area of Neurodiversity which is severely constrained by lack of awareness, a weak support system and subpar diagnostic facilities.”

Dr. Praveer Sinha, CEO & MD, Tata Power

In alignment with the company’s D&I policy, Tata Power aims to bring people with Autism to the mainstream and groom, mentor and hire interns and associates with neurodiversity. The company will support them in enhancing skill sets, persona and facilitate an inclusive and accessible workplace environment.

“We are glad to join hands with Tata Power for scaling up the Pay Autention network for Autism and neurodiversity support by leveraging IHCL’s vast footprint and volunteers across the country. In line with Paathya, IHCL’s framework of sustainability and social impact measures, we believe in making inclusivity mainstream. At IHCL, we are committed to empower the neurodiverse community through focused skill training in line with our diversity and inclusion mission.”

Mr. Puneet Chhatwal, MD & CEO, IHCL

Mr. Rajeev Sharma, Joint Secretary, Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (Divyanjan), Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment, GoI presented the schemes & key initiatives of the Government aimed at building an inclusive and equitable society with equal opportunities for the growth and development of people with disabilities. He also mentioned the keen interest of Hon’ble Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi in empowering the divyangjan and making them an equal partner in country’s journey of growth. He said, “The government has taken various steps like setting up cross-disability early intervention centers across regions and has increased the number of disabilities from 7 to 21 (including Autism Spectrum Disorder) under the RPWD Act, 2016. This milestone initiative has paved the way to augment support for a large number of neurodiverse people across the country. I appreciate this endeavor which aims to bring together a robust support ecosystem for Autism and I believe this will go a long way in driving inclusivity.”

Mr. G. Vijaya Raghavan, Honorary Director, Centre for Autism and other Disabilities Rehabilitation Research and Education (CADRRE), and Ms. Foram Nagori, Head – CSR, Tata Power addressed the delegates, who were later divided into focus groups to deliberate on critical themes like early detection of ASD and timely intervention, making mainstream education sector inclusive, and deploying progressive technology and scaling through Hub and Spoke Models. Ms Jyoti Kumar Bansal, Chief Branding, Comms, Sustainability & CSR , Tata Power summarized the key next steps that emerged from these deliberations and encouraged the group to continue working collaboratively to further systemic improvements and integrated actions.

Ms. Gauri Arora from the United Nations Resident Coordinator’s Office shared her experience on building cross-sectoral networks and the need to identify priority areas. Dr. K. Vijay Raghavan, Former Principal Scientific Advisor to the GoI shared his insights on research and technology efforts in the field of neurodiversity. Mr. Ferose V R, Senior Vice President and Head of SAP Academy for Engineering, Founder of ‘India Inclusion Summit’ and founder of SAP’s “Autism at Work”, shared his experience and learnings as a parent and from hiring talent with autism and advising on enabling supportive environments in many other corporates.

About Pay Autention

In 2022 to commemorate World Autism Awareness Day, Tata Power CDT partnered with the Center for Autism and other Disabilities Rehabilitation Research and Education (CADRRE) to launch ‘PAY AUTENTION’. This phygital support network aims to empower parents, caregivers, Anganwadi workers, public health workers, schoolteachers, staff of public service organizations and social workers to serve as an aware and empowered auxiliary support network for early identification and acceptance for children with Autism, especially in small towns and rural India.

The PAY AUTENTION network has been training & empowering community leaders, volunteers & Anganwadi workers from the Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS) through street plays & phygital workshops to further reach thousands of households for early identification, awareness, and enable reach to underserved regions. A toll-free helpline number – 18002099488 is made live to address queries from all over the country for Autism spectrum-related support along with dedicated website (https://www.tatapower.com/sustainability/social-capital/pay-autention.aspx) and YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/@payautention1172).

About Tata Power:

Tata Power (NSE: TATA POWER; BSE: 500400) is one of India’s largest integrated power companies and together with its subsidiaries and jointly controlled entities, has an installed/managed capacity of 13,515 MW. The Company is India’s most progressive green energy brand, with operations across the entire power value chain – generation of renewable as well as conventional power including hydro and thermal energy, transmission & distribution, coal & freight, logistics, and trading.

The Company had developed the country’s first Ultra Mega Power Project at Mundra (Gujarat) based on super-critical technology. With 4.7 GW of clean energy generation from solar, wind, hydro, and waste heat recovery accounting for 34% of the overall portfolio, the company is a leader in clean energy generation.

It has successful public-private partnerships in generation, transmission & distribution in India viz: Powerlink’s Transmission Ltd. with Power Grid Corporation of India Ltd. for evacuation of Power from Tala hydro plant in Bhutan to Delhi, Maithon Power Ltd. with Damodar Valley Corporation for a 1,050 MW Mega Power Project at Jharkhand.

Tata Power is currently serving more than 12 million consumers via its Discoms, under public-private partnership model viz Tata Power Delhi Distribution Ltd. with the Government of Delhi in North Delhi, TP Northern Odisha Distribution Limited, TP Central Odisha Distribution Limited, TP Western Odisha Distribution Limited, and TP Southern Odisha Distribution Limited with Government of Odisha.

With a focus on sustainable and clean energy development, Tata Power is steering the transformation as an integrated solutions provider by looking at new business growth in distributed generation through rooftop solar and microgrids, storage solutions, EV charging infrastructure, ESCO, home automation & smart meters et al.

With its 107 years track record of technology advancements, project execution excellence, world-class safety processes, customer care, and green initiatives, Tata Power is well poised for multi-fold growth and is committed to lighting up lives for generations to come. For more information visit us at: www.tatapower.com

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