Mahindra Saarthi Abhiyaan and Nanhi Kali join hands for the daughters of truck drivers.

Among the many ways in which we make a difference to the transport industry, the welfare of truck drivers is one of our biggest causes. We instituted the Mahindra Saarthi Abhiyaan programme in 2014 to provide the daughters of the truck drivers with scholarships so that they pursue their education beyond 10^th standard and make a respectable life and career for themselves. Through this programme, a scholarship of Rs. 10,000 was awarded to each truck driver’s daughter who completed 10^th standard and showed a strong interest in pursuing further educational or vocational courses. Till last year, we awarded scholarships to 4408 deserving girls in more than 55 locations across the country.

For over two decades, Project Nanhi Kali has taken more than 350,000 girls from underprivileged families through ten years of schooling, providing them with regular academic and material support. While doing this, they also ensured that the young girls were not married off early, sent to work or kept at home for chores or sibling care. Year after year, hundreds of Nanhi Kalis successfully completed Class 10 and ‘graduated’ from the programme. 

However, our interactions with Nanhi Kali alumni indicate that the girls continued to be vulnerable after Class 10, and there was a need to support teenage girls in India beyond secondary education.

Moreover, with a tenth of the global population of adolescent girls, India is home to the largest and youngest workforce in the world today. This critical fact inspired us to invest in them, and in their well-being, education and providing them skills. Not just to make a big difference to them but also to tap into their productivity, economic potential and leadership for the well-being of the nation.

In order to design a programme that meets the needs of young girls, we conducted a survey - the Teen Age Girls Survey (TAG Survey) that reached over 74,000 households across 600 districts in all the 30 states of India. This survey, which was released in October 2018, echoed the voice of teenage girls in India and their biggest needs and aspirations …

• 86.9% want to learn English
• 86.5% want to learn how to use a Computer
• 76.5% wish to pursue Graduation

With this information, we joined hands with Nanhi Kali to make Mahindra Saarthi Abhiyaan even more robust and effective. And now, this 2.0 version will provide teenage girls the opportunity to pursue their dreams of higher education and obtain a university degree along with learning English and Computers. So they can go on to lead independent, dignified lives and contribute to the nation’s growth. Our new programme will start by adopting 500 daughters of Commercial Vehicle Drivers in Hyderabad and Pune and we’re sure it will go from strength to strength.

Come Home Papa – A Unique Road Safety Initiative

What is your idea of a normal working day?

For most people, going to work probably means about an hour’s commute every morning to get to the comfortable and safe confines of an air-conditioned office, followed by another hour in the evening to get home.

For a trucker, going to work takes on an entirely different meaning. He is away from his home and family for days, maneuvering massive and heavy, cargo-laden trucks, driving along roads and highways across the length and breadth of the country, in all kinds of challenging and dangerous situations. With this, he not only is earning for his family and himself but also catering to our daily needs, starting with morning tea to the goodnight coil. Being a truck driver demands an altogether different level of skill and mental toughness.

To put the situation further in perspective – India has the highest number of road fatalities in the world. It accounts for more than one-third of global road accident deaths (as per global estimated figures).  

With road safety being the biggest concern, imagine the constant anxiety of the families of these truckers who do not get to see or even speak to their husbands, sons, fathers for days on end.  

This is where Mahindra Truck and Bus has been attempting to bring about a positive change in the lives of India’s truck driver community and their families through various programs and initiatives such as Mahindra Saarthi Abhiyaan (Visit our website here - https://www.mahindratruckandbus.com/aboutus/our-initiatives.aspx)

Come Home Papa is one such initiative that is part of Mahindra Saarthi Abhiyaan, a program that aims to continuously engage with India’s trucking community and their families, through inclusive ideas like scholarships for the daughters of truck drivers.

In 2017, the Come Home Papa initiative was announced in collaboration with literary partner #TellMeYourStory, as a short story contest for the scholarship-winning girls. The theme was ‘Road Safety’. What emerged were exceptionally inspiring and poignant stories that brought alive just what road safety means to a truck driver’s daughter. The stories also spoke of the father-daughter bond and underlined girl child empowerment. 

A collection of the shortlisted stories has been published and launched as a book titled ‘Come Home Papa’.

Here are excerpts from two stories in the book. Stories that present a heartfelt personal account of the deep-seated fears and emotions of the daughters of truck drivers;

‘My father plans his travel in advance, based on the area he will be driving through. This way he can pass through forest areas during the daytime, minimising chances of road robbery, or attacks by wild animals, or getting stuck in a lonely deserted area in case of a breakdown... unpredictable dangers lurk in the lives of truck drivers. Father often shares experiences from his life and the lives of his driver friends. They sometimes send a chill down my spine.’

- ‘Lessons of the Road’ by Maganti Lavanya

‘If my father doesn’t come back home in time, my mother’s face goes pale while waiting for him. Many times we are unable to contact him as he would be driving in remote areas with bad network. We spend sleepless nights waiting for him and when he returns we heave a sigh of relief.’

-   ‘My Papa’ by Bersha Kumari

From the Government to corporate India to the film industry, this one-of-a-kind initiative has received widespread and noteworthy appreciation. Take a look at what these well-known personalities have to say about Come Home Papa:

‘To have the daughters of truck drivers contribute stories and anecdotes, which carry the message of road safety was an excellent idea and deserves full support. In addition to road safety, it deftly weaves the issues of education of the girl child and women’s empowerment into it, as well.’

 -   Nitin Gadkari, Minister for Road Transport, Highways, Shipping, Water Resources and Ganga Rejuvenation

‘This is a very imaginative and valuable initiative... the first-ever book of stories on road safety by daughters of truck drivers.... A wonderful testimony to the fears and hopes, the joys and sorrows, and above all, the deep connection between these girls and their fathers.’

-   Anand Mahindra, Chairman – Mahindra Group

My prayers and best wishes for more and more daughters of the truck driver’s community to make their dream a reality and leave a stamp of class and courage, by forging ahead against all odds.

-  Amitabh Bachchan, Actor

To an initiative with such an endearing title and such a beautiful cause, here’s wishing those strong daughters who are making a bright future against all odds, and here’s to their immense love for their fathers! Kudos to the father-daughter spirit!  And here’s to wishing the lovely daughters all the very best for their endeavors. And to their papas – just to say.. come home safely to your daughters.

-   Divya Dutta, Actor

The vision and impact of Come Home Papa is so much more than just a collection of stories. Come Home Papa is spreading a strong message about road safety, not only to the truck drivers but also to other drivers out there, through the voice of the daughters of the truck driver community. Drive safe and come home safe to your families.

Mahindra BLAZO X

BLAZO X gives your Xtra Mileage.

Because only a BLAZO can beat a BLAZO.

On February 4 at Auto Expo 2016, Mahindra Truck & Bus (MTB) launched the New Mahindra BLAZO, India’s first #SMARTTRUCK with the innovative FuelSmart technology. Thanks to this technology, BLAZO came with the first-ever mileage guarantee, creating history in Indian trucking and transport. To give customers added confidence, the company also offered a service guarantee with the BLAZO. So that transporters never had to worry about breakdowns and downtime.

Within 2.5 years of launching the BLAZO HCV series, Mahindra Truck and Bus has experienced substantial volume and market share growth. As per the FY19 half-yearly performance, the company’s HCV volume grew by 79% over 56% for the industry, giving it a market share of 4.9%. Today, there are over 19,900 BLAZO s on the road clocking over 70 crore km and the best thing is that 49% of customers have already made a repeat purchase.

Now in 2018 Mahindra is launched the BLAZO X, which delivers the best mileage in the HCV market, even more than the BLAZO.

BLAZO X is the silver lining in the dark cloud of rising fuel costs. It improves upon the already high fuel-efficiency of its predecessor, the BLAZO, through improvements in the intercooler, fan, and turbo. With a total of 6 guarantees covering mileage, service and spares, BLAZO X provides a way for businesses and owners to combat high transport costs.

Mahindra’s innovative FuelSmart technology also allows drivers to choose from three modes - Turbo, Heavy and Light at the touch of a button - to adapt to different load conditions thereby improving engine life, reducing the need for maintenance and getting more mileage in all load conditions.

Now, drivers will also experience less fatigue and perform better due to features like tilt & telescopic steering wheel, 3-way adjustable seats and comfortable sleeper berths which combine to reduce fatigue during long journeys. Added to this, there’s the large windshield and rear-view mirrors and the Driver Information System (DIS) integrated into the dashboard for RPM, temperature, fuel, and speed to give instant information about important vehicle parameters to the drivers and to alert them about any possible vehicle situations.

BLAZO X has the lowest Total Cost of Ownership among HCVs due to its high oil drainage interval, 9% savings on lubricants, 9% additional overall saving, and 32% more savings than other trucks. It also comes with a 6 year/6 lakh km transferable warranty and the unique MCOVER insurance package. BLAZO X is truly the best proposition in the truck segment for both owners and drivers.

MTEA 7^th EDITION: INDIA’S BIGGEST TRANSPORT AWARDS GETS BIGGER!

Since the 7^th Edition of Mahindra Transport Excellence Awards (MTEA) was webcast LIVE many of you are already aware that ROAD SAFETY and INNOVATION were the mantras of the evening that marked the ceremony. It took place on the 7^th of March 2018 at the Ashoka Hotel in New Delhi. An evening that was brimming with the positivity, excitement and anticipation of the who’s who of the Indian road transport industry. All of whom gathered to honour our OUTPERFOPERMERS!

The MTEA recognizes various stakeholders in the trucking industry on parameters like Outperformance, Excellence, Innovation and Change Leadership and judges against the backdrop of Mahindra’s RISE pillars – Accepting No Limits, Alternative Thinking and Driving Positive Change. The initiative, with its inclusive nature, has set for itself high standards!

We would like to express our deepest gratitude to the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways that has continued to support the program for the fifth consecutive year. Besides higher numbers, the entries also exhibited better quality, more interesting stories and a stronger pitch, giving us a feeling that the MTEA has come of age.

Bringing you the highlights –

Panel Discussion on a pertinent topic Commercial Vehicle End-of-Life Policy in India, moderated by Vivek Law, a prominent name in the Business News Channel industry. The discussion focused on the likely contours of the policy as well as the impact of such a policy on all stakeholders like CV OEMs, government agencies, Fleet Owners, Single Truck Owners, etc.

Mr. Vinod Sahay, CEO, Mahindra Truck and Bus and Construction Equipment Division presented the report card of the awards program, reaffirming our commitment to continue, strengthen and make more relevant, this RISE initiative. He shared with the audience, the fact that the awards program was becoming bigger and better with every passing year and was attracting better quality entries, which is a heartening news.

Mr. Veejay Nakra, Chief of Sales & Marketing, Auto Division talked about the inclusion of SCV & LCV Category. He stressed upon important role-play by the segment in emerging Indian economy through last mile distribution.

Dr. Goenka addressed the gathering about the significant changes in Economies and financial markets. In his speech, he said “The best way to predict the future is to create it”. He urged the gathering to invest in own Light of Knowledge initiative, within their company, community, ecosystem. He said, “There can be nothing better than investing in sharpening the saw, to better prepare for the ever-changing forest.” He talked about MTB’s ‘The Light of Knowledge’ initiative – MPower for Youth Transporters in this context. Dr. Goenka’s speech was followed by MPower book launch

On the theme of Road Safety, this year we introduced a new short story contest called "Come Home Papa" in collaboration with our literary partners, #TellMeYourStory. Mahindra Saarthi Abhiyaan Scholarship winner girls were asked to write stories on Road Safety, based on father’s experiences on the road. All the stories were published online, at www.tellmeyourstory.in and the best thirty stories have been chosen for publishing in the book. Four Saarthi Abhiyaan Outperformers were felicitated with their family members and Bulbul Khan and Rukhsar Khan were declared as the joint national winner for "Come Home Papa" – Story contest.

  

Mr. Rajan Wadhera, President – Automotive Sector and Member – Group Executive Board, Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd. reinforced that MTEA will continue to applaud the endeavours of the unsung heroes of our industry in the years to come.

Speaking on the occasion, Y.S. Malik, Secretary, MoRTH, extended praise for the Mahindra Group for coming up with such a recognition for one of the most important sectors of the Indian economy. And expressed the need for the industry to honour those who are thriving to make a change in their day to day work and said that this effort is in that direction!

The final RISE Moment!

Let’s sign off by saying that MTBD’s signature brand property, now 7 editions old, aimed at honouring the unsung heroes of the road transport, Mahindra Transport Excellence Awards will continue to strengthen the brand while delivering respect, self-esteem and recognition to multiple stakeholders of the Indian Road Transport Ecosystem. Let’s unite to RISE together!

*For the complete list of awards please see our extensive report here. 

MPOWER WAR ROOM IV – empowering the future of the Indian Transport

MPOWER program was designed with a vision to provide a platform to cater to the learning needs of the young, NexGen transporters. The program curriculum is designed to include the aspects facilitating the transport business decisions relating to the choice of markets, procurement, production and dispatch planning, plant location and layout, procurement and distribution network planning, route optimization, determining the ideal fleet size, warehouse location and operations, desired inventory levels and so on. This helps the young transporters make better informed decisions to take their business to the next level of success.

Cumulatively, MPOWER has been conducted for 13 batches with 340 participants PAN India from various Transport segments. The participants of all the 13 batches vouch for their experience to be very rich. They are confident of taking their family business to the next level by applying all the learning from the MPOWER program.

MPOWER WAR ROOM is a brand extension of MPOWER that helps its participants to take the learning experience to an advanced stage. ‘MPOWER War Room’, which was launched in July 2014 with the objective of making MPOWER delegates of past batches to introspect/ reflect and present on the following subject:

“Successes and Challenges in implementing what I learnt during Mahindra MPOWER at IIM, Ahmedabad, back into my business”.

The War Room aims to explore the transformation that the MPOWER participants were able to bring about in their organizations after attending the MPOWER program, as well as the challenges they might have faced during the implementation process.

MPOWER War Room IV

The 4^th edition of MPOWER War room was conducted from 23^rd – 25^th Nov 2017, which was hosted at IIM, Ahmedabad.

Here’s a photo-report of the MPOWER War Room IV:

24^th Nov 2017 – Expert Jury

Delegates were very excited to meet each other and participants from different MPOWER batches. 15 finalists were present for the final show down.

 

The MTBD Team and IIM Professors interacted with 15 War Room Delegates. It was delighting to see the enthusiasm of Mr. Chetan Lodaya, a specially-abled participant as one of the contestants of War Room IV.

The session began with a brief introduction of MPOWER War Room IV and context-setting by self. Shashank Patwa took the delegates and the Jury through the objectives of MPOWER WAR Room IV and what they must look forward to in the next two days at IIM Ahmedabad.

The Expert Jury consisted of: 

Name	Designation	Organization
Girish Mirchandani	Chief Editor	Transtopics
Bhushan M	Editor	CV Magazine
Allwyn Crasto	Sub Regional Head, South Asia Transportation and Distribution Safety	BASF India Limited
Tej Nirmal Singh Plaha	Director & Head - LAS, Ericsson India GFBE Shared Services Organization	Ericsson India Global Services Pvt. Ltd.
Devdip Purkayastha	President - India Operations	CHEP India
Prof Debjit	Factuality Member, Production and Quantitative Methods	IIM Ahmedabad
Prof Amit Karna	Factuality Member, Business Policy	IIM Ahmedabad
Prof. Sobhesh Agrawalla	Factuality Member, Finance and Accounting	IIM Ahmedabad

Presentations began at 9:30 am. 15 young transport entrepreneurs battled it out to showcase their OUTPERFORMANCE stories based on their learnings from the MPOWER program they had attended at IIM Ahmedabad. The presentations were made on topics ranging from Innovation in Business, Business Intelligence, IT Infrastructure, Business Re-structuring, Safety Measures Across Organizations to Business Diversification. Their success stories were filled with inspiration and vision and their tremendous learnings from the ‘MPOWER’ sessions was evident. The incremental innovation and tweaks inspired everyone in the room, who responded to such bits with applause. Every presentation was followed by an interactive question and answer session with the Jury members. 

Networking Dinner

This was the much-awaited part of the program as the participants and Jury were eager for the final names to be presented to Grand jury.

During the Networking dinner, we shared our views on the MPOWER initiatives and Mahindra’s Vision for these initiatives. Prof. Debjit also shared his views on the 15 case studies with the audience. Participants shared their testimony of the War Room and MPOWER initiatives by Mahindra and they were pleased about the different learning they got from other participants as well.

 An informal discussion was initiated with the Transport Ecosystem delegates. Many insights from the top-notch industry stakeholders were brought forward.

Finalists for the Grand Jury

The finalists were as follows, as there were two ties for the 6^th place hence this batch witnessed 7 Finalists. They were as follows:-

1)      Mr. Rishab Gandhi of Raman Roadways from Gujarat

2)      Mr. Hardik Gahlot of Reshamsingh & Co. from Kutch

3)      Mr. Gurvinder Singh Grewal of Diamond Roadlines from Mumbai

4)      Mr. Rohit Patravali of Esteem Trucking Company from Hubli-Dharwad

5)      Mr. Jehaan Adil Kotwal of JFK Transport from Mumbai

6)      Mr. Sanjay Gogri of Bharti Infraconstructions Pvt. Ltd. from Mumbai

7)      Mr. Jitesh Chunnilal Chheda of Chheda Cargo Carriers from Mumbai

Prof. Debjit shared some tips with them on how to improve their presentations for the Big Day.

Grand Jury - 25^th Nov, 2017

After a day full of excitement, the following day started early with the seven finalists preparing for the presentations. The Grand Jury assembled and the event began at 9:30 am. The program commenced with a keynote address by self, welcoming the participants and encouraging the entire contingent for their trailblazing efforts in implementing what they learnt during MPOWER back into their business.

Grand Jury Members:

Name	Designation	Organization
Brinda Jagirdar	Former Chief Economist, SBI	Director, Capital First and Rane Engine Valves
S K Krishnan	VP – Demand Chain Management	Mahindra & Mahindra
Pradeep Saxena	Country Head	Sewells MSXI India
Prof. Debjit Roy	Production and Quantitative  Methods	IIM Ahmedabad
Prof. Arvind Sahay	Marketing	IIM Ahmedabad
Prof. Chitra Singla	Business Policies	IIM Ahmedabad

Participants reworked on the presentations based on Prof Debjit’s suggestions from last evening (24^th Nov 2017).

Every presentation was followed by questions from the jury testing the mettle of the seven finalists. The quick breaks in between the sessions allowed the participants and Grand Jury members to exchange a few words.

Mr. S K Krishnan, V.P. Demand Chain Management, Mahindra Automotive Division, appreciated how Mahindra Truck and Bus continue to work closely with the MPOWER participants. MPOWER and War Room are just milestones in the way and MTBD is committed to help them in the journey of excellence. He also thanked the Professor, the Jury and the participants for taking the time and making War Room IV as successful.

Prof. Debjit and Prof. Chitra Singla also shared their valuable thoughts on the War Room Presentations.

The winners of the MPOWER War Room IV are:

Mr. Rishab Gandhi of Raman Roadways from Gujarat who presented on “Umeed” Software & Performance Management System”.

First Runner-up – Mr. Hardik Gahlot of Reshamsingh & Co. from Kutch who presented on “Development of Customized Barge for Multi-Modal Transportation of HP Surge Vessels”.

Second Runner-up – Mr. Gurvinder Singh Grewal of Diamond Roadlines from Mumbai who presented on “Business Optimisation”.

Second Runner-up – Mr. Rohit Patravali of Esteem Trucking Company from Hubli-Dharwad who presented on “Streamlining Operations”.

MPOWER War Room case studies eventually will be featured in the third edition of IIM text book on Transport & Logistics – Trucking Business Management – Cases and Concepts and thereby be institutionalised and become permanent fixtures of knowledge for our industry. We would persist with this kind of engagement with constituents of our road transport ecosystem as a part of the Mahindra brand philosophy of RISE, to drive positive change in our ecosystem and also help develop business prospects for MTB in the process.