Tata Motors’ launches welfare program for truck drivers

Tata Motors, the country's largest commercial vehicle player today launched Samarth, a first-of-its-kind program, with an aim to acknowledge and promote the driving profession in the trucking space.

Under this initiative, Tata Motors Samarth will endeavour to address four critical areas for the drivers’ well-being, which are presently identified as Swasthya (Wellness program); Sampatti (finance program); Siksha (education program) along with Surakshit Samarth (driver on wheel insurance). The program will be launched across the country India and will attempt to reach out to more than 500,000 drivers every year.

Extending the benefits to the driver’s family and securing their future, Tata Motors along with Oriental Insurance Company has introduced Surakshit Samarth, which will provide an accidental death or disability cover up to Rs 1,000,000 per year, per vehicle for drivers and owner drivers linked to the Chassis, since 2011.

Today, in association with Tata AIG General Insurance Company, the Swasthya Samarth program aims to provide health insurance products including 2 comprehensive health check-ups covering 6 health profiles/57 tests and Rs 50,000 hospitalisation coverage, with an option to upgrade to family cover. The program will be linked to new vehicle sales and the policy will be issued by Tata AIG, and the insurance company will also set up free medical camps at Tata Motors defined locations.

Commenting on the launch of Tata Motors Samarth program,  Girish Wagh, president, CVBU, Tata Motors said, “True to the philosophy of connecting aspirations, we at Tata Motors are driving our efforts towards driver empowerment and welfare. Our Samarth program is tailored to make the entire trucking profession dignified. We intend to cement our long-lasting relationship with our customers and their drivers to safeguard their health, ensuring overall wellbeing of their families and in the process uplift the quality of life for them.”

In addition to the healthcare benefits, Sampatti Samarth plans to encourage investment habits among drivers through its SIP offering by ICICI Prudential and Tata Mutual Funds, with a lock-in period of 3 years, as well as conduct financial literacy camps for drivers and owner drivers across India.

Furthermore, Tata Motors has joined hands with Toppr and introduced Siksha Samarth. Toppr is a learning app for classes 5th to 12th that helps students prepare for every board, competitive and scholastic exam. It personalises learning by creating a unique path for each student based on their strengths and weaknesses.

On Toppr, students can watch free video lectures, practice questions designed for them, attempt mock tests and get their doubts solved 24x7. Meritorious students of customers, owner-drivers and drivers in Class 8 to Class 10 who are eligible under the scholarship scheme of Tata motors will receive one year free subscription of Toppr for relevant academic year.

Apart from the grueling work schedule, extended periods away from home, commercial vehicle drivers and owner drivers have the additional pressure of healthcare costs. The launch of the all-encompassing initiative by Tata Motors is designed to positively impact the CV community and work towards improving society’s perception of this profession.

Through the Samarth program, the company is providing a common platform for various industry stakeholders to reach out and address the health, education and finance needs of drivers’ community via their customise product offerings.