Tata Chem unveils affordable water purifier 'Swach'
Press Trust of India / Mumbai Dec 07, 2009, 21:30 IST
Aiming to make safe drinking water affordable to rural masses, Tata Group company Tata Chemicals today unveiled a water purifier named Swach under Rs 1,000 price tag and announced Rs 100 crore investment over the next five years for the project.
Tata Group Chairman Ratan Tata today formally unveiled the product, which comes in two variants priced at Rs 749 and Rs 999. While launching the Rs 1 lakh car Nano of Tata Motors, he had announced that making safe drinking water affodable to masses was his next objective.
"I hope it (Swach) has its mark in terms of deterring disease and not necessarily spending our energies in trying to treat disease. Reach and marketing strength are going to be pillars that will make it successful and future innovations and versions of this to reach every corner of this population not only in India but elsewhere in the world," Tata told reporters here.
The company aims to sell 1 million units of the compact, 19 litre Swach within a year, production of which has begun at its Haldia plant in West Bengal. It plans to distribute the product through networks of its agrochemical arm, Rallis India, and the farm services business, Tata Kisan Sansar, which cumulatively reaches out to about 3 million farmers.
"The investment of Rs 100-crore is our plan for the next five-years. We have probably invested about one-fifth of that amount (so far)," Tata Chemicals Managing Director R Mukundan, said.
The company said it is looking to collaborate with the government to reach into the hinterland.
The total water purifier market, including industrial, municipal and household, is around Rs 10,000-crore. The share of household water purifiers is minimal.
Tata deserved the Nobel Peace prize for creating products and employment for millions. No other industrialist anywhere has shown the capacity to produce such transforming products.
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