Says N Hamsa, additional secretary, Ficci, that industry motivation is what the chamber is aiming at. Since bigger businesses are anyway into some kind of social development work or the other, Ficci is trying to unite small businesses into doing something meaningful for the society.

The recent health mela at Noida (near Delhi), for instance, was part of a project on `mobilising small businesses to prevent substance abuse'. The objective of the project is to examine the role of small businesses towards a comprehensive drug and alcohol programme, for which International Labour Organisation and Norway have funded the Ficci Socio Economic Development Foundation.

After series of workshops and seminars to sensitise the industry on issues such as child labour and drug abuse, it was the turn of a health mela in association with Noida EntrepreneursAssociation and Navjyoti Delhi Police Foundation. Seen as a starting point for several social projects, the mela drew a crowd of at least 1,200 persons. Out of which, around 600 people received medical treatment free at the venue.

The purpose of the health mela, explains Hamsa, was to sensitise a large number of industrial workers and their families and general public about alcohol and drug abuse and other health aspects. The project, under which the mela was organised, is being implemented in three cities--Calcutta, Chennai and Noida. In the case of Noida, 15 industries are actively participating in implementing this project.

But why small businesses? Ficci feels that very little is known about drug and alcohol related problems in small businesses both in developing and developed countries. This kind of ignorance leads to loss of productivity, family conflicts and crime, according to Ficci. To prevent that from happening, the chamber has adopted a cluster approach to reach as many small and medium scaleunits as possible. And in the end it's the workers and their families; employers and managers of small enterprises who benefit.

Coming to the health fair, it had stalls set up by NGOs, health providers and government agencies. But it wasn't all about drugs and alcohol abuse alone at the fair. Significantly enough, other issues such as quality of life and general health were also taken up. NGOs participating in the fair included NGO AIDS Education and Training Cell, PRAYAS, Dharmashila Cancer Hospital, Parivar Seva Sanstha, Bapu Nature Cure Hospital, Jeevan Jyoti, etc. Also, seen in action was the Department of Women and Child, and of course a team of doctors from Kailash Hospital. These doctors gave free treatment to hundreds of people, thus making an impact on all present there.