Empowerment of tribal groups: Girijan co-op partners with TRST01 to digitise petrol bunk operations

Hyderabad: The Tribal Welfare Department has focused on ensuring sustainable income and employment for tribals.

In line with this vision, the Girijan Cooperative Corporation (GCC), a State-run initiative dedicated to sustainable tribal livelihoods, operates 29 petrol pumps across three regions in Telangana. However, operational inefficiencies and weak financial management systems have plagued these petrol pumps, leading to losses, shutdowns, and malfunctioning.

To address these challenges, Dr A Sharath, vice chairman and managing director (VC&MD) of GCC, who is also the secretary to the Government Tribal Welfare Department, has undertaken a comprehensive review of petrol pump operations. Identifying systemic weaknesses, he has charted a visionary roadmap to transform these petrol pumps from loss-making entities into profit centres through digitisation and technology-driven management systems.

Trayambhu Tech Solutions

To achieve this, the state has partnered with Trayambhu Tech Solutions Pvt Ltd (TRST01), a Hyderabad-based climate tech company with a global presence in nine countries and certified with ISO 27001 and 9001 certifications.

TRST01 has proposed designing and implementing an Inventory Management and Monitoring App and Dashboard tailored to the operational needs of GCC petrol pumps. This technology solution aims to digitise the entire operating system, transitioning from traditional management practices to a technology-driven model.

Key features of the solution include:

- Ensuring 100 per cent online transactions with comprehensive accountability.

- Eliminating financial leakages and operational inefficiencies.

- Streamlining processes for improved transparency and financial discipline.

Speaking about the initiative, Dr A Sharath said, “This initiative is expected to be a game-changer, bringing operational vibrancy and financial sustainability to tribal-run petrol pumps. It will ensure sustainable employment for tribal salespeople, foster transparency in financial management, and secure livelihoods for tribal communities. The digitisation drive aims to replicate successful models such as the TSRTC and Jail-run petrol pumps.”

Telangana, home to 32 Scheduled Tribes constituting 9 per cent of the State’s population, has taken a significant step toward empowering its tribal communities through a transformative initiative.

Explaining the project, the State government released a public notice about making the development of tribal communities a top priority. The State aims to ensure better health, education, infrastructure, empowerment, employment generation and income opportunities for the communities, in alignment with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) such as No Poverty (SDG-1), Gender Equality (SDG-5), Climate Action (SDG-13), Quality Education (SDG-4), and Decent Work and Economic Growth (SDG-8).