NEW DELHI: Marking International Day of the Girl Child, Vedanta Group, one of the world’s leading natural resources companies with businesses across metals, oil & gas, critical minerals, power and technology, announced that its girl-focused programmes have benefited over 10 lakh girls in FY26. The impact of these programmes spans over 13 Indian states, as well as international operational geographies including South Africa and Zambia. The International Day of the Girl Child highlights the rights, opportunities and challenges faced by girls and calls for greater investment in their development and empowerment. Aligned with this objective, Vedanta’s girl-focused programmes are mindfully designed to support them at different stages of their journey, empowering the girl child holistically through access to education and skill development, healthcare, sports and livelihood opportunities.
These contribute to the UN Sustainable Development Goals, including SDG 2 (Zero Hunger), SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being), SDG 4 (Quality Education), SDG 5 (Gender Equality) and SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth).
Vedanta is supporting children in their formative years through its Nand Ghars, reaching over 5 lakh children and helping provide the girl child with a healthier foundation in her early years. Vedanta is also facilitating greater access to learning through functional STEM labs and digital classrooms, helping create career pathways for girls in these areas. Beyond the classroom, Vedanta’s vocational programmes provide training that can help them pursue employment and earn a livelihood.
The Group’s efforts extend to addressing critical health needs among adolescents, including anaemia, menstrual hygiene and cervical cancer awareness. At the community level, Vedanta has reached over 2 lakh people, encouraging open conversations around adolescence, prevention of child marriage and women’s legal rights.
Sports are also emerging as an important avenue for girls to build confidence and pursue their potential. Vedanta is expanding opportunities across football, karate and martial arts, including residential girls’ football academies in Rajasthan and Goa, while martial arts programmes have extended to Odisha and Visakhapatnam. The football programme is also seeing girls progress to competitive levels, including India Under-16 and Under-17 trials and state-level representation, reflecting the growing opportunities for girls to participate and compete in sport.
Together, these initiatives reflect Vedanta’s continued focus on enabling girls to learn, stay healthy, build skills, participate and pursue livelihoods, while creating opportunities that can strengthen their agency and participation in the social and economic development of their communities.
Beyond community initiatives, Vedanta Group has raised its ambition to achieve 35% women representation across all levels of the organisation. This comes against a stark industry backdrop. According to the Annual Survey of Industries in India, women accounted for around 18% of direct employment across industries in 2023–24, while in core sectors such as mining and metals, their share remains only about 6%.
