Vedanta Ltd. Jharsuguda supported 110 bedded standalone COVID Hospital is now operational for public. It also funded over Rs. 2 crores worth equipment, medical gear and consummables. Jharsuguda facility is the largest producer of primary aluminium in India with an installed smelting capacity of 1.6 MTPA.
Following the government’s directive to open standalone COVID-19 Hospitals in all districts of Odisha, the district headquarter hospital was upgraded into a COVID-19 Hospital having all necessary equipment, medical gear and infrastructure to handle the highly infectious disease.
In lieu of the partnership, Vedanta has provided ventilators, Corona Kits, oxygen concentrator, N95 and triple-layer masks, surgical gowns, aprons, surgical caps, nebulizers, many other equipment and medical gear, sufficient quantities of alcohol-based sanitizers and medicines, beds and matresses and other infrastructure required for the operation of the hospital.
CN Singh, CEO – Vedanta Ltd, Jharsuguda said, “Vedanta dedicates the District COVID Hospital to the five lakh people of Jharsuguda. We are closely working with the local administration for management of hospital.”
“We are reaching out to underprivileged masses of Jharsuguda on all fronts to strengthen grassroots preparedness against COVID-19, like reusable mask distribution, disinfection of public utilities and common areas in major locales of Jharsuguda, ration kits distribution, sensitization of masses, and so on. We stand with the state government and the people of Odisha in the fight against COVID-19.”, he added.
Additionally, Vedanta has rolled out various initiatives for strengthening grassroots preparedness against COVID-19. The company has made over 1000 dry ration kits available to daily wage earners, slum dwellers, marginal communities and needy individuals and households across Jharsuguda, till date. These kits contain essentials like rice, dal, oil, salt, sugar, biscuits, spices, etc. which can comfortably feed a family of five for a month.
It has distributed over 80,000 reusable masks to villagers, high-risk and underprivileged masses in city and rural margins, police, media personnel, NGOs, civic bodies, and field-staff of Jharsuguda District Administration who are engaged in door-to-door sensitization and support activities at this time. These masks have been stitched by members of rural womens’ SHGs affiliated with Subhalaxmi Co-op, Vedanta Jharsuguda’s flagship sustainable livelihood CSR project.
The hospital was innagurated by Naba Kishore Das, Minister of Health & Family Welfare, Govt. of Odisha, in the presence of CN Singh, CEO – Vedanta Ltd., Jharsuguda; Suresh Pujari, MP – Bargarh, Kishore Kumar Mohanty, MLA – Brajrajnagar; Saroj Kumar Samal, District Magistrate & Collector, Jharsuguda; Tirupati Panigrahi, Director High-Tech Medical College & Hospital and other eminent dignitaries of the district and state.
The Mobile Health Unit is continuously sensitizing masses against COVID-19 in 30 villages of Jharsuguda, reaching out to 30,000 people in rural margins, covering 5-6 villages on an everyday basis.
Vedanta’s Fire Safety is actively involved in disinfection of public utilities, amenities and outside walls of houses in 22 major villages and locales of Jharsuguda, reaching out to over 75,000 people in the process.
Additionally, the company has given farmers from peripheral villages associated with its farm-based livelihood CSR project ‘Jeevika Samridhhi’ a window to continue earning their livelihood by selling their produce to families of our employees residing in the Vedanta township during this period.
Besides ensuring continuation of livelihood, it also ensures that essentials are available in the immediate vicinity so employees and families do not venture out into the city for their needs.
