22 NGOs and partners awarded for their contribution towards COVID relief efforts
Vedanta Cares, a unique digital initiative was launched and the first e-townhall with partners was hosted by Chairman Anil Agrawal recently to acknowledge & encourage the COVID warriors, who collaborated with the company in combating COVID 19 through community initiatives across 7 locations.
Vedanta instituted a special Chairman’s Award to honour its partners, where Agarwal personally acknowledged each partner company and NGO which contributed significantly to Vedanta’s efforts in reaching out to beneficiaries like daily-wage earners and migrant workers who were worst affected by the pandemic. In this acknowledgment session, participants from partner companies and NGOs were awarded.
Addressing the participants, Vedanta Chairman Anil Agarwal said “We have been fighting this crisis together with the nation. By going all out in serving the communities we have reiterated Vedanta’s philosophy of giving back. Our team has left no stone unturned in supporting the communities, working round-the-clock. I am grateful for the support and would like to acknowledge our partners, NGOs and each member of the Vedanta team, who battled this crisis as a family. We will continue working with the communities and the government administration, this will inspire others in serving communities, and hopefully together we can survive this situation.”
Of the 22 NGOs and business partners who were recognized, four of them are associated with Vedanta’s Odisha operations, namely – Rajendra Mechanical Private Limited and Chennai Radha Engineering Works (Jharsuguda); M/s Lemoncare Hospitality Services and M/s Dinesh Kumar (Lanjigarh).
Vedanta’s executives in Odisha who received the Chairman’s Award for their significant contribution to the fight against COVID-19:
- Mr. Sundar Raj, Head-CSR (Jharsuguda)
- Dr. Sabita Swain, Head-Occupational Health (Jharsuguda)
- Ramabhadra Raju, Head-QC, Lab and R&D (Lanjigarh)
- Subhadarsini Paikaray, Head-Administration (Lanjigarh)
Vedanta’s Odisha operations, which includes a world-class alumina refinery at Lanjigarh and India’s largest aluminium smelter in Jharsuguda, has lent critical support to the district COVID hospitals in Jharsuguda and Bhawanipatna with medical equipment such as ventilators, corona kits, oxygen concentrators, nebulizers, specialized medical gear, other critical infrastructure PPE and other essential supplies. Both hospitals together cater to roughly 6 lakh people.
Additionally, the company:
- Helped thousands of daily wage earners and under-served families with rations and meals
- Conducted hundreds of awareness sessions on COVID-19 across remote villages
- Helped with fumigation and disinfection of public places
- Freely distributed over 2 lakh masks, soaps and safety kits to the needy. The masks are being made by women of Vedanta-supported self-help groups, thus providing them a means of livelihood in these tough times.
The Vedanta Group has contributed Rs 201 crores to PM CARES Fund, state funds, and providing relief measures across the country. To support the Government’s efforts, Vedanta employees had contributed one day’s salary to the PM CARES Fund. Under its flagship “Meal-for-all” program Vedanta has so far provided more than 13 lakh meals to less privileged communities across the country. Vedanta has also taken up the initiative to feed more than 50,000 stray animals every day. In Vedanta’s effort to enhance preventive healthcare, 7 lakh masks and 1 lakh soaps & sanitizers were manufactured and distributed across India. 23 PPE machines were imported in collaboration with the Ministry of Textiles, enabling the production of 40,000+ PPEs per week.
Vedanta Limited is one of the largest investors in Odisha, with investment of approx. INR 50,000 crores over the years, of which over INR 300 crores has been invested in community development initiatives. Both Lanjigarh and Jharsuguda operations have created livelihood opportunities to the tune of 5 lakhs in the state. With a contribution of INR 11,000 crores to the state exchequer till date, Vedanta continues to be a transformative force in the state’s socio-economic landscape.
