Project Navi Disha honoured for strengthening agricultural livelihoods and supporting over 3,000 farmers in Punjab.
NEW DELHI (India CSR®): Vedanta Power Limited has received dual recognition at the 19th India CSR Awards 2026 for its community development initiatives addressing two critical needs of rural communities: accessible healthcare and sustainable agricultural livelihoods. The company’s flagship healthcare initiative, Project Aarogya, was recognised in the Large Companies (Thermal Power Sector) – Healthcare category, while its Talwandi Sabo Thermal Plant in Punjab was honoured in the CSR Enabling Innovation for Agriculture Development – Livelihood and Animal Husbandry category for Project Navi Disha. Together, the recognitions highlight Vedanta Power’s commitment to building community development programmes around local priorities, ensuring that its interventions respond to the distinct social and economic needs of communities surrounding its operations.
At the heart of Vedanta Power’s Corporate Social Responsibility approach is the understanding that meaningful community development begins with addressing the challenges people face in their everyday lives. From improving access to essential medical services in underserved regions to helping farmers strengthen agricultural productivity and adopt sustainable practices, the company’s initiatives seek to create long-term improvements in quality of life. Project Aarogya, which has benefited over 85,000 individuals, reflects this approach by bringing preventive and curative healthcare services closer to communities where access to timely medical assistance remains a challenge.
The initiative brings together a range of healthcare interventions tailored to local requirements. In Sakti Thermal Power Plant in Chhattisgarh and Meenakshi Energy Limited in Andhra Pradesh, dedicated Mobile Health Unit provides doorstep healthcare services to help improve access to essential medical care, while cancer screening and awareness programmes in these states support preventive healthcare and early detection. In Punjab and Chhattisgarh, eye and gynaecology camps address specific healthcare needs, complemented by nutritional assistance for tuberculosis patients through the Nikshay Mitra initiative. Awareness programmes covering HIV/AIDS, dengue and other public health concerns further strengthen community understanding of preventive healthcare. These interventions reflect Vedanta Power’s focus on making healthcare accessible, relevant and responsive to the needs of different communities.
Project Navi Disha, implemented by Vedanta Power’s Talwandi Sabo Thermal Plant in Punjab, launched in 2016, supports more than 3,000 farmers by addressing practical challenges affecting agricultural livelihoods, including access to farming inputs, sustainable agricultural practices and water conservation initiatives. Through agricultural training, capacity-building programmes, bio-fertiliser and seed distribution, water conservation awareness and livestock healthcare support, Project Navi Disha equips farming communities with the knowledge and resources needed to improve productivity and strengthen long-term livelihood resilience. Its recognition at the India CSR Awards 2026 reinforces the company’s commitment to supporting farming communities through interventions that respond to their evolving needs.
Commenting on the dual recognition, Rajinder Singh Ahuja, CEO & Whole-time Director, Vedanta Power Limited, said, “At Vedanta Power, we believe that meaningful community development begins with understanding the needs of the people around our areas of operations. Every community faces different challenges, and our responsibility is to develop interventions that make a lasting difference in their lives. Through Project Aarogya, we are working to improve access to essential healthcare, while Project Navi Disha is helping farming communities strengthen their livelihoods and adopt more sustainable agricultural practices. The recognition of both initiatives is particularly encouraging as it reflects the importance of a community-centric approach to CSR. As we continue to power India’s growth, we remain equally committed to creating opportunities, improving quality of life and contributing to the long-term well-being of communities around our operations.”
The dual recognition at the 19th India CSR Awards 2026 underscores the breadth of Vedanta Power’s community development efforts and the common purpose connecting its interventions across different regions. The awards were presented as part of the 19th India CSR Leadership Summit 2026, organised around the theme “CSR Enabling Innovation – Bringing Ideas, Technology, Capital and Partnerships Together to Scale Social Impact.” For Vedanta Power, the recognitions reinforce a guiding principle of its CSR journey: that lasting social impact comes from understanding community priorities and translating them into sustained, locally relevant action. Through continued investments in healthcare, rural livelihoods and community welfare, the company remains focused on ensuring that its contribution to India’s energy sector is accompanied by meaningful progress for the communities it serves.
(India CSR®)
