IndiaCSR News Network
ODISHA : Vedanta owned alumina refinery at Lanjigarh, despite running at just about 30% of its installed capacity on imported bauxite, continues to do sustainable services for the development of Kalahandi both economically and socially. The Company has spent over Rs.175 crores on CSR in the past decade despite economic un-viability of its operations.
What needs special recognition is Company’s thrust on livelihood generation. Along with Vedanta Foundation, SSL has opened more than 10 free computer training centers under its e-literacy movement. Around 7,000 local youth have already been trained under the program in the past 3 years. Livelihood generation programs for women is also a key focus area.
Thus, SSL and Vedanta Foundation have already opened more than 10 stitching centers in different villages to train women and girls of the villages and make them economically self-sufficient. The response so far has been good and more youth and women are expressing their interest to receive training for their better future, said a Company official.
To ensure quality education in the area SSL supports a number of schools in terms of infrastructure and contract teachers. At the same time, its DAV Vedanta English medium School provides quality English medium education to more than 700 students, including 200 first-generation tribal students. That apart, to take care of pre-schooling needs of children of the area the company is running 37 child care centers. To back up education with nutrition, SSL has set up a state-of-the–art fully automated kitchen to assist the State Government in providing mid-day meal to 18,000 students of 187 schools of Lanjigarh block.
The company now awaits support from the Government in terms raw-material linkage and permission to expand its production so as to operate at full capacity.It will lead to a further spike in the Company’s CSR activities expediting development of Kalahandi and Rayagada region.
