‘Aluminium Industry can generate employment to 7mn people’

The Aluminium Demand in the country may touch around five million ton by 2015 and 10 million ton by 2020 which can generate employment for nearly 7 million people in the country by 2020, said Dr. Mukesh Kumar, President & COO – Vedanta Aluminium Limited, at a recently held seminar on “Prospects of Alumina and Aluminium Industry in Odisha”. Many eminent Scientists, Academicians, Engineers interacted on the importance of Bauxite, Alumina & Aluminium for the development of Odisha.

The seminar, organized by Indian Institute of Chemical Engineers, was also attended by Padmashree PK Jena; Academician Prof. Omkar Nath Mohanty; Mr. H. P. Mishra–Former Chairman, IPICOL; representatives from NALCO and State Pollution Control Board.

Dr. Mukesh Kumar also pointed out that Odisha is blessed with High Quality Aluminium Reserves and based on the present analysis nearly 60% of India’s reserves are available in Odisha. However, this wealth of natural resources could not be translated into economic prosperity for the state. The availability of such vast natural resources could have been used for turning the Mineral and Metal potential of Odisha into a gold mine and eradicating poverty but unfortunately the State is still reeling under the crunch of chronic poverty without realizing the benefits of these natural resources.

“Besides employment generation, the Industry can contribute nearly Rs. 33000 crore annually to the exchequer. If immediate measures are not taken to boost Aluminium Production domestically, even the targets of electrifying all the villages also will be difficult to achieve in absence of electricity distribution network which is the main consumer of Aluminium in the country”, he further added.

He also said, “India and particularly Odisha where lies the main depository of the Aluminium Reserves in the country could not take the advantage of its mineral wealth and thereafter not even a single Alumina Refinery and Smelter could have been put up in the State even after 25 years of commissioning of NALCO project. The Vedanta Integrated Aluminum Complex set up in Odisha also is forced to run at lower capacity as no Bauxite from the State could be made available to the Project.”