Vedanta Hospital at Lanjigarh Organises Camp for Cleft Palate Surgery Free of Cost

People with Cleft lip and Palate are benefitted from a free camp for surgery at Vedanta Hospital in Kalahandi’s Lanjigarh area of Odisha which started on November 29, 2012. This is a rarest of the rare occasions in the district where six indigent people including children have been identified for surgery after a survey in the region. Cleft lip and Palate is found one amongst 1000 birth, according to a Bhubaneswar-based doctor.

The free camp for surgery was inaugurated by Dr. Mukesh Kumar – President & COO, Vedanta Aluminium Limited (VAL), Lanijgarh. Along with him also present were Dilip Pattnaik, Chairman-NKBT; Rabi Misrha, Head-HSE (VAL); Avilash Dwivedi, Head-CSR (VAL). Vedanta Hospital provided surgeons and doctors for the successful treatment of the identified patients. The camp seems to be a symbol which portrays the escalating journey of the region’s improving health care service.

Dr. Ram Anupam Tripathy (Maxcilo Facial Surgeon), Dr. Ritesh Ray (Anastisis) of NKBT, Bhubaneswar were present for surgery whereas Dr. Manoj Sahu (Medicine Specialist), Dr. Chinky Gupta (Dentist) and Supriti Patra were instrumental in conducting the overall survey, screening and surgery.

After inaugurating the camp, Dr. Mukesh Kumar said, “This is a noble initiative, Vedanta Hospital will continue to serve the people in this region.” VAL opened Vedanta Hospital at Lanjigarh for the community which is predominantly habituated by tribal population.

DAV Vedanta International School organises Shishu Swasthya Mela at Lanjigarh

Nearly 1500 children between 5-9 years of age from peripheral villages of Lanjigarh attended a mega health fair “Shishu Swashthya Mela” organised by DAV Vedanta International School on 16-17 October 2012. The objective of the two-day programme, held at Lanjigarh in Kalahandi district of Odisha, was to create awareness about childrens’ health and identification of deficiencies. Health check-up of children was done and subsequently curative measures were advised in case any deficiency was detected.

The health fair had 20 doctors providing their services to participants from 25 peripheral villages of Lanjigarh viz. Trilochanpur, Basantpada, Jagannathpur, Rengopali, Sindhbahal, Chhatrapur, Balabhadrapur, Kenduguda, Niyamgiri Vedanta Nagar, Nangalbeda etc. Speaking about the Shishu Swashthya Mela, Shukla Chakrobarty, Principal of DAV Vedanta International School said, “A lot of attention is required towards children and we all should come forward to build a healthy society. This health camp is one of our efforts to improve the health condition of children.”

The Shishu Swashthya Mela was inaugurated by Dr. Mukesh Kumar, President & Chief Operating Officer, Vedanta Aluminium Limited (VAL), Lanjigarh in presence of senior VAL officials - Mr. Koustav Ratan Kundu and Mr. Manoj Agrawal.

The DAV Vedanta International School at Lanjigarh is the only English medium school in this region. Nearly 500 children study in the school, of which mostly come from tribal communities belonging to nearby villages.

Vedanta Foundation Partners with Government of Odisha to Help Impart Quality Education to 2,00,000 Children in Odisha

Vedanta through its foundation has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Government of Odisha (S.T. & S.C. Development and Minorities & Backward Classes Welfare Department), to help 2,00,000 underprivileged children  across 1000 government run upper primary & secondary schools under SSD Department in Odisha under the Vedanta E-Shiksha@Schools Programme.

The 1000 schools are spread across 30 Districts which include predominantly tribal districts like Rayagada, Kalahandi, Kolaput & Kandhamal.

The MoU was signed between Mr. Ravi Krishnan, CEO Vedanta Foundation and Mr. Sushil Kumar Popli, Director  S.T. & S.C. Development and Minorities & Backward Classes Welfare Department, Government of Odisha. The function was presided over by Mr. Santosh Kumar Sarangi, Commissioner-cum-Secretary, S.T. & S.C. Development and Minorities & Backward Classes Welfare Department. Mr. Lalbihari Himarika, Hon. Minister S.T. & S.C. Development and Minorities & Backward Classes Welfare Department, Government of Odisha was the Chief Guest.

Over 2,00,000 underprivileged students from 6^th to 10^th standard will benefit from this initiative that aims to make learning interesting & interactive through the use of Technology aided learning. The MoU allows Vedanta Foundation to help educate Odisha’s underprivileged as well as tribal children of communities like Kondh.

As per the MoU, Vedanta Foundation will provide hardware as well as software solutions like LED Pico Projectors with memory and battery backup and text book based educational software i.e. e-content based on course curriculum in local language (Odia). Training to teachers in the use of the material will also be conducted.

Speaking about the MOU, Mr. Ravi Krishnan, CEO Vedanta Foundation said, "Our Chairman has been a strong advocate of right to equal education opportunities for all students specially students who are studying in government schools across the country. Through Vedanta Foundation’s E-Shiksha programme we are working towards providing quality education tools to underprivileged students. We are very proud that this MOU will enable us to help enhance the quality of education for these 2,00,000 students across Odisha."

Vedanta through its foundation has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Government of Odisha (S.T. & S.C. Development and Minorities & Backward Classes Welfare Department), to help 2,00,000 underprivileged children  across 1000 government run upper primary & secondary schools under SSD Department in Odisha under the Vedanta E-Shiksha@Schools Programme.

The 1000 schools are spread across 30 Districts which include predominantly tribal districts like Rayagada, Kalahandi, Kolaput & Kandhamal.

The MoU was signed between Mr. Ravi Krishnan, CEO Vedanta Foundation and Mr. Sushil Kumar Popli, Director  S.T. & S.C. Development and Minorities & Backward Classes Welfare Department, Government of Odisha. The function was presided over by Mr. Santosh Kumar Sarangi, Commissioner-cum-Secretary, S.T. & S.C. Development and Minorities & Backward Classes Welfare Department. Mr. Lalbihari Himarika, Hon. Minister S.T. & S.C. Development and Minorities & Backward Classes Welfare Department, Government of Odisha was the Chief Guest.

Over 2,00,000 underprivileged students from 6^th to 10^th standard will benefit from this initiative that aims to make learning interesting & interactive through the use of Technology aided learning. The MoU allows Vedanta Foundation to help educate Odisha’s underprivileged as well as tribal children of communities like Kondh.

As per the MoU, Vedanta Foundation will provide hardware as well as software solutions like LED Pico Projectors with memory and battery backup and text book based educational software i.e. e-content based on course curriculum in local language (Odia). Training to teachers in the use of the material will also be conducted.

Speaking about the MOU, Mr. Ravi Krishnan, CEO Vedanta Foundation said, "Our Chairman has been a strong advocate of right to equal education opportunities for all students specially students who are studying in government schools across the country. Through Vedanta Foundation’s E-Shiksha programme we are working towards providing quality education tools to underprivileged students. We are very proud that this MOU will enable us to help enhance the quality of education for these 2,00,000 students across Odisha."

Vedanta Supports Quality Education For Tribal Children

Vedanta through its Foundation has funded education for tribal children in the Rayagada district of Odisha with an objective of providing an equal opportunity to underprivileged children from the tribal population, including Dongria Kondhs, to pursue formal education.

Vedanta Foundation has sent 100 tribal students between 5-8 years of age to Kalinga Institute of Social Science (KISS), Bhubaneswar. More students would be sent there in the second phase. In this regard a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been signed between Vedanta Foundation,

KISS and Vedanta Aluminium Limited (VAL), Lanjigarh. The children have been identified from Muniguda and Kalyansinghpur blocks of Rayagada district which is predominantly inhabited by Dongria Kondh community.

Children’s Day observed at DAV Vedanta International School

District legal Service Authority, Kalahandi observed Children’s Day at the DAV Vedanta International School (DAV VIS) at Lanjigarh on November 14, 2012. Mr. Girish Kumar Mishra – District Judge Cum Chairman, District legal Service Authority, Kalahandi attended the function as the Chief Guest along with other guests such as Mr. Himanshu Brahma – Additional District Judge; Mr. K C Behera – Judge, Permanent & Continuous Lok Adalat Cum Secretary, District Legal Service Authority, Kalahandi.

Dist Judge Mr. Girish Kumar Mishra addressed the children on “Children’s Right” in presence of Dr. Mukesh Kumar – Chairman, DAV Management Committee; Dr. S K Tripathy – Lecturer in Physics, Govt. College of Engineering, Kalahandi and Principal of the School Smt. Shukla Chakrobarty.

Dr. Mukesh Kumar, Chairman, DAV VIS Management Committee, said the school is doing a commendable work by providing quality education to nearly 500 children in the Lanjigarh area which is mostly populated by tribal inhabitants.

After the inaugural function what followed was a day-long ‘Science Exhibition’ organised by the students of the school which marked the Children’s Day. The exhibition mesmerized the guests and visitors.

In a thankful note, Principal of the school Smt. Chakrobarty praised Dr. Mukesh Kumar for taking all necessary steps to make the school world class in terms of facility and infrastructure.

The school children, nearly 500 in numbers from the nearby vicinity of Lanjigarh, were captivated on the speech of the Dist. Judge along with the parents of the children who were also present on the occasion.

Children’s Day was also observed at the Niyamgir Vedanta Nagar where Block Development Officer of Lanjigarh Block Mr. Prabeer Kumar Nayak attended as the Chief Guest with others guests – B S Mund, Ms. Adarsh Gupta, Dr. Chinki Gupta–Dentist, Vedanta Hospital, Ms.Niharika Sahoo and Balakrushna Rath.

Anil Agarwal, Chairman, Vedanta Group honoured as the Economic Times Business Leader of the Year 2012

12th November 2012, Mumbai: Anil Agarwal, Chairman - Vedanta Group has been honoured with the most coveted ‘Economic Times Business Leader of the Year 2012’ Award. The award was presented by the Dr. Manmohan Singh – Hon’ble Prime Minister of India in a glittering ceremony held in Mumbai on 10th November, 2012 in the presence of distinguished gathering including Union Ministers and Industry leaders.
 
The Economic Times Business Leader of the Year Award Is a part of the ET Awards for Corporate Excellence, given annually by Economic Times, world’s second largest read financial daily. The Business Leader of the year award “seeks to honour a leader who has clearly demonstrated a strategic direction for success, and pursued a vision”

On receiving the honour, Mr. Anil Agarwal, said, “It is a great honour and I feel humbled for having been chosen to receive this recognition. I thank the jury and the Economic Times for giving me this award. This award is a recognition of the Indian entrepreneurial spirit which has delivered world class projects in infrastructure and resources. India has one of the largest deposits of natural resources in the world. Exploration and development of these resources in a sustainable manner has the potential of creating mass employment, eradicating poverty and making India a self sufficient economy.”

The Economic Times felicitated Mr. Agarwal for having driven “growth in trying times”. They also acknowledged that his “growth story is different from typical first-generation entrepreneurs” because he was able to “expand in India and overseas with money raised in global markets”. That set him apart from other Indian entrepreneurs who have expanded in India with domestic capital.

The ET Business Leader of the Year Award is yet another recognition of Mr. Agarwal’s achievements. He has also been felicitated with the prestigious E&Y Entrepreneur of the Year Award in 2008, and Mining Journal’s coveted Lifetime Achievement Award for the year 2009. He was featured by the Forbes Magazines as one of the “48 heroes of Philanthropy” in the world. We all join to congratulate him for achieving this excellence.

Students of Lanjigarh Excel in District Level

The students of DAV Vedanta International School are letting no stone unturned to ensure their path to success in spite of being located in one of the remote locations of the country. Recently, these students, mostly tribal, at Lanjigarh in Kalahandi district of Odisha – demonstrated a tribal dance in the District Level Shishu Mahotsav–SURABHI and won the first prize and also excelled in the events like Creative writing, Drawing, Quiz, Elocution etc.

These students who belong to the tribal-dominated villages of Odisha like Lanjigarh, Ambodala, Basantpada, Biswanathpur, Jagannathpur etc – after lifting the prize –were felicitated by Dr. Mukesh Kumar – President & COO of Vedanta Aluminium Limited (VAL), Lanjigarh and the Principal of the school Mrs Shukla Chakrobarty.

Dr. Mukesh Kumar, in fact, ensured the students that VAL would provide all those facilities which will help them to fulfil their dreams of becoming an engineer or a doctor or a bureaucrat or as they aspire. “Dream high and you will get the success. You can prove the world that you are better than the students living in the cities – getting coaching and training. Dedication and commitment is the only mantra which will take you high.” said Dr. Mukesh Kumar to the students of the school.

DAV Vedanta International School is the only English medium school in the vicinity proving quality education to the students of the tribal dominated places in the region and one of the students has secured ten out of ten CGPA in the last CBSE secondary level exam.

ET Awards 2012: India has potential to grow at 10%, says Anil Agarwal, Vedanta Resources

Kausik Datta, ET Bureau


The ET jury chose Anil Agarwal, founder chairman of Vedanta Resources, as Business Leader of the Year mainly for his dogged pursuit of Cairn India, and its eventual acquisition against substantial odds. In a freewheeling chat with Kausik Datta, Agarwal spoke about how he got the idea of buying Cairn India, and more.
Excerpts:
You started your journey as an entrepreneur some 30 years ago. How has India changed as a business destination since then?
As one of the world's largest democracies, India has come a long way in the last 30 years. The economic and regulatory reforms introduced in the 90s led to the creation of many new business opportunities. We have moved up the value chain — we are no longer the world's back office but their knowledge partners.
Full coverage: ET Awards for Corporate Excellence 2012
What are India's growth prospects?
After a period of slow growth, we have now started see increased policy reform and further liberalisation. A consistent effort in this direction will propel India into a higher growth trajectory. India has the potential to grow at a 10%. A right policy in this direction can lead to inclusive growth that will gradually eradicate poverty.
What are the changes needed in policy and policymakers' mindsets to help India grow?
We need a clear policy roadmap to accelerate development of domestic industry. Speedy approvals and predictable and stable policies will motivate domestic and overseas investors. Being a country rich in natural resources, we have a huge potential to reduce dependence on imports and ease the current account deficit (CAD). In fiscal 2011, 55% of India's imports comprised crude oil (30%), gold and silver (14%), iron & steel and metal-ferrous ores/products (5%), coal (4%), and fertilisers (2%). Exploration is the key, only 22% of our basins have even been moderately explored. Around 12% of our basins have not been explored at all.
The ET jury has chosen you as the business leader man of the year mainly because of your acquisition of Cairn India. How did the idea of buying Cairn occur to you?
I have always been enamoured by oil & gas. Memories of how India got elated when Indira Gandhi set up ONGC are still fresh in my mind. I was also fascinated by the value Dhirubhai Ambani created for his shareholders through Reliance. I have been watching how Cairn India taking shape. I even sought advice from two bankers on whether I should try to buy this company, although it was never up for sale. They forbade me. They said it was too big for me. But I had gone to Edinburgh and made a direct approach to Sir Bill Gammell (owner of Cairn). And the rest is history.
So, you went ahead with your instinct to buy Cairn India even after two bankers told you not to do so?
That's what we are. That's why we succeed.
What role will Cairn India play in the Vedanta Group?
Cairn is a great natural resource company and hence had a strategic fit with our existing portfolio. They operate around a fourth of India's oil production. We believe the oil & gas industry has attractive fundamentals. Additionally, we have expertise in managing natural resource assets, particularly in India. It is also a great platform for us on which to deploy our key skills of project delivery, and fast-tracking asset development. We believe that Vedanta can create significant value for the country by helping to accelerate growth at Cairn India. To date, our Rajasthan oilfield has helped reduce the value of oil imports by $10.5 billion and has contributed $3.5 billion cumulatively to the exchequer. The governments of Rajasthan and of India along with ONGC receive around 82% of net revenues through profit petroleum (the value of production after deducting costs that is divided amongst parties and government as per the production-sharing contract), cess and royalty. At 300,000 barrels per day, Rajasthan can reduce India's annual import bill by $10 billion annually and can contribute .Rs30,000 crore annually to the exchequer. In the first six months of this fiscal year alone, Cairn has contributed.Rs10,000 crore to the exchequer.