Vedanta Initiates Income Generation Programme for Women at Lanjigarh

Women Empowerment Initiatives seems to have taken a big leap at Lanjigarh and its periphery in Kalahandi district of Odisha as 117 women of 11 Self Help Groups (SHGs) in the region will be engaged in income generation activities like Applique work, Leaf and cup plate, Hill broom binding, Phenyl making and Agarbatti making etc. Vedanta Aluminium Limited (VAL) initiated the programme in collaboration with the District Industries Centre (DIC), Kalahandi.

These women, mostly tribal, are expected to earn Rs 1000-1500 per month after the start of the income generation activity. The training programme was started in October, 2012 at the Niyamgiri Vedanta Nagar and Basantpada where member of three SHGs participated. Women in villages of Basantpada, Kenduguda, Kansari, Parvatipur, Baterlima and Bandhguda will be part of the programme initially.

Speaking about the initiative, Dr. Mukesh Kumar – President & COO, VAL, said, “Strengthening women of Lanjigarh region is one of our prime focus. In the time to come, we will bring more women in this income generation programme.”

Two well experienced Master Trainers Mr. Narayan Yadav and Mr. Saroj Manhira, identified by DIC, were present to impart training on the different trades. Mr. Avilash Dwivedi – Head-CSR, VAL was instrumental in organizing the programme along with other CSR members like Sweety Mukherjee and Niharika Sahu.

Earlier, an inaugural session for the skill development training Programme was organised on 12th Sept, 2012 which was attended by General Manager District Industries Centre (DIC), Kalahandi Miss Meena Kumari Behera and Mr. K R Kundu, Head-HR (VAL).

VAL, Lanjigarh has taken up the project to enhance the quality of life of the SHG members and ensuring their empowerment in family and social decision making process. So far 22 SHG’s have been strengthened covering 238 women in 12 villages.

Vedanta Staff at Naveen's Door

The ‘Save Vedanta Movement’ gained momentum with around 30 representatives of local employees and community meeting the Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik today. The delegation met the CM and gave him a memorandum and appealed for regular supply bauxite from Odisha to the alumina refinery of Vedanta Aluminium Limited at Lanjigarh so that the company doesn’t close down.

The Chief Minister was kind enough to meet all members of the delegation. He gave assurance and said, “I will follow it up and take the matter forward in consultation with the Chief Secretary. All necessary steps will be taken.” A day earlier, the delegation gave a memorandum to the Chief Secretary, Minister of Mines and Minister of Labour and Employment. The Chief Secretary ensured that he is concerned and will take steps to sort out the issue for the wellbeing of the people.

The local community said the company has already sent a temporary closure notice to the Govt. of Odisha due to lack of raw material (bauxite) and at this juncture, if regular bauxite will not be supplied to the refinery thousands of people will be impacted. “In spite of having large quantities of Bauxite in the state, if Vedanta Alumina Refinery closes down, Kalahandi will again become poverty-affected,” the memorandum said.

“I am from Lanjigarh of Kalahandi and I know if the company will close down, life of more than 20,000 people will be affected. We want that govt. should take immediate measures for supply of Odisha Bauxite to the company so that we and our region will prosper,” said Srikant Bohidar of Lanjigarh.

A lot of protest, agitation is seen in the recent times demanding Odisha bauxite supply to the Alumina Refinery of Vedanta Aluminium Limited at Lanjigarh.

Residents of Kalahandi Approach Member of Parliament against Vedanta closure

After Vedanta Aluminium Limited’s plant closure notice to the Odisha Govt., the ‘Save Vedanta Movement’ seems to be escalating further with hundreds of local people working at the alumina refinery meeting the Member of Parliament – Kalahandi, Odisha, Bhakta Charan Das on 15^th September 2012. The localities handed over a memorandum to the MP seeking his intervention in taking their concern to the appropriate authorities so that the present situation of closing the refinery at Lanjigarh can be averted.

Local workforce, more than 300 in numbers, approached the Congress leader at his residence in Bhawanipatna and requested him to consider their demand. “If Vedanta at Lanjigarh will be shut down, thousands of local people working at the refinery will be jobless and livelihood of more than 10,000 people would get affected directly or indirectly,” said Hari Majhi, a local employee and a member of the displaced families.

The local workforce also told the Congress MP that in spite of having several bauxite deposits in Kalahandi, industrialisation in the district is facing a setback as VAL has already sent closure notice to the Odisha Govt. owing to lack of regular supply of bauxite.

“We, the local workforce of the company and residents of Kalahandi request your kind intervention in taking our concern to the appropriate authorities so that the present situation can be averted and more employment opportunities can be created for our other brothers and sisters of Kalahandi,” locals of Kalahandi stated in the memorandum submitted to the MP.

This move was followed by a series of demonstration and agitation by the localities of Lanjigarh area and the local workforce of the refinery to save VAL by ensuring regular supply of Odisha bauxite. This series of ‘Save Vedanta Movement’ is subsequent to the notice sent by Vedanta Aluminium Limited to Odisha Government seeking temporary closure of its Lanjigarh refinery from 5^th December 2012.

Local Employees, Affected Community Come Forward for Vedanta

Subsequent to the notice sent by Vedanta Aluminium Limited to Odisha Government seeking temporary closure of its Lanjigarh refinery from 5^th December 2012, people from Lanjigarh and nearby areas have come forward to support the Company in demanding immediate allocation of bauxite.

Hundreds of local employees, project affected people and displaced persons staged a peaceful demonstration in front of the office of District Collector and District Magistrate of Kalahandi in Odisha. They were demanding that government should ensure steady supply of bauxite to Vedanta’s Lanjigarh refinery so that the livelihood of thousands of people who depend on it will not get jeopardised. A memorandum to this effect was handed over to the District Collector.

According to the affected people, the alumina refinery is on the verge of closure which will hamper employment and livelihood of a larger community in Kalahandi and Rayagada district. “Many local graduates are employed at the refinery of Vedanta directly and indirectly. However, if bauxite from Odisha is not provided to the refinery, it may be forced to close down which will wipe out hopes and dreams of many students who aspire to get employment at the only industry in the district,” said Parimita Behera a localite of Bhawanipatna in Kalahandi district of Odisha.

People at the rehabilitation colony viz. Niyamgiri Vedanta Nagar are also concerned after the closure (temporary) notice was sent. “We are rehabilitated, provided with jobs, our children get quality education at English medium school. And, at this juncture if Odisha bauxite is not provided to VAL, it will be closed down after which our life will again take a back step of 10 years,” said Hari Majhi of Lanjigarh.

Vedanta to shut down its Odisha refinery plant from December 5

Unable to run the refinery project to its full capacity since inception due to scarcity of bauxite, Vedanta Aluminium Limited on August 6, 2012 formally informed the Odisha government about its plan to shut down the plant from December five.

"We have given a letter to the secretary-cum- commissioner of labour department of the Odisha government about the closure plan. The three month notice is mandatory under the industrial dispute act before shutting down operations," Mukesh Kumar, President & Chief Operating Officer of VAL said.

Stating that the VAL had designed the smelter plant at Lanjigarh in Kahalandi district based on buffer bauxite, Kumar said the company could not get a gram of raw material from the state.
"Though you (state government) had guaranteed supply of bauxite raw material in the MoU, the company has not received any during its five years operation," Kumar wrote in the letter seeking the state government's help to run the plant.

Also Read: Vedanta calls for India to restrict bauxite exports  (Economic Times)

The company, which made operational its 1mtpa refinery at Lanjigarh in 2007, also stated that it could not use the plant to its full capacity during the last five years.

"Though we arranged raw material from other states, it was not possible anymore due to environmental clearance in many places. VAL also could not arrange bauxite from Gujarat as the state government preferred to export the raw material," Kumar said.

Under such a situation, the company incurred a loss of about Rs 2,500 crore for running the refinery at Lanjigarh, he said in the letter.

The VAL COO also requested the state government to help it by providing the raw material for running the refinery plant after December 5.

"If situation improves within 90 days, the company may not shut down the plant," he said.

The company has so far invested Rs 9,000 crore in the project which provided employment to 7,000 people including direct jobs to 3,000 persons, the COO said.

Though the company applied for 26 bauxite reserves in the state, nothing was finalised due to different reasons.

The company required 10,000 ton of bauxite every day to feed its 1mtpa refinery plant.

Steel and mines minister R K Singh said "We have not received the letter. The government will examine VAL's issue after getting the letter."

Courtesy: Business Standard

Govt. Must Provide Bauxite in Odisha to Vedanta: Demand Locals

A never-seen-before agitation supporting industrialization in Odisha brought life to a standstill. Thousands of people in Kalahandi district’s Lanjigarh area and adjacent places like Biswanathpur, Daikhal, Ambodala etc. protested and shouted slogans demanding allocation of bauxite to the alumina refinery of Vedanta Aluminum Limited (VAL) in Lanjigarh.
The people in these regions came to the streets on August 29, 2012 and observed a one day bandh. Due to scarcity of bauxite, VAL had to run its refinery at 40-50 percent of its capacity. If this situation continues, then it is anticipated that there will be a stoppage of production at Lanjigarh. The locals fear that this would lead to loss of jobs and affect livelihood.
The protest was prominent in Lanjigarh and was spearheaded by Lanjigarh Anchalika Vikash Parishad. Sridhara Pesnia, president of the Anchalika Vikas Parishad said that the people in Lanjigarh were disappointed as their future appears to be in the dark since no bauxite mine has been allotted to Vedanta.
“The alumina refinery should be provided bauxite from Odisha. The state and central govt. must ensure this, else the local people will be affected. Thousands of localities depend on the refinery for their livelihood. We will go to the Chief Minister and if required to Delhi to meet the Prime Minister in future if bauxite mine is not provided to Vedanta”, added Pesnia.
Few days ago, nearly two thousand localities of Lanjigarh area staged a demonstration demanding bauxite mines for the Company.

Vedanta Supports Quality Education For Tribal Children

 Vedanta through its Foundation has funded education for 100 children in the tribal-dominated 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.

In the first phase of the project, Vedanta Foundation has sent 63 tribal students between 5-8 years of age to Kalinga Institute of Social Science (KISS), Bhubaneswar – the sister concern of KIIT. The rest 37 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. Vedanta Foundation would be supporting the project with an amount of Rs. 25 Lakhs per annum.

Appreciating the initiative, Mr. Balabhadra Majhi – Former SC & ST Minister, Govt. of Odisha, said, “Vedanta’s effort to provide quality education for the upliftment of tribal children is commendable. I am thankful to the corporate house for this noble cause. I hope more such attempts will be undertaken by Vedanta.”
Speaking about the initiative, Dr. Mukesh Kumar, President & COO – VAL said, “As a responsible corporate it is our prime responsibility to provide quality education to the tribal children around us because it is the only medium which can bring them into mainstream and help them live a better life. Quality education would ensure a bright future for these children and eventually, bring prosperity to the community.”
Beneficiary students of this project have been identified from Bissumcuttack, Muniguda and Kalyansinghpur blocks of Rayagada district which is predominantly inhabited by Dongria Kondh community.

Ashram Building Inaugurated for 30 Orphan Children at Bhawanipatna

The fate of 30 orphan children in Kalahandi district of Odisha took a different turn – thanks to Hemant Mund and his wife Sunanda Mishra who are parenting the kids like their own family at Bhawanipatna. The 30 children – who were adopted by Mr. Mund from tribal dominated places of the district – have a home to live, dreams to fulfill with a nice parent.

With the name of ‘Bal Gopal Seva Niketan’, Hemant was running the orphanage school at his home earlier. However, thanks to Vedanta Aluminium Limited, Lanjigarh, Member of Parliament (MP) Mr. Bhakta Charan Das and the then MP for their financial support. Now the children have a newly constructed Ashram to live with good infrastructure.

On July 3, 2012, the new Ashram for the 30 orphan children was inaugurated by the MP Bhakta Charan Dash in presence of Chief Information Commissioner Mr. Satyananda Mishra and Dr. Mukesh Kumar, President and COO Vedanta Aluminium Limited, Lanjigarh.

On the occasion, an emotional Hemant says, “I am happy for my children for their new home. Vedanta arranged a land for the Ashram at Bhawanipatna and later helped us to build the building for the children. I am thankful to the corporate house for their kind support in the noble cause.” Hemant also extended gratitude to Mr. Satyananda Mishra for helping him and giving guidance all the time.

Hemant and his wife not only providing food and a home, they also ensure that the children get good education as all are doing well in different schools. The couple takes special care to impart spiritual education to them. All the children have become experts in reciting Gita and Vedic hymns. They have also displayed their skills in New Delhi, Mumbai, Ranchi and Bhubaneswar and won accolades.

Hemant and his wife dine and sleep together with the children and take special care like their own kids.

‘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.”

Vedanta Commits to Environment; To Plant One Lakh Sapling At Lanjigarh

 Vedanta Aluminium Limited (VAL), Lanjigarh, celebrated World Environment Day on June 5, 2012 by organizing a massive plantation programme  involving all the Vedanta & its associate employers & families. On the occasion, Dr. Mukesh Kumar, President & COO informed that nearly one lakh saplings will be planted in and around the plant this year as part of our commitment towards making the area green and to improve the ecology of the area.

 The Environment Day Celebration at Lanjigarh commenced with plantation in the plant premises and at Resettlement and Rehabilitation colony viz. Niyamgiri Vedanta Nagar in which all employees of VAL and its Associated Partners participated.

Inaugurating the programme, Dr. Mukesh Kumar further impressed upon the principle of sustainable development through sustainable waste management & adopting best environmental practices. He said, “Our mission is to make a forest inside the plant instead of building a plant inside the forest.” He also reiterated on the initiatives and the road-map VAL-Lanjigarh has prepared to make optimum utilization of natural resources through recycling and recovering of wealth from waste and making VAL-Lanjigarh the first alumina refinery across the globe to have zero waste in addition to being a zero discharge plant.

This year the theme of World Environment Day is “Green Economy, Does it include you?” At VAL, for awareness on environment, competitions on Slogan and painting were organized among the employees of VAL and other associated companies as well as among the school children. The day-long programme also includes an awareness march organized at the VAL Township by all the families of Vedanta’s employees & school children followed by plantation and prize giving ceremony to the winners of various competitions.



An Endeavor to Empower Women at Lanjigarh

To improve options of income generation of local women through locally viable group enterprises, Vedanta Aluminium Limited, Lanjigarh in collaboration with Integrated Child Development Serves (ICDS) on May 17-18 organized a special training program with the theme ‘Book keeping, Record keeping and Benefits of SHG Formation’ at Niyamgiri Vedanta Nagar Community Centre & Kenduguda village respectively covering 93 women members from 11 Self Help Groups.

VAL, Lanjigarh conducted the training programme under the project Sashakti. So far 22 SHG’s have been strengthened covering 236 women in 12 villages. During the session, a detailed training was imparted by Child Development Programme Officer (CDPO), Lanjigarh Block Smt. Laxmibai Guru. The CSR Team of VAL along with Niharika Sahu, Sweety Mukherjee facilitated the training session. The Training was based on the important aspects of SHG like Concept of Self Help Groups (SHG’s), Need of SHG’s, formation, rules and regulations, mobilization and managing savings, roles and responsibilities and book keeping.

Many practical exercises were carried out through demonstrations like understanding the Umbrella concept thereby making them aware of mother and child care. A graph was also shown to make the SHG members aware of the stages of child development. The SHGs were made aware of the role and functions of Anganwadi workers and how they can facilitate the work.

The objective of the training programme was to improve options of income generation of local women through locally viable group enterprises by way of thrift and credit habit among the women and thereby enhance their quality of life ensuring their empowerment in family and social decision making process.