The Business Bytes
Bhubaneswar, October 11, 2024 (TBB Bureau): Utkal Alumina International Ltd. (UAIL), an Aditya Birla Group company, has launched an ambitious initiative, Project URMI, aimed at transforming healthcare access and outcomes for thousands of residents in the Kashipur Block of Rayagada district and the Thuamul Rampur Block in Kalahandi districk of Odisha. Over the next three years, the project is set to touch the lives of over 5,000 villagers across 40 remote villages.
Project URMI takes a comprehensive approach to improving the health and well-being of its target communities. It focuses on adolescents, mothers, and children, implementing programs designed to address pressing health issues through baseline, midline, and end-line studies. The project fosters community engagement by establishing adolescent groups and raising awareness about health, hygiene, and life skills, particularly for adolescent girls, mothers, and pregnant women.
In just six months, Project URMI has made remarkable strides. It has established 40 Adolescent Clubs, which have become key platforms for community support and engagement. The project has also facilitated health registrations for 375 antenatal care (ANC) and 526 postnatal care (PNC) services, ensuring that vital health services reach mothers in need. 902 adolescent girls and 582 infants have been enrolled in the program, demonstrating its expanding reach.
One of Project URMI’s significant achievements is its focus on menstrual hygiene, with the distribution of over 100 sanitary napkins to promote healthy practices among adolescents. In addition, 247 institutional deliveries have been facilitated, underscoring the project’s commitment to improving maternal health and reducing infant mortality in these regions.
Addressing the nutritional needs of mothers and children, Project URMI regularly organizes health check-up camps and promotes routine immunizations to safeguard the well-being of the community. The project has set ambitious goals, such as achieving 100% institutional deliveries, complete immunization coverage, and universal adoption of menstrual hygiene practices.
Speaking on the profound impact of the project, Rabi Mishra, Unit Head of Utkal Alumina, said, “Project URMI is more than just a healthcare initiative; it’s about transforming lives. Our dedicated efforts aim to create a healthier, empowered future for adolescents, mothers, and children in these underserved areas. Through capacity-building initiatives, training for ASHA workers, Anganwadi workers, and health staff, we are strengthening the support system at the grassroots level. We also aim for 100 per cent access to benefits under the Janani Suraksha Yojana and a goal of zero infant and maternal mortality in our target villages.”
Padmini Kahnar, Additional BDO of Kashipur, lauded UAIL’s efforts, saying, “Project URMI exemplifies Utkal Alumina’s commitment to social responsibility and sustainable development. This project is a significant step forward in enhancing the health and well-being of the communities it serves. We, along with Anganwadi workers and health staff, are fully committed to supporting these noble initiatives.”
As a responsible corporate citizen, Utkal Alumina International Ltd. is deeply committed to socio-economic development in the tribal hinterlands of Odisha. All of UAIL’s initiatives fall under the Aditya Birla Centre for Community Initiatives and Rural Development, chaired by Rajashree Birla. The company’s community engagement extends across 232 villages in 25 Gram Panchayats in Odisha, enriching the lives of over 201,000 people through its five key pillars of intervention: education, healthcare, sustainable livelihood, rural infrastructure, and addressing socio-economic issues, all in alignment with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDGs).
With Project URMI, Utkal Alumina continues to set the standard for corporate social responsibility, championing health and empowerment in some of Odisha’s most underserved regions.
