The Business Bytes
THEBUSINESSBYTES BUREAU
SUNDARGARH (ODISHA), MARCH 26, 2025
Observing World Tuberculosis Day under the theme “Yes! We Can End TB: Commit, Invest, Deliver”, Vedanta Aluminium has launched a TB awareness van, ‘Nikshaya Mitra Vahan’, to reach over 4,500 rural residents in Odisha’s tribal-dominated Sundargarh district. The initiative, flagged off from the Primary Health Centre (PHC) in Bileimunda village, aligns with the national mission to eliminate tuberculosis.
As part of its commitment, Vedanta Aluminium has pledged year-long nutritional kit support to 63 TB patients in Sundargarh district. The awareness campaign covers villages around Hemgir block, including Jamkani and Ghogharpalli mines, disseminating Information, Education & Communication (IEC) materials. These materials serve as essential references for local communities, helping them understand the disease and its treatment.
Vedanta’s Mobile Health Units (MHUs) are actively conducting TB awareness sessions, emphasizing early detection, prevention, nutritional guidance, and government support available for patients.
Bileimunda PHC Medical Officer Dr. Abhilash Sahu highlighted the significance of this initiative, stating, “Vedanta Aluminium’s TB awareness drive is a crucial step in enhancing early diagnosis and treatment of tuberculosis, especially in rural areas. By raising awareness and ensuring patients are supported with nutritional aid, this initiative strengthens the ongoing efforts to eliminate TB from Sundargarh district.”
Vedanta Coal Mines CEO Mr. David Stone reiterated the company’s commitment to community health, saying, “Through this week-long programme, we aim to maximise community awareness and dispel the stigma associated with tuberculosis. Since community health is an important pillar of our social endeavours, we have deployed the ‘Nikshaya Mitra Vahan’ MHUs for door-to-door service and health camps to help improve the quality of life in the region.”
The Nikshaya Mitra programme is a flagship initiative of the Government of India aimed at eradicating TB by 2025, in response to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s call for a ‘TB Mukt Bharat’. Through its focused interventions, Vedanta Aluminium is reinforcing national efforts to eliminate this life-threatening disease and uplift community health in Odisha’s remote regions.
