The Business Bytes
TBB BUREAU
NEW DELHI, FEB 27, 2024
On World NGO Day today, Vedanta Aluminium, India’s leading aluminium producer, announced a significant milestone in its partnership with Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), bringing positive change to the lives of nearly 5 lakh individuals across India in the fiscal year 2023. With a cumulative impact of over 630,000 individuals in the last fiscal, Vedanta Aluminium continues its commitment to drive socio-economic progress in alignment with community needs, government developmental initiatives, and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Vedanta Aluminium operates one of the world’s largest aluminium smelters in Jharsuguda, a state-of-the-art alumina refinery in Lanjigarh, Odisha, India’s iconic aluminium producer BALCO in Korba, Chhattisgarh, and a growing mines vertical. Together, these operations are transforming rural India by reducing multi-dimensional rural poverty and creating opportunities for enterprise and employment. The company’s social interventions focus on education, healthcare, livelihood, rural infrastructure, and grassroots sports, art & culture, with a special emphasis on women and child development.
NGOs play a crucial role in Vedanta Aluminium’s efforts, providing deep penetration into rural communities, program development expertise, and insights into social structures and customs. These partnerships are based on rigorous due diligence, ensuring that projects are executed and monitored to international standards with a focus on long-term community self-sustainability.
Vedanta Aluminium CEO John Slaven stated, “Our community investments have increased significantly by 45 per cent between FY21 and FY23, reflecting our strong commitment to holistic community development. By partnering with reputable NGOs, we leverage our collective strengths to design and implement impactful social welfare initiatives. Inclusive growth is at the core of our philosophy, and our NGO partnerships are instrumental in catalyzing transformative, sustainable development.”
Vedanta Aluminium collaborates with domain-specific experts on a variety of interventions, including healthcare initiatives with Punaruthan Voluntary Organisation benefiting over 2 lakh individuals in Odisha, and Project Nayi Kiran with Sarthak Jan Vikas Sansthan focusing on improving menstrual health and hygiene practices among rural girls. The company also partners with the Vedanta Foundation to implement skill development programs, Action For Food Production (AFPRO) to enhance farming practices and food security, and Sportz Village Foundation to provide sports training to rural youths.
AFPRO Executive Director Jacob John highlighted the impact of their partnership, stating, “Through our collaboration with Vedanta Aluminium, we are transforming the lives of thousands of farmers and revitalizing farming as a sustainable livelihood for younger generations.”
Mahashakti Foundation Managing Director Jugal Pattnayak, echoed this sentiment, stating, “Our partnership with Vedanta Aluminium on entrepreneurship initiatives empowers women in rural areas to make informed choices for their families’ wellbeing and actively participate in community development.”
Aligned with the theme of this year’s World NGO Day, “Building a Sustainable Future: The Role of NGOs in Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs),” Vedanta Aluminium actively enriches the lives of community members within its operational areas and beyond, recognizing them as integral contributors to collective socio-economic progress and growth.
Vedanta Aluminium, a business of Vedanta Limited, is India’s largest producer of aluminium, manufacturing more than half of India’s aluminium i.e., 2.29 million tonnes in FY23. It is a leader in value-added aluminium products that find critical applications in core industries. Vedanta Aluminium ranks 1st in the S&P Global Corporate Sustainability Assessment 2023 world rankings for the aluminium industry, a reflection of its sustainable development practices. With its world-class aluminium smelters, alumina refinery and power plants in India, the company fulfills its mission of spurring emerging applications of aluminium as the ‘Metal of the Future’ for a greener tomorrow.
