The Business Bytes
TBB BUREAU
JHARSUGUDA, OCT 12, 2023
Vedanta Aluminium, India’s largest producer of aluminium, has inaugurated a state-of-the-art sanitary napkin manufacturing facility as part of Project Saukhyam. This initiative is the result of a collaboration between Vedanta, Subhalaxmi Co-operative, and the Technology Business Incubator at KIIT University in Bhubaneswar.
The facility was inaugurated by the Vedanta Ladies Club in the presence of members from the Subhalaxmi Cooperative.
“Project Saukhyam” is a transformative initiative aimed at promoting menstrual health and hygiene practices while creating livelihood opportunities. This project focuses on adopting low-cost technology to improve the quality of life for women by establishing a sanitary napkin manufacturing unit. It covers 20 rural women from villages in Odisha, offering training and employment. The project aims to produce 40,000 biodegradable sanitary napkins monthly, with a capacity-building program. The expected outcomes include enhanced knowledge, improved employability, increased income for the beneficiaries, and better health and hygiene practices within the community.
The project offers a 15-day technical and business training, behavioural development, market orientation, and entrepreneurship training to 20 women. After the two months of intensive training, beneficiaries proceed to on-the-job production in the third month, leading to commercial production. Rigorous quality checks and certification processes by KIIT-Technology Business Incubator and Bureau of Indian Standards ensure adherence to high standards of the sanitary napkin.
Discussing this state-of-the-art manufacturing facility, Vedanta Aluminium Business COO Sunil Gupta said, “At Vedanta, we firmly believe that businesses driven by women’s leadership are pivotal in elevating the overall welfare of our community. We take great pride in championing such women-led ventures through initiatives like Project Saukhyam. Our goal is to break down the societal taboos surrounding menstrual hygiene.”
“With a robust production capacity of 40,000 sanitary napkins per month, we are confident that we will empower women, enhance livelihoods, and foster a culture of health that eventually improves the quality of life for these women,” he added.
Vedanta Aluminium is deeply committed to improving the lives of women through interventions in education, healthcare, and livelihood in Odisha and Chhattisgarh through various empowering initiatives including Subhalaxmi Co-operative, Project Unnati, and Project Sakhi.
Subhalaxmi Co-operative, spanning 70 villages in Jharsuguda, is among India’s largest women’s cooperatives, comprising 4000 members. Vedanta’s support enables rural women through skill development, sustainable livelihoods, and financial aid. Subhalaxmi also champions social change, advocating for financial inclusion, women’s empowerment, and community welfare initiatives.
Project Unnati empowers rural women in Chhattisgarh by facilitating self-help groups and federations. We provide access to micro-finance services, support sustainable livelihoods, and foster economic and social empowerment, enabling them to utilize opportunities in economic, social, and political spheres.
Project Sakhi empowers rural women in Lanjigarh through micro-entrepreneurship. This comprehensive program covers self-employment, capacity-building, leadership, and empowerment. Implemented by the Shaktimayee Foundation, it engages over 300 self-help groups in 44 villages. Currently, over 3,000 rural women are involved in various income-generating activities with microfinance support, aided by the Sashakti Suvidha Kendra for improved product marketing and income enhancement.
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 2nd in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI) 2022 world rankings for aluminium industry, a reflection of its sustainable development practices. With its world-class aluminium smelters, alumina refinery and power plants in India, the company fulfils its mission of spurring emerging applications of aluminium as the ‘Metal of the Future’ for a greener tomorrow.
