The Business Bytes
TBB BUREAU
JHARSUGUDA, NOV 1, 2023
Vedanta Aluminium, India’s largest producer of aluminium, has launched Shree Shakti project, a testament to its resolute commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. As a part of this project, the company inducted 108 highly skilled women employees to its shop floor during the C-shift (10:10 PM-6:10 AM). Vedanta stands as the first in Odisha to secure C-Shift approval for women in Metal and Manufacturing, thereby marking a groundbreaking milestone towards creating additional opportunities for women and accelerating their progress towards leadership roles within the shop floor.
This endeavour is in line with the visionary objectives set by Vedanta’s Chairman Anil Agarwal who aims at achieving a 33 per cent diversity rate within the group by 2025.
To ensure a smooth onboarding process for these new employees, Vedanta has implemented extensive safety and training measures, including installation of additional cameras, engagement of female drivers for transportation, deploying female security personnel, providing expert trainers for high-level training and development programs, self-defence training, and providing a dedicated helpline for immediate assistance.
Speaking about Vedanta’s unwavering commitment to fostering diversity, equity, and inclusion within its workforce, Vedanta Aluminium Business COO Sunil Gupta said, “Vedanta is committed to providing equal employment opportunities, and we appreciate the warm response to our efforts in recruiting female workers for our factory floor operations. Initiatives like Shree Shakti allow us to welcome innovative approaches, fresh perspectives, and renewed energy into our workforce. We firmly believe that Vedanta’s growth is intricately linked with the growth of the community, and thus, creating new opportunities for women in the beginning of their professional career is instrumental in driving our operational and social excellence. Being the first metal and manufacturing company in Odisha to hire women for all shifts is a testament to the community’s faith in us.”
Sharing her enthusiasm as she embarks on her new journey, Bhavana Verma, one of the new hires, said, “I am eagerly looking forward to commencing my professional journey with Vedanta. Working during the C-shift allows me to balance my higher studies and provide for my family effectively. I am confident in my ability to contribute significantly to the shop floor and excel in my career at Vedanta.”
The company has several initiatives and best practices that empower women to excel in their roles.
Vedanta Aluminium Jharsuguda embraces gender diversity in all its job roles. It has more than 455 women working across various functions including Smelter and Power operations, Safety, Infrastructure, Commercial, Marketing, Innovation, Logistics, and more.
Vedanta has introduced V-LEAD (Diversity Development Programme), a new initiative to nurture future women leaders. It aims to identify and groom high-potential women candidates for leadership positions. Additionally, the company’s V-REACH programme helps young graduates to grow and advance in their careers.
Vedanta has created an all-women fire-fighting team called ‘Agnivahini’ and deployed ‘Baaz’, an all-woman Quick Reaction Team (QRT) for stepping up plant & people security at Jharsuguda. They have been trained rigorously to handle any emergency effectively and efficiently.
Vedanta has launched Subhalaxmi Co-operative, a flagship project for sustainable livelihood and women empowerment at Jharsuguda. It is one of the largest women co-operatives in India with more than 4100 members. It provides rural women with opportunities for entrepreneurship through skill development and microfinance support.
The company has adopted several women centric HR policies to support the well-being and career development of its women employees and their families. Some of the notable policies are:
Vedanta’s Spouse employment program provides employment opportunities to the spouses of the employees.
Its extended maternity leave policy grants six months of maternity leave to the women employees. The company’s Induction program helps the women employees resume their work smoothly after their maternity leave.
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.
