The Business Bytes
LANJIGARH (ODISHA), APRIL 08, 2024 (TBB BUREAU): In a monumental stride towards societal transformation, Vedanta Limited, Lanjigarh, premier producer of smelter-grade alumina and a unit of Vedanta Aluminium, has unveiled the second phase of its groundbreaking recruitment initiative, ‘Project Panchhi’.
Designed to uplift the lives of 1,000 girls hailing from underserved communities nationwide, the project aims to mitigate socio-economic constraints that often impede access to higher education and fulfilling careers.
Through ‘Project Panchhi’, selected candidates are offered financial support to pursue higher education in prestigious national institutes, followed by career placements within Vedanta upon completion of their studies.
Since its inception last year, Vedanta Lanjigarh has identified over 50 first-generation learners from Rayagada and Kalahandi districts, meticulously selected through a phased recruitment process. Moreover, the project has cast its net wider, encompassing over 230 talented girls from remote communities in Lanjigarh, Jharsuguda, Korba, and Sundargarh.
Speaking on the significance of the initiative, Vedanta Aluminium CEO – Alumina Business, Pranab Kumar Bhattacharyya, emphasized, “Project Panchhi has been developed under the direct guidance of our Chairman. Mr. Anil Agarwal. Through initiatives like these, Vedanta Lanjigarh strives to enhance the socio-economic landscape of the remote communities surrounding its operations, with a particular focus on empowering the young women who constitute a vital pillar of our society. By providing them with substantial opportunities to excel, we are not only fulfilling our Chairman’s mandate but also paving the way for a transformative journey that promises to catalyze significant positive change throughout our areas of operations.”
Echoing this sentiment, Vedanta Aluminium CHRO, Dilip Sinha, highlighted, “Project Panchhi closely aligns with our company’s unwavering commitment to nurturing diversity, equity, and inclusion within our dynamic workforce.We strongly believe that these girls will go on to become leaders and inspire others in their communities to pursue fulfilling careers.”
Expressing her gratitude, Shital Karuan, a beneficiary of the program, remarked, “Vedanta has bestowed upon us a life-changing opportunity. For aspiring women like me, higher education and thriving careers once seemed unattainable. Vedanta’s unwavering support not only reshapes our professional trajectories but also ignites transformative personal growth.”
Project Panchhi is dedicated to fostering inclusive development within local communities, aligning seamlessly with Vedanta’s overarching vision for diversity, equity, and inclusion. The program’s objectives are two-fold. Firstly, it aims to create opportunities for deserving young women hailing from underserved, remote communities situated in the immediate vicinity of Vedanta’s metals, mining, and oil & gas operations across regions like Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Goa, and beyond. Secondly, the initiative seeks to enhance workforce diversity by placing a specific focus on recruiting girls and women who are currently underrepresented in the metals, mining, and heavy engineering industries. Through these dual objectives, Project Panchhi endeavors to empower and uplift communities while simultaneously enriching Vedanta’s workforce with diverse perspectives and talents.
Vedanta Aluminium, a flagship business of Vedanta Limited, stands as India’s largest aluminium producer, accounting for over half of the nation’s aluminium output, totaling 2.37 million tonnes in FY24. Renowned for its value-added aluminium products essential to core industries, Vedanta Aluminium ranks first in the S&P Global Corporate Sustainability Assessment 2023 world rankings for the aluminium sector, a testament to its sustainable development endeavors. With state-of-the-art facilities encompassing aluminium smelters, alumina refineries, and power plants across India, the company is dedicated to advancing emerging applications of aluminium as the ‘Metal of the Future’, steering towards a greener tomorrow.
