Vedanta Aluminium expands Nand Ghar footprint in Odisha with new centre in Gunpur, Kalahandi
9th May 2026
- Inaugurated by Sarpanch Sujata Majhi; part of plan to transform 200 Anganwadis across two districts
Bhubaneswar, May 9, 2026 – Nand Ghar, the flagship social impact initiative of Vedanta under the aegis of the Anil Agarwal Foundation, has marked a key milestone with the inauguration of a new centre at Saisurni village in Gunpur gram panchayat, Kalahandi district by Sarpanch Sujata Majhi. It is set to further strengthen the last-mile delivery of early childhood care and women-centric services in a remote tribal region of Odisha, while adding to the company’s growing network of 631 Nand Ghars across the state.
Nand Ghars are modernised anganwadis developed by Vedanta, which have emerged as crucial hubs of women and child development across rural India. Designed to enhance service delivery under the national Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) framework, the Nand Ghar in Saisurni is equipped with child-friendly infrastructure including Building as Learning Aid (BaLA) walls, LED-enabled smart learning tools, hygienic kitchens and sanitation facilities, solar power, safe drinking water systems, and age-appropriate furniture.
The model combines improved infrastructure with programme support through implementation partners, enabling access to millet-based nutrition, regular health check-ups, immunisation, and community-led interventions focused on behavioural change. Women from the village are also engaged in the project through self-help groups, supporting skilling and livelihood opportunities that contribute to greater financial independence.
The new centre was launched under a MoU signed with the District Social Welfare Offices of Rayagada and Kalahandi to modernize 100 Anganwadis into Nand Ghars in each district. Aligned with national priorities such as Poshan 2.0, Beti Bachao Beti Padhao, Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, and Digital India, the initiative complements government efforts to address malnutrition, strengthen early childhood education, and expand access to primary healthcare services in underserved areas.
Speaking at the inauguration, Sarpanch Sujata Majhi said, “Vedanta’s Nand Ghar is a blessing for Saisurni. The facility, and the infrastructure and education support for our children will be good. This will help improve our block and support its development. We are thankful for this initiative.”
Nand Ghar is a nationwide network of modernised Anganwadi centres delivering integrated services across nutrition, early childhood education, healthcare, and women’s empowerment. With over 13,000 centres across 17 states in India, the initiative is envisioned to impact 7 crore children and 2 crore women. The Saisurni centre represents a scalable model of community development in Odisha, anchored in strong institutional partnerships and designed to deepen impact across tribal districts.
About Nand Ghar:
Nand Ghar, a flagship project under the Anil Agarwal Foundation, is modernizing India’s Anganwadi ecosystem to empower women and children. With over 13,000 centres across 17 states, Nand Ghars provide integrated services in nutrition, early childhood education, healthcare, and women empowerment through skill development. Currently reaching over 4 lakh children and 3 lakh women, the project aims to impact 8 crore children and 2 crore women across the country’s 14 lakh Anganwadis. For more information, visit: www.nandghar.org
About Anil Agarwal Foundation:
The Anil Agarwal Foundation is the umbrella entity for Vedanta’s community and social initiatives. The focus areas of the Foundation are child health & nutrition, child education, women empowerment, animal welfare projects, and sports promotion. Anil Agarwal Foundation aims to empower communities, transform lives, and facilitate nation building through sustainable and inclusive growth. For more information, visit: https://www.vedantalimited.com/eng/social_impact_csr.php
About Vedanta Limited:
Vedanta Limited, a subsidiary of Vedanta Resources Limited, is one of the world’s leading Oil & Gas and Metals company with significant operations in Oil & Gas, Zinc, Lead, Silver, Copper, Iron Ore, Steel, and Aluminium & Power across India, South Africa and Namibia. For two decades, Vedanta has been contributing significantly to nation building. Governance and sustainable development are at the core of Vedanta's strategy, with a strong focus on health, safety, and environment. Vedanta has put in place a comprehensive framework to be the ESG leader in the natural resources sector. Vedanta is committed to reducing carbon emissions to zero by 2050 or sooner and has pledged $5 billion over the next 10 years to accelerate the transition to net zero operations. Giving back is in the DNA of Vedanta, which is focused on enhancing the lives of local communities. The company’s flagship social impact program, Nand Ghars, have been set up as model anganwadis focused on eradicating child malnutrition, providing education, healthcare, and empowering women with skill development. Under the aegis of the Anil Agarwal Foundation, the umbrella entity for Vedanta’s social initiatives, the Vedanta group has pledged Rs 5000 crore over the next five years on social impact programmes with a thrust on nutrition, women & child development, healthcare, animal welfare, and grass-root level sports. Vedanta and the group companies have been featured in Dow Jones Sustainability Index, and was conferred Frost & Sullivan Sustainability Awards 2020, Golden Peacock Award for excellence in Corporate Governance 2022 and certified as a Great Place to Work 2022. Vedanta Limited is listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange and the National Stock Exchange.
For more information, please visit www.vedantalimited.com
About Vedanta Aluminium Metal Limited Business:
Vedanta Aluminium Metal Limited, a business of Vedanta Limited, is India’s largest producer of aluminium, manufacturing more than half of India’s aluminium i.e., 2.37 million tonnes in FY24. It is a leader in value-added aluminium products that find critical applications in core industries. Vedanta Aluminium Metal Limited ranks 1st in the S&P Global Corporate Sustainability Assessment 2023 world rankings for the aluminium industry, a reflection of its leading 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.
For more information, please log on to www.vedantaaluminium.com
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This press release contains “forward-looking statements” – that is, statements related to future, not past, events. In this context, forward-looking statements often address our expected future business and financial performance, and often contain words such as “expects,” “anticipates,” “intends,” “plans,” “believes,” “seeks,” “should” or “will.” Forward-looking statements by their nature address matters that are, to different degrees, uncertain. For us, uncertainties arise from the behaviour of financial and metals markets including the London Metal Exchange, fluctuations in interest and or exchange rates and metal prices; from future integration of acquired businesses; and from numerous other matters of national, regional, and global scale, including those of a political, economic, business, competitive or regulatory nature. These uncertainties may cause our actual future results to be materially different than those expressed in our forward-looking statements. We do not undertake to update our forward-looking statements.
