Vedanta Aluminium Celebrates Pride Month by Expanding LGBTQI+ Hiring
26th June 2025
New Delhi, 26th June, 2025: Vedanta Aluminium, India’s largest aluminium producer, is redefining inclusivity in manufacturing by actively recruiting and empowering transgender individuals across its operations. As part of the Pride Month celebrations, the company has announced that it will hire 15 transgender employees in 2026, increasing the total strength to 44 across its operations in Jharsuguda, Odisha and Korba, Chhattisgarh.
Vedanta Aluminium has introduced a comprehensive framework of progressive policies to support the assimilation and well-being of transgender employees. These include sensitization workshops to build awareness, financial and leave assistance for gender reaffirmation surgery, statutory benefits like higher education allowances, and access to laser hair removal machines. In a sector where gender diversity has traditionally been limited, this approach represents a significant step toward creating a more inclusive and equitable workforce, where diversity is respected and celebrated.
The company’s mega aluminium smelters in Jharsuguda and Bharat Aluminium Company Limited (BALCO) in Korba have also introduced gender-neutral infrastructure and robust benefits, including 30 days of paid leave and INR 2 lakh compensation for gender reaffirmation surgery. Six employees at BALCO have already availed of this support, and two more have applied for higher education allowances through the company’s policies to build fulfilling careers and assume leadership roles within the organization.
This commitment goes beyond hiring, focusing on empowering individuals to grow and thrive. These efforts are supported by continuous awareness programs and a strong focus on nurturing a respectful and supportive workplace. By embedding diversity into its core operations, Vedanta is setting a benchmark for inclusive growth in India’s manufacturing sector.
Rajiv Kumar, CEO of Vedanta Aluminium, emphasized the broader significance of these efforts, “The manufacturing sector has historically struggled with gender imbalance, and meaningful progress requires expanding our understanding of diversity to include all gender identities. At Vedanta Aluminium, we believe inclusivity is not just the right thing to do, it is a strategic imperative. A diverse workforce fosters fresh perspectives, fuels innovation, and strengthens resilience, all of which are vital in today’s dynamic industrial landscape. By empowering transgender individuals with supportive policies and equal opportunities, we are not only building a workplace rooted in respect and dignity but also setting a benchmark for inclusive growth within Indian manufacturing.”
The impact of the company’s inclusive policies is evident in the stories of its employees. Alka, a security supervisor, powerfully captures this spirit. Recalling the benefits of the gender reaffirmation policy, she says, “It used to take us years to plan and execute the gender reassignment surgery but with the support of BALCO’s policies, LGBTQ+ employees have got a benefit of 30 days of paid leave and compensation of 2 lakh rupees for the gender reassignment surgery.”
As part of the ongoing Pride Month celebrations, Vedanta Aluminium is also organizing sensitization workshops in the communities to inspire behavioural change and create a gender-sensitive and inclusive society.
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 Business:
Vedanta Aluminium, a business of Vedanta Limited, is India’s largest producer of aluminium, manufacturing more than half of India’s aluminium i.e., 2.37 million tonnes in FY24. 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 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.
