Vedanta Lanjigarh distributes solar equipment for energy conservation in community
20th November 2020
Lanjigarh, Kalahandi District, Odisha; 20 November 2020: Vedanta Limited, Lanjigarh, India’s premier producer of metallurgical grade alumina, has initiated ‘Energy Conservation Project’ for peripheral villages. The project has the objective to promote clean lighting and clean cooking in the villages of Lanjigarh. Under the project, the company recently distributed solar lights to every household in Dengsargi village through employee volunteerism program, an initiative designed to involve employees in community development projects.
The project has been launched by the company to ensure non-polluting, reliable and affordable source of energy for the community in a sustainable manner. The distribution of solar lights and fuel-efficient chullah under this project also aims to improve energy efficiency in the villages, increase study hours of children in the evening, reduce the respiratory health risks among women and children by eliminating the use of firewood and help increase the income and savings of the locals by providing access to energy in evening hours at an affordable rate. Prior to this, solar lights were also distributed in Sindhibahal village, which was appreciated by the villagers. Besides helping children study in the evening, these solar lights will also help women and other members of the family in fulfilling household chores at night. To promote clean cooking among the rural folk, Vedanta has conducted demonstrations on fuel-efficient chullah in villages and enrolled women associated with self-help groups under the central government’s Ujjwala scheme for LPG connection. With the aim to cover 15 peripheral villages in fiscal 2020-21 and transform 70 villages of Lanjigarh block into energy efficiency villages of Kalahandi district in three years, this program is a unique example of community development through innovation and employee volunteerism, converging community development initiatives of the company with government schemes. So far, about 50 households have been benefited by the project
Referring to the initiative, Mr. Rakesh Mohan, Chief Operating Officer, Vedanta Limited, Lanjigarh unit said, “Vedanta Lanjigarh has always worked towards socio-economic development of the community, with a focus on women and children, through impactful developmental interventions and social outreach programs. We develop effective solutions for the needs of the community, aimed at bettering the lives of the local populace and improving their standard of living. The energy conservation project which champions clean lighting and clean cooking fuel in villages is one such effort. We have always believed in being partners in progress for our communities, and our employees who volunteered to be a part of the solar light distribution program stand testimony to that.”
Appreciating the program, Sanjita Mishra, a student of Sindhibahal village said, “Earlier we had to depend on candles and fuel lanterns to study in the evening hours, mostly due to disruptions in electricity supply. Now, thanks to the solar lamps distributed by Vedanta, I have been able to extend my study hours well into the evening. The lamp is also helping my mother cook and do other household work at night with ease and comfort.”
Vedanta’s social interventions in the domains of sustainable livelihood, women empowerment, quality education, health, water and sanitation, bio-investment and community infrastructure reach out to about 60 villages in Lanjigarh and nearby areas, benefiting about a lakh people in a year. It empowers more than 3000 women from 305 self-help groups (SHGs), provides healthcare services to about 60,000 people annually, gives educational support to more than 2800 students, has planted more than 5.4 lakh trees in the community, and built 500 plus infrastructural projects at community level.
Vedanta is the largest producer of aluminium in India and remains the premier manufacturer of metallurgical grade alumina. The company operates a 2 MTPA (million tonnes per annum) capacity alumina refinery in Lanjigarh (Kalahandi district, Odisha), India since 2007 and an associated 90 MW captive power plant.
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
Follow us on LinkedIN, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram
Disclaimer:
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.
