Vedanta launches three social development initiatives

The Statesman,Dec 10,2007

BHAWANIPATNA, Dec. 9: Exhibiting that it remains unfazed by contentious issues raised in the wake of a recent Supreme Court verdict on its project here, the Vedanta Alumina company today launched three social development initiatives.Head of Business development of Vedanta Mumbai Mr CV Krishnan, head of business development of the company told reporters that these initiatives related to rural electrification, child development/nutrition and education.Project Ujaala , as the rural electrification programme is called involves expenditure of Rs 3 crore to provide infrastructure for electrification of 18 peripheral villages in Lanjigarh. Project Udaya* for Kalahandi district involves selection of 15 meritorious students every year and they will be provided with all support to pursue higher education. And the Child welfare scheme will adopt all the 122 anganwadi centres of Lanjigarh Block. Under this scheme the centres will be upgraded with infrastructure, fun-based education materials, freshly cooked nutritious meals and preventive health care will be looked after.The Vedanta group also programming for centralised kitchen to prepare and distribute hygienic mid-day meals to school children in Kalahandi in collaboration with the state government said Mr Krishnan. He claimed that the alumina produced during the trial production here was comparable to the best in the world. He further claimed that the rehabilitation done by the project at Lanjigarh is a model for the entire state. The project is providing employment opportunity to over 2,000 persons and this will go up 2,500 once the mining activity starts. For the sustainable livelihood also through SHGs creating economic generation activities in the periphery villages and rehab colony in agriculture development, pisiculture and phyneol making. Similarly mobile health units operating in 53 villages and adopted also 53 villages under Sustha Parivar Scheme partnering health department for malaria, AIDS, sunstroke and small family. For child care activities 29 child care centres and one EGS school is functioning. Opposition political parties had over the last fortnight demanded that the state government should ban Vedanta company following a Supreme Court verdict which has preferred its Indian wing - Sterlite Industries to undertake the project.