Odisha’s journey is a tale of transformation scripted by industries. A mineral-rich State that had only capitalised its surfaceresources in the form of agriculture and forestry, today has the proud distinction of being the ‘Aluminium Capital of India’ with one of the most vibrant industrial ecosystems.
The economic fabric of the State was bolstered when Vedanta Limited set up its world-class Alumina Refinery at Kalahandi and established the world’s largest single-location Aluminium Smelter outside China, at Jharsuguda. Vedanta is the largest aluminium producer in the
country, and its Jharsuguda plant is Odisha’s pride as the only Indian smelter in the prestigious global ‘1 Million Tonne’ club. Vedanta’s plants are widely hailed for bringing the State’s most aspirational districts into the socio-economic mainstream. Building an industrial ecosystem for socio-economic growth The Indian Aluminium Industry has invested over Rs 1.4 lakh crore in Odisha, creating 8 lakh employment opportunities. Vedanta alone invested over Rs 50,000 crore in Odisha, creating 4 lakh direct and indirect jobs and supporting thousands of MSMEs.
Vedanta’s investment triggered exponential GDP growth at the rate of 15% in Jharsuguda, and at 16% for Kalahandi, between 2003 and 2015, putting them on the global map. The company also reduced Odisha’s power deficit by 10%, by supplying about 20 billion units of electricity at a time when the country was suffering from acute power shortage. Transforming communities, transforming lives Vedanta’s impact in Odisha goes beyond producing high-quality aluminium. With an investment of over Rs 300 crore in community development alone, the company’s social commitments have been instrumental in alleviating poverty by triggering significant development in Kalahandi and Jharsuguda.
Today, Vedanta’s social endeavours reach out to over 130 villages in both districts, benefiting nearly 2.5 lakh people in remote areas in a year. In Kalahandi district, over 600 new micro and small enterprises have registered after Vedanta’s investment.
Vedanta has also established the region’s first English medium school, which today has 1,200 students, 90% of whom are from local communities. The school created an aspiration for quality education among local communities, which is reflected in the rise in literacy levels in Kalahandi from 38.4% in 2001 to 50.9% in 2011. 40,000 children and youth have benefitted till date from the company’s interventions by way of providing quality education, career counseling and midday meals etc.
Kalahandi also witnessed a decrease in the prevalence of malaria due to awareness campaigns run by Vedanta and free of cost health services rendered by the Vedanta Hospital. Over 60,000 people visit the Vedanta
hospital every year and 90,000 people from remote villages have already benefitted from the hospital and its mobile health units.Vedanta has also set up 50 Nand Ghars (modern anganwadis) for women and child development in the region. A partner in the fight against Covid-19 Since the outbreak of Covid-19, Vedanta has marshalled all resources to strengthen the Odisha Government’s efforts in combating the health crisis. Vedanta has set up a 200-bed fully oxygenated Covid Hospital
at Bhawanipatna, Kalahandi, and another such 100-bed facility in Deogarh. With facilities such as Intensive Care Units, High Dependency Units, dedicated Oxygen Plants and Paediatric Covid Care Wards, both hospitals have been funded by Vedanta Aluminium and will be managed by the State Government.
Alleviating burden on state resources, Vedanta Aluminium also vaccinated more than 16,000 employees, business partners and their family members on its own. Vedanta helped set up District Covid Hospital at Jharsuguda, and continues to support it with ICU beds, ventilators, specialised medical equipment, ambulance, and so on. The company is providing additional needful support to the State Government such as 2,000 oxygen cylinders, 10,000 RT PCR testing kits, 92,000 units of highly specialised PPE kits, and so on.
Vedanta has provided extensive support to local farmers and rural women to earn/sustain their livelihood during lockdowns, including making available meals and ration for the needy.
Building the future with a young and vibrant workforce One of Vedanta Aluminium’s unique features is its young and highly skilled workforce. Almost 75per cent of all jobs in Vedanta’s plants are held by the local citizens of the State while 12per cent of the entire employee base is women professionals. The company is amongst the most preferred equal-opportunity employers with the highest gender diversity ratios in the manufacturing sector in India. Nurturing nature and the future Guided by the principle of ‘Zero Harm, Zero Waste and Zero Discharge’, Vedanta has implemented world class sustainability standards, leveraged global technology and deployed robust environment monitoring systems to make its plants amongst the most efficient and sustainable in the world. Vedanta has installed India’s first hybrid Electrostatic Precipitators
(ESP) in Thermal Power Plant and undertook ESP hybridization of Captive Power Plant.It is Odisha’s first company to deploy High Concentration Slurry Disposal (HCSD) system for ash management. It is supporting hundreds of ash brick manufacturing MSMEs, whose
beneficiaries are underprivileged villagers who would otherwise depend on cattle rearing, subsistence agriculture or would migrate to other states to work as construction laborers for their livelihood. It isalso India’s first and the world’s third company to deploy thecutting-edge Digital Smelter Solution technology at its aluminum smelter in Jharsuguda. Leveraging Odisha’s aluminium future There is a revolution waiting to happen in Odisha, by sustainably leveraging its richly laden geology. With 50% of the country’s bauxite reserves, Odisha is uniquely positioned to turn its fortune by enabling the domestic aluminium industry. The proposed Aluminium Park at Jharsuguda can create additional value-addition of Rs 4,500 crore for the State. It will attract over 100 SMEs and MSMEs to Odisha,
creating additional livelihood opportunities of 1 lakh. It will also create social benefits that can positively impact lives of as many as 4 lakh people in the region.
“With the aluminium industry deemed a ‘Champion Sector’ by the Government of India, Odisha has a crucial role to play in propelling India’s journey towards a USD 5 trillion economy. As a testament to Odisha’s potential, Vedanta has made its biggest investment anywhere in the country, in this State. We are committed to working in close collaboration with the Government of Odisha to script the next phase of Odisha’s growth journey,” said CEO – Aluminium Business, Vedanta, Rahul Sharma.