Lanjigarh: Vedanta Limited, Lanjigarh, India’s premier producer of metallurgical grade alumina, observed World AIDS Day today with local communities. The company organized knowledge-sharing and sensitization sessions covering 50 Nand Ghars (anganwadis modernized by Vedanta) of Kalahandi and Rayagada districts. In 10 of them, awareness sessions on precautionary measures along with vital information were conducted in strict adherence to COVID guidelines. The members and beneficiaries of the remaining 40 Nand Ghars participated virtually.
During these sessions, the cluster coordinators of Nand Ghars interacted with around 400 women beneficiaries and front-line workers about HIV/AIDS. Various facts about the disease including the symptoms of the disease, modes of transmission and precautionary measures to be taken to prevent the disease, were also elaborated during the program.
On this occasion, Mr. Rakesh Mohan, Chief Operating Officer, Vedanta Limited, Lanjigarh unit said, “Vedanta Lanjigarh has always given priority towards ensuring good health and well-being of the communities around our areas of operations. Since inception, we have championed public health, by bringing quality healthcare to the doorsteps of people through Vedanta Hospital and our mobile health unit. As HIV/AIDS continues to be a critical and high-risk health concern, we have come forward to sensitize our communities about the disease. I am confident that the knowledge-sharing sessions organized on this World AIDS Day will go a long way towards imparting important information to our communities about the disease. We will continue to conduct such awareness programs in the future as well to make our communities aware and informed for leading a healthy life.”
Acknowledging Vedanta’s efforts, Mrs. Janaki Praskaka, Sarpanch of Ambodala gram panchayat said, “Our knowledge about HIV/AIDS and precautions to prevent it was quite limited. The awareness sessions conducted by Vedanta helped us gather essential information regarding HIV/AIDS, which was much needed. We appreciate the Vedanta’s endeavors to educate us about this disease, its causes and the required preventive measures.”
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 a total of 59 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.