Indus Valley Times

By Mahendra Kumar Darjee

Jharsuguda, Dec. 13: On the occasion of World AIDS Day, Vedanta Aluminium, India’s largest producer of aluminium, observed a week-long awareness program based on the theme ‘Equalize.’ Conducted in association with the District Health Department, Jharsuguda and the Odisha State AIDS Control Society, the program aimed to sensitize community members, employees, and business partners on the effective preventionand management of HIV/AIDS.

As part of the awareness campaign, information on the key measures to prevent HIV/AIDS were shared through rallies, info sessions, and distribution of informative pamphlets within Jharsuguda district.

Throughout the week, several awareness sessions were organised in association with key administrative and medical personnel from the district, including Prabir Kumar Mohanty, Additional District Magistrate, Jharsuguda, Dr. Dolamani Patel, Chief District Medical & Public Health Officer, Jharsuguda, Mr. Bulunath Sahu, District Program Manager, Dr. A. K. Pandit, Medical Officer, Integrated Counselling Treatment Center, District Sexual & RTI Clinic, and members of the Association of Volunteer Action. Vedanta’s Mobile Health Unit also travelled to several locations in Jharsuguda to spreadawareness as part of this initiative.

Through the campaign, the company reached out to numerous schools & college students, government officers, police personnel and prison inmates at Jharsuguda District Jail, together benefitting more than 2900 members of the community.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Sunil Gupta, CEO – Vedanta Ltd., Jharsuguda said,“Ensuring the collective health and well-being of our community has always been a key area of focus within Vedanta’s social interventions. We have endeavoured to maximise community awareness on improved health and hygiene practices by partnering with government bodies and organizationsalso working towards this cause. HIV/AIDS is a global health challenge that can be prevented by effective and essential measures, and we are making efforts to address this challenge through focused outreach to our communities.Through such initiatives, Vedanta is committed in itsefforts to improve the overall quality of life of our local communities”

 Appreciating the company’s efforts, Ms. Urmila Mishra – Project Director, OSACS, said, “Vedanta’s initiatives to sensitize the community towards the prevention of HIV/AIDS supports the public health department’s fight against this life-threating disease. The company’s effort in reaching out to various sections of thesociety and working towards building an AIDS-free community is truly appreciable.”

Vedanta Aluminium’s social interventions in the domains of quality education, healthcare, skill development, women empowerment, water and sanitation, and community infrastructure reach out to over 79 villages in Jharsuguda and nearby areas, benefiting nearly 1.7 lakh people in a year. It empowers more than 4000 women from over 338 SHGs, provides doorstep healthcare services to about 32,000 people annually, provides educational support to more than 6400 students, and has planted more than 1.48 lakh trees in partnership with locals at the community level.