Indus Valley Times

Employee volunteers organize a week-long book collection drive and storybook reading sessions, starting International Children’s Book Day

By Suresh Kumar Dash

Sambalpur/ Bhubaneswar, April 10: On the occasion of International Children’s Book Day, Vedanta Aluminium, India’s largest producer of aluminium, conducted a book collection drive for employees to donate books for local children in Jharsuguda, Odisha.

The initiative saw employees come together to donate more than 600 books tothe District Library in Jharsuguda and also to mini libraries set up in Nand Ghars, which are modernized anganwadis run by Vedanta, supported by the companyin the adjoining villages of Badmal, Bhurkhamunda, Harijanpada, and Bhagipali villages.

 Alongside the book donation program, employees also volunteered to conductbook reading and storytelling sessions with the children studying atthe Nand Ghars, piquing their interest in reading and learning.

The book donation drive is just one of many initiatives undertaken by Vedanta Jharsuguda as part of its community development endeavours in the realm of quality education. The company has undertaken several initiatives to improve access to quality education, augment the education infrastructure in schools and enhance the learning experience of students in the region, such as:

The Nand Ghars are modernized anganwadis that serve as centers of women & child development, with focus on pre-school education, nutrition and healthcare and women’s skill development, which are improving access to and quality of early childhood education for more than 5,000 children in the region.

Infrastructure development in government schools in partnership with the Government of Odisha’s ‘Mo School Abhiyaan’, which aims to address the needs of school-going children and enable & support schools with infrastructure, technology, etc. so they can provide a wholesome and nurturing environment to children during their formative years.

Vidya Graha, an e-learning program which provides recorded lectures and online career counselling to students from classes 8th-10th, supplementing classroom learning across government schools of Jharsuguda.

Mini Science Centres set up in local schools have innovative models, experiments, and instruments to stoke the scientific temper of students, enhance their knowledge of science and skills in interesting ways.

Vedanta Computer Literacy Programmeaims at imparting basic computer training and professional skills to aspiring youngsters from the underserved communities who do not have access to computers.

·         With Artificial Intelligence increasingly influencing the way the world works, the company’s Artificial Intelligence (AI) Education Project enables students to understand the functions of AI and build AI-based solutions for real-world problems.

These initiatives have played a significant role in decreasing illiteracy by 60% in the region in 2022 from the 2019 baseline.36% more students have completed class 5th (primary education), 10% more have completed class 8th (high school education) and 96% more in class 12th (senior secondary education).

Speaking about the company’s education initiatives for the local communities, Mr. Sunil Gupta, CEO – VedantaLtd., Jharsuguda, said, “At Vedanta Aluminium,we firmly believe that education is a powerful tool for social and economic transformation. Our employees were delighted to be part of the children’s book donation drive and help the young ones discover a large treasure trove of stories and new things to learn. Through our robust education programs, we remain committed to supporting the students and local academia community in strengthening this foundation of growth and progress.”

Thanking the Vedanta employees and volunteers, Mr. Deshbandhu Bharat Singh, one of the teaching staff at Nand Ghar, said,“These books,lovingly donated by the Vedanta employees,will definitely inculcate a culture of reading amongst children and enhance their knowledge. Even more interesting were the storytelling sessions by the employees, which the children loved! We are grateful to Vedanta Jharsuguda for their continuous efforts towards the betterment of education in our district”.