Indus Valley Times

By Payal Banarjee

Observing Menstrual Hygiene Week, the company reaffirms its commitment towards fostering women’s health and well-being

New Delhi, May 31: Vedanta Aluminium, the largest aluminium producer in India, reached out to over 2300 women to raise awareness around women’s health as part of   Menstrual Hygiene Week across its operations in Odisha and Chhattisgarh. Aligned to this year’s UN theme of ‘Making menstruation a normal fact of life by 2030’, the company launched a series of crucial initiatives in an effort to improve rural women’s health, including the establishment of a sanitary napkin production unit, the installation of sanitary napkin dispensing machines at its plant premises, and several awareness sessions on Menstrual Hygiene Management (MHM).

Vedanta Aluminium’s initiatives are in continuation of its longstanding commitment to promoting rural women’s health and well-being in the areas around its operations, towards helping them make informed, safer choices and dispelling myths. The company is also fostering transformative socio-economic impact through the local production and supply of affordable and eco-friendly feminine hygiene products from women-led microenterprises in the communities.

Sharing his views, Mr Rahul Sharma, CEO, Vedanta Ltd – Aluminium Business said, “At Vedanta Aluminium, we consider the health and well-being of local communities and our employees as our utmost priority. Our initiatives during Menstrual Hygiene Week reflect our continued focus on enhancing the well-being of women in our communities, who, as the primary caregivers of children in rural areas, are crucial to ensuring the overall being of entire communities as well. By strengthening the healthcare ecosystem, raising awareness, challenging stigmas, and providing necessary resources, we aim to help women in making safer choices, while also enabling the socio-economic transformation of rural India.”

At the township at Vedanta Jharsuguda, one of the world’s largest single-location aluminium plants, the company organized several activities on women’s health and hygiene. The company announced its collaboration with Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT), Bhubaneswar to launch the ‘Saukhyam’ initiative. The collaboration will establish a state-of-the-art biodegradable sanitary napkin production unit, fostering livelihood opportunities and advocating hygienic practices and products for local girls and women. 100 sanitary dispensing machines have also been installed in the washrooms of the plant, providing 4000 biodegradable napkins every month for its employees. The enthused volunteers of Vedanta Aluminium performed a ‘Nukkad Natak’ that raised awareness about menstrual hygiene and dispelled misconceptions. Gynaecologists shared compelling information on Menstrual Hygiene Management (MHM) protocols and ran health check-up camps for the local women. Employee volunteers facilitated meaningful discussions with the community, emphasizing the advantages of sanitary napkins over cloth.