Indus Valley Times

By Dr. Gourang Charan Rout

Bhubaneswar, Feb. 18: Vedanta Aluminium, India’s largest producer of aluminium, conducted a week-long awareness campaign at Sundargarh district, towards promoting better menstrual health amongst adolescent girls in the region. The campaign reached out to more than 650 teenagers living in the villages of Munderkhet, Jharpalam, Taparia, Luabahal, Chatbar, Bilaimunda and Girisimain the district.

The informative sessions,led by expert resource persons from the District Social Welfare Office, Sundargarh, underscored the various aspects of women’s health and menstrual hygiene management. Importantly, the awareness initiative also reached out to adolescent boys, with an aim to move beyond the social stigmas attached with menstruation and encourage an inclusive and sensitive environment when it comes to women’s health.

Highlighting Vedanta Aluminium’s health initiatives, Mr. V Srikanth, CEO –Mine, Vedanta Limited – Aluminium Business, said, “Health is a key focus area of our community development endeavours, and we believe that a healthy community is the bedrock upon which positive social transformations are built. By spreading awareness on menstrual hygiene in the community, we aim to bring about a step change in breaking misconceptions surrounding menstruation, enabling girls and women in the region to be more knowledgeable about and in charge of their own health.This initiative is a part of our wider health initiatives which include mobile health units and ambulance services for remote locations, cancer screening camps,health awareness sessions and mega health camps in partnership with government & other stakeholders.”

Appreciating the company’s efforts, Ms.Prabhasini Chakra, District Social Welfare Officer, Sundargarh said, “I am extremely thankful to the Vedanta team for their efforts to address the many taboos and myths associated with menstruation and spreading awareness on menstrual health and hygiene. The campaign reached out to both adolescent girls as well as boys, thus bringing about a community-wide change in social perceptions of menstruation.”

Vedanta Aluminium’s Mines division has been actively working towards community needs in the areas of education, healthcare, livelihood, grassroots sports and art & culture. Through its interventions, the company is positively impacting the lives of the communities within its areas of operations and beyond, making community members essential partners in the shared growth and progress of the state. The company has been spurring a socio-economic transformation in rural Odisha by identifying the needs of communities and working to fulfil them in close partnership with local administration, welfare groups and community members.

Vedanta Aluminium, a business of Vedanta Limited, is India’s largest producer of aluminium, manufacturing more than half of India’s aluminium i.e., 2.27 million tonnes in FY22. It is a leader in value-added aluminium products that find critical applications in core industries. Vedanta Aluminium ranks 2nd in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI) 2022 world rankings for aluminium industry, a reflection of its sustainable development practices. With its world-class aluminium smelters, alumina refinery and power plants in India, the company fulfils its mission of spurring emerging applications of aluminium as the ‘Metal of the Future’ for a greener tomorrow.