Vedanta Cares, a unique digital initiative was launched and the first e-townhall with partners was hosted by Chairman Anil Agrawal recently to acknowledge & encourage the COVID warriors, who collaborated with the company in combating COVID 19 through community initiatives across 7 locations. Vedanta instituted a special Chairman’s Award to honour its partners, where Mr. Agarwal personally acknowledged each partner company and NGO which contributed significantly to Vedanta’s efforts in reaching out to beneficiaries like daily-wage earners and migrant workers who were worst affected by the pandemic. In this acknowledgment session, participants from partner companies and NGOs were awarded. Mr. Nand Kishore Bhatt, Chief Security officer, Vedanta, Value Added Business at Goa and Dr. Krishnamurthy, Resident Medical Officer at Vedanta- Iron Ore Karnataka Business were felicitated for their selfless and relentless efforts to combat unprecedented situation due to COVID-19 at Goa and Karnataka respectively.
Addressing the participants, Vedanta Chairman Anil Agarwal said “We have been fighting this crisis together with the nation. By going all out in serving the communities we have reiterated Vedanta’s philosophy of giving back. Our team has left no stone unturned in supporting the communities, working round-the-clock. I am grateful for the support and would like to acknowledge our partners, NGOs and each member of the Vedanta team, who battled this crisis as a family. We will continue working with the communities and the government administration which I am sure will inspire others in serving our communities, and I am hopeful that together we can survive this situation.
NGOs who were felicitated for their extensive contributions are Akshaya Patra Foundation, DNR Foundation, Manjari Foundation, Barmer Jana Sewa Swanthan, and Social Revival Group of Urban and Rural Tribal (SROUT) and YODA.
Vedanta’s partner companies which were also awarded for their contributions are Tann Singh Chouhan & Company, Barmer, Schlumberger, Rajendra Mechanical Private Limited, Chennai Radha Engineering Works, M/s ISS Facility Services, M/s Western Carriers , M/s STEAG , M/s Wellspring Healthcare Pvt. Ltd., Lemon tree Hospitality Services, M/s Dinesh Kumar, NVJK, Drishti Foundation, Unilift Cargo Systems Pvt Ltd, Operational Energy Group India Pvt Ltd, Shrinath Travel Agency , Teknomin Construction Limited TCL.
Speaking on the occasion Mr. Nand Kishore Bhatt, Chief Security Officer at Vedanta, Value Added Business said" I am honored and equally pleased to receive this award from Our Chairman. It gives me immense pride to be a part of Vedanta Family who consistently work for the betterment of communities around, with a broader vision of nation building and giving back to society"
Dr. Krishnamurthy, Resident Medical Officer at Vedanta Iron Ore Karnataka Business said" I am very happy to be recognized by our Chairman, who is the inspiration for me. At Vedanta holistic community development and culture of care, being the top priorities, all my colleagues at Vedanta try to contribute towards community welfare all the time through all possible means."
Speaking on the occasion, Sundeep Talwar, Chief Marketing Officer, The Akshaya Patra Foundation said “Akshaya Patra is privileged to be associated and recognized by our esteemed partners such as Vedanta. Our efforts and outcomes on the ground wouldn’t have been possible without critical and timely support from Vedanta. We believe in collaborative impact and hope that we sustain our efforts to minimize the impact of COVID outbreak on marginalized communities. “
Manjari Foundation, which runs Hindustan Zinc Limited’s flagship CSR initiative Sakhi Project which mobilizes rural women into self-help groups (SHGs) had actively participated in COVID relief efforts by HZL. Speaking on the partnership, Sanjay Sharma, Executive-Director, Manjari Foundation said “Under HZL’s leadership, Sakhi SHG women have risen as strong community leaders. With the objective of ensuring “No One Sleeps Hungry” in our project villages, Sakhi federations, a woman-led institution came up with a food bank initiative. Sakhi members collected 10,000 kilograms of food grains in a short span of time, aiding the community to fight the pandemic. We acknowledge the timely and quick support of HZL for helping the community during troubled times”
Speaking on partnering with Vedanta for COVID relief efforts, Abhishek Kumar, General Secretary DNR Foundation said “I am truly honored to receive the Chairman’s Award for COVID-19. It is an incredible honour to be acknowledged for the work done for the communities in these distressing times. DNR Foundation feels humbled, but at the same time incredibly proud too. We will always try to achieve the vision of Hon. Chairman Sri Anil Agarwalji for the welfare of the community. Thanks to the Vedanta Team for giving us the opportunity to serve the daily wagers during this COVID crisis at Patna and Mumbai.”
Discon Masih, Director SROUT, who partnered with BALCO on its COVID relief efforts said “It is a matter of great honour to get recognition for the awareness and relief work done by SROUT during COVID -19. SROUT has always been a close partner of BALCO and we are thankful for the opportunities given to us. Hoping for more such collaborations in the future.”
Barmer Jan Sewa Sansthan, which partnered with Cairn in its efforts to aid communities in combating COVID was also felicitated. Speaking on the occasion Ramesh Mangal, Managing Trustee, BJSS said “I would like to express our deep gratitude for awarding us the prestigious Chairman’s Award and personally making the time to appreciate our hard work and sincere efforts undertaken during this critical situation of COVID-19 pandemic in Barmer district. We assure you that with your vision, constant support and able guidance from Cairn Oil & Gas team, we will keep on making a transformational and sustainable impact among local communities and generate shared value as well as goodwill for the company.”
YODA, the Maharashtra based animal welfare organization, which partnered with Vedanta in a unique initiative to feed stray animals during the lockdown was also acknowledged for its immense contribution. Speaking on the initiative, Pooja Sakpal, Co-Founder, YODA said “We are grateful to Vedanta for helping both people and animals in need during these times of crisis. Lots of blessings to the entire organization. We were able to feed 16,000 hungry animals each day, all thanks to this project and opportunity”
Vedanta had contributed Rs 201 crores to PM CARES Fund, State funds, and providing relief measures across the country. To support the Government’s efforts, Vedanta employees had contributed one day’s salary to the PM CARES Fund. Under its flagship “Meal-for-all” program Vedanta has so far provided more than 13 lakh meals to less privileged communities across the country. Vedanta has also taken up the initiative to feed more than 50,000 stray animals every day. Under this initiative, Vedanta has so far provided more than 12.70 lakh feedings to stray animals in Delhi, Mumbai, Jaipur, and Pune.
In Vedanta’s effort to enhance preventive healthcare, 7 lakh masks and 1 lakh soaps & sanitizers were manufactured and distributed across India. 23 PPE machines were imported in collaboration with the Ministry of Textiles, enabling the production of 40,000+ PPEs per week. A dedicated 24x7 helpline had been set up for employees and families for medical advice, in collaboration with Apollo Hospital.
