Utkal Alumina: Bringing happiness for people of its mining areas

Utkal Alumina International Limited (UAIL) has mounted a holistic CSR strategy. Its main attempt is to be substantive to the lives of the underprivileged. Through its development initiatives, it has helped in enhancing the socio-economic conditions of people in these areas.

The development initiatives by UAIL are focussed on providing better health, education, livelihood and other facilities to the villagers.

Launched in September’19, UAIL’s Project Sambhab, focus at building an alternative source of livelihood through orchard development. A total of 19 farmers of Ratachuan, Hatikhaman, Jogiparitunda and Narignjodi are receiving assistance for the banana, guava, papaya and drumstick plantations, along with fertiliser and pesticides. This apart, the farmers also get on-farm agro-advisory services to maintain the fruit orchards and close to 8.37 acres have been covered under this programme.

Project Sugandha through the cultivation of lemongrass is another such project by UAIL to raise the income level of farmers. From a modest beginning in 2018-19 with 12 farmers, 20 acres and just 1 village, it has come a long way. Presently, it has been spread up to 70 farmers, 8 villages and 80 acres.

Adding to these, UAIL went a step further by installing a lemongrass oil extraction unit for forwarding linkage. The unit at Jogiparitunda of Kashipur block was set up by a local entrepreneur with the support of Utkal Alumina under Project Sugandha. It saw a formal opening on 23^rd June’20, and N Nagesh, the Unit Head and President, UAIL was present.

Speaking on the occasion, Nagesh urged the locals to ramp up lemongrass cultivation and promote more such units to provide the extraction facility to the farmers concerned. This particular initiative of the company got appreciation from local farmers.

On the same day, a solar drinking water project was also opened. This project is being seen to reduce the hardships of rural women in fetching drinking water.

Nagesh added: “We have been consistently and relentlessly working to make the people of our peripheral villages self-sufficient by providing them different sources of livelihood through the undertaking of different sustainable development projects which have got enough encomiums and support from the community and we will keep on accelerating these initiatives in the times to come.”