Jharsuguda, (subas Sahare) : Vedanta, India’s largest producer of aluminium and value-added products, has rolled out fire safety awareness program for Jharsuguda residents under the banner of Employee Volunteerism Program (EVP), a unique initiative through which employees of the company use their skillsets for social good. Members of Agnivahini, Vedanta’s all-women firefighting squad, are sensitizing the community on various facets of fire safety, such as identifying causes and types of fire, precautions, emergency measures in case of fire, basic do’s and don’ts, and so on.
This program is aimed at increasing awareness levels of general public on the various facets of fire safety and equip them with the knowledge to foster a safety-first culture at grassroots. So far, more thana hundred people from Debadihi, Brundamal and Kurebaga villageshave already participated in the sessions. Over the next few months, Vedanta Agnivahini plans to reach out to as many people in Jharsuguda as possible, through the initiative.
Talking about Agnivahini and its purpose in building a fire safe culture in the region, Mr. CN Singh, CEO – Vedanta Ltd., Jharsuguda, said, “Agnivahini is one of our dream projects and a pioneering effort in the realm of safety in India, especially in terms of strengthening grassroots safety culture. Our women employeesundergo rigorous and exacting training for months before qualifying as members of Agnivahini. Besides their role in supplementing the safety efforts at our operations, it is a matter of great pride for us that these women are equipping communities around us with the knowledge and basic skills required to be fire-safe. As India’s largest aluminium producer, we are cognizant of our social responsibilities and strive to fulfil them with utmost dedication and a commitment to the greater good of all.”
Agnivahini was conceptualized by Vedanta with the idea that women are integral to building a fire-safe culture. Given the rising incidence of fires all over the world, it is crucial thatpeople are aware of and adequately trained to first prevent and then combat fires. Although conceived to support the plant’s Fire Safety team in improving safety quotient of the operations, within a year of its inception, Agnivahini had evolved into a social change agent as well, working with the Jharsuguda community to make the district fire safe. Last year, they had sensitized nearly 1000 community members via on-ground training sessions and demonstrations on usage of fire extinguishers. This year, due to the ongoing pandemic, team Agnivahini is conducting the sessions virtually.
Residents of Debadihi village namely, Ashwini Pandey, Shanti Patel, Pratima Patel, Kulamani Nayak and Anita Sahu, penned a letter of appreciation on behalf of their community stating, “The fire safety awareness session organized by Vedanta was very informative and beneficial for all residents of our village. The biggest takeaway from the session was that instead of panicking during a fire hazard, prior knowledge of do’s and don’ts can help us save lives and valuables. We are very thankful for the session and hope that Vedanta continues to conduct more such awareness programs for us.”
Vedanta’s social interventions in the domains of sustainable livelihood, women empowerment, quality education, health, water and sanitation, bio-investment and community infrastructure reach out to a total of 72 villages in Jharsuguda and nearby areas, benefiting nearly 80,000 people in a year. It empowers more than 4000 women from over 335 SHGs, provides doorstep healthcare services to about 32,000 people annually, gives educational support to more than 6400 students, has planted more than 1.48 lakh trees in partnership with the community, and built 570 plus infrastructural projects at community level.
Vedanta is India’s largest producer of the greenmetal, aluminium, operating a world-class 1.6 MTPA aluminium smelter and 3615 MW thermal power generation facility in Jharsuguda, Odisha. The only Indian smelter in the global ‘1 Million Tonne’ production and export club, Vedanta Jharsuguda is a leader in value-added aluminium products that find critical applications across core industries. With one of the largest technically qualified and diverse workforces in the country, the company is working towards a sustainable and greener future for all by spurring emerging applications of aluminium, the ‘Metal of the Future’.
