COVID-19 Aid: Vedanta’s Lanjigarh refinery helps farmers with good quality seeds for cultivation

According to a recent report, Vedanta’s Lanjigarh alumina refinery has further lent a helping hand in a bid to mitigate the effects of COVID-19. This time, the refinery has provided seeds to the needy peasants in the area to help them develop a vegetable cultivation plan, said a company official.

He also said that in the fight against the global pandemic, the Lanjigarh alumina refinery is constantly striving to restore and sustain the livelihoods of the local communities.

Under this new initiative, the refinery is ensuring the availability of good quality seeds of bitter gourd, cowpea, ridge gourd, etc. to the local farmers, who are adversely affected by the COVID-19. For this initiative, Vedanta has collaborated with the Agriculture and Horticulture Department of the state, according to the report.

The team has already reached out to over 100 farmers in nearby villages such as Kadamguda, Balabhadrapur, Harekrushnapur, Chhatrapur, Bundel, Kapaguda, Kenduguda, Dengsargi, and Basantpada.

Commenting on this initiative, Rahul Sharma, CEO Alumina Business, said: “We are committed to enabling our communities to become self-reliant and self- sufficient. As part of this endeavour, we have perceived the need to support the farmers in the areas around our operations to help restore their livelihood.”

He also said, “We are closely working with the government alongside our people and partners to emerge from these trying times stronger together.”

Besides this endeavour, Vedanta also got over 1 lakh washable cloth masks prepared through local self-help groups and distributed them free of cost to the communities in tandem with the district administration.

According to another recent report, Vedanta’s various initiatives to ensure safety and prevention measures to fight against COVID-19 have reached over 7 lakh people in Odisha.