Vedanta holds first CSR advisory board meet

Kalinga Times cited Mr SB Mishra former Chief Secretary of Odisha while addressing at the first Corporate Social Responsibility advisory body meeting of Vedanta Aluminium Limited that “Vedanta is already doing a remarkable performance in its CSR activities and it should come with more such initiatives in the near future.” Noted writer Ms Pratibha Ray also expressed her satisfaction over the CSR initiatives of Vedanta and advised the company authorities to lay more emphasis towards development and empowerment of women in the plant locations. She particularly gave thrust on Actor Mr Bijay Mohanty and others at the meeting women taking up higher responsibilities in society and that all the trainings should not be confined to only basic subjects. Veteran actor Mr Bijay Mohanty expressed his willingness to visit the plant locations along with the other members and wanted to personally interact with the localities so that the realistic need analysis can be made. The meeting was convened by Mr M Siddiqi Whole Time Director & CEO of Vedanta Aluminium Sector. Mr Siddiqi said that “Vedanta always strives for improving the living standards of the people on a sustainable basis. The efforts of the company have started showing result on the ground. But this is only the beginning. The wealth of expertise and experience of the Advisory Board Members will carry our CSR efforts to greater heights and show us the right direction.” As per report, the advisory board comprises of 10 honorary members belonging to the elite section of society. The members on the board include Mr PK Jena chairman of Institute of Advance Technology & Environmental Studies, Mr SB Mishra and Sahadev Sahoo both former chief secretaries of Government of Orissa, Mr ON Mohanty vice chancellor of Biju Patnaik University of Technology, Mr AB Tripathy retired director general of Police, Mr AB Ota director SC &ST Research and Development Centre, Government of Orissa, actor Mr Bijay Mohanty, besides three women of repute Ms Rita Ray professor, Department of Sociology of Utkal University, Ms Namita Panda chairperson State Women Commission and writer Ms Pratibha Ray. All the 10 members of the board attended the meeting today and shared their thoughts on CSR with the top Management of Vedanta Group. According to the company, the advisory board is meant to act as a bridge between the company and the people of Odisha. The board will regularly monitor the CSR initiatives of the company and would ensure that the benefits of CSR efforts reach out to the society at large.