Giving Back at Vedanta: Ushering Social Change

Way before Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) became mandatory in India, Vedanta was at the forefront of sustainable development, philanthropy and nation-building.

Through the Anil Agarwal Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Vedanta, the Group has pledged Rs. 5000 crores over the next five years with a vision of “empowering communities, transforming lives, and facilitating nation-building through sustainable and inclusive growth”. The Company has always believed in the ethos of giving back to society and remains fully committed to its mission of transforming lives, empowering communities, and achieving sustainable and inclusive growth for the nation.

In the words of Chairman, Vedanta Group, Mr. Anil Agarwal, “Vedanta’s ethos is deeply embedded in promoting the development of communities it operates in and has always found its purpose in giving back to society by positively impacting lives through healthcare, education, skilling, and livelihood.”

True to its mission statement – Transforming for Good - Vedanta has touched many lives and positively impacted their overall health and well-being. In the last 5 years alone, the Foundation has spent around Rs. 2000 crores towards socio-economic development in India and touched the lives of around 42.3 million people across close to 1300 villages in the country. The foundation has also pledged Rs 5,000 crore over next 5 years to strengthen the rural communities through a sustainable and inclusive growth model.

Key Initiatives:
For decades Vedanta has dedicated itself and significantly contributed towards nation-building, social welfare and environmental development. While CSR is at the very core of our ethos, we have always worked towards inclusive growth and ensured the fruits of development reach even the least fortunate.

• 1. Vedanta's flagship project, Nand Ghar, is the dream project of Chairman Mr. Anil Agarwal. Nand Ghar aims to transform the lives of 7 cr. children and 2 crore women with 3600+ centres across 13 states in India and is the flagship project of the Anil Agarwal Foundation that began in 2016. The Nand Ghar initiative has won many accolades and appreciation from the Government of India. The initiative is transforming the lives of crores of children and women across India with a focus on providing good health, quality education, clean water, sanitation, affordable and clean energy and zero hunger with nutrition. The primary beneficiaries of this project are pregnant mothers and children aged 0-6 years.
• 2. TACO is a first-of-its-kind animal welfare project which will provide world-class infrastructure, veterinary services, training facilities, and animal shelters . The project aims for “A compassionate India where every animal lives with dignity and respect” and caters to the needs of stray and domesticated animals. Priya Agarwal Hebbar, Non-Executive Director, Vedanta Limited shares, “TACO aims to set up a sustainable and scalable ecosystem for the well-being of animals, in collaboration with global and national academic institutions and knowledge partners.”
• 3. Balco Medical Centre: A 170-bed, state-of-the-art oncology facility in Naya Raipur aims to prevent, control, and eradicate cancer and related illnesses. Since its inception in 2018, Balco Medical Centre has already touched over 1.45 Lakh lives. During the COVID-19 second wave, this medical centre was at the forefront of meeting the healthcare needs of the people.
• 4. Vedanta Skilling: Vedanta Foundation runs three colleges and one school that are focused on providing quality education for students from less-privileged communities. Its flagship ‘Vedanta Rojgar Yojana’ programme trains, provides certifications, and extends job-placement assistance to unemployed youth. Vedanta Foundation has trained more than 1.4 million youth through its 170 Vocational Training Centres across the nation in the past 27 years. In response to the large-scale unemployment, the Vocational Training Program was revamped into the Employment-Linked Skill Training Program. With this background, Skill Training Centres under Vedanta Rojgar Yojana enable youth to find good employment. The project aims to alleviate poverty, unemployment, and inequality.
• 5. Vedanta Sports: Vedanta has launched several sporting initiatives, particularly in football that aims at transforming lives and encouraging grassroots-level sports. The mission is to provide equal sporting opportunities and a platform for every aspiring football player, without discrimination. The initiative’s ultimate goal is to take Indian football to newer heights and establish it internationally. Three para-athletes supported by Project Divyang represented India at Tokyo Olympics 2020 and brought home two medals at the international multi sports event.