Community

We ensure that all our businesses are in compliance to all applicable regulations and we strive to uphold all labour rights. We ensure that we are aligned with a host of national and international regulations. All non-supervisory staff is covered under labour unions. We meet with representatives of labour unions at all sites to deliberate on their concerns and seek to reach win-win solutions. Our regular dialogues with the labour unions include discussion on matters such as remuneration, allowances, service conditions, employee health and safety. Our sites Copper India, VAL Lanjigarh and Jharsuguda do not have any non-supervisory staff.

All applicable policy and operational changes are communicated to all our employee representatives across our operations. Health and safety is covered under long-term settlements with the trade unions and its compliance is stringently monitored throughout the Group. Our Code of Conduct clearly states that we will operate in compliance to all laws and regulations including protection of fundamental human rights of all employees and no breach of Human Rights occur within our sphere of influence. Vedanta, as part of the metal and mining industry, supports the ICMM principles.

We train all employees on basic human rights as a part of our organisation’s Code of Conduct. We have processes in place to evaluate and monitor our operations for risks related to child, and forced labour. We follow zero tolerance to child labour and forced labour and this emphasised through our Code of Conduct. The majority of risks may arise from the contractual labour but we have put controls such as stringent record keeping, issuances of gate passes and ID proofs for age, to ensure that no such breaches occur. No incidents of any form of discrimination against any employee were reported.

Sustaining cohesive existence

Our work with the indigenous people like the Dongria Kondhs and the Kutia Kondhs at Lanjigarh has been customised around their needs and cultural veracity. The area of attention was on health and sanitation. Health was primarily preventive and curative through our MHUs and awareness camps. The sanitation drives were instrumental in providing clean environment to their individual houses, and the community at large. Besides Health and Sanitation, Child Care Centres (CCCs) were opened in the remotest villages for the overall development of children, wherein the children are provided nutritious food and a robust curriculum for learning. The women folk engaged in chores at home and outside were comfortable in leaving their children at the centre. Taking this a step further, the women were trained on aspects of sanitation and hygiene during our daily interactions.

Empowerment of men and women through SHGs has helped them develop new means of livelihood and enhance their area of expertise. Projects such as, construction of water harvesting structures, irrigation channels, and lift irrigation points has led to channelizing and managing natural resources. They practice traditional farming techniques with inputs on best agricultural practices from VAL. This unique combination has helped supplement traditional cropping patterns with unique initiatives of “Shasya Shilpa Abhiyan” (commercial vegetable cultivation) helping them enhance their income through the introduction of cash crops.

Further, Vedanta is in constant touch with the Dongria Kondh Development Agency (DKDA) to actively associate itself in the process of development of the resources of the Dongria Kondh including enhancing their quality of life and conservation of their culture. The DKDA, a Government of Orissa body has developed a comprehensive plan, which forms a part of India’s National Eleventh Five-year Plan running for the period from 2007 through 2012 to address these objectives. This plan has been developed based on priorities identified by the Gram Sabhas (council of local villagers) of 62 village resettlements and in consultation with the local NGOs as well as anthropologists familiar with the Dongria Kondh.