CSR at BALCO
At BALCO, the socio-economic development of communities is an integral part of the business. In 2021, we transformed the lives of about 0.15 mn people through our CSR programmes, covering 117 villages across 3 districts of Chhattisgarh viz. Korba, Kawardha and Surguja. Our approach to CSR is to forge multi-stakeholder partnerships with like-minded institutions, connected by a common core value of ‘trust’. Through such partnerships, stakeholders like government, civil society, business, academia, and local communities can come together to create a synergistic action for a sustainable future. We believe this will enhance value in the social development effort.
Impact Created
117
Villages in 3 districts of Chhattisgarh benefitted
0.15 mn
People outreached (FY’21)
56,000 +
Villagers benefitted (FY’21)
An overview of our CSR activities
Project Connect
Project Connect is aimed at leveraging employee volunteerism to address the community's need for quality education, especially for classes 8th to 12th in Science, English and Mathematics.
Vedanta Skill School
BALCO, in collaboration with Learnet Skills Limited, established Vedanta Skill School in 2011 at three locations - Korba, Mainpat, and Kawardha.
Aarogya
Project Aarogya is a comprehensive health initiative that aims to support the community with interventions in Primary Health Care and awareness on various seasonal and non-seasonal diseases.
Menstrual Health Management
BALCO's Menstrual Health Management project is designed to generate awareness on hygienic menstrual practices amongst women and adolescent girls.
Project Unnati
Project Unnati is a mission to empower rural women to make use of the choices, opportunities and spaces available in the economic and social spheres.
Land and Water Management
This project mainly focuses on improving the
surface
water
management with existing resources, augmenting irrigation
facilities, equipping
farmers with latest farming techniques & promoting
multi-cropping.
COVID 19
BALCO committed itself to the national cause and reached out to communities to help them meet their immediate needs in terms of meals, dry ration, preventive health care, etc.
CSR at Our Businesses
COVID 19
COVID 19
COVID 19 has affected all spheres of life in the country and the world at large. Despite all challenges, BALCO committed itself to the national cause and reached out to communities to help them meet their immediate needs in terms of meals, dry ration, preventive health care, etc. BALCO has been at the forefront of the battle to combat the COVID 19 pandemic. The first stage of engagement included awareness generation and relief measures against COVID 19. The second stage included protection against the virus and cure for those affected.
Impact created
- 1,190 families reached to distribute dry ration
- 12,000 cooked meals distributed to families of daily wage earners
- 100 bedded COVID 19 care facility was established at ESIC Hospital in collaboration with District Administration
- 1,000 PPE kits were given to AIIMS Raipur
- 7,500+ families in 6 Panchayats were reached to distribute sanitisation kits
- 29 communities were reached to distribute pamphlets
- 29 villages had awareness activities conducted about Do’s & Don’ts through audio campaigns
- 22 Villages and 11 urban communities had continuous sanitization drives
- 15,000+ masks procured through SHG women, helping them earn INR 75,000
Education
Project Connect
Project Connect is aimed at leveraging employee volunteerism to address the community’s need for quality education, especially for classes 8th to 12th in Science, English, and Mathematics. Initiated in 2016, the project provides an engagement opportunity for its employees to teach underprivileged students. About 200 students are being reached through this initiative.
In FY'21, with the onset of Covid 19, e-modules were developed for students in classes 8th to 12th. We also launched a mobile application & YouTube channel (Shiksha Mitra) for online study.
The project is currently being run in partnership with Sarthak Jan Vikas Sansthan.
Education
Vedanta Skill School
The surging Indian economy requires considerable manpower to maintain the momentum of growth, especially from rural India. The Korba region of Chhattisgarh predominantly has a tribal population, with more than 60% of youth engaged in traditional jobs with unstable income. Aiming to address this need gap, BALCO, in collaboration with Learnet Skills Limited, established Vedanta Skill School in 2011 at three locations - Korba, Mainpat, and Kawardha.
This is a centralised skill school that aims to impart vocational training free of cost to rural youth and link them with employment opportunities. The training module has been designed as per the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) guidelines, with the youth being trained in 6 different trades- welding, fitter, hospitality, SMO, solar PV technician, and electrician. In addition to training, food, accommodation, and transportation are also provided free of cost to the trainees. So far more than 9,000 youths have been trained with 70% placement.
The project is currently being run in partnership with Learnet Skills Limited.
Impact created
- 9000 number of youths trained
- 70% placement rate achieved
- 172 youth have been trained and 47 have been placed (FY'21)
Health
Aarogya
Project Aarogya is a comprehensive health initiative that aims to support the community with interventions in Primary Health Care and awareness on various seasonal and non-seasonal diseases. Special emphasis is laid on Malaria, TB, HIV, Maternal & Child Health to create a community which is free from diseases. In FY’21 we reached out to more than 24,000 people through this project.
The following activities are centered around BALCO’s plant location covering 31 communities:
- Rural Health Post (RHP) - 5 Rural Health Posts were established in 2009 to make Primary Health Care services easily accessible for people from 117 surrounding villages. Annual footfall in these RHPs is around 6,000-8,000.
- Health Camps - Periodic health camps help reach out to the remotest of areas and cater to the community's healthcare needs.
- HIV - As Korba is an industrial hub, migrant workers come here from all parts of India and many engage in unsafe sexual practices. Hence, we have deployed an awareness campaign for HIV prevention & testing. Under this campaign, we also conduct community meetings, canopy camps, and mass-scale camps on HIV Day to ensure that the message reaches a wide range of audiences, especially the high-risk groups.
- TB - Awareness on TB prevention, testing, and medication are done through group meetings in the community through IEC material. People are also connected to TB testing and the DOTS (Directly Observant Treatment Short Course) center for the treatment of TB.
- Maternal & Child Health - Coordination with local health workers such as Mitanins & ANMs, to connect pregnant ladies with pre-natal vaccinations. Institutional deliveries are also promoted along with infant care.
The project is currently being run in partnership with the Social Revival Group for Urban Rural & Tribal (SROUT)
Impact created
- 24,000+ beneficiaries under Project Aarogya in FY’21
- 5,000 people were benefited through RHP OPD in FY’21
- 12,000 people were reached during HIV awareness week.
- 1,689 beneficiaries were reached through Community level awareness programmes on Maternal & Child Health and HIV
Health
Menstrual Health Management
Menstrual health is an issue around which there are a lot of stigmas and dogmas in the community. BALCO’s Menstrual Health Management project is designed to generate awareness on hygienic menstrual practices amongst women and adolescent girls. In FY’21, we reached out to 24,000 women and adolescent girls through door-to-door awareness programmes and sensitization activities. To ensure active participation and support in bringing about behavioural change in the community and the sustainability of the project, we created two groups - one group comprised of adolescent girls and the other group comprised of local stakeholders, SHG women, local health workers, etc. Overall, communities in villages have been sensitized through group meetings, rallies, Nukkad Nataks, and so on.
The project is currently being run in partnership with Sarthak Jan Vikas Sansthan.
Impact created
- 24,000 women and adolescent girls have been reached through door-to-door awareness programmes in FY’21
- 500+ women participated in celebrations on International Menstrual Health & Hygiene Day, conducted through an online platform where more than 18 adolescent girls’ groups were connected through digital platforms
- 29 villages were reached to distribute hygiene kits to adolescent girls
- 75% of women/ girls have started using sanitary napkins (as per the impact assessment study)
- 85% of male community members have started discussing menstruation (as per the impact assessment study)
Women Empowerment
Project Unnati
This objective is being achieved by assisting these women in creating an effective framework of self-help groups that will enable them to access micro-finance services, engage in remunerative and sustainable livelihood activities, and empower them economically and socially. The project is designed to mobilise these women SHGs and handhold them to grow through various stages of organisational strengthening and capacity building for co-designing and co-developing local enterprises, creating sustainable livelihoods for themselves.
Initiated in 2016, Unnati constitutes 393 SHGs with a membership of 4,292 women from 29 villages. Project Unnati is a mission to empower rural women to make use of the choices, opportunities and spaces available in the economic and social spheres. Another part of this project is Income Generation Activities (IGA) to provide sustainable livelihood opportunities to these women. In addition, we have also established Mushroom Unit & Textile Production where 1,510 women have been engaged.
The project is currently being run in partnership with Drishtee Foundation.
Impact created
- 393 SHGs with 4,292 members
- 1,510 women have been engaged in income generation activities like mushroom cultivation, spawn production, textile production, art & craft, etc.
- In FY’20 a spawn unit and a textile unit were set up to provide livelihood opportunities to women, and in FY’21 these two units collectively generated an annual turnover of INR 1.3 mn for 138 women.
- 751 women have started their microenterprise of mushroom cultivation and collectively had an annual turnover of INR 1.9 mn in FY’21.
Livelihood
Land and Water Management
Agriculture is the backbone of the economy in most of our neighboring communities. Given the pre-eminence of agriculture for sustainable local livelihoods, the flagship Land & Water Management Project was launched in 2012 to ensure sustainable livelihood through integrated water and farming systems.
This project mainly focuses on improving the surface water management with existing resources, augmenting irrigation facilities, equipping farmers with latest farming techniques & promoting multi-cropping. This has reduced the dependence of communities on rainfall for agriculture, secured the Kharif crop, and also helped to grow cash crops in the Rabi season. Overall, the project has contributed to increasing the farmer's produce.
The project was implemented in three phases:
- Phase 1 - Project Jalgram - was implemented between FY’13-FY’16. It focused on improving surface water management with existing resources and augmenting irrigation facilities.
- Phase 2 - Project Climate Change - was initiated in FY’17 to equip farmers with the latest farming techniques.
- Phase 3 was initiated in FY’20 and is directed towards promoting multi-cropping, diversification of crops, and institutionalizing.
The project is currently being run in partnership with Action for Food Production (AFPRO).
Impact created
- 790 families benefitted (till-date)
- 739 acres of land under cultivation, including 100 acres added in FY’21
- 803 acres of land brought under secured irrigation, doubling the paddy cultivation
- 470 Farmers adopted multiple cropping patterns
- 450 Farmers practicing modern farming techniques
- Average annual income increased to INR 72,000
COVID 19
COVID 19
COVID 19 has affected all spheres of life in the country and the world at large. Despite all challenges, BALCO committed itself to the national cause and reached out to communities to help them meet their immediate needs in terms of meals, dry ration, preventive health care, etc. BALCO has been at the forefront of the battle to combat the COVID 19 pandemic. The first stage of engagement included awareness generation and relief measures against COVID 19. The second stage included protection against the virus and cure for those affected.
Impact created
- 1,190 families reached to distribute dry ration
- 12,000 cooked meals distributed to families of daily wage earners
- 100 bedded COVID 19 care facility was established at ESIC Hospital in collaboration with District Administration
- 1,000 PPE kits were given to AIIMS Raipur
- 7,500+ families in 6 Panchayats were reached to distribute sanitisation kits
- 29 communities were reached to distribute pamphlets
- 29 villages had awareness activities conducted about Do’s & Don’ts through audio campaigns
- 22 Villages and 11 urban communities had continuous sanitization drives
- 15,000+ masks procured through SHG women, helping them earn INR 75,000
Education
Project Connect
Project Connect is aimed at leveraging employee volunteerism to address the community’s need for quality education, especially for classes 8th to 12th in Science, English, and Mathematics. Initiated in 2016, the project provides an engagement opportunity for its employees to teach underprivileged students. About 200 students are being reached through this initiative.
In FY'21, with the onset of Covid 19, e-modules were developed for students in classes 8th to 12th. We also launched a mobile application & YouTube channel (Shiksha Mitra) for online study.
The project is currently being run in partnership with Sarthak Jan Vikas Sansthan.
Education
Vedanta Skill School
The surging Indian economy requires considerable manpower to maintain the momentum of growth, especially from rural India. The Korba region of Chhattisgarh predominantly has a tribal population, with more than 60% of youth engaged in traditional jobs with unstable income. Aiming to address this need gap, BALCO, in collaboration with Learnet Skills Limited, established Vedanta Skill School in 2011 at three locations - Korba, Mainpat, and Kawardha.
This is a centralised skill school that aims to impart vocational training free of cost to rural youth and link them with employment opportunities. The training module has been designed as per the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) guidelines, with the youth being trained in 6 different trades- welding, fitter, hospitality, SMO, solar PV technician, and electrician. In addition to training, food, accommodation, and transportation are also provided free of cost to the trainees. So far more than 9,000 youths have been trained with 70% placement.
The project is currently being run in partnership with Learnet Skills Limited.
Impact created
- 9000 number of youths trained
- 70% placement rate achieved
- 172 youth have been trained and 47 have been placed (FY'21)
Health
Aarogya
Project Aarogya is a comprehensive health initiative that aims to support the community with interventions in Primary Health Care and awareness on various seasonal and non-seasonal diseases. Special emphasis is laid on Malaria, TB, HIV, Maternal & Child Health to create a community which is free from diseases. In FY’21 we reached out to more than 24,000 people through this project.
The following activities are centered around BALCO’s plant location covering 31 communities:
- Rural Health Post (RHP) - 5 Rural Health Posts were established in 2009 to make Primary Health Care services easily accessible for people from 117 surrounding villages. Annual footfall in these RHPs is around 6,000-8,000.
- Health Camps - Periodic health camps help reach out to the remotest of areas and cater to the community's healthcare needs.
- HIV - As Korba is an industrial hub, migrant workers come here from all parts of India and many engage in unsafe sexual practices. Hence, we have deployed an awareness campaign for HIV prevention & testing. Under this campaign, we also conduct community meetings, canopy camps, and mass-scale camps on HIV Day to ensure that the message reaches a wide range of audiences, especially the high-risk groups.
- TB - Awareness on TB prevention, testing, and medication are done through group meetings in the community through IEC material. People are also connected to TB testing and the DOTS (Directly Observant Treatment Short Course) center for the treatment of TB.
- Maternal & Child Health - Coordination with local health workers such as Mitanins & ANMs, to connect pregnant ladies with pre-natal vaccinations. Institutional deliveries are also promoted along with infant care.
The project is currently being run in partnership with the Social Revival Group for Urban Rural & Tribal (SROUT)
Impact created
- 24,000+ beneficiaries under Project Aarogya in FY’21
- 5,000 people were benefited through RHP OPD in FY’21
- 12,000 people were reached during HIV awareness week.
- 1,689 beneficiaries were reached through Community level awareness programmes on Maternal & Child Health and HIV
Health
Menstrual Health Management
Menstrual health is an issue around which there are a lot of stigmas and dogmas in the community. BALCO’s Menstrual Health Management project is designed to generate awareness on hygienic menstrual practices amongst women and adolescent girls. In FY’21, we reached out to 24,000 women and adolescent girls through door-to-door awareness programmes and sensitization activities. To ensure active participation and support in bringing about behavioural change in the community and the sustainability of the project, we created two groups - one group comprised of adolescent girls and the other group comprised of local stakeholders, SHG women, local health workers, etc. Overall, communities in villages have been sensitized through group meetings, rallies, Nukkad Nataks, and so on.
The project is currently being run in partnership with Sarthak Jan Vikas Sansthan.
Impact created
- 24,000 women and adolescent girls have been reached through door-to-door awareness programmes in FY’21
- 500+ women participated in celebrations on International Menstrual Health & Hygiene Day, conducted through an online platform where more than 18 adolescent girls’ groups were connected through digital platforms
- 29 villages were reached to distribute hygiene kits to adolescent girls
- 75% of women/ girls have started using sanitary napkins (as per the impact assessment study)
- 85% of male community members have started discussing menstruation (as per the impact assessment study)
Women Empowerment
Project Unnati
This objective is being achieved by assisting these women in creating an effective framework of self-help groups that will enable them to access micro-finance services, engage in remunerative and sustainable livelihood activities, and empower them economically and socially. The project is designed to mobilise these women SHGs and handhold them to grow through various stages of organisational strengthening and capacity building for co-designing and co-developing local enterprises, creating sustainable livelihoods for themselves.
Initiated in 2016, Unnati constitutes 393 SHGs with a membership of 4,292 women from 29 villages. Project Unnati is a mission to empower rural women to make use of the choices, opportunities and spaces available in the economic and social spheres. Another part of this project is Income Generation Activities (IGA) to provide sustainable livelihood opportunities to these women. In addition, we have also established Mushroom Unit & Textile Production where 1,510 women have been engaged.
The project is currently being run in partnership with Drishtee Foundation.
Impact created
- 393 SHGs with 4,292 members
- 1,510 women have been engaged in income generation activities like mushroom cultivation, spawn production, textile production, art & craft, etc.
- In FY’20 a spawn unit and a textile unit were set up to provide livelihood opportunities to women, and in FY’21 these two units collectively generated an annual turnover of INR 1.3 mn for 138 women.
- 751 women have started their microenterprise of mushroom cultivation and collectively had an annual turnover of INR 1.9 mn in FY’21.
Livelihood
Land and Water Management
Agriculture is the backbone of the economy in most of our neighboring communities. Given the pre-eminence of agriculture for sustainable local livelihoods, the flagship Land & Water Management Project was launched in 2012 to ensure sustainable livelihood through integrated water and farming systems.
This project mainly focuses on improving the surface water management with existing resources, augmenting irrigation facilities, equipping farmers with latest farming techniques & promoting multi-cropping. This has reduced the dependence of communities on rainfall for agriculture, secured the Kharif crop, and also helped to grow cash crops in the Rabi season. Overall, the project has contributed to increasing the farmer's produce.
The project was implemented in three phases:
- Phase 1 - Project Jalgram - was implemented between FY’13-FY’16. It focused on improving surface water management with existing resources and augmenting irrigation facilities.
- Phase 2 - Project Climate Change - was initiated in FY’17 to equip farmers with the latest farming techniques.
- Phase 3 was initiated in FY’20 and is directed towards promoting multi-cropping, diversification of crops, and institutionalizing.
The project is currently being run in partnership with Action for Food Production (AFPRO).
Impact created
- 790 families benefitted (till-date)
- 739 acres of land under cultivation, including 100 acres added in FY’21
- 803 acres of land brought under secured irrigation, doubling the paddy cultivation
- 470 Farmers adopted multiple cropping patterns
- 450 Farmers practicing modern farming techniques
- Average annual income increased to INR 72,000
COVID 19
COVID 19
COVID 19 has affected all spheres of life in the country and the world at large. Despite all challenges, BALCO committed itself to the national cause and reached out to communities to help them meet their immediate needs in terms of meals, dry ration, preventive health care, etc. BALCO has been at the forefront of the battle to combat the COVID 19 pandemic. The first stage of engagement included awareness generation and relief measures against COVID 19. The second stage included protection against the virus and cure for those affected.
Impact created
- 1,190 families reached to distribute dry ration
- 12,000 cooked meals distributed to families of daily wage earners
- 100 bedded COVID 19 care facility was established at ESIC Hospital in collaboration with District Administration
- 1,000 PPE kits were given to AIIMS Raipur
- 7,500+ families in 6 Panchayats were reached to distribute sanitisation kits
- 29 communities were reached to distribute pamphlets
- 29 villages had awareness activities conducted about Do’s & Don’ts through audio campaigns
- 22 Villages and 11 urban communities had continuous sanitization drives
- 15,000+ masks procured through SHG women, helping them earn INR 75,000