Vedanta's social development initiatives impacted lives of 4.23 crore people in FY21

New Delhi: Vedanta Ltd, one of the world's largest natural resources companies has positively impacted the lives of 4.23 crore people across the country through its various social development initiatives, the company announced in its maiden Social Impact - CSR report released today. Over the years, Vedanta has built many impactful CSR programs in India and is considered one of the most socially responsible corporates in the country.

The company spent Rs 331 crores in the last financial year on various CSR activities with focus on pandemic relief works, children's well-being & education, women empowerment, health care, sustainable agriculture & animal welfare, market linked skilling of youth, environment protection & restoration, development of community infrastructure among others.

The comprehensive social impact report lays out Vedanta's CSR policy including the aims and objectives, implementation and audit guidelines as well as the activities being carried out across 56 promiment projects across the country in various sectors including education, sustainable livelihoods, health, skilling, women empowerment, environment, sports, water, sanitation and community development.

Earlier this year, Vedanta announced the social development roadmap through the Anil Agarwal Foundation (AAF) and pledged Rs 5,000 crore as part of their Give Back towards its rural upliftment programs. AAF's 'Swasth Gaon Abhiyaan', will provide end-to-end healthcare services across 1,000 villages in 12 states, impacting the lives of more than 2 million people.

AAF is also running its flagship Nand Ghar program, in partnership with the Ministry of Women & Child Development (MoWCD), that aims to provide critical access to nutrition, healthcare, education and women empowerment. Around 2400 Nand Ghars have been set up across 11 states with the vision of transforming the lives of 7 crore children and 2 crore women across 13.7 lakh Anganwadis in India.

On the occasion of the release of the report, Vedanta Resources Chairman Anil Agarwal, said, "Over the years, Vedanta has been positively impacting lives, through healthcare, education, skilling, and livelihood providing inclusive development of our communities and developed trust with our communities. We will continue to scale this up as much as possible .

Vedanta Resources Director Priya Agarwal Hebbar said the company has built over the years one of the most impactful CSR programmes in India, but this time around the company went beyond its scope of traditional activities with a stronger focus on protecting lives during the pandemic.