MINING AND INDUSTRIALISATION UPDATE, ORISSA - Vasundhara

opportunities,” company sources said.Vedanta has also started the‘Sasya Silpa Abhijan’ an initiative ofvegetable cultivation, run in collaborationwith the Asian Institute of SustainableDevelopment to give a boost to agriculturein the area. “On an area of 550 acres of land,nearly 500 farmers are participating in theproject as partners," said a senior official.“Although we bear the expenses forirrigation through a diesel pump set by us,yet the training and support provided byVedanta through this programme has helpedus a lot,” said Mr Dinanath Pangi, a farmer.Vedanta also offers various self-employmentschemes for residents of the villages nearbyand especially for the womenfolk. Womenself-help-groups have been started underpublic-private partnership in collaborationwith the district health department on theSwastha Parivar project. In a bid to widen itscorporate social responsibility, the Vedantagroup has also adopted 400Anganwadi centres in Kalahandi district andwill look after more than 40,000 children insome of the state’s most backward areas.“Vedanta has signed an MoU with the stategovernment and the Sterlite Foundation forthe adoptions,” said Vedanta groupspokesman Mr CV Krishnan. “As a part ofthe arrangement, every pre-school childaged between three and six years will beprovided a cooked meal of 300 calories atnoon. The company will also look after thehealth of the children through regular checkups and medicines,” he added.He further said that the company is alsoundertaking the beautification of theAnganwadis by erecting green boundaries,whitewashing buildings and providing seesawsand slides for the children.Furthermore incentives are being providedto Anganwadi workers. WhileAnganwadi workers receive Rs 250 permonth, each helper is given Rs 150 extra bythe company. “The same exercise will alsobe replicated in Jharsuguda,” MrKrishnan said. The total expenditure onchild welfare activities in the two districtswill be over Rs 15 crore, company officialsrevealed. In order to ensure that everythinggoes as per plan, the process will bereviewed by a committee headed by thedistrict collector, the local MLA and thechairman of panchayat samity, they said. MrKrishnan said that Vedanta further aims toimprove the electricity network, constructroads and develop better educational andhealthcare facilities.Gondia villagers retort use ofcrusher unitsStatesman News ServiceBHUBANESWAR, July 14: A section ofthe villagers of Gondia are waging a battleagainst the crusher units that have sproutedin the region causing pollution and makingtheir lives miserable.Undeterred by the odds that are heavilyloaded against them, the villagers haveformed an ‘Anchalika Sangram Samity’ tocarry forward their struggle. A fewinfluential ruling party leaders have joinedhands with crusher unit owners and areminting money at the cost of people's lives,crops and forest land, charged thesamity members.Talking to reporters hererecently, people of Nihalprasad area saidthey have even moved the law courts andobtained favourable orders. Yet theadministration is unable to check or enforcethe rule of law in the area, they alleged.Though the High Court, while hearing aPIL filed by a local villager, has issued astay-order forbidding the operation ofcertain crusher units, the owners defy and inconnivance with certain political leaderscontinue their operations, charged thesamity president Mr Gokulananda Sahoo.The crusher units have caused serious healthhazards for the locals. Many locals havebeen affected with asthma, TB andeye diseases from dust particles.Agricultural fields have been adverselyaffected, Mr Sahoo alleged. The level ofground water has also gone down, bringinguntold misery. Similarly, acoustic capacityof many people has decreased by the regularexplosion of gunpowder for wagon drilling,11