Jharsuguda: Vedanta Aluminium, India’s largest producer of aluminium and value-added products, has deployed ‘Baaz’, a newly constituted all-women Quick Reaction Team (QRT) for stepping up plant & people security. This special task force consists women security professionals who are trained in martial arts to serve as the first responders in case of any unforeseen circumstance. Baaz QRT will also have access to state-of-the-art gadgets and surveillance equipment to monitor the plant premises and ensure a safe working environment for all.
Congratulating all members of Baaz, Mr. Deepak Prasad, Dy. CEO – Vedanta Ltd., Jharsuguda, said, “In a traditionally male dominated industry like manufacturing, we take great pride in having one of the highest gender diversity ratios in the country. At Vedanta Jharsuguda, we consider every role to be gender-neutral, which has led to women leading all facets of our core functions, ranging from operations & maintenance, to security, R&D, and firefighting. This has fostered a culture built on the tenets of meritocracy and excellence, and enables us to build a vibrant and inclusive environment that allows our greatest asset – our people – to thrive. Our Baaz QRT, consisting of women from Odisha itself, will act as trailblazers and serve as an inspiration to all.”
Elated to be a part of the task force, Ms. Nagma Manharcur, said, “I am proud to be a member of Baaz. Vedanta’s company’s efforts and commitment to assign empowering job roles to women is appreciable, and I am determined to play an integral part in ensuring robust security at Vedanta Jharsuguda operations.”
An equal opportunity employer, Vedanta’s value system epitomizes the two fundamental pillars – diversity and inclusion. Some of the best practices, highlights and notable initiatives in the company, which enable women to deliver their best are:
All job roles at Vedanta Jharsuguda’s value-chain are gender-agnostic. Currently, Vedanta Jharsuguda’s operations employ more than 366 direct women professionals and 352 indirect female employees in functions like Smelter and Power operations, Safety, Infrastructure, Commercial, Marketing, Innovation, Logistics, and many more.
In its latest initiative to build a pipeline of future women leaders, Vedanta has launched V-LEAD (Diversity Development Programme) to identify highly potential women candidates early on and groom them into leadership roles. The company’s V-REACH programme seeks to identify and develop young leaders from the graduate employees’ cadre and map them to significantly elevated roles.
At Jharsuguda, Vedanta has also formed an all-women fire-fighting team ‘Agnivahini’, who have been meticulously trained to act effectively and efficiently in emergency situations.
Subhalaxmi Co-operative, Vedanta’s marquee project in sustainable livelihood and women empowerment at Jharsuguda, is one of India’s largest women co-operatives with a membership base of more than 4100 women. It promotes sustainable livelihood opportunities among rural women, creating avenues for entrepreneurship through skill development and microfinance support.
Vedanta is India’s largest producer of the green metal, aluminium, operating a world-class 1.6 MTPA aluminium smelter and 3615 MW thermal power generation facility in Jharsuguda, Odisha. The only Indian smelter in the global ‘1 Million Tonne’ production and export club, Vedanta Jharsuguda is a leader in value-added aluminium products that find critical applications across core industries. With its state-of-the-art facilities, unparalleled engineering prowess, R&D and innovation abilities, Vedanta Jharsuguda is working towards a sustainable and greener future for all by spurring emerging applications of aluminium, the ‘Metal of the Future’.
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