Team News Riveting
Balconagar, March 17
Bharat Aluminium Company (BALCO), India’s iconic aluminium producer, organized Unnati Mahotsav to commemorate International Women’s Day, and increase awareness about its women empowerment project ‘Unnati’.
More than 500 women from various Self-Help Groups (SHGs) established by BALCO participated in the event. Nine women and four girls were felicitated for their outstanding achievement at the state and national level.
Ms. Amita Shriwas from Janjgir (Champa) and Ms. Ankita Gupta from Kabirdham were felicitated for their remarkable contribution at national and international level in the field of mountaineering. The duo are the recipients of ‘Chhattisgarh Veerni Puraskar’ as well. Ms. Tulika Pandey from Raipur was felicitated for her contribution in the field of entrepreneurship for manufacturing agricultural equipment.
Besides, 10 women from different rural areas of Korba were felicitated for their achievements in domains like entrepreneurship, health awareness, skill development etc. The awarded women expressed their gratitude towards BALCO’s endeavors that have made a positive impact in their lives and have enabled them to bust the myths and break the barriers.
The event also saw BALCO collaborate with the district administration to disseminate information regarding balanced diet, health and hygiene and legal rights of women. Under project Unnati, BALCO is enabling women from local communities to become financially independent, by working in areas such as strengthening Self Help Groups (SHGs) and capacity building, financial inclusion, microenterprises and development of federation model. Till date, the project has benefitted over 4800 women of 450 SHGs.
Speaking about Project Unnati, Abhijit Pati, CEO and Director, BALCO, said, “We are committed to transforming our communities for better. BALCO is proud to be a facilitator in the skill development and financial empowerment of women from our local communities, through Project Unnati. This will also enable their inclusion in the socio-economic mainstream, and give them avenues to contribute towards the growth and progress of their families, society and nation.”
Rex Mehta, CEO, GPRS, implementing agency of Project Unnati said, “Project Unnati under BALCO CSR is a successful example of CSR initiative in the industry. The project is based on four pillars of financial inclusion, economic independence, social empowerment and group empowerment of women in the community.”
BALCO is owned 49 per cent by the Government of India and 51 per cent by Vedanta Limited. BALCO is part of Vedanta’s Aluminium Business, a division of Vedanta Limited, which is India’s largest manufacturer of aluminium. BALCO operates a 0.57 million tonne per annum aluminium smelter in Korba, Chhattisgarh. It is also a leader in value-added aluminium products that find critical applications in core industries. With its world-class smelter and power plants, the company fulfills its mission of spurring emerging applications of aluminium as the ‘Metal of the Future’ for a greener tomorrow.
