Bhubaneswar: Vedanta Limited has been conferred with the “CSR Shining Star Award” under the category of Child Development for NandGhar, Vedanta Group’s flagship corporate social responsibility project. The recognition was given by the Honorable Governor of Maharashtra, Bhagat Singh Koshyari in an award ceremony held at the Raj Bhavan, Mumbai on 20th February 2021.
The award recognizes Vedanta’s efforts towards the holistic development and growth of children contributing towards building a stronger and healthier nation.
Speaking on receiving the award, Vedanta Director, Ms Priya Agarwal said: “I am honoured as well as humbled to receive the award for our NandGharsthat are transforming the lives of rural women and children across the country. We are committed to fulfilling Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s vision of eradicating child malnutrition, providing education and healthcare, and empowering rural women through skill development, and NandGhar will be the change agent for the same. I have no doubt in my mind that NandGhar will continue to create a better tomorrow for the children and their mothers at the grassroots level.”
The NandGhar journey began in 2015 with a vision to transform the lives of 8.5 crore children and 2 crore women across 13.7 lakh Anganwadis. A dream project of Vedanta Chairman, Shri Anil Agarwal, NandGhar is a network of model Anganwadis where the thrust is on inclusive development of children, women and local communities. The NandGhars are set up in collaboration with the Union Ministry of Women & Child Development.
With more than 2000 centres, the NandGhar project is now spread across 10 states – Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Odisha, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Karnataka, Punjab, Assam, Himachal Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh. The project aims to touch the lives of 4 milion community members while directly impacting around 2 lakh children and 1.8 lakh women on an annual basis.
NandGhars are equipped with solar panels to ensure 24 x 7 electricity, water purifiers, clean toilets and smart television sets, and have become a model resource centre for the local communities. Pre-school education is provided to children in the age group of 3-6 years. Nutritious meals and take-home rations are being provided for children, pregnant and lactating women. Primary healthcare services are rendered through mobile health vans and women are empowered through skilling, credit linkage and enterprise development.
