Empowering women is not just about uplifting individuals. Rather, it is about transforming entire communities. In India, where women’s participation in the economy remains one of the most powerful levers of growth, socio-economic barriers often stand in the way. In the remote district of Kalahandi, Odisha, Vedanta Aluminium, India’s largest producer of aluminium, is quietly dismantling these barriers through its flagship women empowerment initiative, Project Sakhi.
Since its inception in 2015, Project Sakhi has sparked a quiet revolution. More than 4,600 women across 444 self-help groups (SHG) have mobilised over ₹5 crore in financial support. This has enabled them to launch and grow grassroots enterprises. Women who once struggled with poverty – leave alone having any exposure to financial systems – are now entrepreneurs, decision-makers, and community leaders. Project Sakhi has become a movement that helps women reimagine their roles. They are not just contributors to household income, but also CEOs of their own lives!
From Livelihoods to Leadership
At the heart of the project lies a simple idea: Build women’s capacity to earn independently and give them access to resources that can unlock entrepreneurship. Project Sakhi weaves together financial literacy, access to credit, vocational training, and collective leadership. Women are encouraged to explore both farm-based and non-farm-based income opportunities. These opportunities include mushroom cultivation and goat-rearing to grocery shops, food processing units, and even small service ventures such as printing facilities. By coupling skill development with financial support, the project ensures women do not just start businesses. They also sustain them.
The impact of this approach has been significant. Last year alone, nearly ₹3.84 crore was mobilised from banks and financial institutions for SHGs in the region. This benefited more than a thousand women. These micro-enterprises are providing stable incomes and creating ripple effects in local economies, with new jobs, markets, and opportunities emerging around them. Over time, Project Sakhi has enabled more than 1,880 women to launch over 1,300 small ventures. This reshapes livelihoods in ways that were unimaginable a decade ago.
Pranab Kumar Bhattacharya, CEO of Vedanta Alumina Business said, “The success of this project doesn’t lie in only numbers; it’s a testament to the transformative power of a focused, grassroots approach. We are witnessing the beginning of a new era of self-reliance, where women are the primary architects of their lives.”
A notable example comes from Balabhadrapur village, where the Maa Shivani SHG represents the project’s spirit in action. After receiving hands-on training in poultry management, the women of this SHG set up a poultry unit. This unit generated over ₹1.27 lakh in revenue. The initiative has not only boosted their household incomes but has also elevated their stature in the community. Women who once had limited influence in family or community decisions are now seen as breadwinners and role models, inspiring others to follow their path.
Social security has been another pillar of the programme. By connecting over 3,000 women to critical government schemes such as life and accident insurance, child savings programmes, and labour welfare registrations, Project Sakhi has created safety nets that protect families against uncertainty. This integration of financial independence with social protection ensures that progress is sustainable.
This festive season, as the country celebrates the victory of good over evil, Vedanta Aluminium’s Project Sakhi is celebrating a quieter but equally powerful triumph. It is the triumph of opportunity over constraint, of independence over dependence. The women of Kalahandi, once defined primarily by their struggles, are now writing new stories of resilience, success, and leadership.
