Vedanta Foundation: A Challenge in Communication - Dr. Lona Nayak

Vedanta Foundation: A Challenge in Communication - Dr. Lona Nayak: It takes a lot of grit and determination to organize a system for improved communication with project affected people (PAPs) and make pl...

A Challenge in Communication - Dr. Lona Nayak

It takes a lot of grit and determination to organize a system for improved communication with project affected people (PAPs) and make plans for the rehabilitation to be carried out in that area.……………….

Although lack of communication is a major pitfall while dealing with tribal communities in project areas, I believe that sufficient level of information and communication between project management and local communities can easily bridge the gap....My former services demanded my expertise in dealing with the

tribals and maoist and develop strategies for the development of project-affected people (PAP’s). I recall, a milestone that I achieved immediately after my continuous dialogues with the PAP's was a positive participation of local communities in the rehabilitation and resettlement committees. During the committee meetings many problems of the tribals were discussed for instance, choosing the desired habitation for

displaced families, health and hygiene and many others. There were several occasions when the project has suspended activities as protesters were demonstrating against future mine activities. I have always maintained that regardless of the tensions, the management should continue its social engagement workshops... 

I believe that sufficient level of information and communication between project management and local communities can easily bridge the gap....

Dr. Lona Nayak, CEO,

Vedanta Foundation

8th March 2014 - Women's Day Celebrations

CELEBRATION OF WOMEN’S DAY AT VEDANTA NAGAR-  LANJIGARH

This is the age where women empowerment is taking a turn. On 8^th of March all over the world it is celebrated as international women’s day to emphasize women power.

Vedanta Foundation has not left a stone unturned to commemorate this day and to make the day a special for women.

On 8^th of March Vedanta Foundation along with Sesa Sterlite limited arranged a program at Vedanta nagar – Lanjigarh   to felicitate women employees and local female residents. The program started nearly around 11 a.m with lighting of the lamp ceremony by honorable guests. The guest list comprised of Sankutala  Nandruka (Deputy Chairman, zilla parishad, Rayagada), Shukla Chakraborty(Principal ,DAV Vedanta International school), Jyostna Mishra( Lady supervisor, ICDS, Lanjigarh), Swarnalata Mohanty(Principal, Anganwadi Training centre, Bhawanipatna), Adarsh Gupta(president, ladies club, Sesa Sterlite limited), Tapaswini Mishra(Principal , DAV, Rourkela),Dr. Mukesh Kumar- President and COO SSL and H.K Mohanty- Principal AWTC

The occasion was ornamented by a host of programs like welcome song by Khusi centre students (girls), introduction speech given by Balakrishna (Area coordinator of Vedanta Bal chetna, Lanjigarh, child care unit of Vedanta foundation). A welcome note was given by Ms. Tapaswini Ray (Asst Area coordinator). Cultural programs like music and dance enhanced the occasion by giving viewers special attraction.  The special point of attraction of the occasion was a pledge that was taken by all the members present in the event on women empowerment. The program ended with prize distribution ceremony where prize were distributed to all the participants.

The entire program was successfully arranged and managed by Vedanta Foundation representatives  Balkrishna Rath and Tapaswini Ray in coordination with representatives of CSR team of Sesa Sterlite limited Mr. Kaustav Ratan Kundu (Head HR), Jalaj Malpani (Finance head),Ranjan Sharma(CSR head) and PR team of Sesa Sterlite limited.

The occasion was attended by local villagers, community heads, Child care workers, ASHA workers, Khusi centre girls’ students, Auxiliary Nurse Midwifery students (ANMS) from Muniguda High school. The event was also attended by print and electronic media persons.

The occasion ended nearly around 2p.m with accolades from everyone present over there.

Best Use of Technology

Vedanta E-Shiksha @ Schools Program

While one considers the great strides taken by India in popularization and streamlining of education in the Country, the gap between knowledge levels of the urban and rural students is still large enough. All said and done the rural students across India have to still battle with non–availability of the minimum facilities for education. The quality of education is not even standalone not to say about the levels of the highly priced private education in the Country.

Although there is growth in all sectors in India, the most benefits accrue to a small percentage of populace who stays in the urban environments. The rural environments do not even get to have the basic infrastructure and reel under poverty naturally without even being cushioned.

The Government, the biggest player in rural education, is in-charge of running and managing around 80% of all recognized schools at the elementary stage. Over the years, it has launched many programs to combat negative statistics like 40% illiteracy rate and 85% dropout rate. Education has also been made free for children between 6 to 14 years of age or up to class VIII under the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act 2009. All these have brought certain small benefits to the rural population in some of the clusters, but the major part of the country does not seem to have been covered properly.

One of the most ambitious projects of the Government launched is aptly named ‘Education for All’ that is ‘Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan’. The initiative has to be given full marks for being the largest of any such education initiatives in the World. Although a huge investment has gone in to this initiative one has to agree that the ambitious project has faltered somewhere along and has not been able to deliver any positive results leave alone the results desired.

One can understand the fallacies of an initiative of the Government due to inherent mechanism deterrent to its growth and functioning. At the same time the Government circles themselves have come up with an excellent method of combating the problems by going in to the Public Private Partnerships (PPP). The PPP has brought in miraculous positive results in sectors where it was thought that the initiatives would fail. PPP has an in-built mechanism of clearly identified partnership structures, sharing of objectives and have specified performance indicators for delivery.

One such success story worthy of the kudos is that of the PPP with Vedanta Foundation as one of the agencies.

Vedanta E-Shiksha@Schools is the flagship program of Vedanta Foundation. This is one of the largest projects undertaken under the Central Government’s Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan scheme. The acceptability and assimilation in this project is increased as the project uses award-winning e-content for learning the core subjects and provides computer education in vernacular / local languages. The multimedia elements present in the e-content are compliant with the state government syllabus. Hence they help students to understand concepts easily and retain them for a longer period of time. In addition to the digital content, computer education books are provided to each school. At the end of the year these books are handed over to the school library for any further reference by the children. Once the students gain the necessary skills to manage work on a computer they automatically become confident and ready to refer to the books in the Library. The larger objective of the program is to create self sufficient skilled individuals. The training and skills make them independent.

To impact 10,000 schools, benefiting over 1 million children with technology-led education

To improve student performance in academics and facilitate their overall personality development

To decrease the dropout rate and absenteeism

To improve motivation level and knowledge of teachers with a scalable Teacher Training Program

To implement an innovative and creative curriculum that enhances the learning process

The Public Private Partnership in this unique project envisages that the operational responsibilities of running the program further are handed over to the School authorities after a period of THREE years. As the school has been a consistent partner in the program, it has all the input necessary to implement the program further. Thus there is a smooth transition.

The continued effectiveness which is the most important factor of this whole process is organized through Teacher training and empowerment, identification of locally based suitable human resources, who will carry the program forward for newer children arriving. Thus the implementation of the project is complete and positive.

Vedanta E-Shiksha@Schools has made an indelible impact on the quality of education in some rural areas of the Country. At present 2933 Government schools across Maharashtra, Goa, Rajasthan, Karnataka, and Orissa have been receiving quality education through the ICT. The benefits have been accrued to more than 3 Lakh students across the board.

In order to assess the academic performance of the students as well as the qualitative improvement in the infrastructure of the School, a third party baseline survey is conducted in every state after the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding with that State Government.

Education as a right of every young citizen of India has been imbibed very deep in the governance of the country. The education need not be just held as a right but we must also ensure that the right type of education to every child making the future functionaries of India globally successful. A purposeful life is evolved in to a successful life through the kind of education we are providing at Vedanta E-Shiksha@Schools.

As an organization dedicated to the betterment of the downtrodden, we take pride in the fact that we are helping to steer the overburdened rural education system in the right direction by providing ample opportunities to the less privileged rural children…

Vedanta Foundation donates blankets to villagers in Odisha.

Vedanta Foundation distributed around 175 blankets in Rengopali, Sindhbahali and Bundel villages in Odhisha on Jan 18, 2014. The initiative is a part of the ongoing CSR activities in the region.  Activities like these are in line with the foundation’s
philanthropic vision of up lifting the lives of the under privileged in distant villages.

These villages in the northeast face extreme winters and due to extreme poverty, villagers cannot afford woollens. Need based interventions form a core part of the Foundation’s social development strategy.

Also, sustainable social development forms a key part of the foundation’s ethos. Vedanta Foundation was set up in the year 1992, as an extension to the company’s efforts for focused sustainable development of the underprivileged population of the country.

We believe, progress of any country can be fuelled only through consistent inclusive growth. Vedanta Foundation aims to bridge the inclusive growth gap of the country through its focused social development programs.

Senior Superintendent of Circle Jail, Cuttack applauds Vedanata Foundation

On January 16, 2014 Office of the Senior Superintendent of Circle Jail, Cuttack at Choudwar sent an appreciation letter to Vedanta Foundation for carrying out welfare activities for jail inmates in 2011 and 2012.

Extract of the letter:

Cost of organizing marriage  ceremonies have shot up drastically in past few years.  Lower middle class families are the worst hit due to lack of finances. To support  mass marriages in this catego

I would like to thank Vedanta Foundation for its spontaneous involvement in various welfare programmers undertaken in Circle Jail, Cuttack at Choudwar. This initiative will definitely help prison inmates to live a respectable life after they finish their imprisonment term.

Around 140 inmates have completed basic computer training and have also got certificates.

The foundation had also organized eye camp on 23^rd April, 2011 and later spectacle distribution held on December 13, 2012.

This is the proposal for starting few more programmes

1)    Tailoring, training unit inside Circle Jail

2)    Supply of one computer with printer

3)     Repairing of two computers

The Foundation believes even jail inmates should get a chance to start life afresh after their imprisonment term.

By carrying out welfare programmes for them, Vedanta Foundation believes even jail inmates have the right to live a dignified life in society.

Our aim is to make them find decent place in society.

Vedanta Foundation: Oct 18 EDUCATION FOR ALL

Vedanta Foundation: Oct 18 EDUCATION FOR ALL: We, as conscious, aware citizens, ought to ponder over the multifaceted reasons for the debacle we find ourselves faced with, insofar as I...

Vedanta Foundation: Oct 18 EDUCATION FOR ALL

Vedanta Foundation: Oct 18 EDUCATION FOR ALL: We, as conscious, aware citizens, ought to ponder over the multifaceted reasons for the debacle we find ourselves faced with, insofar as I...

Oct 18 EDUCATION FOR ALL

We, as conscious, aware citizens, ought to ponder over the multifaceted reasons for the debacle we find ourselves faced with, insofar as India’s face in global economy. There exists a bold contrast between the opportunities available for the skilled and the ones available for the unskilled. The abject conditions faced by the marginalized youth, are the result of several aspects, availability and usage of technology being a prominent one.

Ensuring a fairly digitally well equipped lower section of the societal pyramid, by means of inclusive growth and development, might be the solution to bridging these gaps.  And bridging these gaps could engender more employment opportunities for all, thus, ultimately improving the economy in the process. Employment and computer education are intricately interwoven in today’s Information age. Technology has compressed the world closer together. Computer is the most commonplace devise today. Basic knowledge of computers is a must for almost all job profiles. It thus, brings to the forefront, the importance of computer education. 

Internet was born more than 2 decades ago. While most developed countries have at least 70% of their population reaping the benefits of Internet efficiency, whereas India is on 9.4% computer literacy rate, with only 3% of Internet penetration (2011 Census-Communication in India). Dearth of Internet users is just the tip of the iceberg, as, there are multitudes who haven’t even heard of internet’s existence. We need to recognise the imperativeness of reaching out to the regressive, unexposed classes and facilitating technology for them.

The need of the day is a mass Computer Literacy Program to propagate this need and to hopefully, bring about some welcome changes in the situation. Vedanta Foundation hopes to break some ground and revolutionize computer training by launching an e- campaign, aptly named, ‘e-DUCATE’, on the 2^nd of December 2012, which happens to be the 11^th World Computer Literacy Day.  Employment post training completion is the distinguished feature of this campaign.

 e-DUCATE will serve as an addendum to Vedanta’s consistent efforts to generate mainstream opportunities for the underprivileged youth through a initiative providing skills on computer literacy.

Posted 18th October 2012 by Vedanta Foundation

Vedanta Foundation: Oct 10 - Gainful Employment for the marginalized ...

Vedanta Foundation: Oct 10 - Gainful Employment for the marginalized ...: Indian economy is a developing one, as of 2012. Yet we are faced with the ever rising rate of unemployment. For the development of our nat...

Oct 10 - Gainful Employment for the marginalized Youth.

Indian economy is a developing one, as of 2012. Yet we are faced with the ever rising rate of unemployment. For the development of our nation, we need to optimise the stupendous population we are endowed with. Elevating the underprivileged to an acceptable level is another indispensable factor to the development of a developing nation.

Greater importance needs to be given to technical and vocational education, as these fields are easily the vessels for maximum progress. We, at Vedanta Foundation, are trying to be the conduits supplying eligible and competent individuals in need, to the industries in need of trained professionals.

With this world view in mind, Vedanta Foundation began Vocational Training Program in several parts of the country, rural as well as urban, providing computer literacy, grooming, soft skills training etc. The central idea was to equip the people of India, especially the less fortunate with the wherewithal to fend for themselves.

Several courses are offered by Vedanta Foundation. Notable ones are, Beautician and Tailoring courses for women, Industrial Electrician courses, Mobile Repairing courses etc. Apart from these, Life Skills Training and Spoken English courses of superlative quality, are also offered by Vedanta Foundation. All these programs are offered at affordable fees.

Computer Literacy, is one of our momentous initiatives. Computer Literacy Centers have been set up in several small districts and regions. Percolation of the importance of digitization through the minds of the locals in these areas is another important factor that this initiative concentrates on.

Most importantly, every student is assured of appropriate employment assistance, on successful completion of the course.

To serve our nation and its people is and will remain our sole doctrine.   

Vedanta Foundation is now on blogger!!!!