| FROM THE CHAIRMAN’S DESK |
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| BY WORKING TOGETHER, GROWING TOGETHER,
WE CAN ACHIEVE CO-DEVELOPMENT OF
COMPANIES AND COUNTRIES; OF ECONOMY
AND ECOLOGY; OF COMMUNITIES AND PRIVATE
ENTERPRISES; AND OF ALL OUR STAKEHOLDERS. |
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| The natural resources sector can truly accelerate a nation's development agenda. The sector can boost manufacturing and build infrastructure in remote geographies, generate large-scale employment and significant revenue for nations globally. Vedanta stands committed to contribute to the growth story by advancing across the triple bottom line. We, at Vedanta, are fortunate to have some of the best assets in the world. With relentless focus on exploration, the quality and quantity of our reserves have grown multifold. Being the lowest cost producer has always been our operating mantra while we leverage these assets to their full potential. |
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| Vedanta plays a significant role in being at the forefront of
sustainable mining and exploration and we should continue to
strive for sustainable growth and adding value to our stakeholders. |
| As a purpose-driven organisation - we value and empower our
people, care for the planet and aim to achieve prosperity for all our
host countries, including India whose potential in natural resources
can make the country self-sufficient. |
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A ZERO HARM
ENVIRONMENT IS OF
FUNDAMENTAL VALUE
TO US AT VEDANTA AND
I URGE ALL MY TEAMS
TO CONTINUOUSLY
IMPROVE ON THIS. |
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| PEOPLE |
| I am a strong advocate of Vedanta's philosophy of proactively engaging with the communities and operating through 'free and informed consent'. It is the community's right to know all facets and probable outcomes of a project before granting it their consent. This also gives us the opportunity to share with the community the benefits that our business will usher in for them, walk them through a roadmap and set realistic expectations. It is important to protect the human rights of communities and our employees. |
| Our people are our biggest assets. I came across a lot of potential during my interactions with the Vedanta team across the world. It is our responsibility to nurture this talent and provide growth opportunities to enable and empower them to become our future leaders. |
| Although we have improved our safety record over the years, I am deeply saddened that twelve of our employees and contractors lost their lives. My heart goes out to the loved ones of these individuals and I give my personal assurance that fatalities will be eliminated and serious injury rates will be reduced drastically to be in line with our vision of zero harm. Understanding the causes of harm and prevention, will be my ongoing priorities. |
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| PLANET |
| The priority is not just to focus on zero harm but also to ensure zero discharge and zero waste. The approach to achieve this is by harnessing the potential of technology and innovation. |
| Technological interventions and concentrated efforts have helped us surpass our water and energy targets. |
| We are signatories to the Paris Pledge for Action and are updating our carbon strategy and exploring innovative ways to reduce carbon emissions. As corporate citizens, we are committed to address the climate change challenge with the same vigour as we pursue economic and social development. |
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This year, Vedanta scored 96 in the Indian edition of the CDP Climate Change Report and
bagged a position in the Indian Climate Disclosure Leadership Index (CDLI). Our score in
the UK edition has been a remarkable 98 as against an industry average of 84. |
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| PROSPERITY |
| Sustainable development is a responsibility, to be resourced and focused on, in all economic conditions. This year, while the markets were weaker than we have seen in many years, our commitment remained unabated. |
| We continued to make an important contribution to our communities, through job creation, payment of taxes, creating access to resources and enabling strong linkages to other industries. We empowered local communities and aligned our focus areas with the priority needs of nations. |
| The focus was on developing local economies and communities through partnerships with more than 250 NGOs, local Governments, academic institutions and private hospitals. I am personally engaged in promoting projects which benefit children and empower women. |
| One such project is to construct 4,000 modern Anganwadis which serve as welfare centres for women and children. This modern concept is called Nand Ghar. We have signed an MoU with the Ministry of Women and Child Development in India for this project which is in line with the Prime Minister of India's vision of Beti Bachao Beti Padhao (Save Girl Child, Educate Girl Child), Digital India, Swachh Bharat (Clean India) and Skilling India. |
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We work closely with communities in the regions where we operate and aim to align
our priorities with those of our host governments. |
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| With the support of the government, we will offer skill development to women and basic healthcare through mobile medical vans. In Africa, our community development programmes include providing infrastructure such as schools and hospitals. |
| Our commitment towards 'Social Licence to Operate' goes beyond the regulatory compliance and helps us to make targeted contributions to local communities; continue to minimise our impact on air, water and land; and maintain an active dialogue with our stakeholders. |
| We are on the right path of this sustainability journey. The teams have worked diligently and I commend their efforts which have placed Vedanta among the top ten sustainable companies in India. |
| With the guidance of the Board Sustainability Committee, I am looking forward to further improve our occupational health and safety performance. Our goal is to achieve long-term alignment of interests between all stakeholders for the creation of long standing sustainable value. |
| We are committed to build a strong relationship with you and all our stakeholders, because we at Vedanta firmly believe that the only way forward, is together. |
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| For more information visit our group companies |
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