Sijimali Bauxite Block poised to script socio-economic transformation saga in Odisha

Bhubaneswar: Spread over two adjoining districts, the Sijimali Bauxite Block, owned by Vedanta Aluminium, has the potential that promises to transform the socio-economic status of the inhabitant primitive tribes by dint of mainstreaming and accelerating the pace of developmental process of Kalahandi and Rayagada in Odisha.

Vedanta has already planned and tightened up its belt to spend Rs 1,200 crores in the next 25 years through the existing Lanjigarh Periphery Area Development Fund (LPDAF) and proposed Sijimali Periphery Area Development Fund (SPDAF) in Rayagada and Kalahandi with inclusion of public representatives of both the districts in the SPV’s for transforming this region into a prosperous and pragmatic region.

Not only this, Sijimali Bauxite Mine will generate whopping revenue of Rs 2,200 crores per annum in favour of the public exchequer of Odisha for its entire life span. Such a huge revenue generation will empower the State of Odisha to undertake infrastructural development considering the future needs of the State for coming fifty years. The State can be enabled to flood welfare schemes for the residents of the region.

Besides, more than 1,500 direct and indirect job opportunities can be created around the periphery. The duo of Vocational Training Centers and Entrepreneur Development Programmes will also change the life and dreams of the community.

An age-old proverb goes: “Money comes with it new dawns”. Similarly, the Sijimali bauxite mine is coming up with such precious dawns that will create a new history.

The local tribals’ participation in the developmental drive will change the entire narrative of the region on the indexes of health, education, livelihood and environment.

Since Vedanta considers mother earth as a stakeholder, the already blessed green cover will work as a bio-filter that will hold the entire eco-system by preventing soil erosion and maintaining the flora and fauna of the region.

Thus, Sijimali bauxite mine has geared up to change the entire ecosystem of mining not only in the region, but also in the country. Because, Vedanta has a visionary and long-term plan to transform the tribal communities by means of maintaining and conserving their ethnicity.

In a nutshell, socio-economic changes with environmental and ethnicity value-based conservations is all poised to make both the districts a socio-economic growth capital.