September 08, 2008

SAIL develops model village in Orissa

It is reported that, in bid to further its CSR activities, Steel Authority of India Limited has developed a model steel village at Kalta Basti in Orissa, close to SAIL’s Kalta iron ore mines.

Now the village can boast of steady supply of drinking water, solar lamp lit streets, a community hall cum vocational training centre and self employed youths. SAIL has also started a centre to teach fishery, sewing and stitching and leaf plate making to the residents. With that an orchard with 1,000 and odd fruit bearing trees is also in place to promote employment.

Mr G Ojha director personnel & in charge of SAIL's Raw Materials Division inaugurated the steel village in a function held recently at Kalta Basti.

Mr Ojha said that in the current financial year SAIL is spending INR 100 crore on CSR and the amount would increase in future. He added that, for Kalta peripheral development, SAIL has already spent INR 1.30 crore and by the end of this fiscal it would put in another INR 2.5 million.

The total budget for CSR under SAIL's Raw Materials Division in this fiscal is INR 6 crore for infrastructure development, drinking water, health care, education and sports.

SAIL's Raw Materials Division, which operates the mines in the eastern sector, has already identified the villages neighboring its mines located in the State of Orissa, Jharkhand, and Madhya Pradesh. Focusing on the remote villages surrounding its mines and plants, SAIL has drawn out plans to develop 16 villages into model steel village, out of which 9 villages will be in the mines area. Likely expenditure for developing total 9 villages under RMD will be INR 5.56 crore in the current year.