By Bizodisha Correspondent, Angul, November 23, 2015 : Getting an industrial project on track in the mineral and natural resource rich Odisha is a tough job. By factoring all the human, governance and political aspects, the project managers face an unphill task to implement such project.

At the Angul, JSPL faced a huge challenge to build a mega integrated steel plant of 6 million ton per annum [MTPA] capacities along with the captive power plant of 810 MW. However, at long last the Rs 22,000 crore plant finally got fructified with a win-win situation for one and all stakeholders.

The Company has built India’s first ever Coal Gasification Plant and A Direct-Reduced Iron [DRI] Plant. DRI, also called sponge iron is produced from direct reduction of iron (in the form of lump, pellets or fines) by a reducing gases produced from natural gas or coal. The DRI Plant has the unique feature of using synthetic gas from the Coal Gasification Plant as a reducing agent.

Plate Mill of 1.2 mtpa capacity is the widest plate (up to 5 mtr.) producing mill in the country. The 250 T Electric Arc Furnace (EAF) of the Steel Melting Shop is the largest Electric Arc Furnace in India.

As a part of the current expansion to reach Plant capacity of 6 MTPA, construction of additional facilities is on progress. These additional facilities include, Coke Oven & By Product, Sinter Plant, Blast Furnace, Billet Caster, Bar Mill (1.4 MTPA) and others. The commissioning of various plants under construction for completing the 6 MTPA capacity is slated for early 2016.

Besides, the JSPL has adopted world class technology to control the pollution, protect the ecology and have been practising the global standard pollution control norms . One of the major steps taken towards protecting the environment and reducing soil degradation is the usage of fly ash bricks in place of conventionally used red bricks in all construction activities at the project sites.

The Company has ensured successful resettlement and rehabilitation of all the families displaced for this mega steel project as per the provisions of the Odisha Resettlement and Rehabilitation [R&R] Policy. In fact, the compensation given to the displaced families as per the R&R Policy has gone down as a benchmark in the industry. The R&R Colony has 24×7 Electricity, Piped Drinking water, Developed Kitchen garden, Proper drainage system, Toilet with septic tank, Overhead Tank, Dispensary, Market Complex, Crematorium, school and other amenities.

JSPL’s  CSR FACE : JSPL Foundation, has undertaken plantation of about 2 lakh plants outside the plant area in the periphery villages and has planted 2.65 lakh plant inside the plant. More than 50 Water Harvesting Structures has been constructed or renovated in the periphery villages for creating carbon sinks. JSPL’s Angul Plant is a zero discharge Plant adopting to the World class green technology and has been operating an on an on line ambient air quality monitoring system on real time basis.

“The Company has always striven to enhance the quality of life of people in and around the areas of its operations through sustainable industrial development. The cornerstone of its business strategy is to achieve sustainable and profitable growth, creating in its wake prospering eco-systems around all its businesses,” a company spokesman said.

At Angul, JSPL has undertaken several activities focusing on key areas of health, education, vocational training, women empowerment, livelihood, livestock care, drinking water and sanitation, youth and sports and infrastructure development among others. With a cumulative expenditure of about Rs. 68 Crore, the Company has reached 8227 households in 34 villages in 15 Gram Panchayats of Banarpal and Chhendipada Block. Its special intervention, Kishori Express, reaches about 321 villages in these two blocks of Angul District to control adolescent anemia.

Community Health care is a key area of social intervention for JSPL’s CSR initiatives. It organises Village Health Camps, runs Mobile Health Units with free consultation & medicine support at various areas. It has facilitated access to safe drinking water facilities in different villages and schools. JSPL is also one of the leading corporate organisation to organise Blood Donation Camps in partnership with Red Cross Society.

It has signed MoU with OSACS to implement Employer Led Model on HIV/AIDS to undertake preventive and care activities for the workers in its Angul Facility. An Integrated Counselling and Testing Centre (ICTC) is being operated by JSPL in collaboration with National AIDS Control Organization which has so afr screened more than 1.56 lakh migrant laborers, contract workers, truckers as well as employees and Community Members on voluntary basis as per NACO guidelines. JSPL Foundation has been operating Telemedicine Centre that provides real time specialist consultation facilities to villagers.

Its Flagship Programme “Kishori Express” has been instrumental in monitoring and controlling anaemia among adolescent girls in Chhendipada and Banarpal Block of the district. It extends haemoglobin testing, triggers awareness on life style and hygiene through a giant screen equipped e quiz besides converging with the ICDS support for supplementary IFA tablets and Seed Kits of iron centric natural food for the Adolescent Girls. The Kishori Express service has covered 321 villages and has tested the haemoglobin level of more than 25000 adolescent girls.

JSPL Foundation also supports O.P. Jindal Rural Scholarship Programme/ Merit-Cum Means Scholarship Programme to local students. It supports the Government to improve infrastructure facilities at Community Schools. About 100 Community Teachers supported by the company in collaboration with the District Administration has reduced students-pupil gap in local schools. It has been providing text books to children of jail inmates to support their education across all 55 jails in Odisha. In order to augment employability and skill building of the local youths, JSPL has established O.P. Jindal Community College at Angul and has trained 3254 youths till March 2015.

JSPL Foundation, in partnership with the District Administration and local community has also been supporting in building of critical rural infrastructure like construction and repair of access roads of more than 49kms, rural electrification of 13 villages, construction / renovation of 60 Community Buildings, installation of 175 deep tube wells for safe water which have been contributing to improve the quality of life about 20268 families in 36 villages.

To generate sustainable livelihood options and thereby enabling the Women for supplementary income for their families, JSPL Foundation has been supporting the local women for building entrepreneurship in Self Help Group mode through skill induction, capacity building , capital goods support and zero cost working capital / revolving fund and market linkages for their produce / value addition services.

“After getting in to our SHG enterprises we have seen that our life has entirely changed. We are no more idling away our time. We have been trained for our activities by the JSPL Foundation and are working with dignity for a profit for the Group and subsequently for the supplementary income for our family. JSPL Foundation has supported our Groups with machinery, tools and equipment s and a zero cost loan for buying raw materials. We get exciting time when the visitors from Cities and foreign Countries come and buy our products. We have also received the Certification from the Govt Authorities from the Govt to produce and Sell. Now, we are free to chose and buy our clothes and buy happiness for our Children. And the best part of this live Story is that the Enterprise is Ours and We are running it for our benefits, says Subashini Gadnaik, secretary ECO SPA Self Help Group.”

Till date 1171 women are engaged in various income generating activities like organic herbal body care products manufacturing (under the brand name ECO SPA ) , incense sticks making (SUGANDHI), Jute products making ( ODIFAB), low cost sanitary napkins production (SSODASHI), tailoring & stitching (SRUJAN), food processing (CHAITI) vegetable cultivation, mushroom cultivation, terracotta pottery making and dairy management etc. For development of youth and talent development the company organises inter-village tournaments, sports coaching programmes and local festivals.

For the first time in Odisha, the Company through its Foundation has partnered with NABARD to implement integrated watershed development programme in the district over an area of 3500 acres for enhancing agriculture production and productivity on a sustainable basis through control of soil erosion and recharge of ground water in a net planning process driven by the Watershed Community. The project, coves 5 villages namely Tubey, Maratira, Kulei, Derjang & Madhiamunda has been benefitting 1782 farming households.

For its social development programmes, the Company has won several accolades including Tefla CSR Awards for continuous 5 years. Odisha CSR Forum Award’15 for Successful Convergence of Govt. Schemes, Golden Peacock National CSR Award 2012, Greentech CSR Award 2011, Best Display Awards on CSR Confederation of Indian Industries and by Odisha MSME and the Best CSR Award by Think Media as well as the Best CSR Award by Odisha State Safety Conclave and India CSR case Study Award.