By Bizodisha Bureau, Bhuabenswar, August 30, 2016 : Odisha government on Tuesday announced to set up a medical college in Kalahandi district with the help of Vedanta Group.

Vedanta will provide financial assistance of Rs 100 crore for infrastructure of the proposed medical college in Kalahandi, Vedanta Chairman Anil Agarwal told reporters after his meeting with chief minister Naveen Patnaik here.

VAL is credited with setting up the first major industry in the backward Kalahandi district. It set up one million ton refinery at Lanjigarh in Kalahnadi district. However, the Company is yet to get bauxite 12 years after it signed a joint venture agreement with the state owned Odisha Mining Corporation [OMC] for supply of the basic raw material.

Regulatory hurdles, lack of access to raw material – bauxite and alumina and land acquisition problems have forced VAL to run its refinery and smelter at one fourth of its capacities.

The matter came up during discussion between Patnaik and Agarwal. Vedanta boss has been assured bauxite supply through OMC from March next year, source said. Agarwal also discussed about the Jharsuguda Almunium park with the chief minister.

A decade after investing Rs 52,000 crore in Odisha – the largest ever by a single corporate house – Vedanta is desperate to save the Lanjigarh refinery and Jhasuguda aluminium smelter project.

Earlier this month, Odisha steel and mines minister Prafulla Mallick has told media persons that OMC would provide bauxite from its Kodinamali mines in Koraput once the production starts.

Anil Agarwal’s promise of paying Rs 100 crore for infrastructure development of the proposed Kalahandi Medical College appears last attempt to appease the Naveen Patnaik to get things moving to run the plants.