Vedanta adopts 3,056 anganwadi centres in Rajasthan

Jaipur, Apr 9: Hindustan Zinc, a Vedanta Group company, and Vedanta Foundation have adopted 3,056 anganwadi centres in five districts of Rajasthan.

The adoption will benefit 90,000 underprivileged children in the age group of 3-6 years in Udaipur, Chittorgarh, Bhilwara, Rajsamand and Ajmer districts for five years.

It will also contribute towards their overall development that would include nutrition, education and primary health.

A memorandum of understanding (MOU) was signed here on Wednesday between the Rajasthan government, Hindustan Zinc and Vedanta Foundation.

Pavan Kaushik, head of corporate communication, Hindustan Zinc, in a statement said: "Our focus is on overall growth and development of these rural children. Colourful books and charts, toys and other pre-school educational material will be provided by the company to encourage interactive play-way method."

"Hindustan Zinc will also provide special training on pre-school education to the anganwadi workers of the all these centres and to our own field coordinators for better coordination, understanding and learning," said Kaushik.

Besides adoption of these centres, Hindustan Zinc and Vedanta Foundation would convert 1,000 anganwadi centres into model anganwadis.

This project would be spread across a period of five years, and in each year 200 anganwadis would be converted into model anganwadis in which repair and renovation of the building, construction of child friendly toilets, water filters and installation of swings would be taken up and uniforms will be provided free of cost to all the enrolled children.

Vedanta launched "Khushi" campaign that sensitises common people towards care for the underprivileged children and takes up individual steps for such cause.

It is the first of its kind non-funding campaign which has more than 45,000 members across the globe on Facebook.

Khushi has 75 child-care centres across India benefiting directly to about 2,500 underprivileged children.

Hindustan Zinc and Vedanta Foundation will be executing the anganwadi project under the Khushi campaign.

IANS