Bhubaneswar, Sep 26 Vedanta Resources chairman Anil Agarwal on Saturday said resistance to large projects is a natural occurrence, and India needs to become self-sufficient by utilising its resources stacked beneath the earth, as other developed countries like the US and Australia.
Agarwal, whose Vedanta Group has already invested Rs 1 lakh crore in Odisha and is ready to invest a matching amount for another refinery in Rayagada and a smelter in Dhenkanal district, said this after meeting Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi here.
He has accepted a proposal of the chief minister for setting up a 1,000-bed hospital in the western region of the state. The company has its refinery at Lanjigarh in Kalahandi district, a smelter and power plant in Jharsuguda district, which is part of the western region of the state.
Asked about the company facing resistance from the people for undertaking bauxite mining at Sijimali in Rayagada district, Agarwal said, “Resistance is natural for large projects. People will oppose, and we have to take it all along to build a developed Odisha and India. Two decades ago, some foreign elements were instigating our innocent people to oppose projects. Now, things are settled. There is no resistance at all.”
Batting for large mineral explorations, Agarwal said that India has become successful in becoming self-sufficient in food by utilising its resources above the earth. “Now, we should explore the resources under the earth and remove the tag of becoming a ‘country of import’. We have our own resources and need to explore them. Countries like the US and Australia have developed by utilising the resources beneath the ground,” he said.
“Vedanta’s proposed aluminium projects worth Rs 1 lakh crore will generate over 2 lakh direct and indirect jobs. Efforts to implement the projects will be intensified. Will help establish Odisha as a world-class aluminium production hub,” Majhi said in a statement after meeting Agarwal.
The meeting between Agarwal and Majhi emphasised strengthening cooperation between the government and the industrial entity to expedite Vedanta’s various industrial projects in Odisha, advance local development processes, and create employment opportunities.
Sources said that Agarwal sought the state government’s cooperation in securing its raw material (Bauxite) requirement for the Lainjigarh plant. The company presently gets 60 per cent of its raw material requirements from the state-owned Odisha Mining Corporation (OMC), while the remaining 40 per cent is procured from Africa. “After consideration, the chief minister has assured Vedanta chief of supply of local Bauxite for the company’s world-class alumina refinery at Lanjigarh,” they said.
During the discussion, Agarwal also underscored aluminium’s vast downstream potential and noted that more than 150 products can be readily manufactured using the metal, representing significant opportunities for MSMEs. The discussions also covered Vedanta’s planned Rs 1 lakh crore investment in Odisha and its potential to accelerate import substitution. “They also discussed expediting the implementation of Vedanta’s proposed Rs 2,000 crore ferro alloys park in Keonjhar,” sources said.
Vedanta’s proposed projects include a state-of-the-art aluminium smelter plant with an annual capacity of 3 million tonnes in Dhenkanal district and an alumina refinery with an annual capacity of 6 million tonnes in Rayagada district. These projects will help establish not only Odisha but the entire country as a global hub for aluminium manufacturing, Majhi said.
Once these projects are implemented, Vedanta’s total aluminium production capacity will increase to 6 million tonnes per annum, helping to meet India’s growing demand for the metal.
During the discussion, Agarwal also proposed the expansion of a 1 MTPA aluminium smelter plant located in Jharsuguda.
The chief minister stated that, recognising the immense potential of these projects for employment generation and local development, the state government would extend all support to these investments in the aluminium sector.
Agarwal stated, “The objective of our proposed investments is to establish a world-class industrial ecosystem that will power India’s infrastructure, energy transition, advanced manufacturing, and emerging technologies. In partnership with the state government, we are committed to building globally competitive assets, generating large-scale employment, strengthening local enterprises, and making a meaningful contribution towards building a developed India.”
While briefing reporters, Agarwal recalled his association with Odisha for over two and a half decades.
“Former chief minister Biju Patnaik had encouraged me to establish industries in Kalahandi, then among the country’s most underdeveloped districts. Now, one can find people riding motorcycles and engaged in different work. They are happy now,” the veteran industrialist said, adding that Vedanta’s operations at Lanjigarh led to improved infrastructure, education and healthcare facilities.
(PTI News)
