Jharsuguda, Odisha: Vedanta Aluminium, India’s largest producer of aluminium,is helping establish a one-of-a-kind women-led fly ash brick manufacturing facility that will produce close to one crore bricks annually.Vedanta Aluminium has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Subhalaxmi Cooperative, one of India’s largest rural women cooperatives, for setting up this facility in Jharsuguda, Odisha. The cooperative willbe provided with fly ash free-of- cost from Vedanta’s mega aluminium plant. Uniquely, the initiative merges the development of circular economy avenues with generating sustainable livelihood opportunities for rural women.The facility,with the capacity to produce 25,000+ bricks daily, will be managed entirely by the members of the Subhalaxmi Cooperative.
Vedanta Aluminium will extend support in the installation and commissioning of the brick manufacturing unit. It will also arrange for training the operators and ensure third-party quality testing of sample bricks, thereby boosting technical skills and knowledge within the community as wellFly ash isa by-product of the thermal power generation process and is being increasingly utilised in several sustainable avenues such ascement manufacturing. brick production, and road construction.
Since March 2022, Vedanta Aluminium has supplied over 1.5 million tonnes of fly ash to major cement manufacturers and 3 million tonnes to the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) for their road-building projects, and recently marked the dispatch of its 650″ fly ash rake from Jharsuguda for this endeavour.
Sunil Gupta, Chief Operating Officer, Vedanta Aluminium said: “By repurposing industrial by-products like fly ash into eco-friendly building materials, went a transforming for good are not only contributing to a circular economy but also creating meaningful livelihoog opportunities for thousands of rural women. This initiative is an apt reflection of our commitment to inclusive growth, en vironmental stewardship, and long-term community development.”
Pankajini Oram, President, Subhalaxmi Cooperative, said:”The partnership with Vedanta Aluminium marks a new chapter in our journey or empowerment. The upcoming unit will not only provide our members with a stable source of income but also equip them with valuable technical skills.”
