Sesa Goa's approach to community development is holistic and long-term. Public Private Partnerships (PPP) and community consultation are the core drivers of the Company's work with communities. It engages with its stakeholders by a consultation process. This, coupled with base line studies and need-based assessments, provide the framework for developing the various social interventions. Sesa Goa partners with like-minded organisations in most of the projects, such as government agencies, NGOs, local communities and panchayats.

Sesa Community Development Foundation

The Sesa Community Development Foundation, initiated by the Company, is registered under the Societies Act. The Foundation's core focus is to foster the development of the community and youth around Sesa Goa's areas of operations in Goa through providing technical education and sports training as well as various community development initiatives. Some initiatives are listed below.

Sesa Technical School (STS)

The Sesa Technical School was established in 1994 on an old iron ore mining workshop at Sanquelim. STS aims at providing the youth in and around Sesa Goa's mining operations with technical skills and knowledge to enable them earn a living. STS students specialise in becoming machinists, fitters, electricians or instrument mechanics, and secure placements in various nearby companies. For the last several years, STS has maintained 100% results in the Industrial Training Institute (ITI) trade examinations.

Since the inception 16 batches have been rolled out making 726 young Goan's employable till date on their own merit.

Sesa Football Academy (SFA)

To nurture the talent of Goa's young footballers, SFA was established in 1999 to offer junior level training at Sanquelim, Goa. Its senior level academy began operations from June 2008 at Sirsaim, Goa.

Junior Academy

It houses 36 Goan boys. Once in two years, boys in the age group of 14 to 16 years are selected on merit and are provided with professional football training as well as formal education. The team has won many championships and its graduates play for top teams of the country.

Senior Academy

For the last 3 years, Sesa Goa's Senior Academy has been an active participant in the Goa Professional League, besides participating in the Second Division of the I-League, the Governor's Cup and various other tournaments. Within two years of the senior academy coming into being, eminent clubs have approached students for recruitment

Sesa has two football grounds in Goa created in restored mining land. To further nurture the young talent, a new infrastructure at Sirsaim was inaugurated last financial year. Built at an estimated cost of over Rs.4 crore, it has an all-season football turf, a hostel facility that can accommodate 30 boys, an in-house gymnasium, indoor sports hall, audio visual room and sauna bath facilities.

In March 2011, Sesa Football Academy (SFA) signed Mr Terry Phelan, a former English premier league footballer, who represented his country, the Republic of Ireland, in the 1994 FIFA World Cup as the chief mentor for significantly developing the Academy. The SFA has also appointed Libero Sports a subsidiary of the US-based Libero Sports LLC as its strategic marketing consultants.

Development of Social Infrastructure

Sesa Goa believes that building appropriate infrastructure can help develop communities. The Company's infrastructure development initiatives include:

• Water pipeline at Bagwada, Pilgaon, Bicholim as a part drinking water facility to the villagers. The beneficiaries are 102 villagers.
• Constructed 115 metre water canal at Kalsai, Kirlapal Dabal village in Goa. The beneficiaries were 40 farming families.
• Constructed compound walls and other infrastructure for primary, middle and high school at Goa and Karnataka.
• Constructed a large community hall in village of Navelim, Goa.
• Constructed concrete cement road connecting the village of Medikeripura in Karnataka.
• Constructed the Community Medical Centre at the village of Megalahalli in Karnataka.
• Constructed watershed development and drainage systems at several villages adjoining the Company's mines in Karnataka.
• Created drinking water facility for around 1,500 people at the village of Playa in Karnataka.
• Distributed smokeless biomass stoves to around 700 families in Karnataka.

Education

Education has been one of the major focus areas of the Company's CSR initiatives. Given below are examples of the education initiatives.

• Project Manthan: A schoolbased intervention for promoting adolescent health and improving educational outcomes. A total of 13 schools are covered under the project, with over 2,600 students as beneficiaries.
• Launched a scholarship scheme called the 'Sesa Dnyanjyoti Shishyavritti' for meritorious students from Standard 5 to Standard 12. It has benefited 292 students from 57 schools.
• Launched the Vedanta Computer Education Programme called 'E-shiksha' in 295 schools in Goa and 250 schools in Karnataka.
• Distributed notebooks to students of several schools in Karnataka and Goa.
• Conducted vocational tuition classes in Karnataka benefiting over 900 high school students.
• Started evening study centres in villages of Karnataka for Standard 3 to Standard 7 students.
• Distributed balwadi play equipment to 20 balwadis, involving 400 children.
• Set up an orientation and mobility course for poor, visually impaired students. 20 students were taught various skills like negotiating steps, recognising places and daily living skills. During the 75-day course, these students were offered free boarding and lodging.

Health Initiatives

Some of the key health initiatives of 2010-11 are given below:

• There are 10 community medical centres running around Sesa Goa's mines and operational areas. Till March 2011, these have benefited around 118,000 people.
• A mobile health unit was launched for the South Goa mines, which covers over 33,670 people.
• An anaemia detection and treatment campaign was conducted in the villages of Pissurlem and Advalpal in Goa, which benefited over 300 women.
• Reproductive child health camps were organised at the villages of Mulgao, Piligaon, Mayem and Surla in Goa, which were attended by 645 women.
• Organised free eye screening camps in Goa and Karnataka, which has led to eye surgery, cataract operations and free spectacles to those who were affected.
• Organised a cancer awareness and detection campaign in the villages of Pissurlem, Cudnem and Surla in Goa, which covered 133 women.
• As in previous years, organised a blood donation camp on 1st December, 2010, the World AIDS Day, where 199 company employees donated blood.