Lanjigarh: Vedanta Aluminium, India’s largest producer of aluminium, is supporting young archers from Kalahandi district through its flagship Sports Training Initiative in Lanjigarh. Recently, 21 of these athletes (12 male and 9 female) qualified for the upcoming 26th Odisha State Open Archery Meet 2025.

The qualifiers emerged from the district-level trials held at SSD School, Lanjigarh, organised by the Kalahandi Athletic Association with Vedanta’s support, where a total of 40 archers competed across Indian Round, Compound, and Recurve categories.

Launched in 2018, Vedanta Lanjigarh’s Sports Initiative has been nurturing young talent from Kalahandi by providing access to professional training, national-level coaches, modern equipment and kits, logistical support, and nutritional diets. At present, 40 students are training in archery and another 40 in athletics, with more than 300 youth trained so far under the programme. The initiative has already delivered impressive outcomes, with trainees winning 37 medals at state-level events in FY 2024-25, securing over 20 representations at national competitions, and clinching one national medal at the second Jan Jatiya Khel Mahotsav 2024.

Speaking on the achievement, Pranab Kumar Bhattacharya, CEO of Vedanta Alumina Business, said, “This achievement is a proud moment not just for the young archers but for the entire community of Kalahandi. It demonstrates what focused training and the right support can do in unlocking potential. Our endeavour is to nurture grassroots sporting talents in the region and provide them a strong platform to shine at higher levels. We look forward to seeing many more such success stories emerging from our sports programme.”

Through such initiatives, Vedanta Aluminium is committed to nurturing grassroots sporting talent and empowering rural youth across Odisha. The company has trained over 500 youth in archery, hockey, karate, and football, while its larger social impact programmes have touched the lives of 4.5 lakh people across 500 villages, spanning livelihood, education, health, infrastructure, grassroots sports, and culture. As part of its flagship Nand Ghar project, Vedanta has also established 531 modernised anganwadis in Odisha, driving women and child development in the state.