Vedanta HZL CSR Udaipur

Best HR Practices in Inclusion and Social Impact, Company had 15% female diversity in the executive workforce
Udaipur : Hindustan Zinc (HZL) the leading producer of Zinc, Lead, and Silver in India, has won ‘5th CII National HR Circle Competition 2021’ under the category of ‘Best HR Practices in Inclusion and Social Impact’. As a people-first organization, the company firmly believes that people are their biggest assets and are committed to making a diverse, inclusive, and digitally advanced workplace.

The CII jury panel examined the participant organizations on several criteria, inclusive of – policy and practices to promote diversity and inclusiveness to achieve competitive business advantage; HR practices concerning the social impact in the current scenario; employee involvement in socially impactful initiatives and leveraging diversity and inclusiveness to build employee brand.
Commenting on the achievement, Mr. Arun Misra, CEO, Hindustan Zinc said, “As part of our core philosophy, we at Hindustan Zinc believe that inclusivity strengthens our commitment towards empowering and engaging work culture, instilled with a value system on collective growth. Our people development initiatives reinforce a culture where everyone feels valued and respected by providing equal opportunities to one and all. This is a proud moment that our company has won the ‘5th CII National HR Circle Competition 2021’ under the category of ‘Best HR Practices in Inclusion and Social Impact’ that motivates us to continue our efforts to enable stronger and more inclusive growth.”
Hindustan Zinc is a firm believer in the people-first aspect. The company has always been curating various initiatives to serve its employees and workers. The women employees at Hindustan Zinc have always been breaking barriers and stereotypical norms. Company’s two women employees went from breaking grounds to breaking barriers during the year. Sandhya Rasakatla became India’s first woman mine manager and Yogeshwari Rane became India’s first woman to win a first-class certificate in both restricted and unrestricted categories.The company also has 15% female diversity in the executive workforce and further has formed various Women Councils intending to engage, collaborate, unleash potential and develop future leaders among these female powerhouses.
Hindustan Zinc, as a responsible corporate has always been committed to the cause of promoting diversity and inclusion within the organization and also among their business associations. The aim is to achieve equality across all levels, beginning from their Board. The company’s vision is to eventually create an everlasting workplace culture where teams of mixed gender, ethnicity, regional affiliations, physical ability, age, color, marital status, nationality, race, religion and sexual orientation are representative of a variety of perspectives and experiences. One of their Sustainability Goal 2025 is to achieve 30% Diversity in an inclusive workplace. The company has always been coming up with various initiatives to serve this vision and this, has led the company win the Best HR Practices in Inclusion and Social Impact award.

by World finance at their Sustainability awards 2021 The company is committed towards reducing CO2 emissions, water conservation, and biodiversity management byinnovating and adopting new greener technologies
Udaipur : Hindustan Zinc (HZL), the leading producer of Zinc, Lead, and Silver in India has been awarded the Most Sustainable company in the mining industry by World Finance. The company is committed to smart, safe, and sustainable mining operations. Hindustan Zinc strives to conserve natural resources and adopt greener technologies wherever possible to ensure its environmental footprint shrinks year on year.

The company has been recognized for its ESG disclosure, its ambitious Sustainability goals 2025, analysis of the environmental impact and responsible approach towards its business, and many efforts towards GHG emissions reduction, water stewardship, circular economy, biodiversity conservation, zero harm, positive impact on local communities, diversity and equality and responsible sourcing.
Commenting on the achievement CEO of Hindustan Zinc, Mr. Arun Misra said, “Sustainability is deeply embedded as an integral part of our work culture at Hindustan Zinc. We believe in driving long-term sustainable economic development by protecting the health and safety of our people, community, and environment. We are continuously investing in strengthening our operations by bringing best-in-class technology and digitalization solutions to walk the talk in being a smart and sustainable global organization. We are proud to be recognized as the “Most Sustainable Company in Mining Industry 2021” across the world and are committed to continue to lead in reducing CO2 emissions, water conservation, and biodiversity management.”.
Hindustan Zinc embarked on a digital transformation program to drive a different way of working for a sustainable future, aimed at enhancing stakeholder value through exploration, innovation, safety, and sustainability, maintaining market leadership, and increasing customer delight. Hindustan Zinc has increasingly been using technology for the automation of processes and has started integrating technologies across the value chain to reduce waste, increase resource efficiency, and drive-up productivity while promoting the harnessing of renewable energy sources.

Hindustan Zinc is taking all possible efforts to limit climate change, mitigate its catastrophic effects, and ultimately save lives. In addition to setting ambitious targets to achieve sustainability in the business, the company has established a stronger governance structure, for increased transparency. Protecting and enhancing biodiversity is also an integral part of Hindustan Zinc’s commitment to sustainable development. The company has a separate policy on biodiversity and stays committed to preventing risk on biodiversity throughout our business. The company aims to be self-sufficient and green in fulfilling energy requirements so as not to put any stress on the energy-starved state of Rajasthan, which plays host to a significant part of operations. The company’s portfolio of over 348.54 MW of renewable energy generation is testimony to the HZL philosophy of growing responsibly.
Hindustan Zinc is on a journey, one which focuses on nurturing leaders, conserving resources, improving health, safety, and wellbeing. The company aims to be the example that others wish to emulate when it comes to environmental performance, enhancing the quality of life, and fostering innovation. The company ranked first in the Asia-Pacific region and seventh globally in the metal and mining sector by the Dow Jones Sustainability Index for the third consecutive year and is among India’s first companies to be included in The CDP climate change ‘A List’ for 2020. This award is a testimony to Hindustan Zinc’s effort towards sustainability.

Sandhya Rasakatla becomes India’s first woman mine manager in the unrestricted category
Udaipur. Breaking new grounds has always been a legacy for Hindustan Zinc. Be it in the endeavors of safety, digitalization or most recent, their employees. In a constant pursuit of inculcating inclusivity and diversity in an industry like mining,

Hindustan Zinc’s Sandhya Rasakatlawas appointed as India’s first woman Underground Mine Manager and Yogeshwari Rane as UG Mine Development Manager. Sandhya assumed the role as Mine Manager of HZL’s Zawarmala Mine while Yogeshwari is appointed Head Planning & Development for Kayad Mine. Both Sandhya and Yogeshwari Rane are also the first women in Indian Mining to receive the ‘First Class Mines Manager’ certificate of competency in the “Unrestricted” category. The company is extremely proud and happy to take such a pioneering step in the mining industry that displays the commitment towards diversity and inclusivity.
Speaking on their achievement, Mr. Arun Misra, CEO, Hindustan Zinc, said, ““Women being allowed in mining has been a revolutionary decision. This is an opportunity for us and the women mining engineers out there to bring about a societal change. At Hindustan Zinc, we have embraced this and have given equal platform for our women engineers in our mining operations. I’m sure Sandhya’s and Yogeshwari’sappointment will be an inspiration for all the young ladies who want to pursue mining engineering as their option. This is just a stepping stone for young women who aspire to be leaders in the mining industry”.

Mining Engineers Sandhya and Yogeshwari have both been a part of HZL since 2018. Yogeshwari is the first woman to receive a ‘First Class Mines Manager’ certification in both ‘restricted’ and ‘unrestricted’ category. Sandhya was also the first woman in India to receive the ‘Second-Class Manager’s Certificate’ in the unrestricted category last year.
Like any other woman in mining, these engineers wouldn’t have been able to achieve this if not for a landmark decision in 2019. Following the amendments in the Mines Act 1952 in 2019; wherein government decided to exempt women employed in any mine above and below ground from the provisions of section 46 of the Mines Act, 1952; Hindustan Zinc deployed women engineers like Sandhya and Yogeshwari to gain experience in the underground mine operations.

Farmers can increase their income through collaborative work by joining farmer producer organizations

Mumbai. Hindustan Zinc has always been at the forefront of taking up responsibility towards developingits communities.With an objective of enhancing the livelihood and sustainable development of the farmers, HZL organized the two-day tour of 35 farmers of Chittorgarh, Bhilwara, Udaipur and Rajsamand to Amalsad block of Navsari district in Gujarat.

Under HZL’s SAMADHAN project, farmers visited Gujarat Farmer Producer Organizations and interacted with representatives of Dixel Farmer Producer Cooperative with the aim of increasing and improving their earnings through collaborative efforts.
Today, around 84% of the annual income of the Gujarat Farmer Producer Organization goes to the shareholder farmers.
After the visit, Mr. Rajendra Kumar Keer, Farmer of ChittaurgarhNagri village said that there was lot to learn from the special work done by Farmer Producer organization (working for the last 75 years) such as selling plant from mango seed, organic manure from shells, juice, pickle, floor mango in the market, materials used in daily life, Kirana shops etc. Now in our region too, we have been inspired to start this kind of work, so that we can get more benefits.
Pusa Ram Jat of Rampura Agucha Mine said that we are delighted to learn the ways we can enhance our livelihoodsthrough this Gujarat FPO tour by doing different types of farming and gardening.
Jagdish from Debari village who went on a tour, said that during the FPO exposure visit, we got to know many things, the most importantly is how we can increase our income by doing collective work. Whether the work is small or big, it can be done through cooperation.
Hindustan Zinc Samadhan project, under the aegis of Sustainable Agriculture Management and Development by Human Nature Project, is being implemented in 5 districts of Rajasthan namely Udaipur, Rajsamand, Chittorgarh, Bhilwara and Ajmer in association withBAIF Institute for Sustainable Livelihoods and Development. Under this project, latest agriculture technology and animal husbandry is being used for the purpose of increasing the livelihood of farmers. Currently, around 30,000 farmer’s families of 174 villages are benefiting from this project. For increasing the livelihood of farmers and sustainable development, FPOs i.e. Farmer Producer Organizations are being formed, which will benefit the farmers along with providing technology know-how and seeds as well as the prices of production.

Hindustan Zinc & Epiroc Rock Drills AB sign an MoUfor Zero Emission and Sustainable Mining by introduction of Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV) in underground mining, Hindustan Zinc will become the first mining company in India to introduce electric vehicles in UG mines
Udaipur. A pioneer in adopting innovative solutions and smart technologies for responsiblemining, Hindustan Zinc sets a newbenchmark as the company leads the way for introduction of Battery Electric Vehicles (BEVs) in underground mining.

Taking a step closer to achieving carbon neutrality, Hindustan Zinc signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Epiroc for ‘Zero Emission and Sustainable Mining by introduction of Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV) in underground mining’. This will help HZL to explore the possibility of introducing battery operated vehicles in underground mines which will help reduce carbon emissions, enabling the mine operations to become more environment friendly.
Industrial activities around the globe are fast moving towards building sustainable partnerships that bring efficiency and expertise to business. It’s imperative for any partnership to share same values to be successful, and both Hindustan Zinc as well as Epiroc India share the values of safety, sustainability, innovation and technology in running operations.
Commenting on the MoU, Mr Arun Misra, CEO, Hindustan Zinc said, “At Hindustan Zinc, we are committed to Smart, Safe and Sustainable operations and we believe that as a leader it is incumbent on us to be catalysts for transformation towards adopting sustainability driven business solutions. This partnership with Epiroc fortifies our commitment to green and responsible mining and takes us furthers in the right direction to achieve carbon neutrality, in line with our emission reduction Sustainability Development Goal for 2025.”
Mr Jerry Andersson, Managing Director, Epiroc India added, “A safer and cleaner mining starts only if someone takes the first step. Epiroc has always been a leader in mining technologies. We showcase the BEV in underground mining with the broadest offerings and a mission to deliver the world’s greenest machines. Our memorandum with Hindustan Zinc is a step on our mutual journey for a safer and more sustainable mining operation to come.”
The future is electric, and technologies such as these will be at the forefront of smart operations. This partnership will in future allow a fleet of highly efficient electric powered equipment that at one end will reduce carbon emission by replacing diesel-fuelled equipment and on the other hand will increase productivity with its evolved design.
Sustainability across operations is part of the core business philosophy at Hindustan Zinc. As a COP26 business leader, the company has been consistently working towards achieving science-based targets (SBT) to curb carbon footprint. It is part of the prestigious CDP “A List” for all its initiatives towards tackling climate change and is also ranked 1st in Asia Pacific & 7th Globally by The Dow Jones Sustainability Index 2020.