Sesa gives local admin a stronger say in providing jobs

Sesa Sterlite Ltd (SSL) today said it has come up with a unique system that will smoothen the process providing employment by Kalahandi district administration to the project affected people (PAP) of its alumina refinery at Lanjigarh.
The new system aims at providing transparency to the process of hiring local people as and when employment opportunities come up and better address their grievances related to the same, the company said in a statement.
The new system, laid down after discussion with the district administration, formed a committee including BDO of Lanjigarh, IIC of Lanjigarh police station and local tehsildar as key members.

The committee will look into screening of job applications of local people. Under the system, an applicant has to send a copy of his job application to the committee.
Based on set guidelines the committee will recommend the company the order of preference of the candidate for unskilled employment to be given to local people.
The guidelines, finalised recently at a meeting attended by the district Collector and Superintendent of Police of Kalahandi, provides the order of preference.

The first preference in this is given to PAP who did not opt for one time cash settlement of their land, while those who opted for one time settlement get the next preference. They will be followed by those not affected by the project, the statement said.

Commenting on the new system, K K Dave, COO of SSL, Lanjigarh said, "We always believe in transparency. The new system empowers a neutral body in form of the local administration to decide the order, and not the company."
People can present their case for filing available employment opportunities in sequence to the committee and stay rest assured that their case will be considered based on recommendations given by the committee, he said.