Bokaro: Vedanta ESL Steel Limited today organized a walkathon in Bokaro as part of its #RunForZeroHunger initiative. The event, held on the eve of Mahatma Gandhi and Lal Bahadur Shastri’s birth anniversaries, aimed to raise awareness about the mission of achieving Zero Hunger in India. The walkathon aligns with Vedanta Group’s annual Delhi Half Marathon, which supports the same cause.
The third edition of the Vedanta Delhi Half Marathon is scheduled for October 20, 2024. Last year, the event attracted over 35,000 participants and features several race categories, including the Half Marathon, Open 10K Run, Great Delhi Run, Senior Citizens’ Run, Elite Participation, and Champions with Disability Run.
As part of its commitment, Vedanta has pledged to provide one meal to children for every kilometer run during the marathon. These meals will be distributed through Vedanta’s extensive network of nearly 6,000 Nand Ghars, including 150 in Jharkhand, supported by ESL Steel Limited. The Nand Ghar initiative, led by the Anil Agarwal Foundation, modernizes Anganwadis and addresses the nutritional needs of children, as well as expecting and lactating mothers across 14 Indian states.
The Bokaro walkathon saw enthusiastic participation from the local community, including city officials and employees of ESL Steel Limited. Prominent attendees included Om Prakash Gupta, IAS, SDO of Bokaro, and several key ESL Steel Limited executives including Ashish Kumar Gupta (WTD & CEO), Anand Dubey (CFO), Ravish Sharma (COO), Shyamlee Minz (CHRO), and Ashish Bhardwaj (CCO). Around 300 employees also took part in the event.
In honor of Gandhi Jayanti, participants paused at the Gandhi statue along the route to pay their respects. Leaders from ESL Steel Limited reflected on Mahatma Gandhi’s values and their relevance today, while also paying tribute to Lal Bahadur Shastri at his statue.
At the conclusion of the event, the top three walkathon participants were recognized. Lagan Hansda secured first place, followed by Ravindra Kumar Pandey and Vijay Sindhu, the Chief Security Officer of ESL Steel Limited. A pledge wall featuring motivational quotes and certificates for the organizing team were also part of the event.
Speaking at the event, Ashish Kumar Gupta, WTD & CEO of ESL Steel Limited, emphasized the power of participatory sports to bring people together for a cause. “It is the dream of our Chairman, Anil Agarwal that no child in India should go to bed hungry. We aim to make #RunForZeroHunger a nationwide movement, and today’s walkathon is a step towards that goal,” he said.
This initiative reinforces Vedanta’s continued dedication to addressing child hunger and ensuring that nutritious food is accessible to all children in India.
