BALCO Promotes Smart Farming with Automated Weather and Water Station
16th July 2025
Balconagar, 16th July – Bharat Aluminium Company Limited (BALCO), India’s iconic aluminium producer and part of Vedanta Aluminium, has taken a major step towards supporting smart and sustainable agriculture with the installation of an Automated Weather and Water Station (AWWS) under its flagship CSR project, Mor Jal Mor Maati. In its pilot phase, the station currently covers more than 200 farmers across select villages in a five-kilometre radius, with plans to scale up and reach more farmers in the region.
Aligned with the Government of India’s Digital India initiative, the intervention reflects BALCO’s commitment to expanding digital infrastructure at the grassroots level. Digital India envisions not only connectivity and digital access but also last-mile empowerment, where even remote farmers benefit from precision tools and real-time advisories. As climate change and technology rapidly reshape the agricultural landscape, access to modern technology is becoming as critical as access to water or seeds. Information and Communication Technology (ICT)-based solutions like the AWWS help bridge this digital divide, and CSR efforts play a pivotal role in accelerating this transformation. By embedding smart solutions within rural ecosystems, BALCO is strengthening the flow of agri-intelligence while promoting climate-resilient farming.
By integrating hyperlocal weather forecasting with agronomic advisories, the AWWS equips farmers with timely and relevant information, helping them schedule irrigation, plan sowing and harvesting, and prepare for extreme weather events. Delivered in real time and made accessible through platforms like Gram Vikas Samitis, dedicated WhatsApp channels, and on-ground awareness efforts, this system empowers farmers to become more self-reliant, informed, and resilient. Alongside weather intelligence, it provides insights into soil moisture, pest and disease forecasting, and crop protection strategies, helping farmers reduce input waste, safeguard yield, and increase overall productivity. With this initiative, BALCO is introducing modernizing agriculture in rural farming communities along with strengthening their capacity to respond to climate challenges through sustainable, tech-enabled solutions.
Speaking on this initiative, Rajesh Kumar, CEO & Director, BALCO, said, “At BALCO, we see technology as a powerful enabler in driving industrial excellence as well as in empowering communities. The AWWS under our ‘Mor Jal Mor Maati’ project is a step making precision agriculture a reality for farmers. As a digital-first organization, we are committed to integrating innovation into our social initiatives to help build resilient, future-ready communities.”
The Mor Jal Mor Maati project focuses on supporting farmers through initiatives that improve surface water management with existing resources, augment irrigation facilities, and promote multi-cropping to reduce dependence on rainfall. It is also introducing farmers to new avenues such as lac cultivation, animal husbandry, horticulture, and non-timber forest produce, ensuring income generation round the year. The Vedanta Agriculture & Resource Centre has also been set up as part of the project to complement these efforts through trainings and input support. To date, the project has impacted over 5,700 farmers, driving sustainable agricultural practices and economic growth.
About BALCO:
Bharat Aluminium Company (BALCO) is a subsidiary of Vedanta Limited, operating a 0.57 million tonne per annum aluminium smelter in Korba, Chhattisgarh. It is part of Vedanta’s Aluminium Business, a division of Vedanta Limited, which is India’s largest producer of aluminium, manufacturing more than half of India’s aluminium, i.e., 2.42 million tonnes in FY25. It is a leader in value-added aluminium products that find critical applications in core industries. Vedanta Aluminium ranks 2nd in the S&P Global Corporate Sustainability Assessment 2024 world rankings for the aluminium industry, a reflection of its leading sustainable development practices. With its world-class aluminium smelters, alumina refinery and power plants in India, the company fulfils its mission of spurring emerging applications of aluminium as the ‘Metal of the Future’ for a greener tomorrow. For more information, please log on to
www.balcoindia.com
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Disclaimer:
This press release contains “forward-looking statements” – that is, statements related to future, not past, events. In this context, forward-looking statements often address our expected future business and financial performance, and often contain words such as “expects,” “anticipates,” “intends,” “plans,” “believes,” “seeks,” “should” or “will.” Forward-looking statements by their nature address matters that are, to different degrees, uncertain. For us, uncertainties arise from the behaviour of financial and metals markets including the London Metal Exchange, fluctuations in interest and or exchange rates and metal prices; from future integration of acquired businesses; and from numerous other matters of national, regional, and global scale, including those of a political, economic, business, competitive or regulatory nature. These uncertainties may cause our actual future results to be materially different than those expressed in our forward-looking statements. We do not undertake to update our forward-looking statements.
About Vedanta Limited:
Vedanta Limited, a subsidiary of Vedanta Resources Limited, is one of the world’s leading Oil
& Gas and Metals company with significant operations in Oil & Gas, Zinc, Lead, Silver,
Copper, Iron Ore, Steel, and Aluminium & Power across India, South Africa, Namibia, and
Australia. For two decades, Vedanta has been contributing significantly to nation building.
Governance and sustainable development are at the core of Vedanta's strategy, with a strong
focus on health, safety, and environment. Giving back is in the DNA of Vedanta, which is
focused on enhancing the lives of local communities. Under the aegis of Vedanta Cares, the
flagship social impact program, Nand Ghars have been set up as model anganwadis focused on
eradicating child malnutrition, providing education, healthcare, and empowering women with
skill development. Vedanta and its group companies have been featured in Dow Jones
Sustainability Index 2020, and were conferred Frost & Sullivan Sustainability Awards 2020,
CII Environmental Best Practices Award 2020, CSR Health Impact Award 2020, CII National
Award 2020 for Excellence in Water Management, CII Digital Transformation Award 2020, ICSI
National Award 2020 for excellence in Corporate Governance, People First HR Excellence Award
2020, ‘Company with Great Managers 2020’ by People Business and certified as a Great Place
to Work 2021. Vedanta’s flagship Nand Ghar Project was identified as best CSR project by the
Government of Rajasthan. Vedanta Limited is listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange and the
National Stock Exchange in India and has ADRs listed on the New York Stock Exchange.
For more information, please visit
www.vedantalimited.com
