JUGGLING THE INTERESTS OF DIFFERENT STAKEHOLDERS? The Roles of Responsible Leadership and Human Resource Management₁

The reference point was Utkal Alumina International Limited (UAIL), an ambitious greenfield alumina refinery, co-generation power plant, and bauxite mine, which began its journey in 1992-93 in the most remote and hilly terrain of Odisha, where epidemics, starvation, and atrocities were rampant. Despite having a progressive plan and the necessary approval from the state government, this greenfield project faced stiff resistance from a range of stakeholders, especially from the local tribal people, who would be most affected by the project. The UAIL leaders were struggling to find ways to commission the project. They wondered if the project would need to be shut down permanently amid the resistance. Dominated by the tribal inhabitants (indigenous people), Kashipur Block in Rayagara District was characterized by low socio-economic status, in which per capita income for each family was far below the poverty line.