New Delhi: Through a landmark decision, Ministry of Tribal Affairs and Northern Coalfields Ltd (NCL) decided to come together for the up-gradation of infrastructure and capacity building in 42 Eklavya Model Residential School (EMRS) in the states Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh.
Ministry of Tribal Affairs, Government of India establishes EMRS to impart quality education to ST children thereby enabling them to avail opportunities in higher and professional educational courses; and thereby get gainful employment in various sectors. EMRS in addition to imparting high quality education also takes care of their nutrition and overall health and development. As on date there are 479 functional EMRS across the country.
Realising the potential of CSR in supplementing government funding for the overall development of tribal people, the Ministry of Tribal Affairs, under the leadership of Shri Jual Oram, Hon’ble Minister of Tribal Affairs, has been reaching out to companies for focused CSR investments, aligned with the commemoration of Janjatiya Gaurav Varsh and the visionary leadership of the Hon’ble Prime Minister, to further strengthen the resolve of empowering tribal youth through quality education and digital inclusion.
In this background, NCL has announced that an amount of Rs 5 crores under their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) will be given to EMRS to promote digital education and other infrastructural initiatives. Around 950 computers, 950 UPS, 90 tablets, 430 sanitary pads vending machines and 430 sanitary pads incinerators will be provided to 42 EMRS. The CSR funded project will be implemented by National Scheduled Tribes Finance and Development Corporation (NSTFDC), a Section 8 Company under the Ministry in a time bound manner.
Objectives of the Project:
i. Digital education: Digital literacy skills are one of the most important 21st Century Skills for the youth to develop and by establishing computer labs and promoting digital education, the Ministry of Tribal Affairs and NCL seek to achieve such skills among tribal students. Most youth across the world today access the Internet and engage in learning using computers, so it is important for students and teachers to have access to these digital devices to take advantage of the latest technology and innovation. This will give further boost to the innovative programs launched by the Ministry in EMRS such as Digital Tutoring for IIT-JEE and NEET, Digital Transformation Program etc.
ii. Health and hygiene of girl students: By promoting menstrual health and hygiene, the retention and academic performance of girl students are expected to see a positive impact.
Beneficiaries: The said initiative is expected to benefit more than 26,000 tribal students, including 13,500 girl students.