When I took the charge of CMD of the company in 2012, then implementing any such initiative seemed a distant dream. The production of the company for years was stagnant at 48 MT and inventory was about 16 MT (about 33per cent of annual production). Many ongoing projects had an acute shortage of land as landowners were not giving physical possession of their land to CCL.
We had our back against the wall, but these are the conditions which inspire a person to function at his best. Now the same company with the same set of employees has reached a record production of 68.74 MT and we are one of the largest contributors to the Jharkhand State exchequer.
The transition did not happen overnight but was possible because of Kayakalp model of governance which lays emphasis on transparent, bold, ethical and philanthropic approach. It has led to large scale organizational transformations.We have settled long pending complex issues and have received environmental as well as forestry clearances, we have also taken physical possession of land and have opened greenfield projects.
All these accomplishments would have been negated if we didn’t fulfill our debt to society. Our priority is inclusive growth and the objective is- Overall development of villagers, poor and labourers.
CCL has implemented many schemes in skill development, education, sports, health and drinking water for the well-being of people of Jharkhand.
One person who has inspired me is Swami Vivekanand and I often remember a quote of him” If the poor boy cannot come to education, education must go to him”.
In a country like India quality education is a privilege which is available to a few and I consider myself fortunate that I got an opportunity for decent education. I wanted CCL to provide the same opportunity to every child in the country.One of the initiatives which is close to my heart is Kayakalp Public School. The school is for the oppressed, destitute and the children of beggars who don’t have access to education.
These children come from different slums of the city like Jaganathpur, Hatma. The intention was that we should leave no stone unturned in providing the students with the best infrastructure and amenities. With this understanding the school was set up in an area of 3.5 acres in Bukru Village in Ranchi-Patratu Highway in 2018. We recognized the hardships that these children encounter in their day-to-day lives. Hence the aim was to make education a gratifying experience. Keeping this in mind bus facilities are available which pick and drop the students from their homes.
Atthe time of admission, we provide four pairs of uniforms to the students. The students are given mid-day meal and routine health checkups are carried by a team of specialised doctors from CCL Gandhi Nagar Hospital. In the world that we live today communication is an integral ingredient of career development, hence the medium of teaching is English.
The desire is toturn Ranchiinto a city with no child beggars in it. We have informed the authorities and requested the public that if they notice any child beggar in any part of the city kindly inform our representative and we will arrange for their education in this school. The aim is to transform the lives of these kids so they play an effective part in nation building.
Transparency is paramount and to assure that a three-member committee has been constituted to evaluate the students before acceptance. This is perhaps the only school in the city where the criteria for entrance is that the student should belong to downtrodden section of society.We started with thirty students and today there are fifty-five students in the school from classes nursery to two. We are hopeful to raise this number manifold.
There is a sense of contentment when we notice the transformation in these kids. The children who could not speak a line in Hindi are now competent to take pledges and recite poems in English.One student states he aspires to become a doctor.
Before admission in the school he used to beg and the future for him meant a day of survival with the meagre alms.There are many such stories in this school which compels a person to believe in the capability of education in transforming society.
When these students will reach seventh grade, they can try to qualify for Sports academy run by CCL.The teachers in this school are the family members of CCL employees. They don’t accept any remuneration for their work.
We are a country that discovered zero. Strangely zero has no relevance of its own, but when we add a prefix to it, the value increases manifolds. Same is the situation with these children, perhaps if they were not admitted to this school of their dreams and story would have been different but now, they have a mission in mind to accomplish.
There are apprehensions in the minds of people that being a coal mining company why is this focus on education.
I believe that we produce coal to illuminate the future of our children.
Company is committed to fulfilling the vision of our Honorable Prime Minister i.e.” Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas”.
The Ministry of Coal, GoI is constantly supporting Coal India and its subsidiaries in fulfilling the energy aspirations of the country.
One school will not eradicate the plague of child begging entirely, but we believe that this is a modest step in the right direction. Opening of this school was a memorable achievement for the company but the proudest occasion will be when there will be no child beggar left in the city to educate.
The writer is Chairman cum Managing Director of Central Coalfields Limited