Team News Riveting
Bhopal, June 11
Northern Coalfields Limited (NCL), an arm of state-run Coal India Limited, would provide financial assistance for setting up five oxygen plants in Madhya Pradesh to combat COVID-19 in the state.
Chairman-cum-Managing Director (CMD) of NCL Prabhat Kumar Sinha met Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Friday and handed over a Cheque of Rs 10 crore for setting up 5 oxygen plants in different medical colleges of state. The assistance would be from company’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) head.
The initiative had been conceived by Chairman Coal India Pramod Agrawal and continuous monitoring and support from his side immensely helped in the finalization of these projects well in time, the company spokesperson said.
The fund would assist the state to strengthen the fight against COVID-19 in trying pandemic time. Director (Personnel), NCL Shri Bimlendu Kumar was also present during the meet held in Bhopal.
The NCL CMD apprised the Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister about the company’s operations in the state. He briefed about the CSR activities of the company in the Singrauli Region and the major project being undertaken for the inclusive development of the region. CMD also detailed the measures taken by NCL to curb the COVID19 pandemic. He also urged the MP CM to start a Medical and Mining College in Singrauli.
The Chief Minister appreciated the contribution of NCL in the energy security of the Nation and NCL’s effort in fighting the COVID pandemic in induced testing time. He also assured his support to NCL.
The amount Rs 10 Crore has been given to the Department of Public Health and Family welfare of the MP Government towards upgrading healthcare infrastructure in light of the COVID pandemic. Along with this, the company has also given an assistance of Rs 1.75 crores to set up an oxygen generating plant at AIIMS, Bhopal for the treatment of patients, under its CSR initiatives.
Apart from its own endeavors to tame down COVID, NCL is also assisting Singrauli district administration against COVID for up-gradation of medical infra such as oxygen plants and necessary arrangements with Rs 7 Crore. Previously NCL had also contributed a sum of Rs 20 crore to the Madhya Pradesh government to fight against COVID-19 pandemic.
NCL has also provided essential facilities to more than 1 lakh people living in the villages of the Singrauli region, such as sanitization of public places, distribution of ration kits, masks, sanitizers, medical kits, and medical equipment, etc. Strong health infrastructure in a record time for the treatment of COVID patients was developed to serve the employees and locals.
In the last 7 years, NCL has spent about Rs 500 crore in its CSR initiatives in the state of Madhya Pradesh. NCL has carried out the development of Major public infrastructure, improving connectivity through roads, water supply, skill development, health care, education, sports, promotion of art and culture.
In the last financial year, NCL spent about Rs 130 crore on its different CSR projects, giving new dimensions to sustainability including transform Singrauli
Being a responsible Corporate, in the previous year, NCL has given Rs 1485 crore as royalty and Rs 462 crore as a District Mineral Fund (DMF) to the state.
NCL is a Miniratna company of the Government of India, Mining more than 115 MT of coal annually from its 10 highly mechanized coal mines in which 6 opencast mines operating in MP produce about 85 per cent of the company’s coal. NCL contributes about 15 per cent in the total coal production, which thereby generates about 10 per cent of the total electricity of the country.
