Coal India Ltd. To Contribute Rs. 75 Crores To NSDF, Three New Sports Hostels To Come Up In Bhopal, Gwalior And Bengaluru To Benefit 350 Sports Persons

The Union Minister for Information & Broadcasting, Youth Affairs and Sports, Shri Anurag Singh Thakur witnessing the signing ceremony of MoU between the National Sports Development Fund (NSDF), Department of Sports M/o YAS and Coal India Limited for the construction of three hostels at SAI academies at Bangalore, Bhopal and LNIPE Gwalior, in New Delhi on September 07, 2021.
The Minister of State for Home Affairs, Youth Affairs and Sports, Shri Nisith Pramanik and the Secretary, Sports, Shri Ravi Mittal are also seen.

Rakesh Thapliyal

New Delhi: Coal India Limited (CIL), under the Ministry of Coal, has signed an MoU with the Department of Sports, Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports, for the betterment of sports infrastructure in the country. Under the MoU, CIL, under its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) program will contribute Rs. 75 crores towards the National Sports Development Fund (NSDF). CIL’s contribution will be used for the construction of three large hostels meant for sportspersons. The initiative is seen as a significant step towards reaping the sports atmosphere created through recent success in Olympics & Paralympics where India finished with the best ever medal tally.

The MoU signing ceremony was held in the presence of Shri Anurag Singh Thakur, Union Minister of Information & Broadcasting, Youth Affairs & Sports and Shri Nisith Pramanik, Minister of State for Home Affairs, Youth Affairs and Sports. Dr. Anil Kumar Jain, Secretary (Coal), Shri Ravi Mittal, Secretary (Sports), Shri Pramod Agrawal, Chairman, CIL and other senior functionaries of the Ministries and CIL attended the function.

CIL spends over Rs. 500 crores annually on CSR initiatives. CIL and its subsidiaries have undertaken some high-impact projects under the thematic area of promotion of sports in its operational areas. Notable among them are- Support to Sport Academy at Ranchi by providing residential training to tribal youth of Jharkhand at the cost of Rs. 10 crores per year, a Multi-Purpose Sports Complex at Sambalpur, Odisha at the cost of Rs. 25 crores and a 10,000-capacity stadium at Jharsuguda, Odisha at the cost of Rs. 23 crores.

These hostels will be constructed at Lakshmibai National Institute of Physical Education (LNIPE), Gwalior and Sports Authority of India’s (SAI) centers at Bhopal & Bengaluru with a combined capacity of 350 sportspersons. These hostels will benefit talented athletes directly by creating a conducive eco-system through focused training under national-level coaches. The project will be completed by 2023 for which CIL has already released Rs. 25 crores. This particular support from CIL also meets the purpose spelled out under the “Khelo India” Scheme of Govt of India.

CIL spends over Rs. 500 crores annually on CSR initiatives. CIL and its subsidiaries have undertaken some high-impact projects under the thematic area of promotion of sports in its operational areas. Notable among them are- Support to Sports Academy at Ranchi by providing residential training to tribal youth of Jharkhand at the cost of Rs. 10 crores per year, a Multi-Purpose Sports Complex at Sambalpur, Odisha at the cost of Rs. 25 crores and a 10,000-capacity stadium at Jharsuguda, Odisha at the cost of Rs. 23 crores.

During his address, Shri Anurag Thakur said that the valuable contribution by Coal India to NSDF has come at an appropriate time in the backdrop of unprecedented performance by our sportspersons at the recent Olympics and Paralympics. He congratulated the Indian athletes for their best ever performance at the Paralympics and for winning 19 medals at the Tokyo Paralympic Games. Appreciating the initiative of Coal India, the Minister added that with this a part of the funds generated from the mining of coal will go to chisel our sportspersons into ‘diamonds’ that deliver a podium finish. Giving more details, Sh. Anurag Thakur said that the fund is used to promote sports in general and specific sports disciplines for achieving excellence at the national and international levels. The Fund is also judiciously applied for the modernization and development of infrastructure. In the previous years, a number of PSUs have generously contributed to NSDF. “The sports academies under SAI and LNIPE needed more hostels for the benefit of athletes. Coal India Ltd’s endeavor to contribute substantial funds of Rs.75 crore towards construction of three hostels for sports athletes will bring ease of training and enhanced facilities.”, Shri Thakur added.

Shri Thakur further said that the signing of MOU for construction of three hostels at SAI academies at Bangalore, Bhopal and LNIPE Gwalior will strengthen the bond between the Department of Sports / NSDF and Coal India Ltd. The Minister proposed that the Sports Authority of India and Coal India Limited should jointly set up a Sports Academy for furthering the cause of sporting culture in the country.

Shri Thakur appealed to all PSUs, corporates and individuals to come forward and contribute generously to the NSDF as part of their corporate social responsibility and become stakeholders in India’s journey to becoming a sporting powerhouse.

During his address, Shri NisithPramanik said that Coal India Ltd has always supported the culture of competitive sports in India. Shri Pramanik assured that the funds provided by CIL will be used judiciously and the project will be completed in a time-bound manner.

Secretary, Sports Shri Ravi Mittal said that with the construction of hostels in these three academies, it will be possible to hold national coaching camps at these three locations. He urged Coal India to continue its valuable support to NSDF in the future also.

Secretary Coal, Sh Anil Jain said that it’s a matter of pride for Coal India to contribute to sports development in the country. While it is their duty to support the talented sportspersons, it also contributes to the brand image of Coal India, he said.

Contribution to NSDF has mainly come from PSUs and PSBs. As on 31.03.2021, total CSR contributions received are Rs. 170 crore and Government of India, Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports has made a contribution of Rs. 164 crore, its matching share. From this fund, the Ministry has given assistance to organizations for infrastructure and setting up of academies, Assistance to sportspersons for their customized training and to the Sports Authority of India (SAI) for athletes covered in Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS).