South Eastern Coalfields Limited (SECL), a Chhattisgarh-based coal PSU, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Sri Sathya Sai Health & Education Trust to establish a Healthcare Skill Development Centre at Nava Raipur, Chhattisgarh. The project will be implemented under SECL’s Corporate Social Responsibility programme with financial assistance of ₹35.04 crore.
The proposed institute will provide free, skill-based and job-oriented healthcare training to socio-economically disadvantaged youth from coalfield regions of Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh. Training will focus on nursing assistants, technicians and allied healthcare professionals, aimed at improving employability and strengthening healthcare services in underserved regions.
The campus will include academic blocks, hostels, staff residential facilities and allied infrastructure. Preference will be given to candidates from SECL’s operational districts, with at least 20 per cent of the annual intake reserved for these districts for a period of 25 years, extendable based on performance.
The MoU was signed in the presence of Biranchi Das, Director (HR), SECL, and was executed by C. M. Verma, General Manager (CSR), SECL, and Vivek Narayan Gour, Trustee, Sri Sathya Sai Health & Education Trust.
SECL and the Sri Sathya Sai Health & Education Trust are already partnering under SECL’s flagship healthcare initiative ‘SECL Ki Dhadkan’, which provides free corrective surgeries to children suffering from congenital heart disease. More than 180 life-saving surgeries have been completed under the programme, improving access to advanced healthcare for underprivileged families in coalfield areas.
SECL has spent over ₹850 crore on CSR initiatives across Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh, covering healthcare, education, skill development, infrastructure and community welfare, making it a major catalyst for social development in the coal belt region.
