National Thermal Power Corporation Limited (NTPC), the country’s largest power generator, announced Wednesday that it had launched a four-week empowerment program for disadvantaged girls in Assam to teach 40 minors various skills. The electricity company has been running the Girl Empowerment Mission (GEM) initiative across the country since 2018, and it was launched for the first time in Assam.
Subrata Mandal, NTPC Executive Director (Bongaigaon Plant), announced the project on Tuesday, saying it is being run for the first time in Assam to help poor females.
“We have chosen 40 girls between the ages of 10 and 12. “The exercise has come a long way, beginning with the baseline survey, continuing with the medical examination, the registration process, and eventually arriving at this campus,” he said in a statement.
Mandal stated that NTPC launched GEM in 2018 and has helped to empower 4,500 impoverished girls in the proximity of its project locations across the country.
He also complimented the Bodoland Territorial Council government, the Kokrajhar district administration, and the Department of Education for their support to NTPC Bongaigaon from its inception.
The NTPC GEM program will empower girls by instilling in them the importance of basic education, health, and self-defence. With this program, NTPC hopes to assist these girls in breaking the glass ceiling and dispelling myths regarding female foeticide in rural areas.
Over the next four weeks, the 40 girls will receive academic training, life skills, and extracurricular activities like outdoor games, puppetry shows, and yoga at the NTPC facility in Salakati, Kokrajhar. “The CSR project will ensure that the girl child grows into a well-rounded adult with an abundance of interest and strong communication and social skills,” Mandal said.