Coal Ministry Notifies SECL's CSR Initiative for NEET Aspirants

Coal India Ltd (CIL) arm SECL on Saturday said its CSR initiative providing free residential NEET coaching to meritorious students from the company's operational areas, has been notified by the coal ministry.

The initiative 'SECL Ke Sushrut' was launched in 2023. The ministry has issued a Gazette Notification enabling Aadhaar authentication for beneficiaries of the flagship initiative, a company statement said.

The notification facilitates transparent, efficient and targeted delivery of benefits to the beneficiaries through voluntary Aadhaar authentication, while also providing alternative government-approved identity documents for those who choose not to use Aadhaar.

The gazette notification formally recognises the scheme and marks a first for the coal PSU sector, underscoring the expanding role of coal producer in social development across mining districts.

SECL said the move will strengthen the institutional framework for its CSR activities and help scale up projects in areas such as health, education and livelihoods.

"Gazette Notification of SECL Ke Sushrut is a landmark recognition of a CSR initiative that is transforming aspirations into opportunities for youth from coalfield communities. It reinforces our commitment to delivering impactful, transparent and inclusive development in line with the vision of Government of India," SECL Chairman-cum-Managing Director (CMD) Harish Duhan said.

The initiative had earlier become the first and only CSR scheme of any Coal PSU to be listed on the Centre's Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) portal, reaffirming its robust governance framework and alignment with the government's vision of technology-enabled and transparent service delivery.