The CSR arm of Jindal Steel & Power (JSP), JSP Foundation, today launched the second iteration of the Yashasvi initiative as part of an expansion of its mission to provide financial support to more women and girls from less advantaged social groups. 5122 women and girls from Odisha, Jharkhand, and Chhattisgarh received scholarship award letters from JSP Foundation Chair Shallu Jindal, who also started the programme.
"Quality education and skill development is still a struggle for many women and girls who belong to marginalised parts of society," Jindal stated when introducing the programme.
Yashasvini Jindal, a JSP Foundation Advisory Body Member who played a key role in developing this effort, participated in the programme and offered encouragement to the chosen women and girls.
Yashasvi is a flagship programme of the JSP Foundation that offers financial support to deserving women and girls from lower socioeconomic statuses in the states of Odisha, Chhattisgarh, and Jharkhand who are prevented from receiving an education or developing their skills due to lack of resources. The chosen students are given financial help for the course cost and other fees related to undertaking professional training or academic programmes in general or professional streams at the institutions/colleges of their choice. 508 girls received assistance during the first phase, which got underway in August 2022. For this effort in FY 2022–2023, JSP Foundation has allotted Rs. 12 crore.
Over 10,000 applications were submitted to the JSP Foundation for the second phase, and 5122 women and girls enrolled in 326 different educational institutions throughout 10 States were chosen. 2823 women and girls are pursuing their education in a range of subjects, including nursing, social science, law, social work, engineering, management, business, and pharmacy, among others. Similar to this, 2299 women and girls are pursuing careers in fields including beauty therapy, tailoring, IT, retail management, hospitality, data entry, and others. Directly to the institutions where they are registered, the Foundation will provide the financial aid payment.
Women and girls in attendance at the session expressed their gratitude to the JSP Foundation for giving them the opportunity to pursue their goals of education and skill development. "Yashasvi programme by JSP Foundation is a silver lining for me and many girls. In light of my family's dire financial situation, I was worried about how I can complete my education. Now that I have the support of the JSP Foundation, I can fulfil my dream and contribute to society," said Priyanka Bisoyi who is pursuing MBBS in Government Medical College and Hospital, Sundargarh, Odisha.
The goals and ambition of the programme were emphasised by JSP President and Group Head (CSR), Prashant Kumar Hota.
For the overwhelming support for the programme, he congratulated the women and girls as well as various institutions.
DK Saraogi, Group CEO of JSP's Steel Division, Executive Directors Sabyasachi Bandyopadhyay and Chhabinath Singh of the Raigarh and Tamnar offices, and CSR Heads from every unit were present. Hridayeshwar Jha, executive director of JSP (Angul), gave the vote of gratitude.
