A powerhouse of transformation

The company has built classrooms, renovated buildings, and supplied a variety of school utility items such as desks and benches, sanitary napkin vending machines, sanitary napkin incinerators, sanitary napkins, black boards, library tables, library chairs, water filter cum cooler, roofing sheets for cycle sheds, steel book cases, and more.

In the Government High School at Singhawala, Moga, eight toilets, eight classrooms, borewell were constructed. Furniture was also provided to this school. Technology-enabled education

POWERGRID empowers children to thrive in the digital world through education. The infrastructure at the Government Girls Senior Secondary Smart School, Ferozepur, the region’s oldest school, dating back to year 1925, has been given a facelift. Here, new audio labs have been installed. Amanpreet is an English teacher here, “Listening is an empowering experience; it improves the vocabulary and pronunciation” she says, adding that the students enjoy this digital method of learning. Nandini of class X says, “Learning digitally has improved our pronunciation and grasp of English grammar, which was previously a struggle.”

POWERGRID also installed two smart classrooms at Government Senior Secondary School, Moga. Smart Classes

ICT has evolved from a communication and information technology to a curriculum creation and delivery system for teachers and students. Smart classes are a modernized method of education in Indian education scenario that helps students improve their concept formation, concept elaboration, reading skills, and academic achievement.

POWERGRID has introduced smart classrooms to aid in the implementation of the concept. In Haryana, POWERGRID has installed 330 smart classrooms with a budget of Rs. 7.8 crore benefiting education in 160 schools.

A smart classroom is a 'technology-enabled' room in which digital boards replace traditional chalk and duster. This board is an integrated solution that includes a frame, an interactive flat panel display, a cabinet with a computer, a multimedia controller, a visual presenter, audio, a backup power supply, and preloaded teaching content (optional). This solution equips a teacher with modern pedagogical methods to convert a classroom into a blended teaching and learning environment, where he/she can teach traditionally with whiteboard and a marker and add digital features by using Interactive Flat Panel Display.

Smart classroom encourages an interactive learning environment. It also enables teachers to explain and students to understand difficult or abstract topics/concepts and chapters through visualisation, thereby incorporating the “Cognitive Learning Process”.

Teachers and students are overjoyed that POWERGRID has introduced technology-based modern education into their classrooms. Deepak Antil, the officiating Principal of Government Model Sanskriti Senior Secondary School, Sonipat, refers to smart boards as ‘magic board’. “With smart boards that also have power backup, POWERGRID has brought digital education to remote areas. Attendance in classes with a smart board has increased. This digital board is more appealing to students than a traditional white board.”

Meenakshi, who teaches Mathematics at Government Girls Senior Secondary School (GGSSS) in Sonipat, spoke with us about the benefits of smart classrooms. She says, “We can load the lessons and notes on the smart board; the lessons can be saved for future reference. Even if we are not physically present, the students can access the lessons. This way, we won’t fall behind schedule in completing the syllabus. Additionally, the teachers are no longer exposed to hazardous chalk dust.”

Shalu is a student of class XII at GGSSS, Murthal Adda Sonipat. She says, “The smart board has well-defined visuals that allows us to understand any lesson easily. It is quite similar to a computer screen and very easy to use. This Wi-Fi-enabled device is available for use of all my classmates.”

In addition, three ambulances have been provided to the Civil Hospital, Ferozepur, and two primary healthcare centres are being built at a cost of Rs 3.83 crore. POWERGRID responded immediately to the pandemic by providing COVID kits worth Rs 5 lakh, and distributing dry rations to the needy.

Vishram Sadan Patna
Better health is essential for happiness and well-being. Vishram Sadan was conceptualized by POWERGRID management for mitigating hardships faced by poor patients and their attendants. In most government hospitals, waiting rooms are overflowing with people. There is a severe shortage of night shelters for patients and their families. The problem is more prevalent among people from lower socioeconomic backgrounds.

POWERGRID has established Vishram Sadans at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Delhi, Indira Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences (IGIMS) in Patna, and King George's Medical University (KGMU) in Lucknow.

In November 2019, the Vishram Sadan in Patna was handed over to the management of IGIMS. The 5-floor building consists of Reception, Dining Hall, Cafeteria, Kitchen, Common Room. The 256-bedded Vishram Sadan has dormitories and double-bedded rooms, priced at Rs 50 and Rs 350 respectively. All rooms are equipped with balcony, mattress and furniture. A lunch thali costs Rs. 35. The Vishram Sadan is equipped with a generator, has two lifts and a separate housekeeping staff and the facility is sanitised on a regular basis.

The Vishram Sadan is managed by a Lucknow-based trust “BhauRao Devras Sevanyas”. IGIMS receives a large number of patients, from Bihar and other states, as well as neighbouring Nepal. The majority of the impacted beneficiaries utilizing the services come from economically weaker sections of the society.

Eating a healthy lunch at the Vishram Sadan canteen, Shiv Shankar Rawat reveals that he has travelled from Janakpur in Nepal. He came to IGIMS, Patna, with a relative who was suffering from multiple organ failures that could not be treated in Nepal. He is grateful to be staying at the clean and affordable Vishram Sadan because the treatment will be lengthy.

Six more Vishram Sadans are under various stages of construction across the country.

NFCH is an autonomous organisation under the Ministry of Home Affairs. It provides education assistance to children who have become orphans or destitute as a result of the death or permanent incapacity of either both parents or the primary breadwinner in the family as a result of communal, caste, ethnic, or terrorist violence. “In any violent incident, women and children suffer the most. This organization was set up in 1992 with the goal of ensuring that children affected by violence have the opportunity to continue their education and overcome the trauma”, explains Manoj Pant, Secretary, National Foundation for Communal Harmony.

POWERGRID has been supporting this programme since 2014-15, assisting 1,632 children from Assam, Manipur, and Chhattisgarh. The majority of children are enrolled up to Class XII, as well as in Graduation/Post Graduation and Professional courses.

“This is a ‘rehabilitation-cum-education scheme’. We provide assistance even if the child is under the age of five. We provide education for children from pre-primary to professional levels, up to the age of 25. Even if a family has three or four children, each one receives separate assistance," Pant explains. Furthermore, NFCH has a partnership with Bengaluru's Art of Living Foundation for their mental health.

The field teams are in contact with state governments, authorities, and police departments, as well as other network partners, in order to identify the affected children. All documents are scrutinised, including post-mortem reports, the deceased's non-involvement in any violent act, and an income certificate, as the family seeking assistance must earn less than Rs 2 lakh per year. The funds are transferred digitally into bank accounts that have been verified and linked to the Aadhaar card.

Talking about the programme, Bhaskar Jyoti Mahanta, Director General of Police, Assam, says, “During my posting as the Superintendent of Police, Guwahati City, we came across a lot of violence related to insurgency incidents in Assam. Seeing the plight of the people, we wrote an approach paper to the then DGP Harekrishna Deka. In order to help the children, the police department started Project ASWAS in 2001. NFCH stepped forward to assist Project ASWAS through their ‘Assist’ programme. We identified and helped the children who had lost the breadwinner of the family to communal, ethnic or extremist related violence.”

The Assam police department also trained approximately 1,500 personnel at the National Institute of Public Cooperation and Child Development to sensitise them to the needs of these violence-affected children. The trained personnel assisted the people with documentation and maintained contact with the local educational institutions to monitor the beneficiaries' studies.

With POWERGRID's assistance, the children now have a better life. Debasish Saha from Nalbari, Assam, lost his father in a terrorist attack in September 2001 near his hometown. “First, my sister received educational assistance, and then I received it in 2008. After graduation, I plan to enrol in a stenography diploma programme in order to work for the government.”

A similar story is told by another youth. Janardan Borah lives in Guwahati, Assam, and is working with BYJU's. He is preparing for a government job. However, the journey to this career was not easy. “My father went missing during the extremist violence of 1997 in Nagaon. I was in the class III then. I was fortunate to have received financial support and I was helped till I completed my MBA degree.”

With a policy that is committed to inclusive growth, POWERGRID is bringing hope and joy in the lives of all the people.

Please share with us some programmes that have changed lives and brought smiles.
POWERGRID is committed to making a difference through CSR activities, with a particular emphasis on rural development efforts. Kalahandi District in Odisha, India, has suffered from repeated droughts and famines for several decades, causing great hardships to the local farmers. Watershed management techniques are helping 8,500 farmers in 10 villages boost farm yields by increasing water availability, enhancing soil fertility and providing improved crop varieties.
Children are the future of our nation. POWERGRID, as a global technology leader, recognizes the importance of providing quality education to children, which is why over 1,000 smart-classes have been established across the country.
As India moves progressively towards becoming a global knowledge economy, it must meet the rising aspirations of its youth. POWERGRID strives to give fresh impetus to the skill development initiatives and help create an appropriate ecosystem that facilitates imparting employable skills to its young workforce.
POWERGRID believes that skill development cannot be viewed in isolation. Therefore, partnering with institutes engaged in imparting job-oriented skill development training aligning with the industry requirements and offering them employment opportunities is the best approach. POWERGRID has partnered with reputed institutes such as NSDC, CIPET, IGIAT etc. for providing employment opportunities to skilled manpower.

What are POWERGRID’s future plans?
Outbreaks such as COVID-19 have necessitated improving healthcare institutions with the adequate infrastructure at Government Hospitals all over the country.
POWERGRID has recently taken-up project for providing Ring Gantry Linear Accelerator for Radiotherapy Treatment at Regional Cancer Centre, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala with an approved estimate of Rs 20 cr.
Additionally, POWERGRID shall commence construction of 100 bedded District Hospital at Serchhip District in Mizoram with an approved estimate of Rs 21 cr. The project will benefit 96.85% Scheduled Tribe (ST) population of Serchhip, Mizoram.

“POWERGRID is committed to making a difference through CSR activities“
Vinod Kumar Singh
Director (Personnel), POWERGRID