NTPC has rolled out a four-week long empowerment programme for underprivileged girls in Assam to train 40 minors in different skills. The programme — Girl Empowerment Mission (GEM) — is being conducted by the power major across the country since 2018 and was launched in Assam for the first time.

“We have shortlisted 40 girls of age group 10-12 years. The exercise has come a long way right from the baseline survey, medical examination, registration process and finally at this campus,” Subrata Mandal, executive director, NTPC said in a statement.

In the coming four weeks, 40 girls will be provided training on different subjects, life skills and will be engaged in extracurricular activities such as outdoor games, puppetry and yoga at NTPC’s plant location in Salakati, Kokrajhar.

Mandal mentioned that NTPC started GEM in 2018 and contributed to the empowerment of 4,500 underprivileged girls in the vicinity of its project locations across the nation. The NTPC GEM programme will empower girls by making them aware of basic education, health and self-defence. With this initiative, NTPC aims to help these girls break the glass ceiling and dispel the misconception about female foeticide in rural areas.

He also thanked the Bodoland Territorial Council government, Kokrajhar district administration and the Department of Education in supporting NTPC Bongaigaon since the conceptualisation of the programme. “The CSR initiative will ensure that the girl child grows into a well-rounded adult with ample curiosity and quality communication and social skills,” Mandal said.

With inputs from PTI.

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