Great Initiative: Jindal Sports Hostel Inaugurated at Barbil to Nurture Rural Talents
By Akshaya Patnaik
Joda/Barbil: Chairman of Jindal Steel & Power Shri Naveen Jindal and Chairperson of JSP Foundation Smt. Shallu Jindal today inaugurated Jindal Sports Hostel at Soyabali in Keonjhar District to promote rural sports talents. The hostel, the first of its kind in the district, established by JSP Foundation, the social arm of Jindal Steel & Power, will provide state of the art residential facility to 60 Children selected with sporting prowess to excel in sports and education.
“Sports is about discipline, hard work, and teamwork, it is about developing character and learning to overcome challenges. This sports hostel reflects our commitment to provide opportunities for young people from underprivileged backgrounds to excel in sports and education. It is a place where they can be provided with holistic nourishment to learn and grow,” said Sri Jindal in his address.” “I am confident that the young people who stay here will go on to win laurels for India. They will become champions, role models, and leaders,” he added.
Speaking at the inaugural ceremony, Smt. Jindal said, “We believe that education and sports are essential for the development of youths. This hostel is another step forward by JSP Foundation towards creating a more prosperous and equitable India by providing equitable opportunities to underprivileged students. The hostel will nurture the sports and education career of residents by providing them with the best of the facilities, nutrition, coaching, schooling and skilling”. She assured all the children of the tribal predominant region of Barbil with all-round support in the field of sports and education to grow in their respective fields.
The hostel is established in line with the Government of Odisha’s focus on the development of sports infrastructure across the state. It is equipped with state-of-the-art facilities, including comfortable accommodations, modern sports equipment, fourth generation Gym and sports training facility with dedicated coaches. The Foundation will also provide the students with food, nutrition, and physical fitness training.
JSP’s President & Group Head CSR Sri Prashant Hota, Head Raw Material & Slurry Pipeline Shri Ashish Pandey, Barbil Unit Head Sri Purushotha M D, Unit Head (Kasia Mines) Sri Pramod Kumar Patra, Unit Head (Tensa Mines) Sri Kamalakanta Nanda, HR Head Sri Ashish Mohanty, Barbil’s CSR Head Mr Vargil Lakra Martial Arts coach Sri Pankaj Mahanta, children, their guardians, other senior company officials and community leaders from the nearby villages were present on the occasion.
The inaugural ceremony and Pravesh Utsav of the hostel were conducted by Sri Prashant Hota with the support of team CSR and Corporate Communication of JSP Barbil. Sri Ashish Pandey extended his gratitude to everybody, including the local community members who participated in the programme.
JSP Foundation has been supporting and promoting youths of Keonjhar District to play Wushu & Kickboxing sports, forms of martial arts. The Foundation, in association with Odisha State Wushu Association, has been patronizing the Keonjhar District Wushu Team for more than a decade. The Foundation extends all infrastructural support to the Team, like the development of training centres, training facilities by national-level coaches, food & nutrition and clothing & conveyance for the players. Besides Sweta Rani, during the past years, JSP Foundation groomed Babulu and Manju Munda, who have bagged Silver and Gold medals in International Wushu Tournaments in Brazil, Brunei and Moscow, respectively.
