With the aim of promoting education, women empowerment and eradicating child malnutrition, ESL Steel Limited, a Vedanta Group Company and a key national steel player, inaugurated 50 Nand Ghars at Sindurpeti, through a virtual launch by Chief Minister of Jharkhand Hemant Soren.

Vedanta has targeted to make 150 Nand Ghars operational by the end of 2021. With the launch, Vedanta has moved closer to its vision of transforming the lives of 8.5 crore children and 2 crore women across 13.7 lakh aanganwadis. About 2100 such structures already exist across 10 states in India.

A dream CSR project for Vedanta, Nand Ghars are dedicated to benefiting rural children and women in India by transforming traditional aanganwadis into state-of-the-art, fully equipped structures that create a conducive environment for early childhood development which includes elements critical to cognitive, social and emotional development. Run in collaboration with the Ministry of Women and Child Development (MoWCD), Nand Ghars are ensuring that rural India is not left behind in the country’s march towards progress.

They have some key features such as smart TVs for e-learning, 24×7 power backup, earthquake resistant structures, toilets, water purifiers, solar panels and kitchen gardens that make them model resource centres for the community. Besides providing nutritious meals to women and children, the Nand Ghars offer take-home rations to children and pregnant or lactating women.

Primary healthcare services are also rendered here through mobile vans while the women are empowered through skilling, credit-linkage and enterprise development.

After the virtual inauguration, Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren said, “Vedanta is known for its developmental initiatives and has my support with them always. The Nand Ghars are a positive step in pushing India towards rapid progress. Children are our future and what better way to shaping their lives other than Nand Ghars, which are architecturally beautiful and inviting for the children. I congratulate Vedanta for rapidly achieving its target through Nand Ghars. They have the support of Jharkhand Government in all such initiatives targeted at the development of women and children.”