New Delhi: South Eastern Coalfields Limited (SECL), a subsidiary of Coal India based in Chhattisgarh, has launched a corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiative called 'SECL ke Sushrut' on Tuesday, aiming to empower economically disadvantaged students. Through this initiative, SECL will offer free residential coaching for the National Eligibility Cum Entrance Test (NEET) to Class 12 students.

The program is designed to support students hailing from remote villages in the coal belts of Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh who aspire to become doctors but lack the resources for quality medical coaching. The 'SECL ke Sushrut' initiative will identify students through a competitive exam structured similarly to the NEET. The selected students will receive coaching and mentorship through a collaboration with a private coaching institute situated in Bilaspur.

Prospective students interested in enrolling can visit SECL's official website, https://secl-cil.in/index.php. The online registration will be open until September 6, and the selection test is scheduled for September 10. Eligible candidates must have successfully completed Class 12 in 2023 with a minimum score of 60%. They should also be residents of either Madhya Pradesh or Chhattisgarh and live or attend school within a 25 km radius of SECL establishments in districts like Korba, Raigarh, Koriya, Surguja, Surajpur, Balrampur & Manendragarh-Chirmiri-Bharatpur in Chhattisgarh, and Umaria, Annuppur, and Shahdol in Madhya Pradesh.

Moreover, the combined annual income of the applicant's parents or guardians should not exceed ₹8,00,000. The initiative will also follow the coal ministry's policy on reservation, allocating 14% of seats for SC students, 23% for ST students, and 13% for OBC students.