GEM 23 kicks off at Kaniha
Bureau,Odishabarta
Talcher.25/04/23:With the completion of baseline survey , the countdown to NTPC annual CSR flagship programme, Girl Empowerment Mission(GEM) 2023 summer camp has started at NTPC Kaniha.
Buoyed by the “Beti Bachao Beti Paraoh” call of the Hon’ble Prime Minister, NTPC had started the GEM programme in 2018 to empower the girl students studying in the neighbourhood schools of NTPC Plant and Towhship.
Under this novel CSR initiative, NTPC had conducted four week long GEM residential camps for girl students studying in class V at 35 centers across the country enlisting the participation of over 2300 students last year.
The GEM programme is broadly divided into three phases,Pre camp activities,In camp activities and Post camp activities.
The Pre camp activities have begun at Kaniha with the identification of six bright students from each of the 20 participating government schools located in the neighbourhood of Plant and Township.Once this was completed, the prospective students were invited to attend the Baseline survey sessions, where experts sought to comprehend the academic and intellectual levels of the participants so that the summer camp course curriculum could be meticulously planned and carefully crafted according to the requirement and learning abilities of the students.This also provided a good opportunity for conducting health checkups of the prospective participants at the NTPC hospital. This was done prioritize their well being in the camp.
In camp activities: Students eagerly wait for the whole year to get enrolled for the GEM programme at NTPC, as it provides an opportunity to the community school girls to get first hand knowledge about life skills, art, theatre,computers,music dance,yoga, self defence skills and health and hygiene,besides academics in an atmosphere of fun,free from pressure and monotonicity.
Away from the comforts of home and watchful eyes of the parents and elders,the girls seldom experience discomfort as NTPC leaves no stone unturned to offer the best of comfort and care to the little GEMS.Lady employees and members of Ladies Club engage with the participants right from day one in such a fashion, that the bondage becomes very hard to sever at the end of the camp. Sweet memories at the camp leave an indelible imprint in the tender minds.Special control rooms monitor CCTV footages 24 x 7.Trained security personnel are deployed to keep a tight vigil.Entry is strictly restricted to the whole campus and only those with valid pass are allowed to go in.
The idea behind holding the GEM camp is to give the girl students from obscure schools of the rural hamlets an opportunity to discover their latent talents in the alternative disciplines such as in fine arts, performing arts, life skills, public speaking, leadership skills, instill a sense of discipline, motivate them to grow into law abiding citizens, firmly rooted in Indian value system and strong conviction in democracy.The programme also paves the way for the participants to nurture their ambitions and set goals in life. Participating in group activities in the camp helps the girls shape their characters and transforms them into team players rather than self centered individuals.
NTPC firmly believes that investing in the holistic development of the girl child would pay rich dividend in the long run as the GEMs of today would grow into women of tomorrow and play a pivotal role in empowering the society and shaping the future of our nation.
There is no participation fee for the students in the GEM summer camp.Cost of all day to day requirements, uniforms,footware,toiletries,study kits fooding ,lodging and boarding is borne by NTPC under its CSR scheme.Slated to begin in second week of May,the camp would continue for four weeks.120 students from 20 nearby rural schools have been shortlisted to take part in GEM 2023. While academics, sports,games,creative learing,fun, frolic,magic shows,visit to parks would keep the girls busy, they would get opportunity to meet their parents/guardian in person on Sundays/holidays.
Post Camp activities:The conclusion of the month-long GEM summer camp is not the end of the programme.
The progress and development graph of the participants is carefully monitored by a dedicated GEM team for the next few month and necessary assistance is extended to the students as and when required. The participants are invited back to a week-long winter camp at the end of the year ,where experts attempt to discover the growth in the learning curve of each individual student.Based on the overall assessment, the best 10 performers are offered admission to study in the NTPC Township Schools upto class XII, free of cost.Particularly,for meritorious students coming from weak financial background, this opportunity has the potential of changing the life of a GEM student for ever and help her realize her dreams.
