NEW DELHI: State-owned Coal India Limited on Tuesday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Sports ministry, contributing Rs 75 crore towards the government's National Sports Development Fund (NSDF) as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative.
The MoU signing was held in front of Sports Minister Anrurag Thakur, Minister of State for Sports Nitish Pramanik and Sports Secretary Ravi Mittal.
Thakur said the contribution by Coal India to NSDF has come at an appropriate time in the backdrop of unprecedented performances by the country's sportspersons at the recently-held Olympics and Paralympics in Tokyo.
He congratulated the Indian athletes for their best-ever performance at the Paralympics, where they won an unprecedented 19 medals.
"Coal India Ltd's endeavour to contribute substantial funds of Rs 75 crore towards construction of three hostels for sports athletes will bring ease of training and enhanced facilities," Thakur said.
The hostels will come up at SAI academies at Bangalore, Bhopal and LNIPE Gwalior.
Thakur appealed to all Public Sector Undertakings, corporates and individuals to come forward and contribute generously to the NSDF.
Coal Secretary Anil Jain said it's a matter of pride for Coal India to contribute to sports development in the country.
"While it is their duty to support the talented sportspersons , it also contributes to the brand image of Coal India," he said.
As on March 31 this year, total CSR contributions received are Rs 170 crore and the Government of India has provided Rs 164 crore to the NSDF.
