NMDC institutes in Chhattisgarh’s Dantewada district send youths to MNCs

Living in the shadow of Maoist violence, a good number of students in Chhattisgarh’s restive Dantewada district have been absorbed in multinationals through the platform provided by National Mineral Development Corporation (NMDC).

The country’s largest iron-ore miner is running two institutes in Dantewada district — NMDC DAV Industrial Training Institute in Bhansi and NMDC DAV Polytechnic in Jawanga.

Of the three mechanised iron-ore mines NMDC operates, two are in Dantewada district, with the lion’s share in the company’s output.

Besides mining, the company has pioneered development initiatives and steered changes in improving the quality of education in remote areas as part of its corporate social responsibility (CSR).

“As the country’s mining major, NMDC is committed to shaping a sustainable and resilient future for India. We are consulting our stakeholders on every step and harnessing the power of technology at our mines to ensure growth for our company and the community,” Chairman and Managing Director Sumit Deb said after the company recently bagged an award for “CSR and Sustainability”.

Both institutes are making efforts to provide employment for the local youth. In pursuance of this, domestic and multinational companies are organising placements on campus.

In the institute of Jawanga, 116 students found jobs in multinationals. According to NMDC officials, they were selected by two leading multinationals — Wistron in Bengaluru and Schneider Electric in Hyderabad — through written tests and interviews.

In another campus interview in Bhansi, 43 students were selected in a leading automobile multinational and 94 students participated in the campus placement drive. According to officials, the selected students will attend a training session before being inducted for probation.

Company officials associated with CSR activities said students from remote areas of Dantewada were awaiting exposure to the outside world.

Besides multinationals, domestic firms associated with the solar energy, mining and automobile sectors have recruited students from both the institutes.

Executives of renowned companies visiting Dantewada and organising campus interviews itself is an indicator of the changing scene. The fear was so high in the region that one of the country’s leading steelmakers abandoned the plan of setting up a plant in Bhansi.