Rural Girls In Odisha’s Angul Honoured With Swayamprabha Award On Women’s Day

Bhubaneswar: JSPL Foundation, the Corporate Social Responsibility arm of Jindal Steel and Power Ltd. (JSPL) announced the Swaymprabha Award for adolescent girls who have successfully fought their own health adversities and excelled in their studies and other co-curricular activities under its Kishori Express Programme.

On the occasion of International Women’s Day, JSPL Foundation felicitated two rural girls of Angul district for spreading awareness about adolescent anaemia in and around Angul and Banarpal blocks.

Angul Collector and District Magistrate, Siddharth Shankar Swain and Tapan Kumar Satapathy, ADM-Angul, felicitated Adyasa Mohapatra and Priyadarshini Parida with the “Swayamprabha Award” for not only taking care of their personal hygiene and overcoming severe anaemia but also for excelling in their studies.

These girls are now torchbearers for other girls of their age groups, spreading awareness on health and hygiene among girls in nearby villages.

The Kishori Express Programme of the JSPL Foundation is a specially dedicated vehicle to identify such anaemic young girls and educate them in ways and means to overcome the challenges of low haemoglobin with proper counselling, testing and training.

Adyasa and Priyadarshini were severely anaemic when they were 14 and 16 years old. Their haemoglobin levels were as low as 8 and 8.2 respectively. With proper education, guidance and care by Kishori Express and ICDS functionaries associated with the project, their haemoglobin level has increased to 11.8 and 12.5 respectively.

Both the girls are sensitising their friends and girls from the neighbouring community about the hazards of being anaemic and educating them on ways and means to maintain the haemoglobin level for a healthy body and mind.

In her message, Chairperson of JSPL Foundation Shallu Jindal said, “I am sure such awards will be a big encouragement to adolescent girls to adopt appropriate health care and personal hygiene measures and pursue their studies for a bright future.”