ArcelorMittal Nippon Steel India and Protean partner to award ‘Beti Padhao’ scholarships
Mumbai : ArcelorMittal Nippon Steel India (AM/NS India), a joint venture between ArcelorMittal and Nippon Steel – two of the world’s leading steel companies – today announced a partnership with technology services firm Protean eGov Technologies (Protean) and Protean’s education scholarship arm Vidyasaarathi to offer ‘Beti Padhao’ (educate daughters) scholarships.
The partnership with Protean embodies the theme of this year’s International Women’s Day – ‘Gender Equality Today for a Sustainable Tomorrow’ – and will see AM/NS India offer financial support to young women from economically weaker sections of society. From today, students from across India will be able to apply for funds to support their educational aspirations. The grants will be available for students enrolled in a range of courses offered by the Indian Administrative Services (IAS); technical, medical, and professional programs; undergraduate education; and national as well as state sports, etc. Students who have scored a minimum of 60 per cent in 10th and 12th standards with an annual family income of Rs five lakh or less will be eligible for the scholarships.
DILIP OOMMEN, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, ARCELORMITTAL NIPPON STEEL INDIA (AM/NS INDIA) said: “We are fully committed to gender equality, and this endeavour is part of a series of initiatives being undertaken by the company, that are also in tandem with honourable Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Government’s vision. Our ‘Beti Padhao’ scholarships aim to have a meaningful impact in helping students fulfil their personal and professional ambitions, while contributing to inclusive growth. What reinforces our firm commitment to gender equality is the fact that we have set a goal to reach 25% women representation in the company’s workforce in the next five years.”
“Improving access to quality education to ambitious, high-performing young women from underprivileged socioeconomic backgrounds will go a long way in supporting our country’s objective of eradicating gender bias in education,” added Mr. OOMMEN.
Vidyasaarathi has been entrusted with managing the scholarship process, including validation of the applications, award of scholarships, and disbursement of funds. The programme was launched at Protean’s headquarters in Mumbai on March 7 by AM/NS India leadership led by Shingo Nakamura, Deputy Director, HR & Administration; Dr. Vikas Yadvendu, Head, Corporate Social Responsibility; Shintaro Miyake, General Manager, Administration and Operations (Nippon Steel), alongside Protean leadership, represented by Jayesh Sule, Whole Time Director and Chief Operating Officer; Gopa Kumar T.N, Chief Business Officer; and Vinit Nair, Vice President.