South Eastern Coalfields Limited (SECL), a flagship subsidiary of Coal India Limited on the occasion of the birthday of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi and Lord Vishwakarma Jayanti, felicitated 75 coal mining workers with the SECL Vishwakarma Awards at a grand ceremony organised at its headquarters in Bilaspur, Chhattisgarh. The first edition of SECL Vishwakarma Awards recognised the grit, dedication and exemplary service of workers engaged in mining operations, maintenance, supervisory and allied roles across SECL mines.

Union Minister of State for Housing and Urban Affairs, Shri Tokhan Sahu graced the programme as Chief Guest. MLA (Beltara) Shri Sushant Shukla was present as Guest of Honour. The event was presided over by Shri Harish Duhan, CMD, SECL. Functional Directors, representatives of trade unions, HoDs, officers and employees of SECL were present during the occasion.

Addressing the gathering, Shri Tokhan Sahu lauded SECL’s initiative of instituting the Vishwakarma Awards on the auspicious occasion of Vishwakarma Jayanti, coinciding with the birthday of the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi.

To mark the occasion, dignitaries planted saplings under the “Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam” campaign. The event commenced with the administration of the Swachhata Pledge by the Chief Guest, which also marked the launch of the Swachhata Hi Seva Campaign 2025, across SECL headquarters and operational areas.

As part of the celebrations, SECL also conducted a special one-day campaign titled “SECL-17: Vishwakarma Seva Sankalp” across its ten operational districts in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. The campaign featured seventeen welfare activities for regular and contract workers, including health camps, blood donation, safety and vigilance awareness programmes, financial and digital literacy workshops, plantation drives under Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam, and de-addiction awareness initiatives. These activities reflected SECL’s continued commitment to the welfare of workers, sustainable practices, and community development.

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Shuhaib T/ Durgesh Kumar

(Release ID: 2168100)