BC Jindal Foundation Transforms Government Schools in Rural Odisha Under Project ‘Unnayan’

• Impacted over 1500 students directly, covering 29 villages, and 40,000 population

March 10, 2026: BC Jindal Foundation, the CSR wing of India’s leading business conglomerate, the BC Jindal Group, has strengthened the quality of education across 13 government schools located in 9 villages of Kaniha block. Through its flagship initiative, Project Unnayan, the Foundation has directly benefited 1,676 students and indirectly impacted the lives of 40,000 people across 29 villages of Angul District by upgrading infrastructure and integrating modern technology. The CSR wing, as part of this social impact initiative, Project Unnayan, is empowering rural government schools, which remain the primary providers of education for rural and tribal children.

The BC Jindal Group, led by Shyam Sunder Jindal, Promoter BC Jindal Group, through its foundation’s initiative, has created inclusive learning spaces and opportunities that enable children to build sustainable career pathways. BC Jindal Foundation has been working consistently over the past three years to create sustainable educational ecosystems in peripheral villages surrounding its operational areas. Project Unnayan has positively impacted 1,676 children studying in 13 government schools and two anganwadi centres children from 29 villages of Angul District. The initiative has focused on strengthening school infrastructure through the renovation of 25 classrooms, including BALA painting, installation of 320 sets of desks and benches, and construction of boundary walls and school gates in government schools to enhance safety.

In addition, the project has established smart classrooms, computer laboratories, mini science centres, and libraries to promote experiential learning and recreation across the beneficiary schools.

Beyond academic infrastructure, the Foundation has also prioritised student health and hygiene by ensuring access to safe drinking water through the installation of water purifier with chiller, construction of modern kitchen facilities for mid-day meal preparation and storage, development of handwash platform, improvement of sanitation facilities, and installation of sanitary pad incinerators in upper primary schools.

Under this initiative, the CSR wing has also renovated and revitalized Anganwadi centres located in Derang and Kaniha Gram Panchayats. The intervention included improvement of existing classrooms infrastructure, provision of educational learning equipment, child-friendly furniture and construction of a new kitchen along with sanitation facilities.

In addition to this, the BC Jindal Group has constructed a multi-story High School building featuring vocational classrooms at Government High School, Pabitra Mohan in Kaniha block. The classrooms are equipped with modern smart LED screens, furniture & fixtures, a fire extinguisher and educational BaLA (Building as Learning Aid) paintings.

On August 27, 2025, the Honourable Education Minister Shri Dharmendra Pradhan, inaugurated the Pabitra Mohan High School building and formally opened it for the schoolchildren. He interacted with the children and appreciated the BC Jindal Foundation’s efforts toward improving the quality of education.

“Our social impact initiatives are strategically designed to create value for all participants and stakeholders. Project Unnayan is one such unique program that focuses on reviving and upgrading the infrastructure of existing government schools in the region. Through this initiative, we will continue to address challenges like high student absenteeism, inadequate school infrastructure, and focus on driving a foundational and long-term impact,” said a BC Jindal Group spokesperson.

The project Unnayan is working toward achieving the Sustainable Development Goals of Quality Education (SDG-4), Gender Equality (SDG-5), and Clean Water and Sanitation (SDG-6) by ensuring comprehensive school infrastructure development programs.

“At the BC Jindal Group, we have leveraged our multi-layered corporate expertise to ensure project excellence. Our civil engineering team conducted regular site audits to ensure construction quality and material standards for these government schools. Simultaneously, the group’s senior management and internal finance and audit teams provided strategic oversight on KPIs and budget allocation, ensuring maximum impact,” added the spokesperson.

The BC Jindal Group has planned a total investment of Rs 40 crore for various CSR projects across India during FY26. Through this, the foundation plans to focus on improving healthcare, skill development, animal welfare, and nutrition by expanding its ongoing initiatives and introducing new projects under its CSR program. The BC Jindal Group plans to intensify its CSR operations in the states of Delhi, West Bengal, Haryana, and Maharashtra, among others.

Founded in 1952 by Shri BC Jindal, the BC Jindal Group, led by Shyam Sunder Jindal, Promoter, BC Jindal Group, is one of India’s leading conglomerates and is engaged in a diverse portfolio of businesses that includes packaging films, energy & steel products.