CSR

Utkarsh Educational Initiative

Ambuja Neotia flagged off the Utkarsh Educational Initiative in January 2013 which is a scholarship-cum-mentoring programme targeting the girl child. Meritorious students coming from disadvantaged backgrounds are being supported to pursue higher studies and fulfill their dreams, till they attain self-reliance. Support is extended to aspiring students in the form of scholarships, monthly motivational classes cum mentoring sessions, counseling, academic guidance, English tutorials, health awareness, educational tours, library, career guidance, and other development activities.

Supporting Madhyamik Appearing Students From Economically Weak Families

Modular batches including mock tests and doubt-clearing sessions are organized with our NGO partners in Rajarhat and Mukundapur locations, every quarter for students appearing for Madhyamik exams to make them exam-ready. It has been observed that students face difficulties such as understanding the questions, time management etc., being first-generation learners. To overcome these, we hold the workshops to deliver guidance on all the subjects.

Ambuja Neotia Children Activity Centre

An evening schooling activity runs on a regular basis at Sardarpara location of Rajarhat, targeting 50 slum dwelling children. It is an everyday schooling from 5 pm giving lessons on good conduct, morality along with their academics – making the learning process joyful and interesting for the children. At the end of everyday learning, the children return home with books in one hand, and tiffin on the other.

Weekly English Classes for Students From Bengali medium schools

30 girl students from the surrounding locations of Mukundapur have been inducted for special classes in English & communication. Through this initiative, thorough English guidance for them – grammatical, written & spoken is provided for a stronger base in English. Students range from VIII to first year in college.

Support to rural schools & infrastructure

The CSR team is closely working with 45 govt. schools in North & South 24 Parganas. Extensive support is accorded in the form of TLMs, BALA painting work, high & low benches, art materials, wooden furniture, cooking shade, cooking utensils, sports material, cultural classes for children, distribution of fruit saplings et al. The most visible intervention accomplished is giving shape to a permanent structure for an ICDS School in Chakloknath village near Raichak.

Targeted Math Intervention for 30 Rural Children

The quantitative aptitude of the children in the villages were found to be abysmally poor. We conducted few games based on mathematical calculations for the high school students, however, all the prizes remained undistributed as none of the students could win any.

This gave rise to our targeted Math classes for  selected students, who will be sitting for the Madhyamik examination. We induct students from VIIth standard, thus ‘catching them young’ and grooming them with calculative techniques and logical abilities so that they pass with flying colours in the board exams.

Life skill training for Children & Adolescents

Imparting lessons on Life Skills to children & adolescents is one of our integral and continuous initiatives. Our life-skill trainers engage with them in different schools in Rajarhat, Mukundapur and Raichak and train them on the 10 life-skill verticals for a period of 6-month duration for a particular group. It doesn’t need mention that lessons on decision making, coping with stress, or dealing with emotion and others are of extreme necessity for an adolescent child to grow and flourish.

Suresh Neotia Fellowship (Formerly Udayan Shalini Scholarship)

To bring higher education at the reach of all, especially the girl students, assistance in the means of scholarship is provided to 100 girl students, since 2007. The initiative is being implemented by Udayan Care West Bengal, an established NGO. Ambuja Neotia is committed to support the students continuously till they complete their respective curriculums. They are selected through an eligibility test called NAT (Need-Ambition-Talent).

Training for Competitive Examinations

Since 2018, the Group has been training financially challenged graduate students for government competitive examinations. Over 350 students have benefited from this initiative, gaining the skills and knowledge necessary to pursue government jobs and improve their socio-economic status. Today some of them are proudly employed with GSI, WB Police or PWD.

MENTORING OF MARGINALISED STUDENTS AT SUNDARBAN

Our CSR team ventured out to Namkhana of Sundarbans to implement a mentoring session for 52 students there, who assembled from various remote pockets and islands of Sundarbans. All these students scored brilliantly in their respective academic levels but they suffer tremendous financial uncertainty due to their parents’ meager monthly earnings. Daughters and sons to fishermen, day-labours, landless farmers & migrant labours – the lifestyle they are into, is beyond our imagination. It starts with scarcity and ends in deprivation. Still overcoming all odds, these students exceled.

The CSR team went to reach out to them for a mentoring session and scholarship-giving event at their village near Sundarbans which is 140 kms. away from Kolkata. A scintillating mentoring session by Mr Tarun Goswami, The Statesman-famous reporter, was held which moved the students. He delved deep with the topics of courage, personality development and love for the country. The students presented two songs and a recitation. Finally the scholarships were distributed – their eyes shone bright with enthusiasm, gratitude and tears. Its probably the first time their achievement got acknowledged in such a public forum. Local electronic media covered the event.

The scholarship touched the students so much so that they gave their feedback in writing - how much they feel indebted to the giver for this financial assistance for supporting their higher studies. They were delighted when we announced that the scholarship will be with them till they stood on firm ground.