What is NIRMAN Scheme?

About NIRMAN Scheme:

• Noble Initiative for Rewarding Mains Aspirants of the National Civil Services Examination (NIRMAN) is a unique Corporate social responsibility (CSR) scheme by Coal India Limited (CIL) designed to support meritorious candidates from its operational districts.
• The NIRMAN scheme is tailored to provide financial assistance of ₹1,00,000 to candidates who have successfully cleared the preliminary round of the UPSC Civil Services and Forest Service Examinations in 2024.
• The eligible beneficiaries include those with an annual family income of less than ₹8 lakhs, and who are permanent residents of the 39 districts where CIL operates. 
• This support extends to individuals from Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST), as well as female and third-gender candidates.
• The application process for NIRMAN is fully digital and facilitated through a dedicated portal. 

Key Facts about Coal India Limited (CIL):

• It is a Govt of India-owned Maharatna company.
• It is the single largest coal producer in the world.
• It contributes to 85% of total domestic coal production and 75% of total coal-based generation. 
• CIL contributes to 55% of total power generation and meets 40 % of the primary commercial energy requirements of the country.
• CIL functions through its subsidiaries in 84 mining areas spread over eight states in India. 
• CIL has 313 mines (as of 1st April 2024), of which 131 are underground, 168 are opencast and 14 are mixed mines.
• It operates Asia’s largest opencast coal mine at Gevra, Chhattisgarh.