ArcelorMittal Nippon Steel (AM/NS India) India Renews Partnership With Protean To Advance ‘Beti Padhao’ Scholarship Initiative

The initiative announcement coincides with International Women’s Day

Mumbai: ArcelorMittal Nippon Steel India (AM/NS India), a collaborative endeavor between ArcelorMittal and Nippon Steel, has reaffirmed its dedication to advancing gender equality in education through the renewal of its partnership with Protean eGov Technologies, a trailblazer in India’s digital public infrastructure landscape.

This renewal was formalized through the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Thursday (March 7) at Protean’s headquarters in Mumbai, aimed at furthering the ‘Beti Padhao’ (educate daughters) scholarship initiative on a nationwide scale.

The ‘Beti Padhao’ scholarship initiative, originally launched in March 2022 by AM/NS India, has already made a significant impact by empowering nearly 650 underprivileged young women hailing from states such as Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, and Odisha.

The signing ceremony of the MoU saw the presence of AM/NS India leadership, including Mr. Keiji Kubota, Deputy Director of HR & Admin, and Dr. Vikas Yadvendu, Head of CSR, alongside Protean’s leadership, represented by Mr. Jayesh Sule, WTD & COO.

AM/NS India is dedicated to extending financial aid to underprivileged women through this initiative, in alignment with this year’s International Women’s Day theme, ‘Inspire Inclusion’. Students across the nation are encouraged to apply for scholarships to pursue various educational avenues, spanning technical, medical, and professional courses, undergraduate studies, as well as national and state sports, subject to eligibility criteria.

Expressing his views, KEIJI KUBOTA, DEPUTY DIRECTOR – HR & ADMINISTRATION, ARCELORMITTAL NIPPON STEEL INDIA (AM/NS INDIA), emphasized, “Our ‘Beti Padhao’ scholarship program creates tangible opportunities for students from disadvantaged backgrounds to realize their personal and professional aspirations, thereby nurturing inclusive development. Facilitating access to quality education for talented young women will significantly contribute to our nation’s efforts to eradicate gender disparities in education. This initiative underscores our commitment to fostering ‘Smarter Steels, Brighter Futures’.”

Protean Vidyasaarathi, entrusted with overseeing the scholarship process, will manage application validation, scholarship allocation, and fund disbursement.

GOPA KUMAR, CHIEF BUSINESS OFFICER, PROTEAN EGOV TECHNOLOGIES LTD., commented, “We are deeply honored to strengthen our collaboration with AM/NS India in this impactful endeavor aimed at enhancing educational opportunities for underprivileged girls. The Protean Vidyasaarathi platform empowers large corporations to leverage their CSR initiatives for significant societal impact. This aligns seamlessly with Protean’s mission of promoting social and financial inclusion as we continue our journey towards ‘Building for Billions’.”