Grand Inauguration of ‘SECL Nari Shakti Sports Festival 2025’ at SECL Headquarters
Shraddha Mahila Mandal Chairperson Smt. Shashi Duhan flags off two-day women-centric sports festival, bringing homemakers and working women together on a common platform
South Eastern Coalfields Limited (SECL) today witnessed the grand inauguration of the ‘SECL Nari Shakti Sports Festival 2025’ at its Headquarters in Bilaspur. The two-day sports festival is being organised on December 13–14, 2025 at the Vasant Vihar Sports Ground, SECL Bilaspur.
The event was formally inaugurated by Smt. Shashi Duhan, Chairperson, Shraddha Mahila Mandal, who hoisted the flag and declared the Sports Festival open. Addressing the gathering, she said that this is possibly the first time such a ‘Nari Shakti Sports Festival’ is being organised in any subsidiary of Coal India Limited, setting a new and inspiring benchmark by the women of SECL.
She emphasised that the festival is not merely a sporting competition but a celebration of the enthusiasm, energy and leadership of SECL’s women workforce. By bringing together working women and homemakers on a common platform, the initiative aims to strengthen bonding within the SECL family while fostering teamwork, confidence and a healthy sporting spirit.
Smt. Anitha Franklin, Smt. Hasina Kumar and Smt. Vinita Jain, Vice-Presidents of Shraddha Mahila Mandal, were present as distinguished guests. The guests were accorded a traditional welcome with shawls, coconuts, bouquets and saplings. The welcome address was delivered by Smt. Sujata Rani, Head of Department (Executive Establishment), SECL Headquarters.
At the beginning of the festival, participants from the four groups—Purple, Blue, Green and Red—were introduced to the dignitaries. Adding to the enthusiasm, Smt. Shashi Duhan herself participated in the traditional ‘Pithoo’ game, motivating the participants and setting an example of active leadership.
The Sports Festival features a wide range of competitive events including 50-metre and 100-metre races, 4×50-metre relay, badminton, kho-kho, chess and table tennis, along with fun activities such as matka race, jalebi race, three-legged race and lemon race, ensuring spirited participation across age groups.
SECL has been consistently undertaking initiatives towards women empowerment. Earlier this year, Coal India’s first women-led dispensary was inaugurated at SECL, marking another significant milestone in promoting women leadership within the organisation. Organised under the aegis of Shraddha Mahila Mandal, the Nari Shakti Sports Festival promotes positivity, mutual cooperation and the true spirit of sportsmanship.
Similar Nari Shakti Sports Festivals are also being organised across various SECL Areas. The grand finale will be held in the coming days at SECL Hasdeo Area, where winning teams from all areas will compete.
The valedictory ceremony of the two-day Headquarters-level competition will be held on December 14, 2025 (afternoon), during which CMD SECL Harish Duhan, along with Functional Directors, will felicitate the winners.
