NCL’s Nanha Sa Dil – Transforming Rural Child Heart Care in India The story of a Farmer’s daughter from Singrauli, MP

Six-year-old Pranjali Prajapati lives in Sarai village of Singrauli district, Madhya Pradesh. Her family depends on farming for a living. With a monthly income of about ₹5,000–6,000, life has never been easy. For a long time, Pranjali would tire easily. She often fell sick and struggled to keep up with other children. Her parents took her to nearby health centres whenever they could, but nobody could tell them exactly what was wrong. Like many families in rural India, they had never heard of Congenital Heart Disease (CHD), a condition that affects thousands of children every year. The possibility of travelling to a specialized hospital or paying for advanced treatment was unthinkable.

Things changed when a child heart screening team under a Program Project Nanha Sa Dil – NCL visited their village. The program, supported by Northern Coalfields Limited (NCL) and implemented by Sri Sathya Sai Sanjeevani Hospitals, conducts heart screenings for children in rural and tribal communities. During the screening, which was conducted along with Rashtriya Bal Surakha Karyakram (RBSK) personnel, the team suspected a heart condition and referred Pranjali for further tests. After some persuasion, Pranjali’s father, Santosh, brought her to an echo camp organized under the program at CHC-Deosar, not far from where they live. An echocardiogram performed by a Sai Sanjeevani cardiologist confirmed that she had a hole in her heart. Her parents were petrified and had all but lost hope for their child. Medicines alone were beyond their means, let alone surgery and the associated costs of travel, food and stay. Their hope had run so dry that even tears eluded them.

But there was a silver lining. Nanha Sa Dil – NCL program coordinators reassured them that they did not have to worry about the finances as NCL covers all costs to ensure that their child is cured and returns home healthy. From that point onwards, the family was not left to manage on its own. Counselling, travel, accommodation, treatment and follow-up care were all arranged through the

program. Pranjali underwent surgery at Sri Sathya Sai Sanjeevani Hospital in Palwal, Haryana, completely free of cost.

Today she is back in her village. She goes to school, plays with her friends and enjoys a normal childhood. Her story is one among hundreds that reflect the impact of NCL’s Nanha Sa Dil initiative.

NCL’s Nanha Sa Dil: Building an End-to-End Child Heart Care Ecosystem

Congenital Heart Disease is among the most common birth defects in children. Many heart defects can be treated successfully if identified early. Yet for families living in remote villages, diagnosis and treatment often remain out of reach. To address this gap, Northern Coalfields Limited partnered with Sri Sathya Sai Sanjeevani Hospitals in 2025 to implement Project Nanha Sa Dil across the districts of Singrauli and Sidhi in Madhya Pradesh and Sonbhadra in Uttar Pradesh.

The program was designed to support children through the entire journey of care — from awareness and screening to diagnosis, surgery and follow-up. Over the last year, the program has conducted 534 screening camps, screened 38,315 children, performed 764 echocardiograms and supported 255 heart surgeries, all free of cost.

The effort goes beyond screening camps. Health workers have been trained to identify possible heart conditions early. Awareness programs have been conducted in schools and Anganwadi centres. Families requiring treatment receive guidance, counselling and support for travel and investigations. A dedicated CHD Screening Centre has also been established at NCL’s Bina Hospital. The program uses specialized screening devices and digital tools, in partnership with HD Medical USA, to improve early detection and referral. At the centre of the initiative is Nanhe Dil Ka Safar, a digital platform developed to track every child through the program. From the first screening camp to surgery and

follow-up visits, the platform helps healthcare teams stay connected with children and their families. It also enables program teams to monitor progress across districts and ensure that children requiring treatment are not lost along the way.

Coal India’s Nanha Sa Dil – A National Movement for Child Health

NCL’s initiative forms part of the larger Project Nanha Sa Dil, launched by Coal India Limited (CIL) and implemented across its subsidiaries, including Northern Coalfields Limited (NCL), Southeastern Coalfields Limited (SECL), Central Coalfields Limited (CCL) and Western Coalfields Limited (WCL). Together, these partnerships have created one of India’s most ambitious and comprehensive CSR-led child heart care programs.

Over the past two years, the initiative has screened more than 1.75 lakh rural and tribal children across multiple states and enabled treatment for approximately 1,400 children diagnosed with congenital heart disease. What distinguishes the program is its holistic architecture: awareness generation, community screening, diagnosis, transportation support, accommodation, surgery, post-operative care, and long-term follow-up are integrated into a single continuum of care.

At a time when India continues to strengthen efforts to reduce infant and child mortality and improve access to specialized healthcare, the Nanha Sa Dil program offers a powerful example of how partnerships between industry, healthcare institutions, technology innovators, and government systems can create lasting public value. By taking healthcare to the doorstep of vulnerable families and ensuring that no child is denied treatment because of financial constraints, the initiative is not merely funding surgeries—it is building an ecosystem of care that addresses prevention, diagnosis, treatment, rehabilitation, and long-term wellbeing.

Pranjali is healed and healthy. NCL stands ready to rescue many more Pranjalis whose Nanha Sa Dil(s) need care and cure.