Materials Management Department tops technical category; Administration and Industrial Relations jointly secure first place in non-technical category
Bilaspur : South Eastern Coalfields Limited (SECL) concluded its Rajbhasha Pakhwada 2026 with a ceremony at the company’s headquarters auditorium in Bilaspur, recognising departments, operational areas, employees and students for their contributions to promoting the use of Hindi.
The fortnight was observed from September 14 to 28 in accordance with the directions of the Department of Official Language, Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India.
SECL Director (Human Resources) Biranchi Das attended the closing ceremony as the chief guest. Director (Finance) D. Sunil Kumar and Chief Vigilance Officer Himanshu Jain were present as guests of honour. Department heads, representatives from regional offices, officers, employees, contract workers, school students and college students also attended.
Ceremony Opens with Saraswati Vandana
The programme began with the floral tribute to Goddess Saraswati and the lighting of the ceremonial lamp by the guests and department heads.
Manish Kumar Srivastava, Deputy General Manager (HR—Administration, Public Relations and Rajbhasha), delivered the welcome address.
The closing ceremony celebrated participation across different sections of the SECL community, including employees, homemakers, contract workers and students from schools and colleges.
Hindi Competitions Held for Employees and Students
A wide range of competitions was organised during the fortnight to encourage the use of Hindi in official communication, creative expression and education.
Employees from Hindi-speaking and non-Hindi-speaking categories participated in separate competitions in Hindi essay writing, letter and noting drafting, picture-based story writing, Hindi grammar and a Hindi knowledge competition for department heads.
Joint competitions for both employee categories included Hindi shorthand, computer-based Hindi typing, Hindi speech, poetry recitation and Hindi Antakshari.
Additional activities were organised for homemakers and contract workers. Homemakers participated in an essay-writing competition, while contract workers took part in a Hindi knowledge contest.
Students of DAV School competed in Hindi knowledge contests across three groups: Classes VI to VIII, Classes IX and X, and Classes XI and XII. A Hindi literature competition was organised for students of Government Mata Shabari Naveen Girls’ Postgraduate College.
Children from the school for students with visual, speech and hearing disabilities in Tifra participated in Hindi speech and picture-writing competitions.
Winners across the various categories received awards from the guests during the closing ceremony.
Materials Management Department Wins Technical Category
The late Shankar Dayal Singh Memorial Rajbhasha Shield recognised departments and operational areas for their performance in promoting Hindi correspondence.
In the technical category, the Materials Management Department secured first place, followed by the Production Department in second place and the Planning and Projects Department in third.
In the non-technical category, the Administration Department and Industrial Relations Department jointly secured first place. The Manpower Department finished second, while the Public Information Department took third place.
At the regional level, the Bhatgaon Area secured first place, followed by the Korba Area in second and the Johilla Area in third.
The awards recognised efforts to increase the use of Hindi in official correspondence and administrative work across the company.
Eleven Departments Recognised for 100% Hindi Correspondence
Eleven departments received special recognition for conducting all their correspondence in Hindi throughout the year.
The departments were Public Relations, Security, Excavation, PF and Pension, Industrial Engineering, Quality Control, E&T, Marketing and Sales, Officers’ Establishment, Underground Mines and Systems.
The Systems Department, Administration and Public Relations Department, and Township Administration Department received the highest participation awards.
Students and Experts Also Felicitated
Students who achieved academic distinctions in Hindi were also honoured at the event. Scholars, educationists and literary figures who served as judges and evaluators for the competitions received recognition for their contributions.
The programme brought together employees, students and members of the wider community to promote Hindi in official communication, education and creative activities.
Through Rajbhasha Pakhwada, SECL continued its efforts to encourage the wider use of Hindi in workplace communication and to recognise individuals and departments contributing to the implementation of official-language practices.
