Born into a farming family with a monthly income of barely ₹5,000–6,000, Pranjali often suffered from fatigue and frequent illness. Despite repeated visits to local health centres, her condition remained unidentified. Like many families in rural India, her parents had never heard of Congenital Heart Disease (CHD), one of the most common birth defects affecting children worldwide.

A turning point came when a child heart screening team under Project Nanha Sa Dil – NCL visited her village. The initiative, supported by Northern Coalfields Limited (NCL) and implemented by Sri Sathya Sai Sanjeevani Hospitals, conducts heart screenings for children in remote rural and tribal regions. During a screening conducted in collaboration with Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram (RBSK) personnel, healthcare professionals suspected a cardiac condition and referred Pranjali for further evaluation.

Subsequently, an echocardiogram performed at a camp organised under the project at Community Health Centre, Deosar, confirmed that she had a hole in her heart. The diagnosis devastated her parents, who could not imagine arranging the expensive treatment required to save their daughter.

However, Project Nanha Sa Dil ensured that financial constraints would not stand in the way of treatment. NCL covered the entire cost of her medical journey, including diagnostic tests, counselling, travel, accommodation, surgery and follow-up care. Pranjali underwent successful heart surgery at Sri Sathya Sai Sanjeevani Hospital in Palwal, Haryana, completely free of cost.

Today, she has returned home healthy and active, symbolising the transformative impact of the initiative on vulnerable families across the region.

Building an End-to-End Child Heart Care Ecosystem

Congenital Heart Disease can often be treated successfully if diagnosed early. Yet for thousands of children living in remote areas, access to specialised diagnosis and treatment remains limited.

To bridge this gap, NCL partnered with Sri Sathya Sai Sanjeevani Hospitals in 2025 to implement Project Nanha Sa Dil across Singrauli and Sidhi districts of Madhya Pradesh and Sonbhadra district of Uttar Pradesh. The initiative was designed to support children throughout the entire continuum of care—from awareness generation and screening to diagnosis, surgery and long-term follow-up.

Over the past year, the programme has conducted 534 screening camps, screened 38,315 children, performed 764 echocardiograms and facilitated 255 life-saving heart surgeries, all free of cost.

Beyond screenings, the project has focused on strengthening community-level healthcare systems. Health workers have been trained to identify potential heart conditions, while awareness campaigns have been conducted in schools and Anganwadi centres to educate families about early symptoms and available treatment options.

A dedicated CHD Screening Centre has also been established at NCL’s Bina Hospital. The programme leverages advanced screening devices and digital health technologies in partnership with HD Medical USA to improve the early detection and referral of children requiring specialised care.

At the heart of the initiative is Nanhe Dil Ka Safar, a digital tracking platform that monitors each child’s journey from screening to surgery and post-operative follow-up. The system helps healthcare teams ensure that no child diagnosed with a heart defect is lost in the treatment pathway.

Part of a Larger National Movement

NCL’s efforts form an integral part of Coal India Limited’s flagship child heart care programme, Project Nanha Sa Dil, which is being implemented across multiple subsidiaries including NCL, South Eastern Coalfields Limited (SECL), Central Coalfields Limited (CCL) and Western Coalfields Limited (WCL).

Together, these partnerships have created one of India’s most comprehensive CSR-led child healthcare interventions. Over the past two years, the initiative has screened more than 1.75 lakh children across rural and tribal communities and facilitated treatment for nearly 1,400 children diagnosed with congenital heart disease.

What sets the programme apart is its holistic approach. Awareness generation, community screening, diagnosis, transportation support, accommodation, surgery, post-operative care and long-term monitoring are integrated into a single continuum of care, ensuring that children receive uninterrupted treatment regardless of their family’s financial condition.

As India intensifies efforts to reduce child mortality and improve access to specialised healthcare, Project Nanha Sa Dil demonstrates how partnerships between industry, healthcare institutions, technology innovators and government systems can create sustainable public value.

For children like Pranjali, the initiative has meant far more than a medical procedure. It has restored health, renewed hope and given them the opportunity to live a normal childhood. And as the programme continues to expand its reach, NCL stands prepared to bring the same hope and healing to countless more children whose tiny hearts need care and cure.

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