As part of its commitment to promoting quality education, construction of two additional classrooms at Barkani Primary School in Bisra Block is progressing steadily. Community Centres are being constructed at Birwal in Lathikata Block and at Kadamtola, Udusu in Bisra Block. During the quarter, a newly constructed Community Centre at Santospur in Bisra Block was inaugurated, creating a dedicated space for community gatherings, awareness programmes and social activities.

Borewells were successfully installed and commissioned at Lindra, Kadobahal and Jaidega villages, ensuring a reliable source of potable water for local residents.

Simultaneously, development works at Model Steel Villages (MSV) Centres at Baniguni and Chikatamati Health Centre are progressing, aimed at strengthening skill development and community welfare initiatives.

Development and strengthening of durable community assets and improving essential civic infrastructure in the region would help bringing about inclusive growth and sustainable development.

The department carried out extensive modification of LT power supply systems and service lines in Sector-22 residential quarters and laid copper power cables at the Tarapur Filter House and Booster Pump House to ensure smooth operation of motors. Several critical power distribution projects were also completed, including revival and commissioning of the Feeder-7 overhead line from Brahmani Water Works to Sector-8 substations, bus-bar modification at the Sector-17 Attending Substation, replacement and jointing of high-capacity underground cables and modification of Feeder-7 and Feeder-9 networks.

One of the major achievements during the year was the restoration of the 11 KV emergency power line from the Plant to the CISF Colony and CISF Barracks after nearly ten years, considerably enhancing emergency power reliability. The Vacuum Circuit Breaker (VCB) of Transformer-5 was also upgraded by replacing the Siemens make equipment with ABB make and successfully commissioned.

To further improve the reliability of the electrical network, the department overhauled three power transformers and 26 distribution transformers. In addition, repairs were carried out on three 630 KVA, five 500 KVA and five 250 KVA transformers installed across the Steel Township. Maintenance work, including repair and circuit modification of the crane main contactor at Intake Well-1, was also completed successfully.

In line with RSP’s sustainability initiatives, the department installed a 3 KW standalone solar power system at Lagoon Gate along with LT cable connectivity from Tarakera Pump House. It also installed 46 solar street lights at various locations in the peripheral and slum areas of Rourkela, promoting clean energy while improving public safety.

Through these initiatives, the Electrical Section has strengthened the township’s power infrastructure, enhanced system reliability, ensured uninterrupted power supply and advanced the use of renewable energy.

In his address, Mr. Verma stressed upon the need of implementation of the Official Language (Rajbhasha) in daily official functions, documentation, and communication. He urged all departments to adopt bilingual/trilingual communications in accordance with the prescribed guidelines.  The Executive Directors gave suggestions regarding enhancing use of Rajbhasha in more official communications.

The session comprised a brief presentation by Ms. Lolati Toppo, AGM (PR-Rajbhasha) on the activities of Rajbhasha Department. Ms. Archana Satpathy, GM (PR) & CoC and Member Secretary (OLIC) elaborated on the various check points pertaining to implementation of Rajbhasha.

Leveraging the Lab’s testing and development capabilities, RSP has commercialised ASTM A387 Class 2 (Grades 11 & 12) N&T plates up to 40 mm, higher-grade CRNO coils (50C400 & 50C470) at 0.50 mm, and demonstrated normalized rolling of E410BR plates up to 70 mm. The plant developed DMR 249A HR plates via the HSM route for the Indian Navy, SiK Grade-1 HR coils for stamping, IS 10748 Grade V high-strength HR coils for sharp bending, and low-carbon EDD steel via the RH route for downstream cold-rolling. RSP has also produced SAIL WR400 quenched plates meeting required hardness and mechanical properties, with warpage-control.

On process optimisation, RSP reduced ferro-alloy consumption through adjusted Manganese and ultra-low Niobium strategies in key grades. The plant secured IS 3039 (BIS) plus DNV and IRS certifications for shipbuilding steels and vendor approval from IOCL for API-grade coils up to X70 PSL2, opening high-value pipeline markets.

The department has carried out infrastructure upgrades like setting up of new Test House with 65 testing/sample-prep equipment items. The facilities to test Calcium Silicon and ferromanganese have been enhanced, while the converter-floor container-lab robotic system has been revived.

These advances demonstrate RSP’s commitment to innovation, cost-effective production and stringent quality standards.

The felicitation ceremony was held on 21st November at Geet Govind Sadan, Bhubaneswar, where senior officials of the Health Department presented Dr. Panigrahi with a Certificate of Appreciation along with a cash award of Rs. 5,000. The award highlights his commitment to promoting male participation in family planning initiatives and strengthening reproductive health services in the region.

Dr. Manoj Panigrahi’s achievement reflects the dedication, expertise, and service-oriented approach of the medical fraternity of Ispat General Hospital under SAIL, Rourkela Steel Plant. It also reinforces IGH’s ongoing efforts toward advancing public health goals and supporting government programmes focused on population stabilization and family welfare.

The project  being executed in collaboration with Primetals Technologies India Limited, has been awarded with a total value of Rs. 106.48 crore with completion timeline for the project being 20 months from the effective date.

The installation of the 4th stove shall significantly enhance the efficiency and productivity of Blast Furnace No.5, further boosting RSP’s contribution to SAIL’s overall steel production capacity. It will also enable the phased upgradation of the existing stoves as per the detailed modernization plan.

This collaboration underscores SAIL’s commitment to adopting advanced technological solutions for operational excellence and sustainable growth, aligning with its long-term vision of strengthening the steel sector.

The patient was admitted to the Orthopedics Department with severe low backache radiating to both legs, coupled with inability to stand, walk, turn on the bed, and difficulty in passing urine and stools, three days prior to admission. An MRI revealed an L5-S1 Extruded Disc causing Cauda Equina Syndrome, a condition requiring immediate intervention. She was promptly referred to the Neurosurgery Department, where urgent surgery was planned.

The surgery was conducted by Dr. Manoj Kumar Deo, Senior Consultant (Neurosurgery), with anesthesia support from Dr. Manoranjan Samantray, Additional CMO, and intra-operative assistance from Sister Godhuli and Brother Kamalakar.

In the post-operative period, the patient demonstrated remarkable improvement. She was able to stand and walk on the very next day after the surgery and reported nearly 70% relief from her pre-operative complaints. She is presently recovering well.

This achievement once again reinforces the clinical excellence of the Neurosurgery team at IGH, which continues to deliver advanced, life-changing care to patients in and around Rourkela.

Mr. Santosh Bhuyan, GM (MRD) of RSP, bagged the gold medal in the Master-2, 83 kg category (Bench Press). Other members of the RSP team also put up an impressive performance. Mr. Pradyumna Bhutia won the bronze medal in Master-2, 74 kg category (Bench Press), Mr. Asish Mohapatra secured the silver medal in the 120 kg Junior Class, while Ms. Banani Biswas clinched the gold medal in the Senior, 63 kg Class and was adjudged as the “Strong Woman of India”.

The commendable achievements of the RSP team at the national level once again reflect the plant’s strong sporting culture and commitment to promoting talent beyond the shop floor.

Mr. Alok Verma, Director In-Charge of Rourkela Steel Plant presented the ‘Best Academic Performance Award – 2024’ to 14 students for excelling in various Board examinations in Class-10 and Class-12.

Under the ‘Best Academic Performance Award’ in the Class X category Om Pratik Palai of Saraswati Shishu Vidyamandir, bagged the topper’s award in HSC Exam conducted by BSE(Odisha).

The joint topper in ICSE Exam conducted by CISCE, New Delhi were Mihika Agarwal of St. Joseph’s Convent School, Samant Kaniska Dhal of Chinmaya Vidyalaya, E.M. School, and Debabrata Panda, St. Paul’s School. Anwesha Satpathy of Deepika English Medium School, Sec-5 topped the AISSE Exam conducted by CBSE, New Delhi.

Similarly in the 10+2 under Council of Higher Secondary Education Board, Odisha, Roma Kumari Razak of Science Stream, and Nandini Kumbhar of Arts Stream from Government Higher Secondary School, Rourkela and Priyadarshini Mohanty of Commerce stream from Municipal Higher Secondary School, Rourkela received the toppers  awards.

The top rankers of Class-12 CBSE Board Examination in Science, Commerce, and Arts stream were  Anandita Bhuyan from Deepika English Medium School, Dhriti Parmar and Aditya Prasad both from Delhi Public School respectively.

ISC Board Examination in Science, Commerce and Arts stream were topped by Ayushi Kumari, Barri Manognya, and Chandresha Das, all from St. Joseph’s Convent School, Hamirpur.

Each of the students was given award consisting of cash award of Rs. 10,000/- and a certificate of merit.  Mihika Agarwal, Samant Kaniska Dhal, and Debabrata Panda were awarded with a special award of Rs. 10,000/-.

Seven students of RSP run schools also received the Nehru Memorial Award for being toppers in their respective schools in various Board examinations.  The top rank holders of Class X Board Examination were Ashlesha Sahoo (ICSE) of IEMS, Sector – 20, Sneha Singh (ICSE) of IEMS, Sector – 22 and Subhalaxmi Sahoo, (AHSC Exam) of Deepika Ispat Sikshya Sadan. Khushi Choudhary of Science stream, Khushi Nety of Arts stream and Sanchita Panigrahi of Commerce stream all from Ispat Vidya Mandir, Sec-19 were the toppers in Class – XII who received the award. Topper of Class XII of IEMS, Sec-20, Supriya Sahoo was also awarded.  Each of the students were presented with cash award of Rs. 3,000/- and a Certificate of Merit.