From coal country to IIT classrooms: How ‘CCL Ke Lal-Laadli' is giving wings to forgotten dreams in Jharkhand's command areas
Ranchi: In Jharkhand's coal belt, where the rhythm of life follows the hum of dumpers and drills, childhoods often end early. For thousands of children in command areas of Central Coalfields Limited (CCL), school was a luxury, coaching a fantasy, and IIT — an impossible dream. Until one day, the mine gates opened, not for coal — but for hope.Meet Suganti Kumari, daughter of a fruit vendor in Kuju area, Ramgarh. Her father Mahesh Saw pushes a cart every morning to feed his family. Her mother, Saroj Devi, cooks and prays for a better life for her daughter. That prayer found an answer when Suganti cracked the entrance exam for 'CCL Ki Laadli' — CCL's flagship CSR programme that handpicks bright students from underprivileged families and grooms them for India's toughest engineering exams.
'I never thought someone like me could even dream of IIT. But now, I want to be the first engineer in my entire basti,' says Suganti, her eyes gleaming with determination.
Launched in 2012 with just 11 boys as 'CCL Ke Lal', and expanded in 2016 to include girls under 'CCL Ki Laadli', the programme now selects 40 students every year (20 boys, 20 girls) from CCL's command areas — including Kuju, Barkakana, Rajrappa, North Karanpura and others. These are children of small farmers, fruit sellers, security guards, and daily wage labourers -- others. What binds them together is their potential — and their poverty.
Sagar Rajak, son of Suresh Rajak, a small-time shopkeeper in Kuju, also cracked the entrance exam last year. 'My parents have sacrificed everything for my education. This is my chance to change their lives,' says Sagar, who now lives and studies at the CCL Ke Lal hostel in Ranchi.
Once selected, students are brought to Ranchi and given everything — free
IIT coaching
, school education at DAV Gandhinagar, fully equipped hostels, nutritious meals, books, transport, sports, medical care, and most importantly, mentorship by CCL's own officers who are alumni of IITs and NITs. From Jitendra Kumar (IIT Kharagpur) to Naman Srivastava (IIT-BHU), these officers finish their desk jobs by afternoon and pick up the chalk in the evening — turning into teachers and torchbearers.
'We come from the same soil as these kids. We know their struggles. When I teach them, I see my younger self in them,' says Akhilesh Kumar, an IIT-BHU alumnus and one of the teaching officers, who was himself once a Super-30 student.
Since its inception, 269 students have completed the programme. Many are now in IITs, NITs, IIITs, BIT Mesra, and other top engineering colleges. Some have bagged placements in Google, Microsoft, Amazon, Oracle, while others serve the country through CPSEs like HAL, or have cracked JPSC, like Laxman Yadav, now a District Education Officer in Sahebganj.
The impact is visible — and personal.
"My dream is to take my mother to a big city in a flight someday," says Suganti, clutching her physics book.
"One day, I will open a coaching centre in Kuju so other kids like me don't have to stop dreaming," promises Sagar.
Even homes that once resisted sending children away now pray for selection into the scheme. To ease the transition, CCL has created a home-like environment in Ranchi: 24x7 secure hostels, separate facilities for boys and girls, festivals like Diwali and Holi celebrated together, picnics, sports days, parent-teacher meetings, and motivational sessions to keep spirits high.
The scheme has also introduced reservations since 2021 — with 26% seats for STs, 10% for SCs, 14% for OBC, and the rest unreserved — ensuring fair access across communities in these underserved regions.
"This is more than a coaching programme. It's a social movement. These children are becoming the first engineers, civil servants, and role models of their communities," says Naman Srivastava, Deputy Manager at CCL and a key teaching faculty.
From the mining outposts of Kuju, Ramgarh, Piparwar and Hazaribagh, to the campuses of IIT Delhi, IIT BHU, IIIT Allahabad — this journey isn't just about education. It's about rewriting destiny.
And as twilight falls over Ranchi's Gandhinagar colony, and the laughter of young minds fills the hostel corridors, it becomes clear — in the very land that powers India's industries, a quiet revolution is now fuelling its future.
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