Angul, Jan. 8: Union steel and mines minister Narendra Singh Tomar launched the "Nalco ki Ladli" scheme during its 36th foundation day celebrations here today.

Giving away stipend to 32 high school girls, the Union minister said it was on line with the Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "Beti Bachao and Beti Padhao" programme.

He handed over cheques of Rs 500 to each of the girl students.

Under the scheme, Nalco will give a monthly assistance of Rs 500 to 50 meritorious girl students of Class VIII for three years. Those students, who have secured at least 60 per cent marks in Class VII and belong to the below poverty line category, will be qualified to become the ladli, according to Nalco sources.

Each year, Nalco will choose 50 such students in Angul district to enrol them as their ladli.

Accompanied by Union tribal affairs minister Jual Oram and Union minister of state for petroleum and natural gas Dharmendra Pradhan, Tomar laid the foundation stone of a modern eye hospital and inaugurated a rural pipe-water supply project to 13 villages in the vicinity of Nalco's aluminium smelter and captive power plant complex.

"Nalco will build a 20-bed eye hospital at its township complex for Rs 18 crore. It will be handed over to the L.V. Prasad Eye Institute or the Chennai-based Sankara Nethralaya to run the hospital for the common people of the region," he said.