JAL develops Rs 20 crore hostel for women at IISc, Bengaluru

Jindal Aluminium Limited (JAL) has developed a state-of-the-art hostel for women at Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru, to aid them in their journey of building a career in science and engineering.

The 'Dr.Sitaram Jindal Ladies Hostel', named after the founder Chairman and Managing Director of JAL, is a 20-crore project with a built-up area of 77,380 sq. ft, a JAL statement said on Friday.

Besides a separate mess hall, it has 203 single occupancy rooms self-contained with a table, chair, cot, wardrobe, bookshelf, and rack, it said.

This hostel, which is going to be operated and maintained by IISc, was inaugurated by JAL Managing Director Pragun Jindal Khaitan and former ISRO Chairman A S Kiran Kumar.

While IISc has a reputation for housing several outstanding women scientists, engineers and entrepreneurs, women comprise only 25 per cent of the students pursuing an education in science, it was noted.

JAL and IISc are working together to improve this number by providing quality education and modern in-house infrastructure, the statement said.

Pragun Jindal Khaitan said: "We hope that this initiative opens the door for more women to take up science and engineering as a career path".