The North Bengal Council for Disabled was started by Captain J.K. Sengupta, who lost his sight while in the army, and his wife, Rita Sengupta. In 1998, Prerana Educational Centre was born in a small garage in their house. Prerana, which has now grown into a major Special Educational Centre in North Bengal, is a cross-disability educational centre that houses a school, a hostel and a training centre for children, adolescents and women with disabilities.

It is a matter of great satisfaction to us that Prerana was able to construct and start its first centre through funding received from the Apeejay Trust. And over the years, we have watched this centre flourish and have helped in its improvement. For example, the original Prerana building did not have a ramp connecting the older building to the more recently added upper floors. In 2010, we contributed funds for the construction of this ramp and it is very rewarding for us to see children, adolescents and women with disabilities benefit from this barrier-free access to the building.