PM Shri Narendra Modi launches ambitious Reliance Foundation Youth Sports (RFYS) with Mrs Nita Ambani; urges nation to ‘Let’s Play’

• RFYS endeavour to develop India as a multi‐sports nation
• To promote and inculcate sports culture among youth
• In 1st year, RFYS to reach 2 million children in 2000 educational institutions with 40,000 plus youths participation in sports
• 3000 matches to be broadcast on digital platform in year 1
• Performance analysis and scouting raw talent integral part of RFYS
• Eminent members from Sports & Education on Advisory Board

Honourable Prime Minister of India Shri Narendra Modi on Saturday (July 23, 2016) digitally launched the Reliance Foundation Youth Sports initiative pan India with Mrs Nita Ambani, kicking off nation's largest multi‐city, multi‐sports school and college sports competition.

With the official launch, Reliance Foundation will invest in building a culture of sports in schools and colleges to unearth the vast and untapped talent in our education system. RFYS will promote and inculcate multi‐discipline sports avenues among the youths of India.

As part of the digital launch of RFYS initiative, Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi along with Mrs. Nita Ambani, Founder & Chairperson, Reliance Foundation and Shri Vijay Goel, Hon. Min of Youth Affairs & Sports were connected from New Delhi through live broadcast, simultaneously to eight sports grounds at Kochi, Chennai, Goa, Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Guwahati and Pune. The PM interacted with the school children and watched the RFYS football friendlies played among schools to mark the launch of this initiative.

Come on India, Let’s Play

Shri Modi called the nation to “Let’s Play” while hailing the initiative as a unique step in promoting culture of sports amongst today’s youth. Reliance Foundation Youth Sports initiative is in sync with the Government of India, Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports’ vision ‘Khelo India’ to bring together a unified and professional system in India to develop sports, players and a sporting ecosystem.

RFYS to launch with Football in 2016

For the inaugural year (2016‐17 academic year), RFYS will have football competitions in these eight cities competing in four categories i.e. Junior Boys (Grade 7 ‐ 10); Senior Boys (Grade 11 ‐ 12); Senior Girls (Grade 11 – 12 ) and College Boys (Graduate institutes).

In first year of its launch, over 2 million youths will be reached through 2000 school and college institutes and 40,000 students expected to participate from these eight cities. Participating teams across categories will compete in city qualifiers beginning August 2016, followed by City Championships in October/November and finals to be played in January/February 2017.

By year 3 (2018‐19) the competition is expected to be played in 32 plus cities and year 5 (2020‐ 21), the RFYS will spread to over 50 cities.

RFYS – Multi Sports

From second year (2017‐18) onwards, Reliance Foundation Youth Sports plans to add multi‐ discipline sports such as Basketball, Athletics, Badminton, Volleyball and Tennis. RFYS will cover 16 cities, 4000 institutions and expect to have 1 lakh students’ participation and impact 4 million children through the initiative.

Third year will see RFYS to spread to 32 cities with 10,000 institutions participation and 10 million reach.

RFYS will be providing an equal competition platform to all teams regardless of affiliations, socio‐economic classes and geographical locations. Participation in RFYS competitions will be free for all schools and colleges. The matches will predominantly be played only in weekends and in schools and college campuses allowing the entire student community and extended families to cheer for their wards.

3000 Games on Digital Broadcast

Reliance Foundation Youth Sports is planning to have over 3000 games in Football competition to be broadcast on digital platform in the inaugural year. Through a combination of clips, highlights and full matches, this will provide invaluable exposure, visibility and opportunity for the student athletes as well as help the coaches scout raw talent. This is expected to close the current gap in sports development and provide a defined career path through clubs scouting and development opportunities for the students.

Funding Support

Reliance Foundation will fund and develop the sports programs as well as create a talent scouting pool in all disciplines to provide scholarships to the deserving children.

Mrs. Nita Ambani, Founder & Chairperson, Reliance Foundations said, “We are extremely honoured to have our Honourable Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi to inaugurate and support the Reliance Foundation Youth Sports. RFYS aims to create a unified structure of school and college competitions across sports to promote participation of young athletes.

“It has been my dream to see India develop as a multi‐sports nation. I truly believe that sports can develop the youth in our country and inculcate values of self‐discipline, sportsmanship, team spirit, leadership, integrity as well as promote a healthy lifestyle. Our vision is to promote and encourage large participation across multi‐sports discipline in over 50 plus cities by 2020 and create opportunities for youngsters to take up sports as a professional careers.”

Advisory Board

Reliance Foundation Youth Sports has set up a six member advisory board consisting of educationalists and leading sports personalities to guide the thinking and expansion for this initiative. The advisory board consists of:

1. Nita Ambani, Founder & Chairperson, Reliance Foundation
2. Sachin Tendulkar, cricketing legend
3. Professor Dipak Jain, eminent educationalist, Dean of Sasin Graduate Institute of Business Administration, Chulalongkom University, Thailand and former Dean of Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management
4. Leander Paes, winner of record 18 Grand Slams
5. Saina Nehwal, India’s top and world no.5 ranked badminton player
6. Ranbir Kapoor, co‐owner Mumbai City FC (adjudged best grassroots initiatives for 2nd consecutive year). This category is on rotation basisfor members of professionalsports clubs.

Social Media Channels: Website: www.rfyouthsports.com 
Facebook: RelianceFoundationYouthSports 
Twitter: @RFYouthsports

For media queries, please contact 
Rohan D’Souza 
Leeladhar Singh

International Olympic Committee (IOC) today announced that leading Indian philanthropist and the Founder chairperson of the Reliance Foundation, Nita Ambani, has been elected as an individual member of the IOC, and will become India’s first woman to join the prestigious body.

Nita Ambani is the only individual member from India and her appointment at the world body is until she attains the age of 70.

After being nominated in June 2016 by the IOC Executive Board, Nita Ambani was elected by IOC members in Rio de Janeiro today at the 129th IOC Session.

The independent selection process follows a new procedure for the recruitment of IOC members based on the Olympic Agenda 2020 recommendations; those nominated are done so wholly on merit and then elected by existing IOC members.

As Founder and Chairperson of the Reliance Foundation, Nita Ambani has been steering initiatives in the area of education, sports, health and art and culture. Nita Ambani is involved in promoting multiple sportsin the country with focus on developing talent through a number of large‐scale grassroots initiatives. The grassroots programmes that she has initiated have reached out to over 3 million children in multiple sports. She is the architect of the Indian Super League which is galvanising Indian football.

"I am truly humbled and overwhelmed to be elected by the IOC. This is a recognition of the growing importance of India in the world stage and a recognition for Indian women.” comments Nita Ambani. “I have always believed in the power of sport to shape our youth. I believe that sports brings together communities, cultures, and generations has the power to unify and unite people. I look forward to spreading the spirit of Olympics and sports across our nation."

Aims to help propel India’s growth as a multi‐sports nation : Mrs Ambani

Mrs Nita Ambani, Member, International Olympic Committee and Chairperson Reliance Foundation today kicked off one of the most ambitious multi‐discipline pan India school and college sports programmes under the banner of Reliance Foundation Youth Sports.

Joining Mrs. Nita Ambani on the occasion was Ranbir Kapoor, an avid sports follower, an owner of Mumbai City FC and member of the Reliance Foundation Youth Sports Advisory Board.

Reliance Foundation Youth Sports is poised to professionalise school and college sports competitions with a unified approach towards creating an eco‐system to encourage, support and define a career path in sports for today’s youth.

Calling for a need of integrated sportssupportsystem in our education, Mrs Nita Ambanisaid, “Reliance Foundation Youth Sports was set up with the aim to propel India’s growth towards a multi‐ sports nation through robust school and college level initiatives.

“Reliance Foundation will also introduce the ‘Student Athlete’ program at early student life to scout, nurture, guide and create a viable career path for young sportspeople across the country in all discipline of sports.”

For first year, Reliance Foundation School Sports will witness a fierce football competition among 2000 schools and colleges institutes from eight cities fielding 2200 teams in four categories i.e. Junior Boys, Senior Boys, Senior Girls and College Boys. The competitions will have pre‐qualifying rounds, followed by main drawsrespectively in Mumbai, Delhi, Guwahati, Kochi, Goa, Chennai, Pune and Kolkata. City winners in each category would qualify to play for the national honours.

As part of Mumbai leg of launch today, HR College played against Wilson College in the Senior Girls category. Over the next three months, Mumbai and its suburbs will see over 500 institutes fielding over 600 teams will play football at various grounds. Subsequently, the qualifying rounds of the rest of cities will also commence in the coming days.

Starting from next year, Reliance Foundation Youth Sports will double the participatory city numbers from 8 to 16, and progressively to 50 plus cities and far flung towns in India by the fifth year (2020). School and Colleges across country will have options to participate in multi‐ discipline sports such as Football, Basketball, Athletics, Badminton, Volleyball etc. at a National level through Reliance Foundation Youth Sports.

Reliance Foundation Youth Sports will produce video footage of the competitions, making the scouting process for raw talent a much easier task across the country. Furthermore the archive video footage would assist in technical analyses, identifying shortcomings and improvise action for young athletes. For first year of football competitions, the Youth Sports programme is expected to create 7000 hours of video content over the next four months of action, which will be available on www.rfyouthsports.com

Reliance Foundation Youth Sports has set up an elite six member Advisory Board consisting of leading sports personalities and educationalists including Nita Ambani, Sachin Tendulkar, Leander Paes, Saina Nehwal, Prof. Dipak Jain and Ranbir Kapoor.

Social Media Channels:

Website: www.rfyouthsports.com 
Facebook: Reliance Foundation Youth Sports  
Twitter: @RFYouthsports

For media queries, please contact

Leeladhar Singh – 7738216155/  
leeladhar.singh@ril.com  
Rohan D’souza – 9833834146 /  
rohan.dsouza@imgreliance.com

Continuing with her journey, which last year saw Reliance Foundation exhibiting Pichavai paintings to the world, Smt. Nita Ambani, Founder and Chairperson of Reliance Foundation, interacted with a group of Pichavai painters today. These painters, hailing from Nathdwara — a small town, 45 km from Udaipur in Rajasthan, have kept Pichavai, the world’s oldest practising art form, alive. Smt. Nita Ambani who is passionate about art today announced that Pichavai painting will soon adorn the walls of RIL headquarters and other offices, hospitals and a convention centre that is coming up in Mumbai.

Today, in Ahmedabad, Smt Ambani got a first-hand experience of the art form that adorns walls of various Krishna temples and many Vaishnava homes. The forefathers of these artists are believed to have travelled to Nathdwara around 1672 AD to decorate the temple of Shrinathji. They created art works for the Pushtimarg sect of Hinduism, founded by Mahaprabhu Shri Vallabhacharyaji in the 15th century.

These artists, numbering over a hundred, created some of the most enchanting paintings depicting Lord Krishna. Etched in vivid colours, they bring forth various moods of Lord Shrinathji, such as the young Lord playing with gopis, or depicted as the icon of Divine Oneness, inspiring us to rise above our differences and bring the world closer together.

During her interaction with the Pichavai painters of today, Smt Ambani said, “Pichavai is an integral part of our rich heritage of Art & Culture. It is commendable that in spite of so many obstacles and challenges, the artists from Nathdwara have kept the art alive, making it the world’s oldest living art form. Whatever we are doing at Reliance Foundation is only a small part to ensure that we can make our country recognise this art and nurture it for future generations.”

Shri Parmanand Sharma, Mukhiya of Artists of Nathdwara Sansthan, said, “Artisan families in Nathdwara are striving to keep Pichavai, the oldest continuous artistic tradition in the world, alive. It is not an easy task as the times have changed. The support offered by Smt Nita Ambani and Reliance Foundation is invaluable for the artistic fraternity in this ancient town. She is not only promoting our work across the world, but also helping us to sustain ourselves by generating work. All the Pichavai artists pray for her. She is a beacon hope for us.”

Reliance Foundation has been promoting and nurturing India’s heritage through a number of extensive collaborations which are part of a holistic approach to strengthen the material and spiritual foundation of the nation.

As part of its core pillars of promoting art, culture, and heritage, Reliance Foundation showcased Pichavai art to a global audience in Chicago. The Foundation was the lead sponsor of an exhibition — ‘Gates of the Lord: The Tradition of Krishna Paintings’ — held at Art Institute, Chicago, from September 13, 2015, to January 3, 2016. Over 1,00,000 visitors attended the exhibition, exploring the myriad aspects of Lord Krishna’s life depicted in the Pichavai paintings on display.

Another recent initiative was supporting a exhibition at the The Met Breuer, New York, the first museum retrospective of one of the most significant artists to emerge in postIndependence India, Nasreen Mohamedi (1937–1990). She created a body of work that demonstrates a singular and sustained engagement with abstraction. Her minimalist practice not only adds a rich layer to the history of South Asian art but also necessitates an expansion of the narratives of international modernism.

About Pichavai: Pichavai (Sanskrit for back and hanging) art is an old and living artistic tradition of India. It involves intricate paintings on textiles that are hung behind the idol of Shrinathji. The themes of these paintings are Shrinathji, a form of Lord Krishna as a child, and his exploits. The paintings depict scenes of Lord Krishna lifting the Govardhan Mountain on his little finger, playing with gopis (milkmaids), or pastoral scenes with cows and forests. The Pichavai art form, which developed in the 17th century, is a tradition of the Pushtimarg sect, founded by Sant Vallabhacharya about 500 years ago.

About Reliance Foundation: Reliance Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Reliance Industries Limited, aims to play a catalytic role in addressing the nation’s development challenges through innovative and sustainable solutions. Led by Founder and Chairperson Mrs. Nita Ambani, Reliance Foundation is relentlessly working towards facilitating transformative changes to ensure overall well-being and higher quality of life for all by developing the nation’s social capital. Among India’s largest social initiatives, the Foundation is focused on addressing the nation’s development challenges in areas of Rural Transformation, Education, Health, Sports, Disaster Management, Urban Renewal, and Arts, Culture and Heritage. The Foundation’s direct, hands-on approach has touched the lives of more than seven million people across India, in more than 10,500 villages and urban locations.

Smt. Nita Ambani, Founder and Chairperson, Reliance Foundation addressed the delegates at the Sport at the Service of Humanity Conference – The First Global Conference on Faith and Sport, held by the Vatican in conjunction with the United Nations and the International Olympic Committee. The Conference was hosted by His Holiness Pope Francis, Ban Ki-moon, Secretary General of the United Nations, and Thomas Bach, President of the International Olympic Committee.

This Conference held at the Vatican City, which was blessed by His Holiness Pope Francis, saw the participation of over 150 world leaders in discussion on how Sport and Faith working together can improve and enhance the lives of those who most need it in many different walks of life. Smt. Ambani was the only representative from India at the Conference.

Addressing the delegates, Smt. Ambani spoke about the impact of sport on society and its ability to transcend differences. She also shared relevant case studies from the Reliance Foundation’s many youth focussed sports programmes, highlighting the transformational power of sport, not just for an individual but also for their community, country and the world.

Speaking on the side-lines of the Conference, Smt. Ambani added, “I am privileged to have had the opportunity to share my experiences at the Sport at the Service of Humanity Conference. Sport, I have observed over the years, has an ability to bring people together irrespective of their geography, ethnicity, religion or circumstance. Magical things happen on sports fields – smiles and friendships bloom over wins and losses.”

She further added, “There is a strong connection today between Faith and Sport, not just as players and spectators but across the entire community. I have seen people from different religions, people who speak different languages, of all age groups come together in support of a single team / player. This is the extraordinary ability that sport has, to multiply the power of Faith, to create human bonding, and foster positive change. I had a very enriching and insightful exchange of thoughts at the Conference, seeding some very tangible ideas which I hope to implement, going forward."

Smt. Nita Ambani has been an enthusiastic promoter of sport in the country. She is actively involved in promoting multiple sports in India through a number of largescale grassroots initiatives, with focus on developing young talent. She has initiated and singularly driven initiatives like Education for All (EFA), Reliance Foundation Youth Sports (RFYS) Reliance Foundation Young Champs (RFYC) and the Reliance Foundation Junior NBA programme, which have together impacted the lives of more than 5.5 million children across multiple sports.

Her contribution to the growth of sports in India has been recognised as a catalyst of change across various sports through the strong grassroots programmes that will help identify and nurture new talent from across the country. Smt. Nita Ambani was recently elected as a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC). She is the first Indian woman representative and is also currently the only representative from India in the IOC.

The goal of the Sport at the Service of Humanity Conference is to create a place where thought leaders from sports, business, politics, academia, media and different religious faiths can discuss how Faith and Sport can work together to better serve humanity.

~ The first South Asian honouree to receive this prestigious accolade ~

Mrs. Nita Ambani, Founder and Chairperson,Reliance Foundation, was honoured by the prestigious Metropolitan Museum of Art (The Met) in New York. This special honour recognises Mrs. Ambani’s expansive philanthropic work in the areas of Education, Sports, Healthcare, Rural Transformation, Urban Renewal, Disaster Response, Women Empowerment and Promotion of the Arts. She is the first South Asian to receive this distinguished accolade.

The Met is recognised as one of the most iconic museums in the world. It currently lives in three celebrated sites of the city — The Met Fifth Avenue, The Met Breuer, and The Met Cloisters - housing over 5,000 years of art from around the world.

The Met was most impressed by the diversity and scale of the work carried out by Reliance Foundation, led by Mrs. Ambani. The direction she gives the Foundation has helped it to focus its work on sustainable urban and rural transformation as well as healthcare, education, grassroots development through sport, and women empowerment. The Foundation’s support of Indian Art and the aim to take it global stems from Mrs. Ambani’s personal passion.

Reliance Foundation has benefited over ten million Indians, touching the lives of individuals across more than 10,500 urban areas and villages.

On the honour bestowed on her by The Met, Mrs. Ambani said, “I am delighted and humbled by this honour for our work at Reliance Foundation. It is truly gratifying that our efforts, especially in education, sports, health and rural transformation, are bringing smiles to millions of people. This recognition from a distinguished global institution like The Met is a tribute to our commitment towards sustainable development and social empowerment, and will inspire each one of us at Reliance Foundation to constantly do the best to make the world a better place for the next generation.”

Mrs. Ambani’s visionary work in developing sports in India was recognised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), which elected her as its first Indian woman member. She is currently the only member from India in the IOC.

The event, hosted by The Met’s Multicultural Audience Development Initiative, celebrates The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s diverse communities and raises awareness and support for the Audience Development Department. The event is a cornerstone of the Museum’s strategic mission to serve the widest possible audience in a spirit of inclusiveness.

Project ASMAN aims to leverage technology to reduce maternal and early neonatal mortality rates in 4 districts

Reliance Foundation (RF), RIL’s philanthropic arm, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Medical, Health and Family Welfare Department, Government of Rajasthan, for the implementation of Project ASMAN in the four districts of Ajmer, Bhilwara, Jhalawar and Kota. ASMAN has partnered with the National Health Mission to accelerate the reduction of maternal and early neonatal mortalities at government healthcare facilities in these four districts.

The event, held at RHSDP Hall in Swasthya Bhawan, Jaipur, was attended by the Honourable Health Minister of Rajasthan Sh. Kali Charan Saraf, Principal Secretary Smt. Veenu Gupta, Addl. Mission Director Sh. B L Kothari, Director of Public Health & Family Welfare Dr V K Mathur, and several dignitaries from the National Health Mission, Rajasthan.

Project ASMAN is a unique healthcare initiative that leverages multiple technology-based healthcare innovations to support safe health outcomes after childbirth and improve maternal and new-born health. A partnership between RF, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, MSD India, Tata Trusts and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the project aims to facilitate the availability of quality healthcare under the five pillars of the Government of India’s Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, Child and Adolescent Health Programme (RMNCH+A).

One of the key interventions in the project is the formation of Remote Support Centres(RSCs) manned by specialists, which provide timely decision-making support for remotely-located healthcare providers. The project also aims to provide other technology-based interventions such as e-partographs, use gamification techniques to aid healthcare providers during the management of complications, and facilitate referral management for critical cases.

A major contributor in this initiative, RF performs multiple important functions in the partnership, including overall governance, advocacy and selection of implementation agencies for the project. The programme management unit for the project is based at Reliance Foundation. Speaking about RF’s role in the programme, a representative of the Foundation said, “We at Reliance Foundation believe that every life must be cared for. We strive for a healthy India, where no mother is lost to childbirth and every child can live life to his or her fullest potential. The Foundation strongly believes that technology is an enabler and accelerator, and through this unique technology-based initiative and its collaborative approach, significant progress will be made towards steering the nation towards making a mark in the Sustainable Developmental Goals.”

The Foundation received the mbillionth South Asia Award for leveraging technology to enhance lives and livelihoods in rural agricultural communities

Reliance Foundation (RF), RIL’s philanthropic arm, has bagged the prestigious mbillionth South Asia Award 2017 in the Agriculture & Environment category. The Foundation was conferred the award today in recognition of its efforts to leverage mobile technology to enhance lives and livelihoods in rural agricultural communities across India.

The mbillionth Awards recognized organisations from across South Asia which have done exceptional work in the mobile and telecom sector. RF’s mobile advisory initiative – for which it clinched the award – has been instrumental in providing rural and marginal farmers in India with critical information on different aspects of agriculture – sustainable cultivation practices, pest control, crop disease management, animal husbandry, weather forecasts, and even government schemes related to agriculture.

The mobile voice advisories, which farmers receive free of cost, are the innovation of Reliance Foundation Information Services (RFIS). RFIS is a one-of-its-kind initiative that disseminates reliable and robust information tailored to the needs of farmers, fisherfolk, livestock owners and other livelihood seekers, through various information and communication technology platforms, including multi-location audio and video conferences, local cable television, All India Radio, print and electronic media, voice and text messages via Jio Chat and WhatsApp, as well as field-based programmes and trainings.

To ensure that the disseminated information in its advisories and training material is accurate and localised, RFIS sources it from knowledge partners such as Krishi Vigyan Kendras, research institutions, line departments, NGOs and meteorological institutions. The entire system is supported by cloud telephony, with the RF toll-free helpline number (1800-419-8800) playing a critical role in providing necessary clarifications from knowledge providers to knowledge seekers. In this way, the RFIS initiative creates essential linkages between those who curate knowledge and those who seek it, paving the way for income enhancement and empowerment. RFIS has even saved lives, by disseminating advisories with cyclone forecasts, ocean state forecasts, and warnings for adverse weather.

Reliance Foundation commits to invest Rs. 10 crores in adopting and rebuilding four worst-hit villages in Banaskantha district

Visiting the flood hit Banaskantha and Patan district of Gujarat today, Smt. Nita Ambani, Founder and Chairperson of Reliance Foundation (RF), announced that RF will adopt four worst-affected villages in the district.

The Foundation is holding talks with the Government of Gujarat to adopt four severely impacted villages and provide them the required assistance for rehabilitation beyond the immediate relief efforts. This will include construction of new homes, schools, healthcare facilities, community hall and other social infrastructure. “We will spend Rs. 10 crore to rebuild these villages,” said Smt. Nita Ambani.

Reliance Foundation has been always at the forefront of providing relief efforts to people impacted by natural calamities. Be it in Anjar in 2001, or Uttarakhand in 2013 or Kashmir Floods in 2014 or Chennai floods in 2015 or Nepal Earthquake in 2015 or Banaskantha now, Smt. Nita Ambani is personally providing hands-on leadership for RF’s relief efforts.

Today she carried out a recce of the worst-affected areas to assess first-hand the primary and immediate requirements of the victims who have lost their homes in the deluge, and supervise the rescue and relief work being carried out by the Foundation.

Teams of RF relief workers, along with volunteers from Reliance Industries Limited, are working round-the-clock, distributing relief kits, food packets, drinking water, blankets, ration kits, kitchen sets, clothes and fodder to the flood-hit people. As is her wont, Smt. Nita Ambani was there, leading the operation from the front. RF has teamed up with over 15 organisations to source and distribute relief materials. It is leveraging its toll-free helpline number to reach out to people stranded in remote areas. Advisories are being disseminated to spread awareness among the hapless victims about sanitation, health precautions, livestock care, and available government facilities.

Assuring the flood victims of timely relief, Smt. Nita Ambani, said: “Reliance Foundation will tirelessly work together to rebuild your lives and to make things better for you. Please do not lose hope. Keep the faith, and together we will improve things.”

The floods have claimed hundreds of lives, rendered thousands homeless, disrupted livelihoods, and caused large-scale loss of assets in Gujarat. Banaskantha district, one of the worst-hit areas, has been declared ‘disaster-affected’ under the Gujarat State Disaster Management Act, 2003.

Since the onset of the floods, RF, led by Smt. Nita Ambani, has been working tirelessly to support the affected communities. The Foundation is working hand-in-hand with the government authorities and other organisations to provide timely relief to the victims.

Reliance Foundation receives recognition for its Farmer Producer Organisations

Reliance Foundation (RF), RIL’s philanthropic arm, has been recognised for its outstanding contribution in supporting and promoting Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs) in India. RF received this recognition at the Krishi Pragati Awards 2017, instituted by the National Commodities Derivatives Exchange (NCDEX). Shri Arjun Ram Meghwal, Union Minister of State for Finance and Corporate Affairs, gave RF the award for ‘Outstanding Contribution by Resource Institution for Promoting FPOs’. Since its inception in 2010, RF has formed 19 FPOs – better known as RF Producer Companies (PCs) – to empower farmers across the country.

NCDEX, one of the largest exchanges for agricultural commodities in India, instituted the Krishi Pragati Awards this year to felicitate organisations that are making a significant impact in the field of agriculture and agrarian lifestyles. RF was one of three organisations chosen as winners for extending exemplary philanthropic support to agriculturists.

RF also received a second distinction at the award ceremony, with the Jamwa Ramgarh Krishak Producer Company Ltd (JKPCL) – a PC which was formed with RF support – bagging the award for Best Upcoming FPO, for its role in improving the livelihoods and incomes of small and marginal farmers. The award was handed over to the PC’s representatives by Shri Ram Vilas Paswan, Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution.

PCs are institutions formed through RF support that empower marginal farmers by linking them directly to the market, and providing them a platform from which to collectivise, aggregate and sell their produce profitably and sustainably. They help marginal farmers create and maintain a network of market contacts and sell their produce directly in the market, thus obviating the need for middlemen. Farmers enrolled with PCs sell their farm produce and other agricultural inputs such as fertilisers and seeds at better prices. The PCs also provide farmers irrigation equipment at subsidised rates and train farmers on sustainable agricultural practices. PCs were formed under RF’s flagship Bharat India Jodo (BIJ) programme, which promotes sustainable agricultural practices and helps farmers increase their productivity and their incomes.

About Reliance Foundation: Reliance Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Reliance Industries Limited, aims to play a catalytic role in addressing the nation’s development challenges through innovative and sustainable solutions. Led by Founder and Chairperson Smt. Nita Ambani, Reliance Foundation is relentlessly working towards facilitating transformative changes to ensure overall well-being and higher quality of life for all. Among India’s largest social initiatives, the Foundation is focused on addressing the nation’s development challenges in areas of Rural Transformation, Education, Health, Sports for Development, Disaster Response, Urban Renewal, and Arts, Culture and Heritage. The Foundation has touched the lives of more than 12 million people across India, in more than 12,500 villages and several urban locations.