'Broadening Access To Nutrition, Quality Education And Skill Development Can Make Profound Impact In People's Lives'

India requires large-scale change across domains. For this, we require collective efforts of corporates, civil society, and the government. India faces a challenge on the malnutrition front, one that is amplified by multi-dimensional poverty. Nutrition, education, and skilling in tandem promise to make a difference, especially through targeted interventions.

In an interview, Ms. Priya Agarwal Hebbar, Chairperson, Hindustan Zinc Ltd., Non-Executive Director, Vedanta Ltd. & Anchor, TACO talks about the work that her foundation is doing in these specific areas, and the support that it is providing to rural communities across the country.

Q.1 What are the key areas of AAF's work? How is the Foundation going about making large-scale impact?

Priya Agarwal Hebbar: At the heart of the Anil Agarwal Foundation (AAF) is a deep and abiding commitment to nation building and transforming lives. The Foundation is actively involved in executing over 140 social impact projects across sectors such as education, nutrition, women empowerment, skill development, sports, art & culture, environment, and animal welfare 每 impacting more then 44 million lives annually.

In line with our Chairman＊s vision that no child should go to bed hungry, nutrition is central to our flagship give back initiative 每 Nand Ghar. By facilitating nutritious meals, creating state of the art learning centres and providing sustainable infrastructure, we aim to ensure holistic development of children between the ages of 3-6 years across rural India.

Further, at the Foundation we are working actively towards the goal of ＆One Health＊ through The Animal Welfare Organisation (TACO). For a comprehensive animal welfare ecosystem, we need to strengthen 5 crucial pillars namely Rehabilitation, Healthcare & Veterinarian Education, Wildlife Conservation, Research & Policy Framework, Disaster Relief and Cross-Sectoral Engagement, and we are working towards that.
The Foundation is also supporting the nurturing of sporting talent at the grassroots level. Through our football and archery academies, we are providing training to athletes across the nation. AAF is also aiding in the development of India＊s second largest cricket stadium in the country.

Q.2 The area of nutrition requires a lot of attention given the size of our population. What are some of the unique interventions that AAF has devised to fulfil this responsibility effectively?

Priya Agarwal Hebbar: The area of nutrition is indeed a pressing concern in the country and a critical aspect of our work at Nandghar. The project has been successful in reducing malnourishment among preschool children and includes almost 20% lesser children in Severely Acute Malnourished (SAM) & Moderately Acute Malnourished (MAM) categories as compared to the national average.

As India spearheads the International Year of Millets, we at Vedanta have developed a well-researched multi-millet bar to combat malnutrition. These nutrition dense bars are provided as supplementary nutrition for children to improve their daily nutrient intake through consumption of millet, in addition to meals and take-home Rations facilitated at Nand Ghars. The nutri-bars have been curated in collaboration with ICAR-IIMR and manufactured by Troo Good. Currently, we are distributing nutribars to 50,000 children across 1400 Anganwadis in Varanasi. The pilot has been a success with evidence of reduction in the levels of SAM and MAM (Severely Acute Malnutrition and Moderately Acute Malnutrition) among the children and reduction in absenteeism.

Further, at our Nand Ghars we have established Poshan Vatikas that help communities with strategically located kitchen gardens in and around Anganwadi centers. Through these Poshan Vatikas, and other awareness drives we ensure families in our children, women, and their families learn to grow and savor the goodness of nutrient rich food.

We also have a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Indian Council of Medical Research - National Institute of Nutrition (ICMR- NIN) for technical advice in public health nutrition activities being carried out under the Project Nand Ghar. Under this, NIN is supporting Anil Agarwal Foundation to strengthen the nutrition model for Nand Ghar in the sphere of women & child development with an aim to ensure that all children, women, and the community at large adopt nutrition-sensitive practices.

Q.3 Tell us about initiatives being planned alongside the Vedanta Pink City Half Marathon. What are the learnings from the Delhi Half Marathon?

Priya Agarwal Hebbar: Marathons are a testament to the power of communities coming together to race for positive change. It is not only a celebration of sporting excellence but also a way to unite people for a cause close to our hearts - #RunForZeroHunger.

In India, currently over 35% of the children suffer from different forms of malnourishment. Together, as we Run for Zero Hunger, we will contribute to reducing this number. As part of our commitment, for every kilometre you run we will continue to pledge a meal for a child in need through our Nand Ghars.

With everyone＊s participation & passion we surpassed our target of 2 million meals during VDHM and we were able to pledge 5 million meals for children across the country. We are once again looking forward to adding to the meals we will provide to children through our Nand Ghars.

Q.4 Which are the state governments that AAF is working closely with? What are the skilling initiatives that the Foundation has undertaken?
Priya Agarwal Hebbar: At Anil Agarwal Foundation, our commitment to inclusive and sustainable growth is exemplified through strategic collaborations with various state governments across India. Currently, our Foundation is actively engaged in significant partnerships, demonstrating our dedication to national development.

As mentioned before, Nand Ghars have been devised in collaboration with the Ministry of Women and Child Development, Government of India, aimed at transforming the lives of 7 crore children and 2 crore women across 13.7 lakh Anganwadis in India. This project underscores our commitment to working closely with the highest levels of government to address critical societal needs through the pillars of Health, Education, Nutrition and Skilling.

In addition to this significant collaboration, we have forged another noteworthy partnership with the Government of Rajasthan through a MOU. This pioneering initiative entails the establishment of 25,000 modernized Nand Ghars throughout the State of Rajasthan, reflecting our commitment to bringing positive change at the state level.

Skilling initiatives for women are integral to our programs, particularly within the Nand Ghars. Every afternoon, once the children leave for home, our centers transform into hubs for skill development. We facilitate the entrepreneurial journey of women, providing training, assistance in developing business plans, access to micro-credit, and market linkages. Many women who have undergone our programs have not only repaid their loans but have also established successful businesses in their regions. Additionally, for those who prefer employment, we support them by securing jobs in areas such as Rudraksh mala making, wool-spinning, bamboo handicrafts, paper bag stitching, and more. Our aim is to ensure placement or linkage to job work, allowing women to earn a regular income. The impact of these programs is positively impacting over 1.7 lakh women and many women associated with us are earning incremental incomes of up to INR 10,000 per month.