Nita Ambani, founder and chairperson of the Reliance Foundation, on Thursday listed the entity’s focus areas as well as progress in the fields of educations, sports, and art and culture at the 47th Annual General Meeting of Reliance Industries Limited (RIL).
Welcoming the shareholders, Nita Ambani said: “It is a joy and privilege to stand before you and reflect on the incredible journey that we have undertaken together. This journey is fuelled by our shared commitment to growth, to innovation, and most importantly, to uplifting the lives of millions across our nation. We have continued to make progress on all our programmes; and today I would like to highlight a few key focus areas of our work at Reliance Foundation.”
Congratulating the Indian athletes who represented the country at Paris Olympics 2024, the Reliance Foundation chairperson said beyond records and medals, she was “moved by their stories of resilience, dedication, and hard work”.
“They embody the indomitable spirit of India. A spirit that rises against all odds and refuses to give up. As corporates, as citizens, and as parents — we all must play our part in safeguarding, encouraging, and empowering this young spirit of India. That is our collective responsibility towards nation-building. Greatness in any field is not achieved overnight. It is earned and built, one day at a time.”
Listing the foundation’s mission for sports, she said: “It is our stated goal to make India a truly global sporting powerhouse. In pursuit of this goal, our focus has been to build a robust sporting ecosystem that supports our athletes right from grassroots to glory at the highest levels. It is imperative that we start training our children young. We need a movement to ensure that every child in our country has the Right to Sport, along with the Right to Education.”
“Led by my son Akash, our Education and Sports for All programme has so far reached out to nearly 23 million youngsters across multiple sports all over India. Through our various initiatives like Reliance Foundation Youth Sports and Young Champs, we are scouting and nurturing girls and boys from a young age to compete at school, college, and district level competitions in all sports. At our high-performance centres in Maharashtra, Odisha, and Bengaluru, we run an in-depth training programme for athletes, which includes providing world-class infrastructure and training, as well as sports science and medicine support.”
She added that in October 2023, the 141st IOC Session was successfully hosted in Mumbai, marking the return of the Olympic movement to India after a gap of 40 years.
“At that historic session, our Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendrabhai Modi declared India’s ambition to host the 2030 Youth Olympics and the 2036 Summer Olympics. Also, in a landmark decision at that session, cricket was included as an Olympic sport for the 2028 Summer Games in Los Angeles. As a member of the International Olympic Committee, I am humbled to say that we have taken our first steps towards fulfilling India’s Olympic aspirations. We are committed to working with like-minded organisations to support the Prime Minister’s vision and realise this shared dream of 1.4 billion Indians. Through our work with the International Olympic Committee’s Let Us Move campaign and the Olympic Values Education Programme, we work round the year to spread Olympic values and ideals, aiming to reach lakhs of children and thousands of teachers in the coming year.”
She added: “At the Paris Olympics this year, Reliance Foundation, in partnership with the Indian Olympic Association, hosted the first-ever India House at the Olympics. India House became a space where we honoured our athletes, celebrated our culture, and welcomed the world to India. A home away from home for our athletes and diaspora, it was a showcase of India’s art and heritage, tradition and technology, talent, and aspiration. Over 16 memorable days, India House welcomed more than 40,000 visitors, almost half of them being international guests. A France television journalist went on to report that if Country Houses were a category, India House would win a Gold. India House is a humble beginning; a small step towards establishing India’s firm and formidable presence on the Olympic Stage.”
Talking about the strides in the field of education, Mrs Ambani said she was a teacher at heart and “working with children has been one of the most enriching experiences of my life. I am touched and delighted to see my daughter Isha follow that path and find her purpose in the field of education”.
“She is redefining the education landscape in India. This year she has launched two new pathbreaking institutions for primary and early years education: 1. Nita Mukesh Ambani Junior School, and 2. Nita Mukesh Ambani Early Years Campus. Truly envisioned as institutions of the future, these schools foster 21st century skills with a focus on pace-based learning where every young learner thrives at their own pace and in their own ways. New-age teaching is about preparing our children for a world that we cannot fully fathom or imagine as yet; and therefore, the focus is on building resilience, collaboration, communication, creativity, compassion, and curiosity,” she said.
Nita Ambani added: “Our vision is to set up international schools with an Indian heart and soul. To make this vision a reality, Reliance Foundation is proud to introduce our flagship Teacher Training initiative with our soon-to-be-launched School Leadership & Administration Programme. Beyond our schools, I am happy to share that through Reliance Foundation, we aim to provide world-class early childhood care and education for over 10 million children from disadvantaged communities across India. This programme aims to build capacity development models and provide learning resources for students and teachers all over India. Our efforts go beyond academic learning to promote complete development, including social-emotional skills, critical thinking, and physical well-being.”
“As part of our work with the Integrated Child Development Services, Reliance Foundation developed and refurbished one hundred Aanganwadis in Varanasi last year. Reliance Foundation is also a proud founding member of LiftEd, a multi-partner consortium that aims to strengthen foundational learning for four million children in India through a Development Impact Bond and an Ed Tech Accelerator. It is a first-of-its-kind initiative aligned with the government’s Nipun Bharat Mission that aims to achieve Foundational Literacy and Numeracy for every child in India’s primary schools by 2025. We have also partnered with the National Skill Development Corporation to create one hundred future-ready courses like cybersecurity, AI, and sustainability, aiming to reach 5 lakh youngsters.”
“Last year, we had announced our commitment to support 50,000 students through the Reliance Foundation Undergraduate and Postgraduate Scholarships over the next 10 years. I am pleased to share that we have already awarded over 10,000 of these scholarships so far. In partnership with Jio, using the power of AI, we plan to work with state governments to digitally extend access and opportunities for students in two million schools of India. Mukesh and I are on a mission to enable quality education, in our lifetime, for 250 million school going children of our country. India today has the largest number of young people in the world, with over 50 per cent of our population under the age of 30. We are committed to empowering this generation to become the driving force of a new, resurgent, and unstoppable India — a truly Viksit Bharat,” she added.
The foundation chairperson also spoke about the emphasis on the art and culture of India, talking about an initiative close to her heart — Swadesh.
“Swadesh is our tribute to India’s diverse cultural heritage and rich artistic legacy – a collective effort to preserve and promote our country’s age-old arts and crafts. It all began as an exhibition at the launch of our Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre last year and has now become a movement for cultural renaissance. Swadesh highlights the spirit of ‘Make in India’ and offers respect, sustenance, and global recognition to our skilled artisans,” she said.
“India is home to over 4000 traditional arts and handicrafts, and more than 70 lakh craftspeople. They are truly the pride of our country. And yet, unfortunately, due to lack of support, opportunities, and livelihoods, many of them were giving up their proud legacy and lineage. That is how Swadesh was envisioned – to give our talented artisans a platform to showcase their skill and craftsmanship to a growing audience, both Indian and international. Apart from setting up stores in India, we now plan to take Swadesh global with presence in the US and Europe as well. From Kashmir to Kanyakumari, and from Sikkim to Bhuj, the work and voices of our artists and artisans will now be seen and heard not just in India, but around the world.”
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