Nand Ghar is the flagship project of the Anil Agarwal Foundation, the philanthropic arm of the Vedanta Group.[1][2][3] The project provides infrastructure facilities along with early childhood education, healthcare, nutrition, and skill development for women with the goal of empowering 7 crore children and 2 crore women over 13.7 lakh Anganwadi centers in India.[4][5] Under its Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS), the Ministry of Women and Child Development and Vedanta are working together on the Nand Ghar project. In April 2016, the first Nand Ghar was founded in Varanasi's Nagepur district [6][7]
| Formation | 2015 |
|---|---|
| Type | Nonprofit organization |
| Headquarters | New Delhi |
| Location | |
Key people | Anil Agarwal (Founder and Chairman, Vedanta Resources Limited) Priya Agarwal Hebbar (Non-Executive Director, Vedanta Limited and Chairperson, Hindustan Zinc Limited) Shashi Arora (CEO, Nand Ghar) |
Parent organization | Anil Agarwal Foundation |
| Website | nandghar |
History
editCommencing on October 2, 1975, the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) Scheme is one of the largest community-based programs globally.[8] The ICDS provides services to adolescent girls, expectant and nursing mothers, and children up to the age of six.[9] Its goals are to provide the groundwork for the comprehensive, psychological, physical, and social development of children aged 0 to 6 as well as to improve their nutritional and health condition. Through nutrition and health education, it seeks to improve the mother's ability to provide for her child's fundamental medical and nutritional needs.[10]
Partnership
editIn order to renovate 4000 Nand Ghars in 11 Indian states, Vedanta and the Ministry of Women and Child Development inked an agreement in 2015 after the Nand Ghar model was successfully demonstrated.[11] Vedanta has inked further Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) with state governments to expand Nand Ghars into other regions within the alliance. In order to assist in the renovation of 500 Nand Ghars in the state of Uttar Pradesh, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation also partnered with Nand Ghar.[12] In February 2022, Anil Agarwal Foundation and the Government of Rajasthan inked an MoU to build 25,000 Nand Ghars across the state.[13] The Foundation then went on to sign many more with the Varanasi Administration in order to initiate a millet bar nutrition campaign and build Nand Ghars across the district.[14] Nand Ghar has also launched the Global Volunteering Program, which welcomes both local and foreign volunteers.[15][16] This program is the result of an agreement that Nand Ghar and Aii Group inked on 22 July 2022. Additionally, it has partnered with organisations like Tata Consulting Engineers, KPMG, Sesame Workshop India, etc. to support the implementation of its programs across its operational areas.[17]
Presence and scale
editCurrently, over 6300 Nand Ghars are present in 14 states in India: Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Gujarat, Goa, Assam, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana and Odisha.[18]
Activities during Covid pandemic
editOn International Women’s Day 2021, Nand Ghar launched its telemedicine model which was inaugurated by the Union Minister of Women and Child Development, Smriti Zubin Irani.[19]
With the help of technological support and telemedicine health model, it linked MBBS physicians and specialists such as paediatricians and gynaecologist with community members.[19] It also provided the facility of mobile health vans that visited the Nand Ghars to provide specialist consultation, basic non-invasive tests, and free medicine to community members.[20]
During the pandemic, Nand Ghar provided education for children through the rolling out of content on WhatsApp and through IVRS as an alternative method to learning.[21][22] With these initiatives, Nand Ghar provided e-learning content to more than 55,000 children in rural areas. Nand Ghar’s e-content was adopted by the 62,000 Anganwadis in Rajasthan.[23]
Nand Ghar also supported the commissioning of two oxygen plants in Ganganagar and Hati Bazar in Varanasi and one in Tiloi in Amethi, benefitting over 2,00,000 beneficiaries. During the period, multiple Nand Ghars were also converted into vaccination centers and COVID care facilities for the community to seek support from. The women of Nand Ghar stitched 1.5 Lakh masks, which were distributed amongst community members to protect them from the virus.[24]
Run for zero hunger campaign
editThe run for zero hunger campaign conducted annually under the Anil Agarwal Foundation, is a nationwide movement aimed at ensuring zero hunger with its association through the Vedanta Delhi Half Marathon. For every kilometre run by a participant, it pledged to nourish a child at Nand Ghar and 7 million meals were raised over two years. Vedanta has also partnered with major events like the Delhi Half Marathon for its Run for zero hunger campaign.[25]
KhaanaKhaayaKya movement
editKhaanaKhaayaKya Movement ‘Agar Bachpan Se Poocha Khaana Khaaya, Toh Desh Ka Kal Banaya’ is a part of the larger Nand Ghar movement aimed at achieving zero hunger and strengthening the Anganwadi ecosystem in India. The movement invites public participation through donation, volunteering and partnerships.[26]
References
edit- ^ "UP government & Vedanta join forces to wipe out malnourishment". www.millenniumpost.in. 20 June 2022. Retrieved 28 September 2022.
- ^ "Nand Ghar To Combat Malnourishment Among 3k Children | Varanasi News - Times of India". The Times of India. 21 June 2022. Retrieved 28 September 2022.
- ^ "CSR: Union Minister Anurag Thakur Inaugurated Vedanta's 2500th Nand Ghar At Hamirpur". India CSR. 4 October 2021. Retrieved 28 September 2022.
- ^ "Vedanta Chairman's dream project Nand Ghar achieves a significant milestone, the 3000 Mark!". India Education. 14 January 2022. Retrieved 28 September 2022.
- ^ Dilipkumar, Bhavya. "Union minister Smriti Irani launches Vedanta's Telemedicine Program". The Economic Times. Retrieved 25 November 2021.
- ^ "Anil Agarwal Foundation Ensure Education For Children During Pandemic". BW Education. Retrieved 28 September 2022.
- ^ "Corporate hand in Uttar Pradesh anganwadi upgrade". www.telegraphindia.com. Retrieved 25 November 2021.
- ^ "UNICEF India - Media centre - The Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS)". web.archive.org. 26 June 2012. Retrieved 9 October 2024.
- ^ Dilipkumar, Bhavya. "Vedanta chairman Anil Agarwal to set up 500 Nand Ghars in Uttar Pradesh". The Economic Times. Retrieved 25 November 2021.
- ^ "Project Nand Ghar: Anil Agarwal Foundation Partners With Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to Improve Nutrition in India | India.com". www.india.com. Retrieved 25 November 2021.
- ^ "Corporate hand in Uttar Pradesh anganwadi upgrade". www.telegraphindia.com. Retrieved 25 November 2021.
- ^ "50 'Nand Ghars' dedicated in Dharwad district". The Hindu. 31 October 2020. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 28 September 2022.
- ^ "Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren inaugurates 50 Nand Ghars in Bokaro". Free Press Journal. Retrieved 25 November 2021.
- ^ "Vedanta Chairman's dream project Nand Ghar achieves a significant milestone, the 3000 Mark!". India Education. 14 January 2022. Retrieved 28 September 2022.
- ^ OdAdmin (8 September 2020). "Vedanta's Nand Ghar to collaborate with Govt. to promote 'Kuposhan mukt Bharat' which aims to fight malnutrition in children". Odisha News | Odisha Breaking News | Latest Odisha News. Retrieved 25 November 2021.
- ^ "Nand Ghar project achieves a significant milestone, the 3000 Mark!". India CSR. 14 January 2022. Retrieved 28 September 2022.
- ^ Dilipkumar, Bhavya. "Union minister Smriti Irani launches Vedanta's Telemedicine Program". The Economic Times. Retrieved 25 November 2021.
- ^ "Vedanta Nand Ghar leads with ISO Certification in Odisha". India Education | Latest Education News | Global Educational News | Recent Educational News. 3 August 2020. Retrieved 9 October 2024.
- ^ a b Dilipkumar, Bhavya. "Union minister Smriti Irani launches Vedanta's Telemedicine Program". The Economic Times. Retrieved 25 November 2021.
- ^ "Response to COVID-19 by the Anganwadi ecosystem in India" (PDF).
- ^ "Vedanta's Nand Ghar project rolls out digital e-learning modules for children in villages of Odisha, UP and Rajasthan". Odisha Diary. 24 June 2020. Retrieved 28 September 2022.
- ^ "Anil Agarwal Foundation Ensure Education For Children During Pandemic". BW Education. Retrieved 28 September 2022.
- ^ "Response to COVID-19 by the Anganwadi ecosystem in India" (PDF).
- ^ Imchen, Atula (11 November 2021). "Vedanta - Transforming Rural India Through Nand Ghar". CSR Mandate. Retrieved 28 September 2022.
- ^ "5 million meals for children through #RunForZeroHunger". The Times of India. 16 October 2023. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 17 October 2024.
- ^ Afaq, S. "Manoj Bajpayee joins Nand Ghar's Agar Bachpan Se Poocha Khaana Khaaya, Toh Desh Ka Kal Banaya movement". www.afaqs.com (in Hindi). Retrieved 17 October 2024.