Amethi: Smt Smriti Irani, Minister for Women and Child Development & Textiles, today inaugurated the 1000th Nand Ghar at her Parliamentary constituency of Amethi in Uttar Pradesh. The inauguration of the 1000th Nand Ghar is a key milestone for the flagship CSR programme of ‘mining to metals’ conglomerate Vedanta Ltd, which has been spearheading this program in association with Ministry of Women and Child Development to build and refurbish Anganwadis in various states across the country.
The completion of the 1000th Nand Ghar will usher in a new era of progress and growth for women and children and lead to their holistic development. With these 1000 Nand Ghars, the initiative is benefitting around 40,000 children and 30,000 women across India.
Vedanta has planned an outlay of over Rs 800 crore for setting up 4,000 Nand Ghars across India over next few years, thus complementing the government’s vision for a strong and prosperous nation. With 4,000 Nand Ghars spread across India, the flagship CSR programme will touch lives of around 4 Million community members while directly impacting around 2,00,000 children and around 1,80,000 women on an annual basis.
The Nand Ghars are equipped with televisions for e-learning, solar panels for reliable power, safe drinking water, clean toilets and have emerged as an ideal model for replication in other parts of the country. There are currently 14 lakh Anganwadis in the country.
Smt Smriti Irani, Women and Child Development and Textile Minister and Member of Parliament, Amethi, said, “Smt Smriti Irani, Women and Child Development and Textile Minister and Member of Parliament, Amethi, said, “It is a great honour to be a part of this initiative and see the community and industry leaders come together for a noble cause that focuses on the overall well being of children and women. With Nand Ghar, a key component of holistic development has made its entry in Amethi. As we embark upon the launch of “Poshan Maah” (Nutrition Month) in September, it is good to see that Vedanta through its CSR activities has come forward to support the government in its endeavor to enhance the development of women and children. We hope that we will continue receiving such support and do more for women and children from underprivileged sections across the length and breadth of the country and realize Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s dream of an empowered New India.”
Speaking on the occasion, Shri Anil Agarwal, Founder and Chairman, Vedanta Group, said, “We have always believed in actively being a part of the growth and future of the nation with a focus on development of the women and children of our country. The completion of the 1000th Nand Ghar gives us immense pride. We reiterate our commitment towards partnering with the Government for creating 4,000 Nand Ghars and changing the anganwadi landscape across India that would impact more than 8.5 crore children and 2 crore women”
The core services provided at Nand Ghars are pre-school education to children (3-6 years) through e-learning, BaLA designs and smart kits, nutrition through pre-packed hot cooked meals to children, pregnant and lactating women, healthcare through Mobile Health Van and support to Community Health Centre, women empowerment through skill, credit linkage and entrepreneurship development.
Around 30,000 women have been covered through the women empowerment and skilling program, leading to an average incremental income of INR 3,500 per month.
The Nand Ghar initiative aims to demonstrate an integrated service delivery model, which addresses some of the core focus areas of government’s flagship Integrated Child Development Services program (ICDS), and to showcase this at a large scale and geographic diversity.
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