Women and Children

10 November, 2023: Platform 65, India’s largest train-themed restaurant, located at KPHB Hyderabad- hosted a pre-Diwali dinner event on the 9th of November 2023 for the children of Om Sai Sevasrama Orphanage.  Vivekananda Seva Sangham collaborated with Platform 65 to execute this initiative. The objective of this event was to share happiness, joy and warmth with the less privileged who are as fortunate as the other children who celebrate Diwali. This initiative along with bringing hope and joy also crafted beautiful memories for a lifetime in the young minds. This CSR initiative of Platform 65, is part of the company’s commitment to give back to the community. Managing Director and Founder of Platform 65–Sadgun Patha, stated that the organization firmly

Akzo Nobel India, the makers of Dulux paints, is celebrating Diwali this year, with its Indradhanush women who are striving towards creating an empowered and diverse future in rural India. AkzoNobel India launched Project Indradhanush in 2021 with the primary objective of enabling women to foster micro-entrepreneurship and socio-economic development in rural India. This societal initiative started from one village in Assam but has now expanded to include and benefit women in 500 villages. These women reside in the villages of six states covering – West Bengal, Assam, Haryana, Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh, and Karnataka. Managing Director, Akzo Nobel India Rajiv Rajgopal while speaking on this initiative shared his pride on the success of Project Indradhanush having been instrumental in

                                8 November, 2023: The “: Women in Circularity” initiative by Beiersdorf was launched in four countries across the globe. This initiative targets the collection and recycling of 15,000 tons of plastic annually in emerging markets and offers jobs and training opportunities support to 1,600 women. Through this holistic activity, Beiersdorf is strengthening its CARE BEYOND SKIN Sustainability Agenda. The company seeks to provide substantial funding to plastic waste recycling organizations that display a strong social business approach. The two important objectives are – firstly, to initiate in emerging economies, the expansion of the recycling infrastructure of plastic waste management organisations and secondly to ensure that the waste collectors, primarily women, who constitute a majority, receive the requisite training and

16th October, 2023: An announcement of the successful empowerment of 1800 women was made by Dalmia Bharat on International Day of Rural Women the 15th Of October 2023. Dalmia Bharat, is an Indian conglomerate with businesses in the cement and sugar industry. Self Help Groups (SHGs) have been established through which these women are provided essential skill training and access to vital resources that are crucial for sustainable livelihood development. Dalmia Bharat collaborates with various organizations, namely – NRLM, NABARD to name a few, to organize various training initiatives in the farming and non-farming sectors, such as micro enterprise development, handicraft production and others. These activities cover the communities settled around their regions of operation in 12 states of India.

New Delhi, October 15, 2023: The second edition of the prestigious Vedanta Delhi Half Marathon which concluded earlier today witnessed the participation of 35,000+ runners in support of the cause of #RunForZeroHunger. The record participation, 50% higher than last year, extended across five events including the flagship Half Marathon, Open 10K Run, Great Delhi Run, Senior Citizens’ Run, and Champions with Disability Run. Vedanta’s commitment of providing 1 meal to children for every 1 km run added up to 5 million meals in total. These meals will be served across Vedanta’s network of nearly 6,000 Nand Ghars, which are modernized, state-of-the-art Anganwadis, in the coming weeks. Nand Ghar is the flagship social impact programme of Vedanta’s Anil Agarwal Foundation and

RYTHM Foundation’s Pathbreaking Journey to Empower Maharashtra’s Young Women In the aridlandscapes of Maharashtra, where drought prevails, and financial constraints and limited access to quality education weigh heavily on girls and young women, a groundbreaking youth development project backed by RYTHM Foundation is cultivating empowerment like never before. From 2019 to 2022, t h e ‘Champions Youth Development’ programme, a collaborative effort between RYTHM and Mann Deshi Foundation, emerged as a noteworthy endeavour. This initiative combines education, hands-on learning, personal growth, and athletic training, casting a transformative light on tenacious young individuals. This programme recently clinched a Bronze Award at the prestigious 10th CSR Times Awards 2023, recognising the Foundations’ collaboration under t h e ‘ Women Empowerment, Corporate Foundation

10 October, 2023: TVARAN an acceleration program designed to support early-stage women entrepreneurs and augment the presence of women led startups in the field of renewable energy, water and waste management and climate smart agriculture marked its successful conclusion recently.  This announcement was made by Villgro and Cisco India Cash Grant Program. Former Secretary, the Department of Biotechnology, Ministry of Science & Technology Dr. Renu Swarup, honoured the first group of exceptional startups during the closing event. These included Climate Sense, Swachha Eco Solutions, Green Delight, MOWO Fleet, Green Grahi, KNP Arises Green Energy, and Bharat Krushi Seva During the event, the remarkable entrepreneurial journey of the startups was highlighted and their outstanding achievements were acknowledged. This also depicted the

The critical role of rural women and their contribution to enhancing rural development and agriculture is the underlying celebratory tone of the 15th of October. This section of women plays an important role in eradicating poverty and providing food security. With an improvement in the lives of rural women, the chances of emerging victorious in the fight against hunger and poverty are very high. Providing the same and equal opportunities to women as men will see the number of malnourished people dip from 17 % to 12 %. Agricultural production too would rise from 2.5 % to 4 % as per an estimate. The women from the fields bring their experience which will be beneficial for improving the conditions of

By Neha JunejaCo-Founder and CEO, IndiaP2P India, a country known for its rich cultural heritage and diverse population, has also been witnessing a significant transformation in its economic landscape, especially with the development of its Digital Public Infrastructure or DPI that combines powerful layers of identity, payments, and data sharing. This DPI and innovative platforms built on top of it such as IndiaP2P, a peer-to-peer (P2P) lender, have emerged as game changers in the financial sector, bridging the gap between borrowers and lenders. IndiaP2P has emerged not only as a catalyst for economic growth but also as a powerful force in empowering women, particularly in smaller towns and villages, where financial independence often remains distant and difficult. IndiaP2P, like many