The Complete CSR Report of Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) for FY 2023-24
Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) is a Fortune Global 500 company and the largest private sector company in India operating under the leadership of Mukesh Ambani who is the Chairman and Managing Director. Reliance Industries Limited was founded in 1958 by noted industrialist late Dhirubhai Ambani. The diversified conglomerate manages businesses like Oil & Gas, Bio-energy, Petrochemicals, Retail, Digital Services and Media & Entertainment.
Reliance Industries Limited contributes to its vision of an inclusive India through its philanthropic arm, the Reliance Foundation. Founded by Chairperson Nita Ambani in 2010, Reliance Foundation is a non-profit organization that aims to promote sustainable growth in India through Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives. Their major focus is on the areas of Education, Healthcare, Sustainability, Animal Welfare, Rural Development, Sports, Women Empowerment, Promotion and preservation of Arts, Culture & Heritage, and Disaster Management.
CSR Spending
In the FY 2023-24, the consolidated CSR spend of Reliance Industries was Rs 1532 Crore.
Major CSR initiatives – Sustainability and Animal Welfare
Plant4Life Campaign
Plant4Life campaign, a community-driven environment initiative by Reliance Foundation to enhance green cover and to care for the Earth, was launched on the occasion of World Environment Day on June 5, 2023 and continued till December 31. The campaign focused on the regeneration and restoration of common lands, thereby contributing towards mitigating climate change. The initiative led to over 5.09 Lakh saplings planted with over 19,000+ volunteering hours. Over 61,000 seed balls made by Reliance employees were disbursed in open fields by NGO partners.
Vantara: Deep Commitment to Animal Welfare
Reliance Industries and Reliance Foundation announced the Vantara (Star of the Forest) programme in February. The programme is an umbrella initiative that focuses on rescue, treatment, care and rehabilitation of injured, abused and threatened animals, both in India and abroad. The Vantara initiative has been conceptualised by Anant Ambani, Director on the boards of RIL and Reliance Foundation.
Vantara’s focus is on creating best-in-class animal conservation and care practices, including state-of-the art healthcare, hospitals, research and academic centres. Within its programmes, Vantara also focuses on integrating advanced research and will be collaborating with reputed international universities and organisations. Vantara has also taken part in foreign rescue missions under strict legal and regulatory frameworks in India and internationally.
CSR in Healthcare
Reliance Foundation works to enhance access to quality and affordable healthcare for all in India. During FY 2023-24, the foundation’s healthcare initiatives impacted over 2 lakh individuals.
Mobile Medical Units (MMUs)
Reliance Foundation bridges healthcare gaps in rural areas through Mobile Medical Units (MMUs), Static Medical Units (SMUs), Community Health Centres (CHCs), community health camps, telemedicine consultations, door-to-door screenings and counselling initiatives. In FY 2023-24, about 7.1 lakh consultations were provided, addressing public health issues like anaemia, malnutrition, tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS and cancer.
Sir H. N. Reliance Foundation Hospital and Research Centre
Sir H. N. Reliance Foundation Hospital and Research Centre is a 360-bed multi-specialty quaternary care hospital in Mumbai that provides care in Cardiac Sciences, Gastroenterology & Hepatobiliary Sciences, Liver Transplant, Nephro-Urology, Neuro Sciences, Oncology, Orthopaedics & Spine, and Woman & Child Health.
Caring for Children
One of the key focus areas for Reliance Foundation’s healthcare initiatives is addressing malnutrition among children. More than 8,800 children were screened for malnutrition in Mumbai. Of these, 266 children were newly diagnosed with malnutrition, with 235 found to have Moderate Acute Malnutrition and 31 children Severe Acute Malnutrition. The families are being supported in improving the nutritional status of the children. Under Reliance’s CSR initiatives in Shahdol, as part of a Malnutrition Control Programme, health check-ups and supplements were provided to over 321 children with severe or moderate acute malnutrition.
Ensuring the Wellbeing of Girls and Women
Reliance Foundation focused on some key interventions to support the health and wellbeing of girls and women. Of over 24,000 women and girls, aged 15 to 49 years, who were screened for anaemia during the year by Sir H. N. Reliance Foundation Hospital’s Health Outreach Programme, about 18,000 were found to be anaemic. They are receiving counselling, free treatment with regular follow ups.
An awareness session was conducted in Jamnagar, Gujarat in association with the Department of Community Medicine, Shree M. P. Shah Medical College to create awareness about cervical cancer among women of Sikka village.
Improving Access to Cancer Care
To facilitate early cancer detection, Reliance Foundation has been screening individuals in vulnerable communities to reduce the burden of oral, breast and cervical cancers. Through Sir H. N. Reliance Foundation Hospital’s Health Outreach Programme, more than 92,000 individuals were assessed during the year in and around Mumbai.
Reliance Foundation supported Dr. Abaji Thatte Sewa Aur Anusandhan Sanstha in Nagpur, Maharashtra, to establish the state-of-the-art National Cancer Institute (NCI). The Institute provides affordable high-quality cancer treatment to people from socially or economically disadvantaged backgrounds.
Reliance Foundation also supported the establishment of a comprehensive cancer care unit at Rotary LG Haria Hospital in Vapi, Gujarat.
Strengthening Healthcare Infrastructure
Reliance Foundation supported Sri Venkateswara Institute of Medical Sciences (SVIMS), Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh, with critical healthcare infrastructure upgrades in gastroenterology, cardiology and oncology. This support benefits more than 30,000 people annually.
Through Reliance Foundation’s assistance, Kasturba Vaidyakiya Rahat Mandal (KVRM), Valsad, Gujarat, acquired a state-of-the-art MRI machine.
CSR in Education
With a focus on primary, secondary and tertiary education, Reliance Foundation is working to empower students with knowledge and necessary skills.
Early Childhood Care and Education
Through its Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme, Reliance Foundation seeks to lay a strong foundation for life-long learning and development of children. ECCE promotes complete development, including social-emotional skills, creativity, critical thinking and physical well-being. The ECCE programme aims to build capacity development models and initiatives as well as work on providing an enabling environment at the anganwadis for children and their teachers. In FY 2023-24, the programme engaged with stakeholders across Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra and Telangana.
Foundational Literacy and Numeracy to Transform Education
Reliance Foundation is a founding member of LiftEd (Learning and Innovation in FLN to Transform Education), a multi-partner consortium that was launched this year. LiftEd aligns with the GoI’s NIPUN Bharat Mission, aiming to achieve foundational literacy and numeracy (FLN) goals for all children in India in primary schools by 2025.
Dhirubhai Ambani International School
Reliance is enhancing access to quality education through the Dhirubhai Ambani International School (DAIS) to about 1,090 children every year, with nearly 200 teachers experienced in national and international curricula. A K-12 school founded in 2003, Dhirubhai Ambani International School is an IB World School, offering IB Primary Years Programme in LKG to Class V, IB Middle Years Programme in Classes VI to VIII and IB Diploma Programme in Classes XI and XII. The School also offers the Indian Certificate of Secondary Education (ICSE) and the International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE) in Classes VIII to X.
Nita Mukesh Ambani Junior School
A state-of-the-art campus with flexible learning spaces, the Nita Mukesh Ambani Junior School (NMAJS) was unveiled in Mumbai this year. NMAJS provides comprehensive facilities for sports and co-curricular activities, as well as experiential learning.
Reliance Foundation Schools
Reliance Foundation Schools aim to provide high-quality education, focusing on academic excellence and holistic development. The 13 Reliance Foundation Schools in Jamnagar, Surat, Vadodara, Dahej, Koparkhairane, Lodhivali, Nagothane and Mouda educate about 14,000 students each year. In 2023-24, students also excelled in sports and co-curricular activities, with over 31 international awards, 94 national awards and 491 accolades at the zonal, state and district levels.
Supporting Underprivileged Students to Pursue Schooling
Through the ‘Mission Navodaya’ programme at MET, Jhajjar, Haryana, Reliance Foundation supported 23 students securing admission to the prestigious Navodaya schools. The mission helps primary school-going children to gain admission by preparing them for the schools’ entrance exam. Through a similar effort in Shahdol and Kotma, Madhya Pradesh, 22 children were supported in clearing entrance exams of various residential schools.
Education and Sports for All
Reliance Foundation’s Education and Sports for All (ESA) initiative fosters holistic development and equal opportunities in education and sports for children with disabilities and children from disadvantaged backgrounds. In FY 2023-24, Reliance Foundation collaborated with 14 non-profit organizations dedicated to pre-primary education, girl empowerment, mainstreaming children with special needs, and instilling life skills through sports. This collective effort has positively influenced over 1 lakh underprivileged children nationwide. A fully-equipped Digital Learning Van has been deployed has been reaching children in 11 government schools in Mumbai and Thane districts, Maharashtra.
Scholarships
Reliance has been awarding scholarships to meritorious students for over 25 years, significantly impacting over 23,000 young individuals across India. In FY 2023-24, Reliance Foundation awarded scholarships to 10,000 undergraduate (across two cohorts) and 100 postgraduates, marking a significant increase in applications with over one lakh submissions from across the country. Notably, about 48% of Reliance Foundation Scholars are girls, and 246 are students with disabilities.
Jio Institute
A multidisciplinary higher education institution, Jio Institute offers three one-year, full-time, residential postgraduate programmes in Artificial Intelligence & Data Science, Digital Media & Marketing Communications and Sports Management. Since its establishment in 2022, Jio Institute has been contributing to the UN SDG 4 of accessible and equitable Quality Education.
CSR to Empower Women
Based on Founder & Chairperson Nita Ambani’s belief, “What women can’t do, cannot be done,” Reliance Foundation’s interventions range from grassroots projects to large scale initiatives aimed at empowering women.
Reliance Foundation, in collaboration with Vital Voices Global Partnership, launched the WomenLead India (WLI) Fellowship in October 2022. Equipped with leadership skills and mentorship, these female Fellows join Reliance and Vital Voices’ global network of women leaders who are driving social change.
WomenConnect Challenge India
By 2026, India is projected to have 1 billion smartphone users, with significant demand emerging from rural areas. Reliance Foundation and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) launched the WomenConnect Challenge India to identify and support innovative organisations bridging the digital divide and fostering women’s empowerment. The project aims to enhance women’s access to digital technology, leading to positive outcomes for them and their communities.
Since 2020, Reliance Foundation has supported 17 non-profit organisations that are implementing digital inclusion projects. Over 5 lakh women and community members were reached till March 2024 directly and indirectly across two rounds of WCC India.
Empowering Women Entrepreneurs in Rural India
Reliance Foundation, in collaboration with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF), is implementing a joint effort aimed at empowering 1 million women entrepreneurs across multiple Indian states. Through partnership with the states of Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Odisha, the programme aims to boost women’s incomes through entrepreneurship.
The project aligns with the National Rural Livelihoods Mission’s (NRLM) objective of enabling 30 million rural Self-Help Group (SHG) women to achieve an annual income of at least C1 lakh. During FY 2023-24, the programme reached 3.46 lakh women across 27 districts in three states.
Supporting Livelihoods and Furthering Digital and Financial Literacy
Over the past year, Reliance Foundation, through its Rural Transformation programme supported over 48,500 women in dairy, goat farming poultry and other off-farm activities.
More than 8,000 women were supported in non-farm enterprises, including non-timber forest products like Sal Leaves, Mahua, Hill Brooms, as well as stitching, handicrafts and micro businesses.
Recognising financial and digital inclusion as key drivers in entrepreneurship, over 62,000 women received training in digital and financial literacy.
Her Circle
Her Circle, founded by Nita M. Ambani, is an inclusive, collaborative, diverse and interactive socially-conscious digital movement for Indian women. In FY 2023-24, Her Circle launched a series of impactful initiatives and collaborations aimed at empowering women.
CSR for Rural Transformation
Aimed at empowering rural communities, the Rural Transformation programme of Reliance Foundation during FY 2023-24 focused on climate resilience and sustainable rural livelihoods reaching over 2.6 million people.
Building Climate Resilience
Reliance Foundation’s comprehensive strategy has helped create 1,229 climate-resilient villages across 24 districts in eight states of India with local youths being nurtured and trained as Climate Champions. During FY 2023-24, 900 local people were identified and are being equipped with knowledge about natural resource management and livelihoods.
Promotion of Climate Smart Agricultural Practices
During FY 2023-24, Reliance Foundation enabled farmers to adopt climate-smart agricultural practices, including soil management, climate-resilient crop varieties improving, their water-use efficiency, integrated pest and nutrient management and mechanisation of farm operations. About 39,000 hectares of land have been brought under these improved farming practices, improving the livelihoods of over 53,278 farmers.
Community-based Water Resource Management
To facilitate improved water resource management, various community-based approaches are being adopted. Water harvesting capacity was enhanced by nearly 285 lakh cubic metres through the renovation of water harvesting structures and groundwater recharge across 868 villages. Reliance Foundation worked on ensuring last-mile availability of water within homes in 1,486 villages across different locations. Over 17,000 households were supported in grey water management for reuse or recharge.
Improving Farmers’ Incomes
During FY 2023-24, Reliance Foundation worked in 24 crop value chains to help farmers achieve higher productivity, improve their farming practices and realise higher incomes. Improved seed varieties of soybean, mustard, wheat, chickpeas, turmeric and other crops were introduced to over 18,000 farmers.
Promoting Millets for Climate Resilience, Income and Nutrition
To revive and encourage the production and consumption of millets, Reliance Foundation has been working with millet farmers to enhance crop productivity, value addition and enable access to markets and consumption.
Enhancing Livelihoods with Tech
Enabling communities’ access to technology, Reliance Foundation supported smallholder farmers in accessing and using agri-tech like drones, boom sprayers, satellite guidance, seed drills for sowing, transplanters, digital transactions in farmer collectives and AI-based grain grading.
Skilling for Bright Futures
The Skilling and Employment initiatives of Reliance identify, mobilise and empower youth from marginalised sections. These programmes empower the youth with necessary skills, connecting them to career opportunities in sectors such as service and retail. During the FY 2023-24, over 14,000 youths were trained out of whom at least 90% were linked to various jobs in the retail sector.
In February, Reliance Foundation and the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) announced a strategic partnership to create courses with future-ready skills for 500,000 Indian youths. This partnership entails the development of a curriculum focused on equipping youth in fields including EdTech, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence (AI), environmental sustainability, policy analysis and more.
CSR for Sports
Reliance Foundation’s Sports for Development programme focuses on strengthening the sports ecosystem in India, beginning at the grassroots. It supports athletes in their well-being, education and nutrition, guiding them towards holistic development.
Reliance Foundation is making sports accessible for all through a variety of initiatives. These range from the Jr. NBA programme and the ESA game, to the development of football in Kashmir and Mizoram, as well as supporting the endurance programme in Ooty, Tamil Nadu. Reliance Foundation’s sports initiatives are closely aligned with the UN SDGs.
Role in Olympics
The year 2023-24 emerged as a landmark year for Indian sports, highlighted by the return of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) session to India after a hiatus of 40 years. Nita M. Ambani, Reliance Foundation Founder-Chairperson and an IOC member, played an integral role in bringing the session back to India.
Reliance Foundation and the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) hosted the first-ever India House at the Paris Olympics in 2024, marking a significant step in promoting India’s presence on the global Olympic stage. The Olympics Scholarship Programme run by Reliance Foundation featured more than 50 percent women in 2023, and they were at the forefront of success. Reliance Foundation athletes have continued to excel on the global stage, securing a total of 12 medals at the Asian Games, with 11 athletes winning a medal.
Launch of NAC and Indoor Athletics Centre
Reliance Foundation inaugurated the National Athletics Centre in Navi Mumbai. Additionally, it played a key role in the establishment of the Indoor Athletics Centre in Odisha.
Junior NBA’s 10th Year
The hugely successful Junior NBA programme returned for the 10th consecutive year in 2023, featuring the National Championship for boys and girls in the U-12 and U-14 categories.
Developing the Football Ecosystem
Reliance Foundation is committed to advancing football in India through various initiatives and skill development programmes. These include a professional academy and tournaments for both boys and girls, starting from the under-6 age-category up to under-21.
Reliance Foundation Young Champs (RFYC) is a professional football academy that offers holistic development and education, alongside high-quality skill training in the sport. Reliance Foundation Youth Sports (RFYS) is India’s leading grassroots football tournament for schools and colleges.
CSR for Disaster Management
Reliance Foundation’s Disaster Management programme collaborates with government departments, NGOs, research institutions, national and state disaster management authorities, military and paramilitary forces, Inter Agency Group and others to provide support in times of need.
Balasore Trains Collision (Odisha, June)
After the tragic train collision near Bahanaga Bazar in Odisha’s Balasore district on June 2, 2023, Reliance Foundation provided essential supplies like face masks, gloves, water and food to rescuers. Additionally, Reliance Foundation announced a 10-point relief programme, including six months of dry ration kits for over 180 households, psychosocial counselling, free one-year mobile connectivity, wheelchair support, livestock-based livelihood support and job-led skill training.
Cyclone Biparjoy (Gujarat, June)
When the Biparjoy cyclone struck coastal Kachchh in Gujarat in June 2023, Reliance Foundation worked with disaster management authorities, civil society organisations and the communities to mitigate damage. Over 68,700 food packets were distributed to individuals in temporary shelters and shelter homes in six districts.
Raigad Landslide (Maharashtra, July 2023)
After the landslide in Raigad on July 19, Reliance Foundation coordinated a rescue effort with the support of volunteers from Reliance and the community, HAM radio experts, veterinarians and the Disaster Management and Research Foundation.
