Anil Agarwal Foundation inks MoU with ICMR- NIN to Amplify Public Health Nutrition at Nand Ghars

The Anil Agarwal Foundation, Vedanta's philanthropic arm, signed a memorandum of understanding with the Indian Council of Medical Research National Institute of Nutrition (ICMR- NIN) to collaborate on future endeavours and provide technical advice in public health nutrition activities carried out under its pan-India women and child programme. In the presence of Dr. Avula Laxmaiah, former scientist G & head of public health nutrition division, ICMR- NIN and Mr. Khurram Naayab, head of operations, Nand Ghar- Anil Agarwal Foundation, the MoU was signed between Dr. R Hemalatha, director, ICMR- NIN and Dr. Richa Malik, head nutrition, Nand Ghar- Anil Agarwal Foundation.

As part of this collaboration, NIN would assist Anil Agarwal Foundation in strengthening Nand Ghar's nutrition model in the area of women and child development, with the goal of ensuring that all children, women, and the community at large adopt nutrition-sensitive practises. This will strengthen the establishment of convergence through government liaison and the existing ICDS, WCD programme. In 2023, the Anil Agarwal Foundation (AAF) launched a nutrition initiative for children, providing multi-millet nutri-bars rich in protein, fiber, and antioxidants. This 6-month pilot project that was kickstarted in March aligns with the government's push to promote millet in daily diets and further their mission of making India malnutrition-free. AAF is distributing 9 million nutri bars to almost 50,000 children aged 3- 6 years daily across 1,400 anganwadis including Nand Ghars in Varanasi district, every day, thus aiming to improve the daily nutrient intake of children, boost cognitive development, and reduce absenteeism while increasing enrolment in pre-schools. The Anil Agarwal Foundation is the umbrella entity for Vedanta’s community and social initiatives. The focus areas of the Foundation are healthcare, women and child development, animal welfare projects, and sports initiatives.

The flagship social impact project- Nand Ghar, under the Anil Agarwal Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Vedanta, is a model project working towards strengthening the Anganwadi ecosystem of the country. The 5,500+ Nand Ghars are the enabler of change and sustainable development with presence in 14 states across India and currently impacting more than 2.20 lakh children and 1.65 lakh women. Set up in collaboration with the Ministry of Women and Child Development (MoWCD), Nand Ghars are modernized ‘Anganwadis’ working to eradicate malnutrition among children, provide pre-primary education, preventative and curative healthcare, and empower rural women through skill training.