Mumbai: Reliance Foundation has scaled up its meal distribution programme, Mission Anna Seva, to provide over 3 croremeals to marginalised and under-resourced communities across India. Mission Anna Seva is set to become the largest meal distribution programme ever undertaken by a corporate foundation anywhere globally.

Reliance Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL), has already distributed over 2 crore meals in 68 districts across 16States and 1 Union Territory.

Smt. Nita Ambani, Founder and Chairperson of Reliance Foundation, said, “COVID-19 is an unprecedented pandemic for the world, India and humanity.As India enters an extended period of lockdown, our hearts go out to all those Indians who depend on daily wages for their next meal.They too are members of our parivar — our own Bharat Parivar. That is why, at Reliance Foundation, we have launched Mission Anna Seva– our pledge to feed needy Indians. In our culture, AnnaDaan is MahaDaan. Upanishads teach us that ‘Food itself is Brahma’.Through Mission Anna Seva, we will provide over 3 crore meals, to marginalised communities and frontline workers across the nation.This will be the largest meal distribution programme ever undertaken by a corporate foundation anywhere in the world.”

Under the programme, Reliance Foundation is providing cooked meals, ready-to-eat food packets and dry ration kits to families and bulk ration to community kitchens. The beneficiaries of the programme include daily wage earners, slum dwellers, urban service providers, factory workers, and residents of old-age homes and orphanages.It is also providing meals to frontline workers such as junior medical staff, police personnel and security forces. At some locations, Reliance Foundation is also distributing food tokens that could be redeemed at Reliance Retail outlets, such as Reliance Fresh, Reliance Smart Superstore, Reliance Smart Point, and SahakariBhandar.

The entire staff of Reliance Foundation and the larger Reliance family is unitedly working in the mission on a war footing to ensure that no Indian goes hungry during the lockdown period.

Reliance Retail employees are contributing to this programme by packing, preparing and supplying the provisions needed for the programme. Employee volunteers from across Reliance sites such as Mumbai, Silvasa, Vadodara, Patalganga, Hazira, Jhajjar, Shahdol, Jamnagar, Dahej, Barabanki, Nagothane, Gadimoga and Hoshiarpur have been distributing free meals to poor communities in their respective locations. Staff members at certain Reliance petrol stations in West Bengal, Kerala and Odisha are distributing free meals to truck drivers who are transporting essential commodities.

Reliance Foundation is also supplying relief kits and bulk rations to over 70 partners who are engaged in similar hunger alleviation programmes in their respective locations.

In addition to the meal distribution programme, Reliance Industries Ltd. (RIL) and Reliance Foundation continue their 24×7, multi-pronged, on-the-ground effort to ensure the nation wins the battle against COVID-19. RIL has contributed Rs 535 crore to various relief funds, including Rs 500 crore to the PM-CARES Fund.