'Mission Anna Seva' biggest free meal prog run by any corporate: Nita Ambani

New Delhi: Reliance Foundation’s ‘Mission Anna Seva’ that aims to provide over 3 crore meals to marginalised communities and frontline workers facing hardships during the lockdown, is the largest free meal programme by any corporate foundation globally, its chairperson Nita Ambani said.

Reliance Foundation, the philanthropic arm of India’s largest firm Reliance Industries, has pledged free meals, build country’s first COVID-19 hospital and is supplying PPEs and masks as part of its effort to help the nation fight the COVID-19 pandemic.

“COVID-19 is an unprecedented pandemic for the world, for India and for humanity. These are difficult times,” she said in employee communication.

Nita Ambani, who is also a director on board of Reliance Industries, said the safety of company employees and their families as a top priority.

“Through Mission Anna Seva, we will provide over 3 crore meals to marginalised communities and frontline workers across the nation,” she said adding “Mission Anna Seva will be the largest meal distribution programme ever undertaken by a corporate foundation anywhere in the world,” she said.

The beneficiaries of the programme, she said, include daily wage earners, slum dwellers, urban service provides, factory workers and residents of old-age home and orphanages.

The unprecedented nationwide lockdown imposed from March 25 shut factories and restricted movement of people and goods, rendering millions of people temporarily unemployed.

She said that Reliance has in partnership with the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) set up India’s first 100-bed exclusive COVID-19 hospital in Mumbai in just two weeks. “We are now expanding this facility to a capacity of 250 beds,” she said.

“We will produce one lakh masks and hundred thousand PPEs (Personal Protective Equipment) daily for health-workers and caregivers across India,” she said.

“Our colleagues at Reliance Retail are working overtime to provide essential supplies every day to millions of Indian through our stores and home deliveries across over 200 cities,” she said adding “our colleagues in Jio are providing uninterrupted digital connectivity to over 40 crore individuals and thousands of organisations.”

“Reliance Foundation has donated Rs 535 crore to various relief funds, including the PM CARES Fund,” she said.

Mukesh Ambani, Nita’s husband, is the richest Indian and chairman and managing director of Reliance Industries.