Jaipur, Rajasthan, India
Piramal Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Piramal Group, is committed towards social development in Rajasthan in partnership with the state government.The resources deployed are in the areas of public education, primary healthcare, safe drinking water and women’s empowerment. Piramal Foundation aims to create replicable models – with governments and entrepreneurs – that ultimately help in improving the quality and access of public services.
- Piramal Swasthya:
Presently, we serve 2.5 million patients annually in Rajasthan. The aim is to increase this to over 5 million patients annually in the next three years, and increase the reach to cover all of 33 districts from the present 17 districts. Jaipur Hub of 1097 National AIDS Helpline caters to Hindi and English languages and has handled over 2 lakh calls this year
- Piramal Foundation for Education Leadership:
We achieved 21% learning outcomes gain in Maths and Language in 2014-15 across 700 schools in grade III and grade V. We envision increasing student learning outcomes by a further 20% over the next three years in these 700 schools. Additionally, we would be piloting a District Transformation Program in participation with 1 million children in 5,000 government schools across 4 districts.
- Piramal Sarvajal:
Presently we serve 160,000 people daily. Aim to increase the coverage to over 300,000 individuals over the next three years
This commitment by Piramal Foundation is in line with the new Sustainable Development Goals and focuses on contributing towards universal primary education, empowering women, reduction of child mortality rates, improving maternal health and improving access to safe drinking water. The vision of the Piramal Foundation is to transform health, education, water and social sector ecosystems through high impact solutions, thought leadership and partnerships. Ajay Piramal, Chairman, Piramal Group
Ajay Piramal, Chairman, Piramal Group said:“Causing a significant impact on any development indicator requires an intense and sustained engagement. This calls for innovative solutions which carry the potential for discontinuous change – but also carries risks of failure. It is up to corporate foundations like ours to provide the risk capital in creating models that can be replicated further.We also understand that as Piramal Foundation, our resources will never address all problems across the country. Collaboration with like-minded partners can create force multipliers and help make a dent on key social issues.
It is with this mindset that we have created strong partnerships with 10 state governments, including Rajasthan, as also international organizations such as Michael & Susan Dell Foundation, World Diabetes Foundation, McArthur Foundation, Harvard's GEII (Global Education Innovation Initiative), New York University, Plan International, amongst others.India has a large population, multiple cultures and uneven development. The problem can be addressed from multiple perspectives. Our approach at the Piramal Foundation has been to break down the ‘life cycle’ of the problem and go after one or two issues where we can cause disproportionate change. It brings focus to both, the strategy and the execution.”
Dr. Swati Piramal, Vice Chairperson, Piramal Enterprises
Dr. Swati Piramal, Vice Chairperson, Piramal Enterprises said:“Most initiatives of the Foundation – clean drinking water, women’s empowerment, education – were initially piloted in Bagar, District Jhunjhunu. We are privileged that these initiatives have now been replicated in different states of the country and are being studied internationally. The investments made by the Piramal Foundation in its activities have been supported by Piramal Enterprises Ltd and its subsidiaries as well as personal philanthropy of the Piramal family. Our solutions are aimed at creating the ‘software’ for greater efficiency and quality, rather than only building hard infrastructure.
For instance, in education, the Piramal Foundation for Education Leadership focuses on building leadership capacity which, in turn, has a positive impact on student learning outcomes. In Rajasthan, this approach has helped PFEL deliver a 21% increase in learning outcomes in Maths and Language in 2014-15 across approx. 700 government schools, in partnership with the respective headmasters and education officials.In the area of safe drinking water, we have worked with over 150 entrepreneurs in Rajasthan in deploying advanced remote monitoring technology in community solutions to ensure safe drinking water in these villages. This patented technology helps in bringing accountability and transparency to the purification and distribution process while creating a self-sustaining business model for the entrepreneur.
Our engagement on primary healthcare in Rajasthan covers a 104 Health Helpline operated out of Jaipur, over 80 mobile medical units across 20 districts and operating 13 Primary Health Centres (the last in partnership with WISH Foundation). Our technology enabled solutions help improve the access and availability of government healthcare services to a rural population that is otherwise deprived of a vital support system. Another supported initiative is Annamrita. To fight the problem of hunger and illiteracy the government of India launched the mid-day meal scheme in 1994. The midday meal initiative was taken up by ISKCON Food Relief Foundation in 2005 under the Annamrita banner.
Piramal Foundation has supported the set-up of 2 central kitchens of Annamrita. Operating across 8 states of India, it serves 1.2 million mid-day meals daily through 20 ISO certified centers. Of this Piramal supports approx. 70,000 student meals.Piramal Foundation is not new to philanthropy. In the 1930s, Seth Piramal Chaturbhuj Makharia, set up the state’s first school for girls in Bagar, Dist Jhunjhunu, Rajasthan, which is operational till date. The first school child admitted here was a harijan. The Piramal Group has demonstrated over the years that the ultimate driver of all social efforts should not just be the redressal of an immediate problem, but also the building of a long-term sustainable ecosystem. It is an opportune time for the corporate sector to step up and build capacity &apply long-practiced corporate philosophies to effect change that is largely consensual, sustained and systemic.
About Piramal Foundation:
Piramal Foundation, the philanthropic arm of the Piramal Group, develops innovative solutions to resolve issues that are critical roadblocks towards unlocking India’s economic potential. Guided by the Piramal Group’s core values of knowledge, action and care, Piramal Foundation works towards creating technology-based sustainable solutions in the four broad areas of healthcare, education, water and women empowerment. It operates across 19 states in India, employs close to 2000 people and impacts the lives of 50 million. Piramal Foundation has been featured in Best Workplaces List as one of India’s Best NGO’s to Work For 2015.
