Reliance Foundation's 'Mission Anna Seva' biggest free meal program run by any corporate: Nita Ambani

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 an employee communication. Nita Ambani, who is also a director on board of Reliance Industries, said safety of company employees and their families was 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."

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 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.