Latest news with #AzimPremjiFoundation
Time of India
11 hours ago
- Politics
- Time of India
9,000 undertrials released through Maharashtra's legal aid model: CM
1 2 Nagpur: Around 9,000 undertrial prisoners, nearly 45% of the 20,000 aided so far, were released through a pioneering legal aid initiative launched under chief minister Devendra Fadnavis in 2018. The first-of-its-kind model in the country, this effort has since been adopted by the central govt and is now being expanded nationwide with dedicated funding, a statement released by the govt says. Conceived as a response to the disproportionately high number of undertrials in Indian jails, the initiative focuses on providing structured legal assistance to inmates who often remain incarcerated due to lack of representation or inability to afford bail. As per the Prison Statistics India Report 2021, over 77% of inmates in India are undertrials, with an average jail occupancy rate of 130%. "This effort began with a clear objective, to deliver justice to those trapped in the system for no fault other than poverty or lack of support," said Fadnavis, highlighting the need for equity within the criminal justice framework. The project began with a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Maharashtra govt and the Azim Premji Foundation. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Giao dịch CFD với công nghệ và tốc độ tốt hơn IC Markets Đăng ký Undo Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) and National Law University, Delhi also partnered in operationalising the programme. Initially rolled out across eight major prisons — Nagpur, Arthur Road, Byculla, Kalyan, Taloja, Latur, Thane, and Pune — it involved the appointment of trained social work and legal fellows within jails and District Legal Services Authorities (DLSAs). These professionals assist prisoners in preparing legal documents, understanding court procedures, and securing effective legal representation. The initiative has not only helped secure bail or case closure for thousands but has also strengthened the prison-based legal aid system and triggered policy-level reforms. With the success of the pilot phase, the state govt recently renewed its MoU with the Azim Premji Foundation. The next phase will focus on strengthening information systems, scaling legal clinics in prisons, and building institutional capacities to deliver justice more efficiently. Officials said that the initiative has become a national model for legal aid, demonstrating how administrative will and structured partnerships can transform access to justice for the most marginalised.
United News of India
4 days ago
- Health
- United News of India
Azim Premji Foundation announces Azim Premji Health Equity Fellowship for PG doctors
West Pune, June 16 (UNI) Azim Premji Foundation has announced the 'Azim Premji Health Equity Fellowship' – an 18-month immersive learning experience for post-graduate doctors. The Fellowship is a collaborative effort of Azim Premji Foundation, and 11 prestigious health institutions located in various parts of the country, said a release here on Monday. As part of the programme, Fellows will receive firsthand exposure to practise effectively with patients in rural areas. A diverse case load and mentorship by senior doctors will give them an opportunity to acquire effective clinical skills and community experience, the release added. UNI SP SS
The Hindu
06-06-2025
- General
- The Hindu
Government extends distribution of eggs/bananas to children in pre-primary classes in government schools
The Karnataka government has extended the distribution of eggs and bananas to children in pre-primary classes of government schools from the academic year 2025-26. With this, a total of 1,98,270 pre-primary students in government schools across the State have become beneficiaries of the scheme. Children who do not consume eggs will be given two bananas every day, on all working days. Earlier, eggs and bananas were being provided to only students of class 1 to class 10 of government and aided schools. The State government issued an order on June 5 to distribute eggs and bananas as supplementary nutrition to students in collaboration with the Azim Premji Foundation. Total beneficiaries Till 2024-25, there were 2,619 pre-primary classes in government schools across the State. In view of the huge demand, they were started in 5,000 more government schools from this academic year at a cost of about ₹70 crore. The State's School Development and Monitoring Committee (SDMC) has welcomed the government's move to extend egg/banana distribution to pre-primary students. 'Distribution of eggs/bananas is beneficial for the physical and mental development of young children,' said Umesh G. Gangavadi, president of the SDMC. Last year, groundnut chikkis used to be given to children who did not eat eggs and bananas. However, the government stopped their distribution because the suppliers provided poor quality chikkis. The State government has earmarked a total of ₹755.62 crore this year for the distribution of eggs/bananas to students from pre-primary classes to class 10. With this, 51,61,390 children — 40,47,461 in government schools and 11,13,929 government-aided schools, will be the beneficiaries of the scheme. The foundation signed an agreement with the government last year to provide a grant of ₹1,500 crore for three years for the distribution of eggs/bananas as additional nutrition to government school children. Accordingly, this year, the foundation is providing ₹501.68 crore, and the remaining ₹253.94 crore will be borne by the State government. Emphasis on transparency To ensure transparency in the scheme, the attendance of all children who are in school at 11 a.m. every day is collected and entered in the Student Achievement Tracking System (SATS) portal. The headmaster of schools has been instructed to confirm this information with an e-signature through OTP and submit it to the Commissioner of Public Instruction and other department officials. Every day, during morning prayer, the headmaster should inform the students about the nutrients and benefits of eggs and bananas. In addition, at least 10 parents should be invited by the headmaster every week randomly to have midday meals with the schoolchildren. Increase the unit cost In view of the price rise, there has been a demand from teachers of government schools to increase the unit cost given by the government for eggs/bananas. 'An egg costs around ₹6.50 in the market. And, a medium-sized banana costs at least ₹5. However, the government has fixed a unit cost of just ₹6 for an egg/banana. The government has instructed us to provide two good-quality bananas to children who do not eat eggs. At least ₹10 to ₹12 has to be paid for two bananas. This will create a huge financial burden on teachers. Therefore, the government should increase the unit cost of eggs/bananas,' said the headmaster of a government school in Bengaluru.
New Indian Express
01-06-2025
- General
- New Indian Express
Learning through experience: Shreejita provides hands-on education for children in rural Odisha
'For example, in the mock bank and shop, children learn to interact with one another in English or Odia, learn to write their names, do basic calculations, plan expenditures, etc. There are no school books involved here but it is all about strengthening their foundational skills which will make it easier for them to integrate the knowledge into their school curriculum,' said Shreejita, who has done her Masters in Chemistry and BEd. She worked in the Azim Premji Foundation for two years from 2017 and was a teaching fellow before deciding to come to Sundargarh to teach students of remote villages for Koru Foundation. That is not all. Shreejita encourages the children to think, write and publish their stories, comics, poems in a monthly wall magazine - Rangeen Patrika. The name of the magazine has been collectively decided by the children. 'The children, who have a lot of indigenous knowledge, are encouraged to think about their own day-to-day experiences and pen them down in the form of stories, poems and comics for the magazine,' she said. But the learning is not confined to the four walls of the community learning centre. Forests around the village also become their classrooms. 'For a long time, many of the children did not wish to come to the centre after a long day at school. Girls, particularly, because they had to also help their mothers with the household chores. Most of them visit the forest to bring forest products,' Shreejita said. This is when she decided to join them in the forests to teach them about plant parts, different types of plants, the forest ecosystem and the environment in general. Shreejita has also created a rubric following the learning outcomes recommended by NCERT, to assess children's progress every six months. 'Every session, there has been a considerable improvement in the learning outcome of these children which is visible in our assessment and their school results. It is a continuous process,' said Shreejita, who is now planning to approach the local government school authorities to implement the practical learning model for better understanding of children.
Mint
22-05-2025
- Business
- Mint
The quiet philanthropists: Premji Foundation, Tata Trusts match social spending of top Nifty companies
Mumbai/Bengaluru: India's top philanthropic organizations are spending money comparable to the social spends of the country's biggest for-profit companies, a trend that has come to light after Bengaluru-based Azim Premji Foundation disclosed its financials for the first time in its quarter-century of existence. As per the reported financials, the eponymous not-for-profit entity of billionaire Azim Premji spent ₹1,528 crore on philanthropy in 2024. That was more than twice the ₹699.31 crore spent by the Tata Trusts in the same year, according to financials filed by the entity. The spends by the two Indian philanthropic organizations are on par with the CSR (corporate social responsibility) expenditures of the country's largest companies, including Reliance Industries Ltd, HDFC Bank Ltd, and Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) Ltd, according to aMintreview. Also read: Global engines power order growth for Larsen & Toubro Reliance Industries spent ₹1,592 crore on CSR initiatives in 2024, followed by TCS and HDFC Bank, which spent ₹953 crore and 945.1 crore, respectively. Following them were ONGC (Oil and Natural Gas Corporation) and Tata Steel Ltd, which spent ₹634.5 crore and ₹580 crore, respectively, in 2024. Infosys Ltd took the sixth spot, spending ₹577 crore. To be sure, unlike philanthropic entities that are not bound by any regulation in terms of amounts to be spent, enterprises are mandated to spend a portion of their profits on CSR initiatives. According to the Companies Act, 2013, companies with a net worth of ₹500 crore or more, turnover of ₹1,000 crore or more, or net profit of ₹5 crore or more, must spend at least 2% of the average profits in the three preceding years on CSR activities. 'There was no particular reason why we decided to share this report," a spokesperson for Azim Premji Foundation said when asked about philanthropic entities sharing their numbers, adding that the financials will be shared 'periodically". The foundation spent ₹594 crore on teacher training in government schools across 60 districts, healthcare, and livelihood, according to the foundation's website disclosure. It also gave ₹934 crore in grants to non-government organizations (NGOs). Also read: Thermax's big test: Can its energy transition bets revive investor confidence? Tata Trusts' two principal trusts, Sir Ratan Tata Trusts & Allied Trusts, and Sir Dorabji Tata Trusts & Allied Trusts, spent ₹575.47 crore and ₹123.84 crore last year. 'Azim Premji Foundation and Tata Trusts are trailblazers in the Indian philanthropic world," said Amitabh Jaipuria, chief executive officer of Accelerate Indian Philanthropy (AIP), a peer network set up by philanthropists to support their giving efforts. Jaipuria said foundations like Azim Premji Foundation and Tata Trusts not only carry out social projects independently, but also make grants to several grassroots organizations to achieve social outcomes. Tata Trusts is an umbrella entity of 15 philanthropic organizations, which own 65.9% of Tata Sons, the principal holding company of the Tata Group. The Shapoorji Pallonji family owns 18.38% of Tata Sons' shares, while nine Tata Group companies own 12.86%. Seven individuals own the remaining 2.87%. After becoming the country's richest businessman at the turn of the century, Premji set up the Azim Premji Foundation in 2001, with an initial corpus of $125 million worth shares of Wipro. Over the past 24 years, according to public disclosures made by Wipro, Premji has given 66% of the shares he owned in the company to the foundation. Premji donated $21 billion, or 92% of his wealth, making him arguably the country's most generous billionaire. Infosys Ltd's co-founder and chairman, Nandan Nilekani, has described Premji as a 'giant figure". Wipro shares with the Foundation were worth $20 billion at the end of trading on Wednesday. Additionally, Premji has transferred the ownership of Premji Invest, his family office with $14 billion in assets under management, to the foundation. Also read: China's restrictions on rare earth magnets could crimp Indian EV rollout Finally, the foundation also owns 20.29% shares of Wipro Enterprises Ltd, the privately held non-IT business of Azim Premji. Valued at $10 billion in 2023, Wipro Enterprises houses the group's consumer care and engineering businesses. This translates to an additional $2 billion holding for the Azim Premji Foundation, which implies its endowment corpus is about $36 billion. The foundation's endowment was valued at $29 billion at the end of January 2023, according to the disclosure made by Azim Premji University, which has two campuses in Bengaluru and Bhopal.
