US magazine lists Nita Ambani among top philanthropists of 2020 for COVID-19 relief efforts

The US magazine Town & Country has listed Nita Ambani, chairperson and founder of the Reliance Foundation, among the top philanthropists of 2020 in its latest issue. The magazine recognised Ambani for leading the Reliance Foundation in its efforts to help fight the coronavirus pandemic, feeding workers on the front lines of the battle, the poor and needy and for setting up India’s first COVID-19 hospital. [caption id=“attachment_8296911” align=“alignnone” width=“640”]  File image of Nita Ambani. Image courtesy: Reliance Foundation[/caption] Ambani is the only Indian to feature on the list which features global names such as talk show icon Oprah Winfrey, Apple CEO Tim Cook, celebrated fashion designer Donatella Versace, actor Leonardo Di Caprio, Michael Bloomberg, Laurene Powell Jobs, the Lauder Family, and others. Recognising Ambani’s efforts, the magazine noted, “The Reliance Foundation — the philanthropic initiative of Reliance Industries — distributed millions of meals and masks to front line workers and the poor, set up India’s first hospital for COVID-19 patients, and donated $72 million to an emergency fund.” Ambani had said, “Crises almost always demand immediate and urgent attention, of relief, of resources, of ingenuity and most importantly of compassion.” “Over the years, we have equipped ourselves at the foundation and at Reliance Industries to respond to crises with immediate, multi-pronged as well as systematic and calibrated responses to make our effort impactful and sustained. We are pleased and humbled that our initiative is being recognised at the global level. Our philanthropy is committed to support our government and our community whenever the need arises,” she added. Under Ambani’s leadership, the foundation built a 100-bed hospital facility in Mumbai in under two weeks to accommodate the growing number of COVID-19 cases. The hospital, which started taking patients by the end of March, expanded to increase the number of beds to 220 by the end of April. Reliance Foundation also launched a food service called “Anna Seva” to provide food to the hungry amid the growing humanitarian crisis. The program has managed to feed 50 million people since its inception amid the pandemic.

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