MoU to impact over 4 lakh farmers

New Delhi, May 22, 2019: Marching forward in its commitment to augment farmer’s incomes, Jindal Stainless Foundation (JSF) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) in New Delhi. The MoU will intensify ‘Project Krishi Unnati’, an ongoing CSR initiative of Jindal Stainless Foundation aimed at doubling farmers’ incomes. The MoU is expected to positively impact 4 lakh farmers in two phases, spread over 5 years. As part of the MoU, JSF will partially fund and support the operations of NABARD and other implementing partners towards this end. The Foundation will also build necessary market and financial linkages for farmers in target states.

Presiding over the MoU signing ceremony, Ms Deepika Jindal, Chairperson, Jindal Stainless Foundation, said, “The collaboration with NABARD is an extension of our MoU signed with the Odisha government last year. So far, in Odisha, we have already reached out to over 20,000 farmers through this intervention. We are essentially providing farmers with end‐to‐end solutions from soil testing and crop management to market linkages and promoting climate resilient technologies through partnerships.” Brig Rajiv Williams, Corporate Head CSR, Jindal Stainless and Shri Avinash C Srivastava, Chief General Manager of Farm Sector Development Department, NABARD, signed the MOU in the presence Ms Deepika Jindal, Chairperson, Jindal Stainless Foundation, Shri Naresh Gupta, Managing Director, NABCONS, Shri Aneesh Jain Director and Founder Gram Unnati, and Ms Meera, from UN International Fund for Agriculture Development. The MoU will impact farmers in Haryana, Odisha, and other states of mutual interest.

Spearheading this initiative, JSF will strengthen farmer institutions such as Farmer Producer Organizations, Farmers’ Clubs and Self‐Help‐Groups promoted by NABARD to develop better market, input, and financial linkages. In turn, NABARD, through its various schemes, will extend complementary support to initiatives run

by the JSF. NABARD will also designate relevant individuals/ teams at regional levels to assist in the implementation of the terms of MoU.

This association will therefore help create large‐scale systems that will enable farmers to access high quality inputs such as better seeds and other agriculture‐ related technologies at reasonable and subsidized rates. The intervention shall assist farmers in crop selection, adoption of best practices and technical know‐ how, input linkages, accessing government schemes, and finally, market linkages.

Over the past few years, JSF has been at the forefront of change in Hisar and Jajpur with community centric projects on education, women empowerment and gender equality, employment generation and skill training, and disease detection and prevention drives to promote community healthcare.

About Jindal Stainless Foundations

JSF is a society registered under the Societies Registration Act, 1860 was established with the aim of implementing various social and environmental initiatives through direct & indirect methods. It is the executing CSR arm of Jindal Stainless and caters to relevant issues such as Community Development, Education, Integrated Health Care, Skill Development, Women Empowerment, Environment and Business & Human Rights.

About NABARD

National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development is a body corporate established under the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development Act, 1981. The Bank has been entrusted with matters concerning policy, planning and operations in the field of credit for agriculture and other economic activities in rural areas in India. NABARD has been instrumental in grounding social innovations and enterprises in the rural hinterlands.

Photo Caption: Ms Deepika Jindal, Chairperson, Jindal Stainless Foundation.

(To her left) Ms Meera, from UN International Fund for Agriculture Development, Brig Rajiv Williams, Corporate Head CSR, Jindal

Stainless and Naresh Gupta, Managing Director, NABCONS .

(To her right) Mr Avinash C Srivastava, Chief General Manager of Farm Sector Development Department, NABARD and Mr Aneesh Jain, Director and Founder, Gram Unnati.

Chairperson, Jindal Stainless Foundation, Mrs Deepika Jindal with Chief General Manager, Farm Sector Development Department, NABARD and Corporate Head, CSR, Jindal Stainless, Brig Rajiv Williams