Ambuja Cements : Cement Foundation and NABARD to skill rural youth across the nation

Press Release

Ambuja Cement Foundation and NABARD to skill rural youth across the nation

• The partnership to skill has reached out to 4398 rural youth in 19 locations of 10 states
• The project to run for 2 years in 12 trades

Mumbai, June 15, 2021: Ambuja Cement Foundation (ACF), Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) arm of Ambuja Cements Ltd, which is working towards empowerment of rural communities joins hands with National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) for the implementation of its 'Employ- ability through Skill Initiative Project (ESIP) Phase II.

ACF received grant assistance from NABARD under the Gramya Vikas Nidhi, a fund created for the development of off-farm sector activities.

ESIP will provide skill training across 19 ACF locations for a period of two years in 12 trades and has already reached over 4000 youth despite the pandemic. Besides skill training, the course also includes soft skill and leadership skills as part of the training module. On completion of training, the students will be provided with placement and hand-holding support post placement.

Pearl Tiwari, Director and CEO, Ambuja Cement Foundation said, "With our invaluable partnership with NABARD, we aim to empower youth with practical skill development training required to empower them for a better future. Going forward, we will continue to strive to ensure that each initiative we undertake has a ripple effect in impacting our key stakeholders and go beyond the communities we are present in."

Shri Devasis Padhi, Chief General Manager, Off Farm Development Department, NABARD said, "NAB- ARD has been supporting corporates and their foundations to support various developmental interventions in the off-farmsector including skill and entrepreneurship development. COVID-19pandemic has resulted in the need for reskilling of reverse migrant labourers. We hope that the partnership with Ambuja Cement Foundation would help provide employment to rural youth on account of them acquiring new skills.

NABARD's partnership with ACF, which started in 2008, has led to the funding for 32 projects across locations in the areas of agriculture, women empowerment, water and skills impacting 25,000 people. This association has enabled an implementation body for other corporate CSR- taking the number of Skill and Entrepreneurship Development Institutes from one center in 2006 to 33 centres in 2021.

About Ambuja Cement Foundation:

Ambuja Cement Foundation is a grassroots pan-India implementing organisation that harnesses the power of partnerships - between communities, Government and other like-minded corporates and NGOs

- to help solve pressing community problems and to foster prosperity.

For almost three decades, ACF has created significant impact. A full-fledged Research and Monitoring Unit, along with numerous external, independent studies show significant change - in income levels, health indicators and overall harmony and happiness. Its work has spread beyond its core villages, and by working hand in hand with like-minded organisations, the Foundation aims to significantly impact the pressing issues currently inhibiting the country.

About Ambuja Cement:

Ambuja Cements Ltd., a part of the global conglomerate LafargeHolcim, is among the leading cement companies in India. Ambuja Cement has a cement capacity of 29.65 million tonnes with five integrated cement manufacturing plants and eight cement grinding units across the country.

Ambuja Cement has provided hassle-free,home-building solutions with its unique sustainable development projects and environment-friendly practices since it started operations.

The Company has many firsts to its credit - a captive port with four terminals that has facilitated timely, cost-effective, cleaner shipments of bulk cement to its customers.

To further add value to customers, the Company has launched innovative products like Ambuja Plus, Am- buja Cool Walls, Ambuja Compocem and Ambuja Kawach. These products not only fulfil important customer needs but also help in significantly reducing carbon footprints.

For more details, visit http://www.ambujacement.com

For queries, please write to [e-mail]