India is home to the fourth-largest agricultural sector in the world and a crucial part of the country’s economy. As agranian labour, women’s participation has always been significant, with estimates ranging from 63% to 80%.

Continuing a successful partnership that has already impacted over 8,00,000 beneficiaries across 22 districts since 2018, Ambuja Foundation and HDFC Bank Parivartan have launched a new phase of the Holistic Rural Development Program (HRDP) in Charkhi Dadri, Haryana.

In rural India, where traditional roles and limited opportunities often define the lives of women, education holds the potential to open doors that extend far beyond the school fence. It is not just about learning to read or write—it’s about building knowledge, skills, and confidence that enable women to make informed decisions, support their families, and participate actively in their communities.

March 2025 became a landmark month for water awareness and grassroots action as Ambuja Foundation led World Water Day celebrations across locations with community engagements, grassroots innovations and cultural expression. The Foundation mobilized thousands of farmers, women, school children, and community leaders across rural India to spotlight the urgent need for water conservation through education, symbolic acts, and sustainable practices.

Ambuja Foundation witnessed multiple launches and expansion of projects last month along with HDFC Bank Parivartan across locations.

A recent progress report of Project SUMAN (Smart Upgrade Modern, Aware Natural), implemented by Ambuja Foundation in collaboration with Anand Rathi Global Finance, highlighted significant impact across five villages in the Pali district of Rajasthan. Targeting the communities of Baldo Ki Dhani, Bhato Ki Dhani, Jawariya, Gulabpura, and Giradara, the project reached over 927 households, transforming the lives of more than 4,500 rural residents through a multi-pronged approach focused on agriculture, water security, skill development, and women’s empowerment.

SBI Funds Managment (SBIFM) partners with Ambuja Foundation to establish new skill training centres in Gandhinagar and Sanand in Guajrat, and Una in Himachal Pradesh. This collaboration aims to train and equip over 3,600 youth from these regions with essential skills over the next three years, thereby enhancing their employability across various industries.

Sun Pharma, a pharmaceutical company in India, in collaboration with Ambuja Foundation, launched an Integrated Water Resources Development and Management Program (IWRDMP) in Dhari taluka of Amreli district, Gujarat. This four-year initiative aims to address the critical water and agricultural challenges faced by farmers and their families across 40 water-scarce villages in Dhari. This initiative is part of Sun Pharma’s broader climate action efforts under its CSR projects.

Over the past century, the world has been warming up and every region on planet Earth has experienced the resultant shift in weather patterns. While observers report that since the 1980s, each decade has been warmer than the previous one, the year 2024 recorded the world’s hottest period due to climate change.

As we mark World Earth Day 2025, it’s the perfect moment to spotlight the role of solar energy in transforming rural India—not just environmentally, but socially and economically as well. With climate change looming and traditional resources depleting, clean, alternate and renewable energy isn’t just an ideal—it’s a lifeline. Across villages in India, solar power is reshaping daily life, making communities more resilient, self-reliant, and future-ready.

Humble pulses - such as lentils, chickpeas, beans, and peas - are often overlooked in conversations about climate. Yet, they hold tremendous potential in shaping a more sustainable agricultural future, especially in countries like India that are grappling with the environmental repercussions of conventional farming practices. In the context of soil depletion, water scarcity, and growing concerns over food security, pulses offer a promising solution to many of the challenges faced by rural India. These crops not only enrich the soil and reduce reliance on chemical fertilizers, but they also support water conservation and provide a critical source of nutrition.

Ambuja Foundation in collaboration with AIIMS Bathinda, Association of Breast Surgery, UK (ABS) along with its counterpart Association of Breast Surgeons in India (ABSI) and Punjab Medical Council hosted a Breast Cancer Awareness event in the rural communities of Bathinda, Punjab. Supported by Ambuja Cements, this 3-day event, a health check-up camp was hosted, drawing the participation of 100 women for thorough medical assessments.