In 2015, after suffering from a bout of Dengue and constant high fever, doctors identified an unexpected cause behind his prolonged complications. Harjinder Singh's (45), from Bathinda, blood sugars were dangerously high, around 300 mg/dl. He was constantly tired and wasn’t proactive at work.

Ambuja Foundation promotes kitchen gardening as a way to improve nutrition, particularly for women, and to provide a supplementary income source for families, especially during times like the COVID-19 lockdown. Essentials like training, seeds, and support to individuals and Self-Help Groups (SHGs) to establish and maintain kitchen gardens, encouraging the consumption of fresh vegetables and the sale of surplus produce in local markets.

Open Gyms in Chughe Kalan and Mehma Sarkari, Bathinda were setup by Ambuja Foundation and the Youth Club encouraging community members to try the installed outdoor equipment and get fit. Physical fitness was encouraged amongst community members to improve lifestyle habits and be more fit.

Ambuja Foundation’s team carried out Tobacco-Free campaigns in schools in the region, creating awareness amongst students, parents and school management committees on the ill-effects of tobacco consumptions.

Daily walks are considered to be a good remedy for maintaining blood sugar levels, hypertension, improve heart health, weight management and overall well-being. This was encouraged in the community and at nutrition centres by Ambuja Foundation’s health volunteers.

Flour millers like Balveer Singh were educated by the Ambuja Foundation team on the dietary benefits of mixed flour and encouraged to not only promote it but also sell it at their mill.

Due to the high prevalence of drug abuse in the region, youth are commonly found falling prey to such abuse and being unproductive. Young people spent time loitering aimlessly or spent time indoors in Sivan.

The women in Mehma Sawai village were having a lot of issues with their health, and also with Primary Health Centre located 4 kms away, lack of transportation, they were bound to neglect health. Diabetes, hypertension, heart diseases and the Punjabi diet was slowly wreaking a havoc.

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.

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.

A frail young woman, barely 20, walks into a public health clinic and faints. She had gone there from her village in Farakka, West Bengal, for a prenatal check-up. In Chandrapur, Maharashtra, a teenager is weeping as she talks to the Ambuja Foundation Sakhi. She is distressed that her mother is accusing her of doing something wrong with a boy because her menstruation stopped a few months ago. In a tribal area nearby, 55 people test positive for sickle cell disease. Somewhere in rural India, the women of the house sit down to their meal after all the men have been served, there's no fish left for them. They'll make do with the bones.

Picture the sun rising over the fields, casting a golden hue as groups of villagers gather for their daily exercise routines. This scene, traditionally uncommon in rural India, is becoming a symbol of change to combat the rising incidence of non-communicable diseases (NCDs). Among these groups in Chandrapur, Maharashtra are Sunita Thamke and her husband Vinod Thamke.