While there are infinite number of newspapers launched and registered daily, Reliance Drishti was the nation’s first fortnightly in the Braille script that caters to the visually impaired. With Husna Shaikh who is a young visually challenged student being able to decipher from the black dots that were imprinted on that white paper, the newspaper undoubtedly achieved its purpose. Funded and assisted by NitaAmbani, this newspaper will surely enlighten millions of visually impaired people. This Braille newspaper edited by Swagat Thorat will be free of cost distributed to 325 institutions across the country and may attain a readership of approximately 20,000 readers. Swagat Thorat has previously edited Sparshdyan, the Marathi Braille newspaper and will extend his support to this Hindi fortnightly too. Launched in the Kamala Mehta School for the Blind at Dadar, Reliance Drishti may comprise of 30% news and the rest 70% would enunciate comprehensive information specially designed for the visually challenged. Being the chairperson of Reliance Foundation, Nita Ambani has always engaged herself in varied philanthropic activities including the support and financial funds that she granted for around 10,000 corneal transplants. This newspaper will signify that there are no obstacles to communication and knowledge in this 21st century dominated by science and technology is what she mentioned.

The unveiling of this fortnightly was witnessed by varied eminent personalities including K. Ramakrishnan who serves as the honorary general secretary of the National Association for the Blind (NAB), Dr. Kulin Kothari (a leading eye surgeon) and Swagat Thorat, editor of the newspaper.

While the flawless Mallakhamb performance by these students was a treat to watch, Saraswati Vandana sung by them graced the event and left everyone impressed. Reliance Drishti will enable scores of visually challenged to relish their morning cup of tea just like everybody.

It’s been three years since Reliance Petroleum Limited (RIL) merged with its parent company – Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Industries Limited (RIL). What was initially a step towards creating a larger, more consolidated endeavour that would strengthen Reliance’s standing in Indian private sector, is now in an infamous tale of a colossal being.

The boards of RPL and RIL met in March 2002 to chart plans for merging the two entities into one giant whole. This was a merger which eventually consolidated Reliance Industries position as the largest private sector firm in terms of sales and profits.

The making of Reliance Industries into one of world’s leading petroleum companies started in 2002. This was a year when RPL, the first refinery project of Reliance, had merged with RIL in order to consolidate its operations. However, much later in May 2006, RPL was listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) as a separate entity after an initial public offering (IPO)to part fund a second refinery and petrochemicals project in Jamnagar, Gujarat. The IPO went on to raiseover Rs. 8,100 crore.

Three years after getting listed on the national stock exchange, RIL and RPL once decided to join forces. This time, the endeavour was larger in scope and ambitious in vision. After the two merged into one singular entity, Reliance Industries commenced on a path that would eventually place it alongside the world’s biggest non-state petroleum companies.Pegged as one of the most significant undertakings of Reliance, this merger oozed value for existing shareholders of both the entities and new ones joining the league.

Reliance Industries gained greatly from additional cash inflow, improvement in exporter status and other such synergies. These complementary benefits contributed substantially towards stepping up the investments and expansion of its oil & gas exploration business.

The merger of Reliance Petroleum Limited (RPL) with Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) resulted in seamless integration of operational scale and financial synergies that existed between the two companies. Today, as RIL treads on a path to strengthen its global standing, there is a lot that the petroleum monolith has achieved. One of the most significant deals for Reliance oil & gas subsidiary has been with London-based BP plc in 2011. The RIL-BP partnership across the full value chain comprises BP taking a 30% stake in 23 oil and gas production sharing contracts that Reliance operates in India, including the producing KG-D6 block.The two companies will also form a joint venture (50:50) for the sourcing and marketing of gas in India and bid together for incremental opportunities in the deep-water blocks in the east coast of India. Reliance also entered into partnership with U.S. – based unconventional gas businesses through three upstream joint ventures: RIL-Chevron, RIL-Pioneer and RIL-Carrizo.

Today, Reliance is a force to reckon when in the international oil & gas market. It is the largest of its kind in India and among the top ten largest in the world. Having created value for itself, its shareholders and the nation, Reliance’s footprint in the petroleum quarters has been one of the most significant and noteworthy enterprises in India and abroad.

Pegged as the Most Powerful Woman in Indian Business by Business Today Magazine, honoured with ‘Hall of Fame Award’ by leading publication Hello! Magazine for her contributions to the society, awarded with Scroll of Honour Award from FICCI Ladies Organisation for her contribution to education, environmental protection and healthcare,and Giants International Award for Excellence in Education, Nita Ambani is not your average woman. Wife of leading Indian businessman Mukesh Ambani, it is great to see a woman of her stature kick the conventional bucket of being a businessman’s wife to become a discernible social entrepreneur herself.

What is so inspiring about Nita Ambani is that any woman can associate herself with her and spot a dot of inspiration looking at her far-reaching line of work. To have been able to carve an identity for herself, separate from her husband’s and family’s is an achievement in itself, but Nita Ambani went beyond just creating a distinct identity for herself. She groomed herself into a modern day woman who is astute, socially and community-wise grounded, entrepreneurial in ambition and humanitarian in aspiration. From leading Reliance Industries’ philanthropic arm ‘Reliance Foundation’ to chairing one of the most prestigious holistic education institution ‘Dhirubhai Ambani International School’ (DAIS); from administering and managing an entire IPL franchise of ‘Mumbai Indians’ to being the Non-executive Director of EIH Ltd. (The Oberoi Group) – all along being a mother to three children and dedicated wife – Nita Ambani possibly dons more roles than any man of her stature, and that is saying something. For; she is one of those women who have moved ahead and beyond their namesake association to become discernible economic and social forces in themselves.

Belonging to the Ambani pedigree, things do come easy to Nita Ambani, or so it may seem. But Nita Ambani, the first lady of corporate India, ensures that her stature serves as a driver of sound actions in every way possible, whether it is while steering the cause of Education for All or administering the workings of one of largest hotel groups in the country.

Tag her as a woman of substance or the modern face of philanthropy, Nita Ambani has definitely recast the perception of a woman in a man’s world, in ways that are inspiring to other woman and men.

For an organization which is quite literally larger than life, Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) is certainly grounded in its core. Epitomized as the organization that transcends the scope of any industrial existence by its sheer size and range, RIL is more than its corporate self. As an organization, Reliance Industries and its many subsidiaries have continually been reinforcing the avowal that corporate India is just as hands-on in delivering to the cause of social welfare and community services as any other organization dedicated to similar endeavours.

This assertion is best validated by RIL’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives that are aimed at building and acknowledging socially resound efforts that contribute to the welfare and well-being of every community member. Apart from contributing to the community in areas of health, education, infrastructure development, environment, relief and assistance in the event of a natural disaster, and miscellaneous activities such as contribution to other social development organization, RIL also recognizes efforts of those individuals who selflessly work towards improving social and community devices to the best of their abilities. In this context, RIL recently organized the ‘Real Heroes Award’ in partnership with Network 18. This annual felicitation, four years into its making, honours 24 unknown and unsung heroes of India whose efforts in fields as diverse as Women’s Empowerment, Environment, Youth, Social Welfare, Health & Disability, Education & Children and Sports have unquestionably contributed to the betterment of their immediate community. This is an event close to RIL fraternity; for; it celebrates the undying spirit of ordinary people who have done extraordinary service and have stretched the realms of humanitarian deeds. In essence, it recognizes real life heroes whose altruistic acts are assured to spark inspirationand reinforce the fact that even an ordinary person can have a profound impact on society.

Sponsored by Reliance Industries and attended by eminent guests, media personalities and corporate chieftains, Real Heroes is an encouraging feat on part of Reliance’s CSR team. By acknowledging those to impact the way of life of every day man, RIL seeks to instigate osmosis of similar efforts in future to ensure social good does not go disregarded.

For a woman of her means, Nita Ambani – the iron-lady of modern philanthropy and a connoisseur educationist – is one discernible entity who is forever at the helm of a social cause, particularly if it has to do with education for underprivileged children of India.

‘Education for All’ is an endeavour very dear to Nita Ambani. For years she has devoted her life to the cause making available education provisions for underprivileged children. For most parts, this devotion stems from the fact Nita herself is an assiduous educationist. From having been a teacher for many years to now running one of the most prestigious holistic education institutions in the country – Dhirubhai Ambani International School (DAIS) – Nita Ambani has always kept herself allied to the field education in one way or the other.

Promoting Education for All, Nita Ambani has always been at the forefront of the cause, steering it to the best of her capabilities. But for the last few years, she has gathered anemphatic support from her IPL franchise, Mumbai Indians. From Sachin Tendulkar to Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan to Dinesh Karthik; every member of Mumbai Indians finds himself being inspired by Nita Ambani’s cause to uplift a child through equal education opportunities and has pledged support for the same. In giving every child an equal chance at education, The Mumbai Indians Education for All initiative is a movement to support efforts to provide a quality education to all children.This initiative is supported by associate NGO partners of Mumbai Indians -Akanksha, Nanhi Kali, Pratham, Teach for India and Umeed. These organizations have been proactively involved in giving children in Mumbai and across India the opportunity to receive equal education facilities. And to help them realize their goal, each IPL year, proceeds from sale of Mumbai Indians merchandize is divided among each of these organizations.

Apart from rooting for education facilities for all children, Nita Ambani is a firm advocate of safeguarding every child’s childhood. Being a part of a country whose image is persistently mottled by accusations of child labour and lack of education facilities, Nita Ambani, like many others,has been working towards cultivating a better outlook for the country. From sponsoring toys for underprivileged children to bringing them down to the stadium to see Mumbai Indians IPL match, it is heart-warming to see the first lady of corporate India so hands-on in her efforts towards making a difference to the life an underprivileged child.

Being a humanitarian in a capitalizing world is a challenge for anyone. But for Nita Ambani this challenge is only but an opportunity to make a difference to the way of life. Perhaps such resoluteness in her efforts stems from the fact that she has been in the shoes of a mother, a social activist and an educationist, and to be able to combine experiences from each of these roles results in an effort which is truly contributory to the cause.

The joint venture between UK-based retailer Marks & Spencer (M&S) and Reliance India has appointed a new head to direct its operations in India. Venu Nair will take charge as the new managing director of the venture, replacing current CEO Martin Jones, who will move back to London shortly.

This announcement came soon after Jones cited personal reasons for moving back to his home country. Consequently, VenuNair was chosen to head the operations once Jones moves out of his post of duties.Up till now, Nair has been thehead of sourcing for the £9.7-billion British retailer in South Asia and director of buying operations for India. Being a native, Nair is likely to have a stronger understanding of the Indian market andhis directinvolvement in sourcing will play to his strengths as the new head of Indian operations.

M&S operates in India through Marks & Spencer Reliance India venture; a joint venture with Mukesh Ambani led-Reliance Industries subsidiary. This deal was signed with an aspiration to turn the UK retailer into a ‘major retail brand’ in India. M&S found India to be‘a very exciting opportunity for M&S’ and Reliance Retail fit the bill as the ideal partner for M&S to accelerate its expansion plans and create opportunities to open much bigger M&S stores across India. Impressed by Reliance’s their strength in technology, logistics and property and from the fact that it is a major player in India’s organised retail sector, M&S unquestionably decided extend a proposition of partnership to Reliance Retail. The venture was signed two years ago and cites M&S as 51 per cent stakeholder in the company, with Reliance India taking on the remaining 49 per cent.

M&S and Reliance Retail venture seeks to set up former’s stores across major cities in India. At present, 24 such stores have been launched across the country.Lately, M&S has been working towards sourcing 70% of its merchandise from India, a task being headed by Jones up till now. While other international companies have eyed India as an interesting and emerging market, M&S clearly identifies India as a market of importance for its business. The retailer increased local sourcing from 38% in 2010 to 50% in 2011 and almost tripled stores sizes to about 20,000 sq ft. To be able to expand the reach and appeal of brand Marks and Spencer in India, the company has even tweaked its prices to match Indian price points, mostly by sharing margins of local sourcing with consumers.

The joint venture now seeks to increase its store count to 50 by next year.

Reliance Trends, the apparel, luggage and accessories specialty format of Reliance Retail Ltd., swept four awards at the recently held ASIA Retails Congress 2012. Held on Tuesday, 14th February 2012 at the TajLands’ End, Mumbai, Reliance Trends surfaced as the winner of the prestigious ‘Retailer of the Year – Fashion & Lifestyle’ Award, pushing ahead of many top and established names in the business. Reliance Trends also bagged three additional awards including Retail Leadership Award, Innovative Concept Award and the Marketing Campaign of the Year Award.

Reliance Trends COO, Akhilesh Prasad, who was conferred the Retail Leadership Award,attributed his success to the customers who have shown preference for the brand and a dedicated team that has worked relentlessly towards building brand Reliance Trends as the most preferred fashion destination across the country. Being awarded top honours for path-breaking and outstanding retail approach aimed at democratizing fashion, Reliance Trends feels humbled by the recognition its efforts have finally brought about. ‘The Toon Fest’campaign, held at Reliance Trends stores across the country, won the company Retail Marketing Campaign of the Year Award. With characters from various animated kid-shows flocking Reliance Trends stores, ‘The Toon Fest’ campaign was distinct for offering a wholesome retail experience for the entire family. On the other hand, ‘Performax’, the active sportswear brand from Reliance Trends,was recognised for product innovation and bestowed with Innovative Retail Concept Award. This brand of sports

wear is a value based offering which promotes active lifestyle and offers consumers unique functional benefits and trendy styles at great prices.

Reliance Trends spokesperson said, “Quality, fashion, style and value are the essence of Reliance Trends and have helped us emerge as a key destination for fashion for consumers across the country. We have become India’s largest and most favoured destination for fashion by providing a never before experience with a well-designed ambience and great quality products at most competitive prices. The ASIA Retail Congress was a great forum to showcase our strides in the field of fashion and retailing and these awards demonstrate our drive towards excellence.”

Over the years, Reliance Trends has been relentlessly working towards redefining and reinventing the fashion and lifestyle market with its value-based products and services. Staying true to the Reliance way of things, the subsidiary has gone on to incorporate several value-based additions to its format, making sure customers get the benefit of best price and best quality through every aspect of Reliance Trends concept.

‘A neighbourhood store-turned-super market’ is how one will describe the 40 year old co-operative chain, Sahkari Bhandar. Such a description is not common to a neighbourhood store which sells regular grocery and household items, but Sahkari Bhandar has been able to shore up its standing to match up to the levels of new-found super market concepts, all thanks to its new management under Reliance Retail.

The 40 year legacy of Sahkari Bhandar has been a strong one. It has enjoyed a loyal customer base and its ‘fair price’ proposition has been a hard one to beat. However, with change in times and change in consumption patterns, Sahkari Bhandar began to lose out on its appeal as well as customers, who now preferred the more modern and air-conditioned super markets that began to mushroom in every street corner. To be able to match up to changing consumption patterns, changing preferences and changing retail aspirations, a revival of the concept of co-operative store was called for. When Reliance Retail, a subsidiary of Reliance Industries Limited, took over the management of the co-operative, the challenge was to re-cast the entire format of co-operative into something which would mesh well with modern retail aspirations.

The plan of action was to invigorate the sleepy co-operative chain by renovating the concept of co-operative store, improving its supply chain and infusing a dollop of motivation into its employees. For starters, Reliance took the onus of converting all Sahkari Bhandar stores into air-conditioned stores with a modern glass facade. Every aspect of the shop floor was upgraded – from introduction of freezers and better product racks to computerised check out points and better space décor. Reliance even brought in enterprise resource planning (ERP) software to better manage the front end and back end operations of the chain.

With respect to products, Reliance conducted surveys in neighbourhoods where Sahkari Bhandar was located, and listed products people preferred to see in stock. Accordingly, new sections such as pharmacy, fresh non-vegetarian products and bakery were added to the revamped stores. The idea of shop-in-shop has been one of the major pulls for local customers, who now find their needs being satisfied in one round of purchase alone.

The process of revitalisation saw Sahkari Bhandar being assigned a new logo. The earlier logo, which showcased two hands shaking, was replaced by a ticket sign with Sahkari Bhandar spelled across it, to suggest assurance of good quality and service. A new tagline – Sahi quality, Sahi price (Right quality, right price) – was also introduced.

A need was also felt to align employees with the purpose of the store. Reliance undertook the task of educating employees about the new format and the need for customer management. Employees were encouraged to feel a part of the organisation, and work towards it betterment and their self’s. Incentives for employees included scholarships for staff children and laundry allowances so that staff could wear clean uniforms every day.

Following many such small modifications, Reliance took the rustic charm of Sahkari Bhandar and transformed it into a modern retail format. It retained the core values which drew customers to the store; altering only the method of offering products and services. And with 25-30% increase in growth, the success of the effort is only but obvious.

Her philanthropic endeavours are in-famous tales of social benevolence and humanitarian being, and once again Nita Ambani has shown that her support for the betterment of society, its people and those who strive to make a difference in the community is a never-ending quest and a life-long purpose. Visiting Unique Home, a home for destitute girls in Jalandhar, Nita Ambani was touched by the greatness, the efforts and the work done by its founder ParkashKaur, whom she now reverentially refers to as the ‘mother of 57 girls’.

ParkashKaur, a simple lady of strong virtues and courage, has been running the home for destitute girls for more than 20 years now.Ever since institution of Unique Home in 1991, ParkashKaur has taken in girls who have been abandoned and has looked after their well –being and rearing as her own daughters. Having been an abandoned girl child herself, ParkashKaur understands the plight and helplessness of young girls, and hence she has dedicated her life to the difficult yet noble mission of rescuing unclaimed new-born girls and abandoned girls, and giving them a secure home and future.Nita Ambani had previously met Parkash when the latter was being conferred with an award at Real Heroes Award function organised by CNN IBN for her humanitarian deeds, in Mumbai last year. Intrigued and inspired by the courage of this brave woman, Nita decided to pay a visit to the home on Thursday. “After coming here, I am not only touched but feel humbled by the simplicity and genuineness of ParkashKaur, who runs this home with the help of philanthropists in India and abroad”, exclaimed the first lady of corporate India.

Unique Home has two set ups and Nita Ambani visited both the set ups. She spent time with all 57 girls at the shelter, interacting and chatting amicably with them. The girls presented two dance numbers for their guest and even took her to the stage for a little Dandia.

Movedby the warmth and love she received from the girls at Unique Home, Nita Ambani fell short of words and remarked that she has been deeply touched and impressed by the confidence ParkashKaur has been able to bestow in every girl. “She is a lamp of hope and a real hero, and coming here has been a great experience,” she said.

Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Industries Limited (RIL), an oil-to-retail conglomerate, has joined forces with Russia and East Europe’s largest petrochemicals company Sibur to facilitate development of butyl rubber production in India. The joint venture (JV) between both petrochemicals giant has been titled ‘Reliance Sibur Elastomers Private Limited’ and will work towards producing 100,000 tonnes of butyl rubber per year in Jamnagar, India. The joint venture will be the first manufacturer of butyl rubber in India and the fourth largest supplier of butyl rubber in the world.

While Reliance Industries will hold 74.9 per cent share in the JV, Sibur will account for the remaining 25.1 per cent. A facility for the JV will be commissioned by mid-2014, and is expected to call for an investment of approximately US$ 450 million. Nikhil Meswani, Executive Director of Relaince Industries Limited said, “The joint venture company is expected to post a revenue of INR23 billion to INR25 billion ($463 million-$503 million) in the first year itself and we are putting up this at the Jamnagar plant because of the ready availability of feedstock.” RIL and Sibur have also signed a licensing agreement whereby Sibur’s proprietary butyl production technology will be accessible to the JV. Sibur, it is expected, will develop basic engineering designs for the facility and will also train the JV’s personnel at its production site in Togliatti, Russia.

RIL is one of the largest producers of polymers in world. Its partner, Sibur, is known to have one of the most refined and high-end petrochemical process chains, including gas processing, production of monomers, plastics and synthetic rubbers to the processing of plastics. Collaborating with Sibur is a reflection on RIL’s part to make way for developing domestic capabilities in meeting demands for products like butyl rubber.

Given the rise in demand for butyl rubber, particularly from India’s automotive sector, the RIL-Sibur JV comes as a major boon for meeting domestic demand for the product. India’s automobile sector is one of the fastest growing sectors in the country. With rampant rise in production of two-wheelers, three-wheelers and four wheelers, the prospects of India becoming the hub of automotive sector are very promising. At present, India’s automotive industry requires 75, 000 tonnes of butyl rubber every year, a requirement presently being satisfied by imports. Following institution of RIL-Sibur joint venture, the demand for butyl rubber could be met domestically, with possibilities of export opportunities as well.