Bharti

Bharti Foundation Unveils its Vision

• ● Bharti Foundation to set up large number of Primary Schools mainly in rural areas across India.
• ● Promoters through Bharti Enterprises and Associates commit a corpus of Rs. 200 crores .
• ● A Governing Board comprising of several prominent personalities formed to guide the programs of Bharti Foundation. Mr. Badri Agarwal appointed as President of Bharti Foundation.

New Delhi, May 4, 2006 : Bharti Foundation today unveiled an ambitious roadmap to achieve its vision, “To help underprivileged children and young people of our country realize their potential”. It plans to achieve its vision by creating sustainable programs in the area of education. Bharti Foundation, in addition to strengthening its existing programs, will set up a large number of Primary schools in rural areas across India to provide quality education to underprivileged children, especially girls. The Foundation will also set up Teacher’s Training facilities across India to impact the quality of education at a much larger level.

The Promoters of Bharti Enterprises and their Associates have committed an initial endowment of Rs 200 Crores to Bharti Foundation to support its work. The contribution will start immediately and will be completed in 2 years.

To support Bharti Foundation fulfill its vision, a Governing Board comprising of well- known personalities bringing in their diverse experience has been set up. Mr. Badri Agarwal has been appointed as the President of Bharti Foundation and he will play a key role in driving the Foundation’s vision.

Commenting on the occasion, Mr. Sunil Bharti Mittal, Chairman & Group Managing Director, Bharti Enterprises said, “As a first step towards fulfilling the vision of the Government and the leadership of the country, Bharti has kick-started it’s voluntary and affirmative action in making significant contribution to provide education to the weaker sections of the society, so as to make them employable. We need to ensure that our children and young people have access to quality education. Through Bharti Foundation we are determined to make a substantial impact in this area."

Mr. Rakesh Bharti Mittal, Vice Chairman, Bharti Enterprises added, “As a responsible corporate citizen, we have decided to substantially scale up our existing programs in the area of education, in order to support the aspirations of the under-privileged in the country.”

Since its inception in the year 2000, Bharti Foundation has been supporting several projects in the area of education across the country. Some of the key projects of Bharti Foundation include:

• Bharti School of Telecommunication Technology and Management at IIT, Delhi, which has been set up with an objective of creating tomorrow’s Telecom Leaders.
• Bharti Computer Centers to provide computer-aided learning to children (6-14 years) from the under-privileged sections of society.
• Bharti Library Program to help in improving reading and learning habits of underprivileged children.
• Bharti Scholarship Schemes for meritorious students pursuing Higher Technical Education from financially weak background .
• Mid Day meal program for underprivileged children in Vrindavan
• Bharti Centre for Entrepreneurial Initiatives, set up in partnership with Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India, to promote entrepreneurship and motivate young people to become entrepreneurs.

About Bharti Foundation
Bharti Foundation was established with a vision "To help underprivileged children and young people of our country realize their potential". Bharti Foundation wishes to realize its vision by creating and supporting programs that bring about sustainable changes, predominantly in the field of education. Bharti Foundation has set itself the goals of improving the quality of primary education for disadvantaged children and to ensure education and training opportunities for youth to help them achieve their potential.

Bharti Foundation undertakes projects primarily in the area of computers in education, libraries and reading programs for disadvantaged children. It provides scholarships to young people to help them complete their higher education. It has set up the Bharti School of Telecommunication Technology and Management at IIT Delhi to develop young Telecom Leaders. It has also undertaken many other projects, including institutionalizing awards to recognize talent and thereby motivating other young people to aim higher. "Bharti Entrepreneur of the Year" award and "CII – Bharti Woman Exemplar" awards are two such initiatives of Bharti Foundation.

About Bharti Enterprises : Bharti Enterprises is one of India’s leading business groups with interests in telecom, agri business and insurance. Established in 1976, Bharti has been a pioneering force in the telecom sector with many firsts and innovations to its credit. Bharti Airtel Ltd., a group company, is one of India’s leading private sector provider of telecommunication with an aggregate of over 20.93 million customers as of end of March ‘06, consisting of more than 19.58 million mobile customers. The Company is the only operator to provide mobile services in all the 23 circles in India and also provides telephone services and Internet access over DSL in 15 circles under the Airtel brand. Bharti Airtel complements its mobile, broadband & telephone services with national and international long distance services. Bharti Enterprises is the country’s largest manufacturer and exporter of telephone terminals. Bharti also has a joint venture with ELRo Holdings India Ltd. – ‘FieldFresh Foods Pvt. Ltd’, for global distribution of fresh fruits and vegetables.