Success Stories

Chelluri Praharshita hails from a small town called Garividi in Vizianagaram District of Andhra Pradesh State. Her Father is a Registered Medical Practitioner whose income hardly suffices to meet the basic needs of the family consisting of four members.

With many hardships, Praharshita completed her graduation in Microbiology and made attempts to find a job to support the family which were unsuccessful. At this juncture, Praharshita came to know about a free Software Programming Course being offered by ‘Navgurukul’ organization through GMRVF, Rajam.

NavGurukul offers a one-year free residential course for under-privileged students from any stream (arts/science/humanities) to learn & start a career in Software Programming. For passing out students, certification (by Directorate General of Training, Govt. of India) & placements are provided in reputed companies.

Praharshita grabbed this opportunity with the support extended by GMRVF which included guidance to clear the screening tests, counseling of candidates and parents, orientation about the program etc. Subsequently, Praharshita joined the course at Bengaluru campus and completed it with utmost dedication. The course that she learnt at NavGurukul enabled her to secure a job at Infosys Limited with a decent salary. Praharshita is a very happy individual now and she attributes her success to GMRVF for guiding and supporting her at the right time.

Chitti lives with her parents Kunya and Hasli in Ramanthapur Thanda near GMR Pochanpalli Expressways Ltd. She is one of the four children and was attending a Government school in the Thanda along with her siblings. Chitti’s father Kunya is mentally unstable and occasionally works as a wage labour. The family majorly dependent on her mother Hasli who sells firewood, gourds and melons that she collects from the nearby forest. Hasli dreams of providing good education to her children but due to her financial condition, she was not able to send them to good quality school.

GMRVF supported the school in which Chitti was studying with notebooks and specially designed workbooks in the previous years. During this association, Foundation noticed that majority of children studying in the school are from Banjara community who speak their native language which the teachers are not aware of. Both teachers and students were finding it difficult to communicate with each other which was showing negative impact on the children’s learning outcomes. Realizing this, Foundation provided a Vidya Volunteer to the school from the local community itself and that made lot of difference. Children started improving in academics and Chitti excelled with her natural ability to learn things quickly.

Recognizing her potential, Foundation team encouraged Chitti and few other children to appear for the admission test for State run Gurukul school and supported them with required study material and coaching. Chitti emerged as the winner and she was the first girl from the village to get selected for admission into such prestigious schools. Chitti is currently pursuing Std. VIII at the Gurukul school in Chegunta and has become a role model for other girls in her community. In the last two years, 30 students from the Thanda got selected for admission into various Gurukul schools and Hasli attributes the credit for this to GMRVF. “I feel happy when I see my daughter speaking in English like the big officers I see in the town. One day, Chitti also will become an officer” says Hasli.

“In my childhood, having three square meals a day itself was a big struggle. I didn’t even dream of having good education and getting a job. Now, I am working as Program Analyst in Cognizant Technologies, thanks to the Gifted Children Scheme of GMRVF. The scheme has given me the courage to dream big and wings to fly high” says Ritish.

Ritish is one of the over 250 students supported by Foundation under its Gifted Children Scheme. The scheme seeks to identify children from disadvantaged backgrounds and supports their education from Std. I till they get their first job.

Ritish Babu lives with his parents and two elder sisters at Shamshabad area in Telangana. His father works as a security guard and mother works as a garden cleaner. The family always struggled hard to meet the basic needs with the meagre incomes they get.

Ritish was selected under the Gifted Children scheme of the Foundation when he was in Govt. Primary School and was admitted in GMR Chinmaya Vidyalaya, Shamshabad. Since then, his complete educational expenses were born by the Foundation. Apart from admitting him in good school, Foundation also supported him with tuitions, exposure visits, career counseling, psychological support etc. which helped him improve his academic performance.

Ritish passed the 10th grade with 7.4 CGPA and 83% in 12th grade. He earned his B. Tech degree with a percentage of 75. He actively participated in all co-curricular activities during his school and college days.

Foundation also instilled the value of giving back in these Gifted Children. While studying B. Tech, RItish voluntarily conducted coding classes for government school students. During COVID times also, he conducted tuitions for high school students virtually.

He was offered various positions during the campus recruitment process and he opted for Programmer Analyst Trainee role at Cognizant Technology Solutions. Recently, he was awarded as CDE Full Stack Engineer by Cognizant Technology Solutions.

Ritish’s parents thank GMR Varalakshmi Foundation for providing such long-term support that changed the quality of life of the entire family for better.

Snehanshu hails from Udasa village of Umred Tehsil in Nagpur District of Maharashtra State. Her parents are very much focused on the studies of Snehanshu. After completion of her Std. V, Snehanshu visited Majra village in GMR Warora Energy Ltd project area to spend her school holidays with her grandparents. Unfortunately, a nationwide lockdown to curtail the spread of COVID-19 was imposed during her stay at her grandparent’s house and Snehanshu could not return to her home. Further, she was unable to access her online classes due to Internet connectivity issues.

Snehanshu has always dreamt of studying in a Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya. Navodaya Vidyalayas are co-educational residential schools affiliated to the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), with classes from Std. VI to XII. Talented rural children who qualify in the Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya Selection Test (an entrance exam designed, developed and conducted by the CBSE), are provided with quality education at Navodaya schools comparable to the best in the residential school system.

But, it seemed like the dreams of Snehanshu came crashing down due to the COVID-19 lockdown. At this juncture, she came to know about the coaching classes for Navodaya Entrance Test at the After School Learning Center (ASLC) being run by GMRVF in the village and joined the same. The Foundation has been supporting meritorious students of Std. V from the project villages of GMR Warora Energy Ltd. to prepare well for the entrance test of JNV through conducting special coaching classes and providing necessary study material.

During the special coaching classes, Snehanshu proved to be a bright student and one could easily envisage her selection to Navodaya Vidyalaya. Her hard work paid off and she got good ranking too. Now, Snehanshu took admission at Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya - Navegaon Khairi, Nagpur-Dist.

Snehanshu is full of smiles now. Her parents are very happy and with moist eyes they attribute their daughter’s achievement to GMR Varalakshmi Foundation. With this success and the confidence gained at ALSC, Snehanshu aspires to become an IAS officer in future.

11 years old Sagar hails from Kuleth village of Chamba district, Himanchal Pradesh near GMR Group's Bajoli-Holi Hydro Power Project. His father is an agriculture labour and also owns very little farming land which hardly produces enough to feed a four member family including his mother and younger brother.

Sagar was attending Std. V in a local government school when GMRVF staff observed excellence in his studies and invited him to join GMRVF's Navodaya Coaching Centre. The Navodaya Vidyalayas are co-educational residential schools affiliated to the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) with classes from Std.VI to XII. Similar to Navodaya Schools, Ministry of Tribal Affairs run Ekalavya Model Residential Schools (EMRS) exclusively for children from tribal communities. Talented rural tribal rural who qualify in the Combined Eklavya Model Residential School Selection Test are provided with quality education at EMRS, comparable to the best in the residential school system.

At GMRVF's Navodaya Coaching Center, children are given coaching support for both Navodaya and Ekalavya Entrance examinations. They are supported with tuitions, study material, mock tests and regular parent teacher meetings etc. to build their academic skills and also to improve their confidence to face the exam.

The Foundation motivated Sagar to study hard if he wants to achieve his dreams. This struck a chord in him and he began preparing with unraveled determination and drive. Sagar got selected in Eklavya Model Residential School. Foundation team also guided the family for further process of admission in the school. The family was concerned that Sagar would be living away from them but with support and counselling from Foundation staff, they realized that the education is of paramount importance.

Today the family is proud of Sagar's achievement. His father is confident that Sagar will definitely achieve the best in future and make family more proud.

Amgoth Raju Naik belongs to a tribal community from the village of Idullapur Thanda in Wanaparthy district of Telangana. He and his siblings were raised by their mother who worked as an agricultural labourer after the untimely death of their father. Despite facing many hardships in his childhood, Raju managed to complete his schooling, but was unable to pursue further studies due to the family’s financial situation. Raju and his siblings undertook odd jobs to supplement their mother’s meagre wages.

It was at this time that he heard about the ‘Pratibha’ center and enrolled as a member. Pratibha library-cum-career counselling centre established by GMR Varalakshmi Foundation, Shamshabad, helps rural youth prepare for competitive exams by providing them with study materials and conducting career counselling, mock interviews, group discussions and coaching classes.

Pratibha Shamshabad was at that time conducting classes for aspirants to the Indian Army. Raju too was inspired and motivated to attend. He regularly attended the coaching classes and spent a lot of time preparing for the physical fitness test and written examination. He especially enjoyed the early morning fitness training that was held by qualified instructors.

Due to his diligence, Raju successfully cleared both the written and physical test on his very first attempt. He is currently in the Army as a Soldier General Duty (SGD).

Raju is immensely grateful to ‘Pratibha’ for enabling him to find his vocation, serve the country and support his elderly mother, who has finally quit manual labour and is able to live a life of comfort.

Nimma Surender Reddy hails from Kandukuru villagein Rangareddy district of Telangana. Surender was always a good student in school, but unfortunately he was unable to further his education after Std. X due to the family’s dire financial situation. He then began working as an assistant to a house wiring contractor in his village. However, he was unable to learn the skills on the job and was unhappy with the lack of career growth.

At that point of time, his older brother learnt of the free vocational training courses offered by GMRVF’s Centre for Empowerment and Livelihoods Shamshabad, from one of the employees of GMR Hyderabad International Airport Ltd. The main thrust of CEL-H is channelizing the potential of youth and women towards skilled work and entrepreneurship. Surender approached CEL-H and enrolled for the ‘Assistant Electrician’ course.

At CEL-H, Surender underwent intensive practical oriented training along with motivational classes. Inspired by his seniors who were placed in companies of repute, he worked diligently and excelled in the course.

Soon after completing the course, Surender got placed in a reputed organisation as an assistant electrician. Surender says, “CEL-H has completely changed my life. Apart from helping me find a career path, it has motivated me to aspire to establish an electrical appliance dealership of my own in the near future“.

Kiran Verma hails from Khamariya village near GMR Chhattisgarh Energy Ltd. Her parents worked as manual workers to meet the growing demands of their 7 children. Growing up, Kiran and her siblings would undertake odd jobs in order to enhance their parent’s meagre wages.

As a school student, Kiran was known for her athleticism. She even made it to the state level volleyball team. After completing high school she attempted the Chhattisgarh Armed Force qualification examination. Though she cleared the physical test, she failed to clear the written examination.

It was at this time that she heard about the ‘Prathibha’ center and enrolled as a member. Prathibha library cum career counselling center established by GMR Varalakshmi Foundation, Chhattisgarh, helps rural youth prepare for competitive exams by providing them with study materials and conducting career counselling, mock interviews, group discussions and coaching classes.

Inspired and motivated, she fervently attended the coaching classes and spent a lot of time preparing for the entrance exam. She also attended the spoken English classes without fail.

Due to her diligence, Kiran successfully cleared both the written and physical test on her second attempt. She is currently undergoing training at the CG Armed Force Center in Raipur. She earns a stipend of Rs. 18,000 per month as a trainee, and the same will be regulated on completing the gruelling preparation.

She is immensely grateful to ‘Pratibha’ for enabling her to support her elderly parents and younger siblings.

Sonu R. was born and brought up in a small village in Uttarakhand. After completing his secondary education, he was unable to pursue a degree course, due to the family's financial constraints stemming from his father’s unexpected demise. Since his older sisters were married and had families of their own to support, Sonu became responsible for looking after their mother and younger siblings. He began looking for a job, but his lack of educational qualifications proved to be a barrier.

At that point of time, his neighbour told him about the free courses offered by GMRV Centre for Empowerment & Livelihoods, Delhi (CEL-D) run by Delhi International Airport Ltd. as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility. The main thrust of CEL-D is channelizing the potential of youth and women towards skilled work and entrepreneurship.

He convinced his anxious mother to let him travel to Delhi. After much back and forth discussion, his mother let him enrol for the ‘Basic Computer’ course.

At CEL-D, he had access to very good trainers, and gained exposure to eminent professionals in the industry. Inspired by his seniors who were placed in companies of repute, he worked diligently and excelled in the course.

After completing the course, Sonu got placed in a reputed organisation as a ‘Data Entry Operator’. Due to his excellent performance, he got promoted within months. He says, “My entire family and I feel blessed that I got this opportunity to get trained for free and earn a good salary within a short span.”

Sohan Kumar is a vibrant young man who lives in Delhi with his parents and a younger brother. Though he was born with orthopedic impairment, his parents never treated him differently. When Sohan attained school-going age, they got him a manual tricycle to improve his mobility and encouraged him to enroll in a government school.

Through hard work and perseverance, Sohan was able to complete his secondary education. He dreamt of completing his graduation but was unable to find a suitable college nearby. His tricycle had also worn out and he was finding it harder to pedal to distant places. As a result, he chose to pursue his higher education through a distance learning programme.

Simultaneously, Sohan also began preparing for competitive exams in order to get a government job, but found the long commute to the coaching centre tiring.

It was during this time that his parents learnt of the Samarth Resource Centre, and approached the Foundation staff. SAMARTH has been established by the CSR wing of DIAL, to provide services like special education, basic physiotherapeutic care, counselling etc. for the differently abled.

After a thorough assessment, staff members recognized his trouble stemmed from using the old tricycle. The team immediately arranged for an electric tricycle for Sohan. This model of tricycle is much easier to ride, has an easy, low entry and exit and very good back support.

Today, he rides 7 kms every day to a coaching centre of repute and is earnestly preparing for competitive exams. He is extremely happy that he can travel long distances without any discomfort. He says, “The electric tricycle has provided wings to my dreams”.

11 year old Diksha hails from Majharan village of Himachal Pradesh near GMR Group’s Bajoli-Holi Hydro Power Project. Her father who works as an agricultural laborer, has single handedly raised her, since the untimely death of her mother.

Diksha was attending Std. V in a local government school when GMRVF staff observed she excelled in her studies, and invited her to join GMRVF’s Navodaya coaching centre. Prior to this, she would spend her free time doing household chores such as cooking and cleaning.

The Navodaya Vidyalayas are co-educational residential schools affiliated to the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), with classes from Std. VI to XII. Talented rural children who qualify in the Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya Selection Test (an entrance exam designed, developed and conducted by the CBSE), are provided with quality education at Navodaya schools, comparable to the best in the residential school system.

In order to enable children from its target communities to benefit from this exceptional government initiative, GMR Varalakshmi Foundation established Navodaya coaching centres in different GMR locations. Here, Std. V children are given regular tutorials and study materials in order to excel in the entrance test. Apart from this, regular Parent- teachers meeting, friendly competitions and cultural programs are also held.

The Foundation team motivated Diksha to study hard if she wanted to achieve her dreams. This struck a chord in her and she began preparing with unrivalled determination and drive. Her hard work paid off, and she was selected to join the prestigious Navodaya Vidyalaya.

Hepsiba was born and brought up in a village near GMR Hyderabad International Airport. Her father is a mason and her mother is a homemaker.

In 2008, when her father was struggling hard to make ends meet, Hepsiba was selected under the Gifted Children scheme of GMR Varalakshmi Foundation and was admitted to Std. II at GMR Chinmaya Vidyalaya School, Shamshabad. The Gifted Children Scheme seeks to identify, encourage and financially support the education of meritorious under-privileged children from GMRVF’s target communities to enable them to realize their full potential. The scheme provides not only tuition fees but also books, transport, tuition classes, health and nutrition support through GMRVF and sponsorship from GMR employees. Gifted Children are identified at about 6 years of age and are supported from primary levels till they get their first job.

Hepsiba worked hard and completed her schooling successfully. She always dreamt of becoming an IT professional. In order to realise this dream, she worked hard and appeared for the Engineering Agricultural and Medical Common Entrance Test (EAMCET) which is the entrance examination required for admission to engineering and medical colleges in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.

Hepsiba cleared the exam with high marks and secured a free seat at a reputed engineering college in Hyderabad. She is currently pursuing her second year B.E in Computer Science.

She says, “My parents never dreamt that I would study in a good CBSE English medium school and go on to pursue a B.E. I feel fortunate to be a part of this scheme and receive continuous mentoring and guidance support from GMRVF. I am grateful to GMRVF for showing me the path to achieve my goals”.

Palleti Devullu was born with locomotor disability. He hails from Konapapapeta village near GMR Kakinada SEZ. As a child, he was not one to let the restricted movement of his limbs take over his life. He kept up with his peers and attended school regularly. He passed his intermediate education with flying colours.

Unfortunately, he was unable to pursue a degree course due to the family’s financial constraints, stemming from his father’s addiction to alcohol. He began looking for suitable employment, but was only offered labour that demanded physical exertion.

It was during this time that he learned about the ‘Pratibha’ centre run by GMRVF in Kakinada. The centre offered an opportunity for rural youth to receive BPO training and get placed as a ‘Customer Care Executive’.

Devullu was excited at this prospect and immediately signed up to join the rigorous course. Here he was trained in computer skills and spoken English. He also benefitted from the personality development classes.

Upon completing the course, he was immediately placed in a reputed BPO. The GMRVF team also encouraged him to pursue a Bachelor in Arts through distance education.

Devullu says, “I cannot visualise how my life would have turned out if not for the support and training I received by GMRVF. I will forever be grateful to the team for helping me when I had no one else to turn to”.

Bharti Verma was born in Raikheda village, Chhattisgarh and is part of a family of 5. Her father supports the family by undertaking agricultural labour. On completing her secondary education, she considered staying at home and helping her parents with housework since the closest college is 20 kms away.

GMR Varalakshmi Foundation observed that like Bharti, other girl children from Raikheda and nearby villages opted out of college becuase commuting to college was difficult. Apart from families being unable to afford the high college transportation fees, they were also worried about safety and security.

For these reasons, since 2010, GMRVF has been providing free college transportation facilities for girl children from 4 villages. Until now the initiative has helped 285 girls complete their graduation. Bharti was also able to finish her B.Sc. and is currently working in a government school. Her parents are also extremely happy that their daughter is the first family member who is a graduate.

15 year old Saakshi Devi hails from the village of Guwad, Himachal Pradesh, where GMR Group’s Bajoli-Holi Hydro power project is located. Her parents work hard as farmers to raise their 4 children. Saakshi was born with a severe case of cleft lip. Her birth left her parents unprepared and overwhelmed with emotions – love and joy at her arrival, and sadness as they knew she would face prejudice.

When Saakshi began high school, the constant stares and comments made by classmates with regard to her condition made her lose confidence. Her family noticed she frequently bunked school just so she could avoid meeting people.

During a field visit, GMRVF staff learnt of her medical condition. GMRVF then recommended Saakshi for a free cleft surgery program offered by Smile Train Treatment Center. Her parents were at first hesitant about the very thought of a surgery, but GMRVF staff counselled and educated them on the medical process. The social stigmatisation Saakshi had undergone made her want to do it at the earliest.

The surgery proved to be a success and completely transformed Saakshi’s life. She regained her confidence and has finally developed an outgoing personality.

Her father says, “Special thanks to GMRVF for recommending my daughter for this free surgery. Without their motivation and support, I would not have been able to see the beautiful smile on my daughter’s face. Her smile is my strength.”

Navitha is a young housewife from a village near GMR Hyderabad International airport. Her husband works as a plumber.

During an initial screening of her pregnancy, doctors found Navitha to be severely anaemic, with a haemoglobin level of 8 (well below the normal haemoglobin levels of 12 - 15.5). On hearing this, her family recommended she join the ‘Supplementary Nutrition Centre for Pregnant and Lactating Women’ established in the village by GMR Varalakshmi Foundation.

These Centres have been initiated by the Foundation at different locations to provide supplementary nutrition for pregnant and lactating women along with awareness on different topics such as ante-natal care, nutrition, vaccination, immunization, family planning, gender issues, etc. Care is also taken to regularly monitor the women’s HB levels since anaemia can have a significant impact on the health of the foetus as well as that of the mother.

At the centre, Navitha was given daily supplementary nutrition worked out with inputs from doctors and nutritionists. Her health was also regularly monitored by volunteers at the centre.

As a result of this, her haemoglobin levels were normal towards the end of the pregnancy and she also gained around 12 kilos. In May this year, she gave birth to a healthy baby girl.

Navitha and her husband are extremely grateful to GMRVF for the support they received which resulted in the birth of a healthy child. She says, “I am thankful to GMRVF for providing me nutritious food in a critical phase of my life. It is due to their efforts that my child was born healthy”.

8 year old Chandeshwari was born and raised in Delhi. Her father works as a driver and her mother is a home maker. While she was still a toddler, her parents noticed significantly delayed cognitive and physical development. They were unaware that she was born with Down syndrome.

During this time, a community volunteer from the Foundation met her mother and requested her to bring Chandeshwari to the SAMARTH Resource Centre for a thorough assessment. SAMARTH has been established by the CSR wing of DIAL, to provide services like special education, basic physiotherapeutic care, counselling etc. for the differently abled.

The team at SAMARTH, counselled her parents and informed them about the Down syndrome. They were initially scared, as they didn’t have any real experience caring for someone with special needs. But her parents and siblings quickly committed to providing Chandeshwari a positive and uplifting environment.

The special educator then began planning activities and exercises depending on Chandeshwari’s preferred way of learning. Additionally, the speech therapist conducted tongue therapy, mouth exercises and speech and language stimulation techniques. She slowly began concentrating on activities, recognizing instructions, developing motor skills and growing more independent.

Today, Chandeshwari’s smile lights up the room. She is one of the best performers at the Samarth Centre, and she confidently participates in dance and sports events. Her visible improvement has given hope to her parents.

16 year-old Ravi (name changed) from Kakinada, Andhra Pradesh, has been infected with HIV since birth. Ravi and his HIV-positive mother, have been living with his maternal grandparents, since the untimely demise of his father. He was enrolled in a nearby school, but dropped out as his grandparents’ meagre income mostly went towards his medical treatment.

In 2011, staff from GMRVF met his grandparents and learnt of his medical condition. He was identified as one among 25 other under-privileged children living with HIV in that area.

In order to build his immunity, GMRVF began by providing him a nutrition kit on a monthly basis. The kit includes 5 kgs of rice, 1 kg of wheat, ragi powder and dates. GMRVF also gives monthly financial support to the family, so they can visit a reputed Govt. Hospital to regularly screen the CD4 count (The CD4 count is a means of measuring the functioning of immune system) and receive free medicines.

His family was also counselled on the importance of education. Ravi then re-enrolled in a nearby government school and slowly began showing interest in academics.

This year, he passed Std. X with flying colours and is now pursuing his inter-collegiate studies in a nearby college. His family members are grateful to the Foundation for providing them the support and guidance that they previously lacked.

Ravi says, “Without the support of GMRVF, I am not sure if I would still be alive. I hope to someday invent a medicine to cure this dreadful disease.”

Gulla Appayamma lives in A.V Nagaram in East Godavari District, not far from our Kakinada Special Economic Zone. Widowed at a young age, she lives with her four children and their families. The family found open defecation a humiliating experience. The women members also constantly feared being bitten by snakes, poisonous insects and facing harassment from men. But they were unable to build a toilet due to the meagre wages they earned.

On observing that all 168 families in the village faced the same problem, GMRVF decided to do something about this. They first conducted a series of awareness programs on personal health and hygiene. They educated community members on how defecating in the open can cause diarrhoea and other infections. GMRVF did not stop here. They approached the Mandal Parishad Development Officer and successfully facilitated the Swachh Bharat Mission Scheme which resulted in the construction of 168 individual sanitary latrines. GMRVF added to the government support by sponsoring iron doors for all the toilets.

Gulla Appayamma is now a very happy woman since her family members and friends all have toilets right next to their house. She says the initiative by GMRVF has also motivated panchayat leaders from nearby villages to utilise the Swachh Bharat Mission Scheme and make their respective villages ‘Open Defecation Free’.

Vinay Kumar hails from high altitude tribal village Guwad near GMR Bajoli-Holi Hydro Power Project in Chamba district of Himachal Pradesh. His family owns very little agriculture land and few apple trees. Apart from the income on these, Vinay also does agriculture labour work. During the apple season, both Vinay and his wife work in apple orchards for plucking of fruit and packing works. Even with all these sources, the family, consisting of six members, was struggling to make ends meet.

Considering the issues of small and marginal farmers in the area, GMRVF initiated Agriculture and Horticulture development program at the location. Vinay joined the program and got good quality hybrid vegetable seed kit from Foundation. Foundation supported him in planting the seeds and managing the farm. He was also linked with Kisan Suvidha Kendra set up by Foundation where farmers avail facility of various modern and traditional agricultural tools and agriculture related information. Vinay was also added in the Krishak Mitra Whatsapp Group created with local farmers which is linked with the Govt. run Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK). In this group, farmers can post their queries related to farming along with pictures and experts from KVK respond and clarify their doubts. Vinay got good information on vegetable crop management from KVK experts. He was also provided with fungicide packs leveraged from KVK for disease and pest management.

Further, Foundation connected Vinay with the local mess run for the Bajoli-Holi project staff which ensured regular market for his produce. With all this support, Vinay made a good sale within six months and earned decent income. Now, Vinay is very keen to continue vegetable production at bigger scale from next season.

“When I was struggling to meet the family needs with the meager income from my small agriculture land, I was introduced to the new high yielding variety of Lal – KUBER paddy and the SRI method of cultivation by GMRVF - Kamalanga. With these inputs, the yield of rice from my 1 acre of land has increased from 15 quintals to 25 quintals and income doubled from Rs 10,000 to Rs 20,000. I am very grateful to the GMRVF team for encouraging and guiding me to try high yielding paddy variety” – says Gopinath Mohapatra

Gopinath Mohapatra is from one of the project affected families of GMR Kamalanga Energy Ltd supported through Livelihoods Improvement Program of GMRVF.

Gopinath Mohapatra is from one of the project affected families at GMR Kamalanga Energy Ltd. He is a farmer by profession who contributed 1 acre of his land to the energy plant. Now, he has 2 acres of agricultural land which he has been cultivating.

GMRVF started a pilot project with 4 farmers in 2021-22 in the area to grow a high yield paddy variety called Lal- KUBER using “System of Rice Intensification” method (SRI method). With the success of this pilot, in FY 22-23, 20 farmers were identified for using the same variety of crop and SRI technique.

Gopinath is one among them and received Lal-Kuber variety paddy seeds and fertilizer to grow paddy using SRI method under supervision of the GMRVF team. He followed the instructions given by the subject matter experts from GMRVF and cultivated Lal – Kuber variety of paddy crop. The quality of seedlings was very good and gave nearly 90% germination. Additionally, the application of organic fertilizers and pesticides such as “Jeevamrutha” and “Handikhata” ensured supply of required nutrients and pest control to the crops. The regular interaction, follow-up, and timely suggestions from the GMRVF team enhanced Gopinath’s confidence. As a result, he got 25 quintals of paddy this year from 1-acre land with estimated net profit of Rs. 20,000/-. Earlier the yield was 15 quintals and net profit was around Rs. 10,000/-.

He has also started dairy farming with 5 high yielding milch cows for additional income generation of Rs. 4000/- per month.

Tompala Pravallika, a young girl from an underprivileged family of four residing at Shalipeta village near Rajam has stood out to be an inspiration for many. Despite being one of the brightest students in her class, she was compelled to discontinue her studies after Std. VIII due to the financial hardships faced by her family.

However, her strong determination and persistent efforts to study were noticed by one of the GMR Varalakshmi Foundation’s (GMRVF’s) staff members. They recommended Pravallika to appear for the National Means cum Merit Scholarship (NMMS)- a centrally sponsored scholarship for government school children. Each selected candidate is eligible for a total scholarship amount of Rs. 48,000/- in 4 years from Std. IX up to Std. XII @ Rs. 12,000/- per annum.

Pravallika was elated and considered NMMS as her golden opportunity to continue her studies. She applied for the scholarship test with the support of the Vidya Volunteer of GMRVF and attended special coaching classes conducted by the Foundation. It was through Pravallika’s consistent efforts and proper guidance provided by the GMRVF mentors that she was able to get through the eligibility test and avail of the scholarship. She is currently studying Std. X at ZP High School, Mandarada near Rajam. Her parents are also very happy and confident that their daughter will score good marks in her Std. X and bring laurels to the family.

GMRVF has been encouraging the students of Std. VIII from the government schools in the project villages around Rajam to apply for this scheme. The Foundation is also arranging special classes for them besides providing the necessary books to prepare for the test. Apart from this, the Foundation is also helping the youth to prepare for various competitive exams across India.

Gangaben Tadvi hails from a tribal community and her family consists of six members. Gangaben and her husband were doing menial jobs which were not giving them enough income to take care of the needs of their three children and ageing father-in-law. When Ekta Nagar Centre was opened by GMR Varalakshmi Foundation in 2021, Gangaben took the decision to enrol herself in the E-auto driving course and enter into a new career path. At the centre, she was not only trained in driving but her soft skills were also groomed at the Center which gave her confidence to pursue a career in driving field. After successful training, GMRVF facilitated an E auto from Statue of Unity Area Development and Tourism Governance Authority (SOUADTGA) for her and Gangaben started driving the same at the Statue of Unity area which is earning her good income. As the place is a tourist attraction, GMRVF also provided her training as a tourist guide which is helping her gaining additional income. Now, the family is hopeful that they can thrive well and Gangaben’s children are proud of their mother who has now become a role model in her community by taking up an unconventional career.

“Like any other rural youth, I too was not aware of career opportunities to realize my dream of securing a government job. Pratibha Library guided me at the right time and paved path to my career. My hard work coupled with the guidance I received from Pratibha secured me a post of Constable in Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) in the recruitment conducted by the Staff Selection Commission. I sincerely attribute my success to GMRVF Pratibha Centre” says Amani.

Makka Amani hails from Penta village of Ganguvari Sigadam Mandal in Srikakulam District of Andhra Pradesh. Her parents are illiterates and are very conservative. They preferred to get married their daughters than to provide education to them. Amani with many hardships completed her graduation. She was very determined to secure a Government Job and provide a better living to her family. But, she was not aware of the opportunities that help her achieve her goal.

At this juncture, she came to know about Pratibha Library cum Counseling Center being run by GMR Varalakshmi Foundation at Rajam through one of her friends. She enrolled in the centre and used to come to the center regularly from her village which is 7 kms away by a bicycle. She used to spend about 6-7 hours a day at ‘Pratibha’ and appeared for all the model tests conducted at the center. Pratibha team supported and encouraged her to put her best efforts. With all the support and guidance from ‘Pratibha’, she got selected for the post of Constable in Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) in the recruitment conducted by the Staff Selection Commission.

Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) is a border guarding force of India deployed along its border with Nepal and Bhutan. It is one of the five Central Armed Police Forces under the administrative control of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA). Women rarely opt for these jobs in armed forces, but Amani has decided to join Sashastra Seema Bal.

Amani attributes her success to ‘Pratibha’ and says that ‘Pratibha’ is a boon for the unemployed qualified rural youth in and around Rajam.

Ms. Kurakula Vasudha is from Alwal, Hyderabad. Her father expired when she was very young and her mother, who is a private employee, had to shoulder the responsibility of family consisting of herself, Vasudha and her elder brother. Facing lot of hardships, Vasudha completed her Diploma course. After the completion of the course, she started looking for jobs but could not find any.

At that juncture, she came to know about GMR Varalakshmi Foundation’s Vocational Training Center at Shamshabad and took admission in Automobile course. Here, she acquired hands on practical experience of automobile equipment repairs and maintenance. Apart from technical skills, she had also undergone training in soft skills and basic computers. After the training, she appeared for the interview arranged by GMRVF very confidently. Though it is unusual for women to choose this profession, she didn’t hesitate to take up the opportunity and wanted to break the stereotypes.

Currently, Vasudha is working as a Pre-delivery Inspection technician in a reputed car showroom in Hyderabad for a decent salary. She is happy that she could set an example for other girls in her community by taking up an unconventional profession and attributes her success in career to GMRVF which provided her right kind of support at the right time.

Rafia hails from Bawana J.J. Colony, Delhi which is one of the project areas of DIAL-CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility). Currently, Rafia is selling clothes on a cart provided by GMRVF under SMILE (Supporting, Marginalized, Individuals through Livelihoods & Empowerment) project which is aimed at providing livelihood support to Covid impacted families.

Rafia’s husband was a street hawker, and his income was just enough for survival of the family. Unfortunately, he succumbed to Covid-19 during the second wave and Rafia had to take over the responsibility of running the family consisting of her two children. She restarted her life with great difficulty and started working as a daily labour to meet her family day to day needs.

Few months ago, GMRVF initiated SMILE project to restore the livelihoods of Covid impacted families. As part of it, through a special initiative named “Umeed Ke Pahiye”, GMRVF identified Covid widows from different slums of Delhi including Rafia for support. Rafia received a four-wheeler pushcart and was encouraged to initiate small business using the cart.

After receiving the cart, she started selling clothes on the streets of Bawana using the cart. GMRVF also trained her to operate “MeraBills App” to keep track of her daily financial transactions. MeraBills App is a simple Android app that helps to run small businesses more efficiently. GMRVF collaborated with MeraBills App and trained more than hundred beneficiaries to operate the App.

With the pushcart and training support from GMRVF, Rafia is now successfully running the business and is hoping to provide a bright future for her children.

Harsh Kumar Sahoo, a differently abled person who runs an electrical shop at Manpur village near GMR Kamalanga Energy Ltd., is earning a net profit of Rs 12,000/- per month from his electrical shop with the financial support under GMRVF’s Livelihoods Restoration Program. He is able to provide good education to his two daughters who also attend GMRVF tuition centers and one of them getting computer education at GMRVF run computer center free of cost.

However, this was not the case earlier. Harsh was struggling to make ends meet as he was earning only Rs 3000/- per month from his shop. In 2015, he took a loan of Rs. 40,000 with 5% interest from a village money lender and rented a shop to start a small electrical repair shop. With the meagre income from shop, it was hard for him to meet the daily and education needs of the family, rent of the shop and loan repayment.

At this juncture, he attended a village meeting conducted by GMRVF about the Livelihoods Restoration Program (A special livelihood support program of GKEL for project affected families) and understood that he can get support from the program as he was also a land contributor. He approached GMRVF to provide him financial support to expand his business by procuring the spare parts and tools for his shop.

In 2018, after considering the interest and business skills of Harsh, GMRVF selected him to include in the Livelihood Restoration program to support for his business development. With the grant money received, he purchased various electrical & electronic equipment and some spare parts of home appliances. Foundation also oriented him on entrepreneurial skills and provided required handholding support.

Slowly the customer base increased and so he engaged one technician to meet the demand. Now he is very efficiently meeting his family needs.

Pittala Suresh is working as a Supervisor at M/s Sai Ganesh Technologies, Hyderabad where he joined as an assistant electrician few years ago. Suresh is earning decent income and planning to establish his own electrical workshop in Raikal, Jagitial district of Telangana.

Suresh is from Thatlavai village near Raikal. All his family members are agricultural labor and couldn’t support his education after SSC. He also started working as an agriculture labour and after few months, he got a marketing job in Maharashtra where he had to sell agriculture products. He couldn’t succeed at the job due to lack of skills. The hardships he faced at the unknown place made him dejected and he even tried to end his life.

He came back to his home with lot of difficulty and was depressed. At this juncture, he heard about GMR Varalakshmi Center for Empowerment and Livelihoods, Raikal. He came to the Center and opted to do Electrical course. He underwent rigorous training as an Electrician. He was also given soft skill training along with technical inputs. After the training, Foundation arranged placement for him at M/s Sai Ganesh Technologies, Hyderabad as an Assistant Electrician. The skills he learnt at the Center helped him excel at his work and within 5 months he was promoted as a supervisor.

Now, Suresh is fully confident and has lot of hopes for the future. He cleared all his father’s debts and planning to set up his own electrical workshop in his hometown. He expressed his thanks to GMRVF for giving him a new lease of life.

Amejala Lakshmi, a physically challenged woman, is from Srirampuram village near Kakinada Special Economic Zone. She is earning a decent income by stitching ladies garments at her home. Once faced with stigma and discrimination due to her disability, Lakshmi is now able to raise her social status among her relatives and neighbours by being financially independent.

Lakshmi lost her father at a very young age. This pushed their family into deep poverty. Lakshmi’s twin sister got married but Lakshmi did not get any marriage alliance due to her disability. Her mother and younger brother were struggling hard to meet the family needs. Lakshmi wanted to support them but did not have good education or employable skills.

At this juncture, she came to know about the GMRVF Vocational Training Centre at the project location and joined the tailoring course. She received the training free of cost at the Centre. Foundation also paid for her travel expenses and provided food facility. She learnt the skill diligently and qualified the assessment with an A grade.

After the completion of the training in the year 2020, knowing about her family’s financial situation, the staff of the Centre and fellow trainees contributed for purchase of sewing machine for her. With this support, she started a small tailoring unit at her home and started stitching ladies garments. Soon, she garnered a good customer base and is earning decent income now. Lakshmi is extremely happy and she expresses her thanks to Foundation for helping her grow beyond the limitations.

Debendra Sahoo is from Manpur village near GMR Kamalanga Energy Ltd. in Odisha. His family consists of his wife and two children. He is working as a masonary contractor and earning about Rs. 15,000/- per month from the construction works.

Debendra could not finish his school education and began his career as a construction labor under a master mason. He acquired good knowledge, skill and experience, but still was earning a very meagre income as he was working under another mason. Further, his wife took a loan from a micro-finance company for meeting family’s healthcare needs which has increased the financial burden of the family.

At this crucial phase of his life, Debendra attended a community meeting organized by GMRVF in his village and approached the Foundation for support. GMRVF supported him to buy construction equipment under Livelihood Restoration Program (a special program of GKEL for the livelihoods restoration of project affected communities), so that he could take up construction works on his own as a contractor. He purchased various construction related equipment and started taking up works directly from the customers.

Now, with the raise in income, he could repay all his loans and also renovated his house. He employed 2 persons to assist him in completing the construction works in time. He is also focusing on improving his masonary skills to further enhance his income prospects.

Baburam Sahu hails from Kamalanga village near GMR Kamalanga Energy Ltd. (GKEL) plant in Odisha. He had Rice huller business since 1992 but could not sustain this business for too long due to increased number of Hullers and decreased cultivation in the locality. Unable to bear the loss, he decided to close the mill and taken up an Operator job in a mobile tower but was finding it difficult to support his family with the meagre income.

At this point of time, he came across GMRVF’s Enterprise Development Training Program. He attended the program during December 2018. GMRVF team encouraged Baburam to restart his earlier business and provided financial support under Livelihoods Restoration Program (LRP). LRP is a special program of GKEL through which the families who contributed land for the project are supported for livelihood enhancement.

With the support of LRP, Baburam purchased an Atta Chakki (Wheat grinding Machine) and set up his mill at Kantabania in January 2019. On suggestion from GMRVF, he also set up his earlier rice mill equipment in the new mill. Now he is able to do multiple grinding works viz. Wheat, Spices, and Sattu etc. and earns about Rs. 15000/- per month. He also started purchasing wheat and selling fresh Atta from his mill.

Baburam thanks GMR Varalakshmi Foundation for providing the support in the form of LRP which gave him a ray of hope in life.

Basanta Mondal hails from a small town in West Bengal. After completing 12th grade, he was desperate to work as he had to support his father in fulfilling his family needs.

Not knowing what to do, Mondal came to Delhi and was wandering to find a job. During this time, he came to know about GMRV Centre for Empowerment and Livelihoods (CEL) at Delhi and visited the centre. After initial counselling by CEL-D team, he realized that just 12th pass will not help to fetch a decent job and he required to upgrade himself with additional skills to suit current job market requirements.

CEL-D team’s analysis and encouragement prepared him to take up ‘Food Production and Service‘ Course and he joined the course offered by GMRVF in April 2019. The ambience, faculties, infrastructure at CEL-D encouraged him to take real interest in the course and was quick to learn the skills. Mondal successfully completed the course in October 2019.

As a part of the course, he was provided on the job training at Punjab Grill for about a week where he gained real experience of working with a reputed player in F&B industry.

In November 2019, GMRVF arranged placements for the trainees of Food Production course and Mondal got selected by Haldirams Company with a decent salary. He is fully confident now that his dream to become a Master Chef will not just be a dream anymore. He is thankful to GMRVF for guidance, support and bringing good fortune to his life.

Vanjarapu Gowri Naidu, native of Kandisa village near Rajam in Srikakulam District of Andhra Pradesh was forced to discontinue his studies after Intermediate (10+2 course) because of his poor financial background. To supplement his father’s income, he started mason work in his village. But he could not earn much and support his father properly.

At that juncture, Gowri Naidu came to know about GMRVF’s Nagavali Institute of Rural Entrepreneurship Development (NIRED) and enrolled himself for the “Light Motor Vehicle (LMV) Driving” course. The institute offers short term vocational courses for under-privileged youth to make them gain employability skills. He underwent 30 days of intensive practical oriented training along with motivational classes at the institute. Gowri Naidu also attended Entrepreneurship Development training organized by the Institute as part of promoting self-employment among the youth.

Soon after the completion of his training in 2018, Gowri Naidu joined as a helper to an auto driver. He worked there for 3 months and gained good hands-on experience. Later, he wanted to purchase a new passenger auto for which NIRED recommended his name to local Andhra Bank for a loan under the Government’s Mudra Scheme.

With the bank loan, Naidu purchased an auto and is earning decent income by transporting passengers from village to village. He is supporting the family financially and promptly repaying the loan instalment to the Bank regularly. He expresses his gratitude to NIRED for giving him a new life.

Md. Mijahid hails from Korutla Mandal in Jagitial District in Telangana. His parents are Agricultural labourers and couldn’t afford to provide him education beyond Std. X.

After completing his education, he worked with a mechanic as a helper to financially support his family. He used to earn a very meagre income through this work and was looking for better livelihood opportunities.

At this juncture, he came to know about GMR Varalakshmi Foundation through a newspaper article and the technical courses it offers for under-privileged youth. He went to GMR Varalakshmi Centre for Empowerment and Livelihoods at Raikal, Telangana and took the counselling. He joined the Automotive Technician course and successfully completed the course. He learnt mechanical work during the training program and attended exposure visits. Soft skills sessions provided at the centre also helped him in bringing a positive change in his attitude and behaviour.

After completion of course, he started his own two wheeler servicing unit in his native village. Now, he is earning decent income and also gave employment to two other persons.

He expresses his thanks to GMR Varalakshmi Foundation for turning him as a job giver from being a job seeker.

12 years old Akhilesh was born and brought up in Savda J.J. Colony, Delhi. Akhilesh is the youngest son in the family and has two elder brothers. Akhilesh lost his father at the age of 10 and his mother is a home maker. His elder brother works in a shop to manage the family.

When Akhilesh was a toddler, his parents noticed a delay in speech, but were unaware that he was born with deafness. At the age of 4, his parents recognized the problem when Akhilesh was not able to understand the instructions and respond.

During this time in 2012, a community volunteer from the GMRVF met his mother and informed her to bring Akhilesh to the Samarth Resource Centre for an assessment. Samarth was established by GMRVF, to provide services like special education, speech theraphy, physiotheraphy, counselling etc. for the differently abled. Samarth program has reached to more than 500 differently abled people through its different interventions.

At Samarth, Akhilesh and his family received multiple supports including counseling, assessment, speech therapy etc. He slowly started to concentrate on activities, recognizing instructions and perform his work on his own. GMRVF organized hearing test for Akhilesh and provided hearing aid. He was also facilitated to get Disability certificate, bus pass, Disability pension (Rs.2, 500 per month for life time) & Railway concession certificate.

Today, he is one of the best performers among 28 peers at the Samarth center. He loves doing mathamatics and can read alphabates. He regularly participates in extra-curricular activities. Seeing the progress, the GMRVF team facilitated him to get admission in Sarvodaya Bal Vidyalaya in Savda J.J. Colony.

His improvement made Akhilesh’s mother happy. She expressed her feelings as translated “I was very happy when he started responding to me after 8 years. I am thankful to GMRVF for its continuous support.”

Akula Ramana hails from Yadika village of Merakamudidam Mandal in Vizianagaram District, Andhra Pradesh. His father is a fisherman and mother is a homemaker. Ramana is having two sisters. With many hardships, Ramana could complete his studies. While studying, he assisted his father in fishing and selling the fishes to add additional earnings for the sustenance of his family.

Ramana completed his Graduation in Science from Andhra Pradesh Residential Degree College (APRDC), Nagarjuna Sagar. After completion of Graduation, Ramana was not aware of career opportunities and didn’t know how to proceed further in his life. But he was very determined to get a Government job and support his family. At this juncture, he came to know about ‘Pratibha’ Library cum counseling center being run by GMR Varalakshmi Foundation at Rajam through one of his friends. He approached the Library, interacted with the counselor and took the membership to brighten his future prospects.

He started attending the center regularly. He spent about 6-7 hours a day at ‘Pratibha’ and appeared for all the model tests conducted at the center. Initially, Ramana could not get through the competitive tests in spite of putting in a lot of hard work. The unsuccessful attempts disappointed him. At this point of time, Pratibha team supported him and encouraged him to continue his efforts. The guidance by the Counselor, coaching by expert faculty and study material available at the center coupled with his hard work and determination helped him to march towards his goal.

With all the support and guidance from ‘Pratibha’, Ramana got selected for the post of Sub – Inspector of Police in Govt. of Andhra Pradesh. He completed his training recently and is waiting for the posting. Ramana and his family members are proud of his achievement and attributes his success to the support extended by ‘Pratibha’ center.

45 year old Dushmant Kumar Behera hails from Manpur village near GMR Kamalanga Energy Ltd in Odisha. In spite of working hard for 20 years in selling vegetables, he was struggling for the betterment of his joint family.

GMRVF, during door to door survey, observed Dushmant’s hard work, passion and hunger for growth and provided him financial support under Livelihoods Restoration Program (A special livelihood support program of GKEL for project affected communities). This support helped him to purchase vegetables directly from wholesalers which enhanced his income significantly.

Further, to sustain the micro-enterprises supported by GMRVF under LRP, a group of 14 vegetable vendors was formed in the name of Maa Brahmani Devi Kshudra Byabasayi Sangha. As part of support to this group members, Dushmant was given a shop space in the market complex near GKEL township. While Dushmant continue to sell vegetables in weekly haats, he engaged his nephew in the shop and successfully running it since last two years.

In view of Covid Situation, GKEL and GMRVF decided to start an exclusive vegetable shop in the township for employees to avoid community transmission. Dushmant showed interest and has been running the shop following all the Covid guidelines. Along with vegetables, he started selling fruits and eggs and earning about Rs 800-1000 per day through his shop in the township.

Dushmant expressed his gratitude to GMRVF and shared "I am able to save some money in bank and I could also give employment to my nephew by engaging him in my business. This has become possible only due to the kind support of GMRVF"

Ms. Bandi Premajyothi hails from Seelamvaripalem village near GMR Special Economic Zone project at Kakinada in Andhra Pradesh. She has completed intermediate education last year and had ambition to study further. However, father being a small farmer, could not afford her to continue studies. During that time she came across GMRVF Pratibha Library-cum- Career Counselling Centre. Pratibha Centres established by GMRVF at different locations provide career guidance, coaching and counselling support to the youth who are looking for job opportunities apart from making wide variety of books and journals available for them. The centres also conduct soft skills sessions, coaching classes, mock interviews etc. to ensure the candidates face competitive exams and interviews confidently. Premajyothi enrolled in Pratibha centre. Apart from accessing various competitive exam guidance books, she undertook "Basic Computer Literacy Program" at the centre and successfully completed the same in December 2019. She also attended 'Spoken English' training and continued to access the library facility at the centre apart from information about various job opportunities in both private and public sectors.

Recently, Pratibha Centre gave information about a job opportunity at a Global Nutrition and Weight Management company to Premajyothi and encouraged her to apply for the same. She faced the interview confidently and got selected for the Consultant position with a decent salary. She is currently working from home and continuing her studies in distance mode.

She expressed her sincere thanks to the well-designed, quality trainings of Pratibha and handholding support provided by the Pratibha Team without which she wouldn’t have been confident enough to get selected for the position.

Ajay Bohara hails from Rajkot city of Gujarat. His family consists of his father, a security guard in a private bank ATM and the only bread earner, his mother and four siblings. Due to family’s dire financial situation, Ajay was unable to complete his education after Std. X. Ajay took up a job as a driver in a private company in order to supplement his father’s meagre income.

It was at the time that he heard about GMRV Center for Empowerment and Livelihoods at Delhi (CEL-Delhi) and started following its Facebook page to know more about the institute and courses. The Center offers short term technical courses for under-privileged youth and also facilitates placements for them.

He contacted the Centre and enrolled in December 2019 for Junior Excavator Operator Course which is run in partnership with Volvo. He travelled to Delhi far from his hometown with a dream to succeed in his life. In CEL-D, he was trained as an Excavator operator and also trained on the aspects of personality development and spoken English. His confidence has boomed because of the personality development course and exposure to simulation training arranged in Bangalore.

In May 2020, CEL has arranged placements for him as "Excavator Operator" at Dilip Buildcon Ltd, a reputed construction company in Gujarat with a decent salary and free accommodation facility. Though the offer came during the lockdown period, Ajay could travel to join the company as his hometown is close to the location.

Reddi Swetha hails from Bobbili town in Vizianagaram District of Andhra Pradesh. Her father, a document writer was supporting the family of two children Swetha and her younger brother. Swetha was good in studies and dreamt of pursuing higher studies, but the untimely death of her father due to Jaundice shattered her dreams when she was in Class XII.

At this juncture, Swetha stood sturdy and decided to shoulder entire burden of the family, debts of her father’s medication and education of her younger brother. It was during that time she came to know about the free training on Beautician Course being provided at GMRV Centre for Empowerment and Livelihoods, Vizianagaram through a friend. Her keen interest in this field, drawn her to join the Beautician Training at the Centre. She completed the training with utmost dedication and acquired necessary skills.

Recognizing her entrepreneurial spirit, GMRVF encouraged her to set up a Beauty Parlour at Bobbili town in the year 2016. Swetha could compete and face the challenges of existing well established parlours located at Bobli by utilizing all her knowledge and skills gained during the training to give it her best shot. She followed all the tips that she had learnt at the training center and attracted most of the customers in her locality. In just less than one year, the income from the parlour was sufficient enough for family maintenance and also helped them in clearing some of the debts. Currently, Swetha is earning well and helped her younger brother to complete his ITI Education.

Now, the family is very happy and leading a secured life respectfully and independently. She is now self-reliant and has more hopes to develop the parlour in future.

Sachin Watkar, aged 34 years, hails from Charur Khati village near GMR Group's Warora Energy Plant, Maharashtra. With a small piece of land and petty businesses, his income was too meagre to support the family of five and he was looking for opportunities to supplement his income.

During August 2018, Sachin came to know about Farmers Training programs being offered by GMR Varalakshmi Foundation and attended one such training. The Training was about making and using Organic Insecticide – "Dashparni". "Dashparni" is an extract of leaves of ten plants mixed with cow dung and cow urine which is an effective insect repellant. Since 2017 GMRVF is conducting this program every year. It takes 21 days to prepare 200 ltrs of Dashparni.

In the training, Sachin realized the benefits of using the organic insecticide for saving the crops from insects. He also realized the ill effects of chemical based pesticides and fertilizers that were being widely used by farmers in his village. Sachin learnt the process of making Dashparni diligently and wanted to take it up as an opportunity to start the business of producing and selling this at village level.

Knowing his interest, GMRVF team prepared a plan for him to take off the business of Dashparni. Sachin started sourcing required materials to make the pesticide and started the production in the year 2018. In two years, he could prepare and sell nearly 800 ltrs of Dashparni and supplemented his family income by Rs.40,000/- without much investment from his side.

The product "Dashparni" gained popularity due to its affordable price and efficiency in controlling pests and around 80 farmers of surrounding area have now become his regular customers. This excellent initiative of GMRVF is a win-win for all. Sachin's income enhanced, farmers got organic pesticides at low price at their door step. Further, the initiative is helping to keep the soil fertile and environment safe.

Sachin is of the opinion that the hard work and dedication pays. He says, 'I am happy to overcome my financial hurdle and have the satisfaction of helping farmers to minimize the agricultural input cost'.

Udayanath Sahu hails from Bhagamunda village near GMR Kamalanga Energy Ltd. Sahu and his family make their living by growing paddy on 4 acres of agricultural land. For decades, Sahu has manually tended to the arid fields for long hours even in the most difficult weather. As he grew older, Sahu utilised his savings to purchase a tractor in order to make his work easier. Though he bought the tractor, he could not afford some of the attachments like mechanized plough. So he had to hire this every year at the time of preparing the field and had to spend large amounts.

It was during this time that Sahu attended a community meeting organized by GMR Varalakshmi Foundation where he learnt that he could set up or expand an existing business with an initial grant from GMR Varalakshmi Foundation under the Livelihood Restoration Programme (LRP), a special program for those who gave land for GKEL. Under the LRP program, project affected families are being supported for livelihoods enhancement through farm, livestock and micro-enterprise activities. Sahu then approached GMRVF with hopes of getting a ploughing machine.

With the grant provided, he proceeded to purchase a state-of-the-art iron chisel ploughing machine which can be attached to the tractor. GMRVF staff also motivated Sahu to attend several agricultural training programs on various topics including the utilization of bio-pesticide. He enthusiastically attended the training programs and exposure visits organized by GMRVF to learn about the latest processes. Sahu diligently followed the tips and soon began earning a considerable profit.

With great dedication, Sahu has been able to increase his profit margin. He joyfully states: “I am thankful to GMRVF for enabling me to increase productivity by an average of 4 quintals per acre. I hope to save enough in order to purchase more agricultural tools that will help me increase productivity.”

Arti Devi hails from Kuleth village, Himachal Pradesh where GMR Group’s Bajoli-Holi Hydro Power Project is located. On finishing her secondary education, she dropped out of school due to her family’s financial hardship. Her father then introduced her to a local tailor who began mentoring her. She soon learnt the necessary skills to be a good tailor.

On turning 20, Arti married and was soon blessed with two children. Her husband owns a tea stall at a local market. As the children joined school, Arti realised his income would be insufficient to meet the growing demands of the young family and began thinking of establishing her own business.

A few months ago, she attended a community meeting organised by GMR Varalakshmi Foundation. Here she learnt she could set up or expand an existing business with a small initial grant from GMRVF. She approached GMRVF with a proposal to set up a tailoring shop. Once the grant under the Foundation’s ‘Entrepreneurship Support’ came through, she immediately purchased a high quality electric sewing machine. She then rented a small space on low rent and opened her shop.

OToday, she is the leading ladies’ tailor in the area, earning around Rs. 300 per day. She has also diversified into selling cosmetics and grocery items. Arti says, “I would like to thank GMRVF for enabling me to establish my own business and setting an example for my children. I hope to provide them with good education, and GMRVF has enabled me to work towards this dream”.

Das Sekhar hails from Sirasuvada village in Srikakulam District, Andhra Pradesh. As a child, Sekhar was extremely playful and disinterested in studies. On the persuasion of his parents, he completed Std. X, but refused to enrol for higher education. Instead, he chose to just while away the hours with his friends.

Within a year, he realised his mistake since his father’s meagre earnings as an agricultural labourer were insufficient to provide for the family. This compelled Sekhar to look for a suitable job, but he was unable to find one due to his poor educational qualifications.

At this juncture, he got to know about courses offered free of cost by Nagavali Institute of Rural Entrepreneurship Development (NIRED) established by GMRVF in collaboration with Andhra Bank in Rajam. Sekhar approached NIRED and enrolled for the ‘Two Wheeler Servicing’ course. NIRED is a residential facility that offers candidates both technical and soft skill training in-house. Apart from regular classes, he also received training on entrepreneurship and personality development.

On completing the course, Sekhar gained hand-on experience by working dealers of Hero, Yamaha and Honda. He then confidently applied for a loan to Andhra Bank with the help of NIRED, in order to start his own two wheeler service centres, in 3 different places in Srikakulam District. The centres rapidly amassed a large customer base and he was able to repay the loan quickly. In addition to this, he has now employed 10 people.

He thanks GMRVF for enabling him to be of great support to his family.

Mogali Sampath hails from a rag picker family in Karimnagar town in Telangana State. His father used to rear pigs and collect waste food from nearby hotels to feed the pigs. Low income, stigma and discrimination associated with the occupation made the family languish in extreme poverty.

With great difficulty, Sampath completed his Diploma in Electrical Trade, but couldn’t find any employment opportunity. As his father was unwell, Sampath had to support the family and hence, he went back to his family profession of rag picking and pig rearing.

Sampath kept on looking for better opportunities. He came to know about the GMRV Center for Empowerment and Livelihoods at Raikal, Karimnagar which offers short-term vocational courses for unemployed youth. As the Center focuses on providing employment oriented technical and soft skills to the youth, Sampath took admission in Electrical Course at the Center and put in his best efforts to excel in the skill.

After completion of the three month course, GMRVF facilitated a job as an Electrician at Karimnagar and within six months Sampath got promoted as a supervisor based on his diligence and sincerity. Sampath is now earning a decent income and is proud that he is able to take care of the family needs.

Bauri Bhutia hails from Achalkote village near GMR Kamalanga Energy Ltd. in Odisha. 4 years ago, Bauri suffered a chronic stomach condition that left him vulnerable to excruciating pain and weakness. The illness forced him to opt for voluntary retirement from a private company, leaving him with a mere monthly pension of Rs.1023/- to look after his family.

It was during this time that Bauri attended a community meeting organized by GMR Varalakshmi Foundation where he learnt that he could set up or expand an existing business with an initial grant from GMR Varalakshmi Foundation under the Livelihood Restoration Programme (LRP), a special program for those who gave land for GKEL. Under the LRP program, project affected families are being supported for livelihoods enhancement through farm, livestock and micro-enterprise activities. Bauri then approached GMRVF with hopes of starting a new business.

GMRVF staff motivated Bauri to establish a cattle feed business since local dairy farmers sourced the cattle feed from faraway places. With the grant provided, he proceeded to establish the cattle feed business. He attended training programs and exposure visits organized by GMRVF to learn about the various processes involved in preparing and storing cattle feed. Bauri diligently followed the tips and soon began earning a considerable profit.

With great discipline and dedication, Bauri has been able to successfully run his business. He has even managed to save enough to pay for his son’s college admission.

Bauri joyfully states: “I am thankful to GMRVF for giving me a new lease of life.”

Yamini Yadav hails from Khamariya village near GMR Chhattisgarh Energy Ltd. Her father who works as an industrial labourer, saved his meagre wages to ensure his children completed their education. Due to his perseverance, Yamini was able to graduate from university.

Upon graduating, she was unaware of career opportunities. It was at this time that she heard about the ‘Prathibha’ center and enrolled as a member. Prathibha library cum career counselling center established by GMR Varalakshmi Foundation, Chhattisgarh helps rural youth prepare for competitive exams by providing them with study material and conducting career counselling, mock interviews, group discussions and coaching classes.

Through the career counselling, Yamini learnt of the many opportunities available in the Chhattisgarh Armed Force. Inspired and motivated, she vehemently attended the coaching classes and would spend a lot of time preparing for the entrance exam. She also attended the spoken English classes without fail.

Upon clearing the written exam, staff at Prathibha center prepared her for the physical test. Due to her determination and hard work, Yamini successfully cleared the physical tests as well and is currently undergoing training at the CG Armed Force Center in Raipur.

She attributes her success to the center and says that ‘Pratibha’ helped her to realise her dream of serving the country.

Sabitri Behera hails from Manpur village near GMR Kamalanga Energy Ltd (GKEL) in Odisha. Deserted by her husband, she raised her two young daughters with the help of her father. Unfortunately, his meagre income as an agricultural worker was insufficient to meet their educational expenses. Sabitri was however determined to brighten her children’s future.

It was during this time that Sabitri attended a community meeting organised by GMR Varalakshmi Foundation where she learnt that she could set up or expand an existing business with an initial grant from GMR Varalakshmi Foundation under the Livelihood Restoration Programme (LRP), a special program for those who gave land for GKEL. Under the LRP program, project affected families are being supported for livelihoods enhancement through farm, livestock and micro-enterprise activities. Sabitri approached GMRVF with a proposal to purchase a cow to supplement her family’s income through dairy farming.

With the grant provided, she was able to purchase a cross-breed Jersey cow.

She attended training programs and exposure visits organised by GMRVF to learn about the various processes involved in dairy farming and cow rearing. She also regularly took her cow to the veterinary camps organised by GMRVF. Sabitri diligently followed the tips and soon began earning a considerable profit by selling 10 litres of milk every day. Additionally, the cow has given birth to a healthy calf, which she plans to sell next year.

With great discipline and dedication, Sabitri has been able to provide for her two children. Her entrepreneurial spirit has set a strong example for her daughters.

Pappy Devi grew up in the small village of Bhagalpur in Bihar. Though she was a good student, she was unable to complete her higher education due to her family situation. Soon, she settled down in marriage and was blessed with two children.

The couple then moved to Delhi since her husband found a job as a driver. The income however, was insufficient to support the growing demands of the young family.

Pappy who was eager to support her family, enrolled herself in the 3 month ‘Basic Tailoring’ course at the GMRV Center for Empowerment & Livelihoods, Delhi. She was an exemplary student and quickly learnt the skills required to make handmade products. After completing the course, she joined EMPOWER initiative (Enabling Marketing of Products of Women Entrepreneurs) of GMRVF.

EMPOWER is an initiative that supports women from under-privileged communities to make an income based on making craft-based products, by providing them required training, marketing and other inputs. EMPOWER helps the women sell their products through various channels such as shops at the Airport, exhibitions, bulk orders for conferences and seminars, online marketing etc. After joining EMPOWER, Pappy is making different types of cloth and jute based products and is able to earn an average of Rs 10000 per month.

She is happy that she is able to supplement the family income and provide a better quality of life for her children.

Kandula Venkatesh was born and raised in the village of Perakapally of Nirmal District in Telangana. In order to supplement his family income, he worked as an unskilled labourer after completing high school. However, Venkatesh realised his wage was insufficient to meet the demands of his large family of eight. He then moved to Mumbai, hoping his prospects would improve, but was left disheartened and returned to his native village.

At that point of time, he heard about GMRVF’s Centre for Empowerment and Livelihoods (CEL-H) established in Shamshabad. The main thrust of CEL-H is channelizing the potential of youth towards skilled work and entrepreneurship. Venkatesh approached CEL-H and enrolled for the intensive ‘Excavator Operator’ course.

He not only had access to very good trainers but also had the chance to undergo simulator training at Volvo, Bangalore. Inspired by his seniors who were placed in companies of repute, he worked diligently and excelled in the course.

After completing the course, Venkatesh was placed in a reputed organisation in Vijayawada. Within a year, he got an opportunity to move to Iraq for a handsome salary. He took up the offer and got promoted as ‘Senior Operator’ in no time.

With his savings, Venkatesh was able to construct a house for his family, apart from conducting his sister’s marriage. He hopes to return to India soon and set up a small excavation company.

The families in the village of Mipra in Nepal are dependent on agriculture for their sustenance and livelihood. Majority of families own small plots of arable land where paddy, corn and millet are harvested based on seasonal preference. Since the men in the community mostly work in Kathmandu or migrate to other countries in search of decent employment, the burden of harvesting the crop usually fell on the shoulders of women. Earlier, once the crop is harvested the women would walk 4 kms through difficult terrain carrying the crops to the nearest mill for de-husking. The task was intolerable particularly during days of heavy snowfall.

In 2011, when staff from GMR Varalakshmi Foundation engaged with community members, instantly addressed the concern by providing a rice mill for the benefit of the villagers. Ownership of the mill was handed over to the Amma Samuha, a local women’s Self Help Group. The group hired an operator and the mill is now functional.

The initiative has helped women such as 75 year old Kashi Maya Gurung. She recalls, “Earlier we walked 5 long hours to Khudi Lamjung to husk the rice. As I grew old it became difficult for me. Since the rice mill was built, however, such problems have become a thing of the past”.

Ruthamma is a resilient woman from Mamidipally village near the Hyderabad Airport. Her husband works as a gardener and earns Rs. 5,000 per month. The income however, was insufficient to support the basic needs of their 3 school going children.

An eager Ruthamma who desired to support her family financially, enrolled herself in the community tailoring centre established by GMR Varalakshmi Foundation in Shamshabad. The centre has, since 2006, trained 450 women.

It was at this time that GMRVF established EMPOWER (Enabling Marketing of Products of Women Entrepreneurs). EMPOWER is an initiative that supports women to make an income based on making craft-based products, by providing them required training, marketing and other inputs. EMPOWER helps the women sell their products through various channels such as shops at the Airport, exhibitions, bulk orders for conferences and seminars, online marketing etc.

Ruthamma joined the EMPOWER team. Today she earns an average of Rs. 10,000 per month through EMPOWER and is a competent tailor who supports in the designing of jute products. She is grateful to GMRVF for helping turn her life around.

Reddi Swetha hails from Bobbili in Vizianagaram District, Andhra Pradesh. Her childhood was happy. At 17, she joined pre-university and dreamt of graduating and making her parents proud. Life however came to a standstill when her father unexpectedly succumbed to jaundice.

After her father’s untimely demise, the family found that he had accumulated a huge debt to pay for his treatment. Since her illiterate mother was unable to find a job, Swetha dropped out of college and undertook menial jobs to repay the debt.

It was at this time that a friend recommended her to join the ‘Beautician Course’ being offered at GMRVF’s Centre for Empowerment and Livelihood, Vizianagaram. Swetha immediately enrolled herself for this, and completed the training with utmost dedication. She then boldly decided to establish her own salon by taking a loan of Rs. 20,000 from State Bank of India. Her family however didn’t fully support her decision, since she would be adding to existing debts. Nevertheless, she was determined.

Though she initially faced stiff competition from established salons, Swetha was able to garner a wide customer base. Presently, the income she earns from the parlour has enabled her to clear some of the debt, apart from supporting her brother’s education. Her family is extremely proud of her and supports her aspirations of expanding the salon.

Kallem Naresh Goud was born and raised in the village of Mamidipally near Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA), Hyderabad. His mother was widowed at an early age, leaving her solely responsible for the welfare of her 5 children. She set up a small kirana (general provision) shop in order to support the basic needs of the large family.

In 2008, upon completing his intermediate education, Naresh heard about the newly established GMRVF Centre for Empowerment and Livelihoods, Hyderabad (CEL-H). He promptly enrolled in the second batch of MS Office and DTP course. Here, he gained exposure to eminent professionals in the industry.

On successful completion of the course, he was placed as a cashier in Tenaga Parking at the Airport. Due to his diligence, his salary doubled at the start of the second year. He registered for a distance education program and earned a bachelor’s degree. He followed this with a MBA in Marketing.

Fast forward to 2018, Kallem earns a handsome salary as the Assistant General Manager of Marketing at Radha TMT Steel. He attributes his quick rise to the spark lit by GMRVF.

Recently, he visited CEL-H as part of the celebrations for the 10th anniversary of the Centre where he was felicitated by Mr. Pradeep Panicker, Dy. CEO GHIAL. He gave a motivational talk to current trainees wherein he proudly stated that GMRVF had shaped the course of his life.

Matla Peda Apparao and his wife reside in Pampadipeta village near GMR Group’s Kakinada Socio Economic Zone in Andhra Pradesh.

He is dependent on the income earned from selling the milk of his two cows which produced around 8 litres of milk a day. The fodder costed him around Rs, 1,200 per month, a huge outgo from his income.

A few months ago, Apparao attended a veterinary camp organised by GMR Varalakshmi Foundation in association with the local Govt. Veterinary Dept. He not only got his cows vaccinated for free, but was given awareness on the benefits of using Azolla as an effective feed for livestock. Azolla, an aquatic fern rich in proteins, essential amino acids and vitamins, is easily digested by livestock, apart from increasing both quantity and quality of milk.

In a few weeks, he cultivated enough azolla in his small backyard, to feed the cows. After a month, his cows showed improvement in milk yield. Presently, both his cows produce around 10 litres of milk every day. The expense for the fodder has also decreased to Rs. 550 per month. Matla is extremely grateful to GMRVF staff for introducing him to the benefits of the ‘Wonder Fern’.

Burada Varalakshmi hails from Narasimhapuram in Srikakulam District, Andhra Pradesh. Her father who works as an agricultural laborer, saved his meagre wages to ensure his three children completed their education. Due to his perseverance, Varalakshmi was able to graduate from SGCSR College, Rajam.

Upon graduating, she was unaware of career opportunities. It was at this time that she heard about the ‘Prathibha’ center and enrolled as a member. Prathibha library cum career counselling center established by GMR Varalakshmi Foundation, Rajam helps rural youth preparing for competitive exams by providing them with study material and conducting career counselling, mock interviews, group discussions and coaching classes.

She learnt of the many opportunities available for women in the Police Department through the career counselling. Upon her clearing the written exam, staff at Prathibha center prepared her for the physical test by making use of the track facilities at SGCSR College. Due to her determination and hard work, She cleared the physical tests and is currently undergoing training at the Police Training College in Vizianagaram. She attributes her success to the center and says that ‘Pratibha’ is a boon for unemployed qualified rural youth in and around Rajam.

10 year old Sana was born and raised in Delhi in a large family of 6 siblings. When she was a few years old, she had high fever. After that, doctors said she would not be able to speak or hear. Since there was no school nearby catering to children with special needs.

In 2014, her mother learnt of the SAMARTH Resource Centre established near their house at Savda Ghevra, by the CSR Wing of DIAL, and enrolled Sana in the special education program. SAMARTH has been established to provide services like special education, basic physiotherapeutic care, counselling etc. for the differently abled. electronic typesetting, remaining essentially unchanged

Sana has now started speaking a few syllables thanks to the intense speech therapy given at the centre. Hearing aids have also been provided to her. The SAMARTH team also supported her in availing government benefits such as disability certificate, disability pension and bus pass. Having increased her confidence, Sana joined karate coaching and recently won the 2nd prize in a tournament held in Nepal. Her parents are extremely proud of her and say Sana is a blessed child.

30 families residing in Mangalpur village near GMR Group’s Kamalanga Energy Ltd. in Odisha, have a rich tradition of playing indigenous musical instruments in surrounding villages to commemorate various celebrations and festivals. Music has been their main source of income.

In recent years, there has been a sharp decline in the number of community members able to earn a decent income through folk music. This was because their instruments were old and worn out. Hence they had to rent instruments from external agencies at an exorbitant cost and deprived of an important source of income. 8 individual sanitary latrines. GMRVF added to the government support by sponsoring iron doors for all the toilets.

This year, in a meeting with GMRVF staff, youth from the community expressed their desire to purchase new musical instruments and form a band to rejuvenate their dying traditional music culture and also earn. Following this, under the Foundation’s Livelihood Restoration Programme, necessary items like different types of musical instruments, a mike set and costumes were given to the 12 young men who immediately formed a band christened ‘Maa Mangala Musical Party’.

Today, the musical troupe can be seen playing traditional music intrinsic to the cultural fabric of Odisha in numerous villages. Their services are highly sought after especially during the wedding and festival seasons. Now, through this activity, each member earns an additional income of around Rs. 3,000 per month. They have also rekindled children’s interest in the fading folk musical instruments.