25^th March 2021

Dear Melinda & Bill,

I feel deeply humbled to have taken up the Giving Pledge. I have always believed in the power of giving back and our interactions about how to create a lasting impact for vulnerable communities around the world leave me inspired and galvanize me to do more.

I come from a very humble background and my life story resonates with every youngster who dares to dream. Like many young men and women in India, I started working when I was just 15 years old. The hard work put in by our small yet determined team paid off when we were able to acquire our first company in 1976, and we never looked back. As India opened up its economy in the early 1990s, we were able to deliver on several opportunities to create tremendous wealth for our stakeholders and the country.

Vedanta is a global organization today but our core values continue to be guided by the golden principle my grandfather instilled in me when I was a teenage small-time scrap dealer from Northern India: to be the trustee of the wealth we create and plough it back for the greater good of the society.

It is with this belief and support from my family, I pledged 75% of my family wealth to charity in 2014 to give back to my country what she has so generously given us. Programs that work towards eradication of poverty, child welfare, and women empowerment will be my focus for communities at large, especially in India. I am keen to build a world-class ecosystem around early childhood development and nutrition which would, in the long run, ensure that all children get the opportunities and level playing field, irrespective of the background they come from.

It is my belief that social initiatives and community programs must become self-sustaining for a lasting impact and I am committed to leveraging technology and global expertise to realize this. Collaboration plays a very important role as it is not possible for a single individual or institution to address the diverse challenges that we are faced with today. As we make the effort, new doors open and new people come in to help us reach new frontiers. I am humbled by the support I have received from several quarters which reinforces my faith that great things happen when people come together for the greater good.

It is with this belief that I recommit myself to working with like-minded and passionate people like you and many others to make the world a better place.

I am pleased and excited to join The Giving Pledge along with my daughter Priya and would look forward to exchanging ideas on creating transformative impact on global issues such as eradication of malnutrition and women empowerment.

Best Wishes,