·         The initiative has garnered funds over ₹21 crores in the past eight years

Mumbai : RBL Bank’s flagship CSR initiative ‘UMEED 1000’ Cyclothon, a social endeavor to support Inclusive Education, culminated successfully today, having raised funds worth 5.20 crores. 159 cyclists, including 59 RBL Bank employees, collectively covered a distance of 1,14,289 kms. The proceeds of the initiative will be donated to Udbhav RBL School, in Fatehnagar, Hyderabad, a school adopted by the Bank in 2019 and catering to underprivileged children and also to the new school adopted by the Bank for children with special needs under the Udbhav RBL School franchise, in Nallasopara, Maharashtra.

As part of the Bank’s effort to promote Inclusivity, there were multiple cyclothons organized across India, which saw participation from senior bureaucrats and the Indian Army in Bhubaneswar, Mumbai Dabbawalas and RBL Bank employees in Mumbai.

The closing ceremony was presided by the Chief Guest – Rotary International President, Shekhar Mehta, and Guest of Honour – Gautam Gambhir. The Bank also signed a Memorandum of Understanding(MoU) with Rotary on this occasion, to achieve education goals in India and advance the socio-economic interventions undertaken by the Bank.

UMEED 1000 Cyclothon was preceded by a charity challenge, Donate Miles to Educate, that had commenced on October 2, 2021 and continued alongside the main cyclothon. The challenge witnessed employees of RBL Bank and their families walk, run and cycle to donate miles, which were tracked through an App and monetized into funds. A collective distance of 3,66,203 kms was contributed through this challenge.

On the occasion, Rajeev Ahuja, Executive Director, RBL Bank, said, “Education has been largely impacted in the pandemic, especially for the disadvantaged communities. With school dropouts at an all-time high, and many being left out of the sphere of education for multiple reasons, it is our endeavor to provide quality education to all. We are grateful for the tenacity of all the participants of the UMEED 1000 Cyclothon for making the dream of Inclusivity in Education a reality and helping us bridge the gap for these impacted communities.”

Shanta Vallury Gandhi, Head – HR, CSR and Internal Branding at RBL Bank added, “Each year, it is the support of our cyclists, partners, NGOs and employees that helps the UMEED 1000 initiative grow stronger. In our 8th edition, we have expanded the sphere of our cause to focus on quality education for children from underprivileged communities and adults who dropped out of school. We have also set up a school focusing on Children with Disabilities (CWD) in Maharashtra, while we continue to educate the girl children of Udbhav RBL School in Fatehnagar.”