Spreading Happiness InDiya Foundation, the partnership between Sachin Tendulkar and Schneider Electric India achieves significant milestone; aims to transform 500 rural schools by 2025

13 September, 2024, New Delhi: With an aim to empower young students, Spreading Happiness InDiya Foundation (SHIF), a collaboration between cricketing icon Sachin Tendulkar (through Sachin Tendulkar Foundation – STF) and Schneider Electric India, a leader in digital energy management and next-generation automation, have reached a major milestone in their mission to empower young minds in rural areas through digital education. Through the flagship SMITA program, the Foundation has positively impacted 60,000 students across 300+ schools in India. Inspired by the success and in celebration of World Literacy Day, SHIF has committed to revitalising 500 rural government schools by 2025. It aims to touch the lives of more than 100,000 young learners across aspirational blocks of India.

At the heart of the SMITA program are ‘Digital’ classrooms, designed to bring digital education to rural areas while promoting sustainability. Till date, SHIF has equipped 300 schools with Digital classrooms, situated in some of the remotest corners of the country, also serve as hubs for fostering a community of 'Green Ambassadors' who are empowered to take proactive climate action.  These classrooms, powered by renewable energy sources like solar, offer cutting-edge infrastructure and virtual training opportunities, helping schools reduce operational costs and expand access to quality education through virtual training.

Highlighting the importance of expanding digital education access, Mr. Sachin Tendulkar expressed, "The Spreading Happiness InDiya Foundation is dedicated to narrowing the digital gap by granting students access to high-quality education, while also imparting the significance of sustainability. SMITA program signifies our dedication to cultivating a generation of responsible and knowledgeable citizens who will guide us towards a sustainable future. Through the foundation, we are working to ensure that every child, regardless of their location, possesses the resources necessary to thrive in the contemporary world."

Access to quality education is an integral pillar for achieving holistic sustainable development. The evolving digital world has necessitated the timely modernisation and upgradation of educational infrastructure for keeping the students ahead of the learning curve.

In line with this goal, Mr. Deepak Sharma, Zone President - Greater India, MD & CEO, Schneider Electric India, stated, "Schneider Electric is an impact-driven company, and education is fundamental for creating a lasting, sustainable impact. We believe that access to energy and education is a fundamental human right.  Our Digital classrooms exemplify our commitment to leading energy and environmental conservation to empower rural communities. We have already positively impacted 60,000 children in 300 schools and aim to transform 500 schools by 2025. We are honoured to partner with Mr. Sachin Tendulkar to educate and empower our next generation, driving actions on climate change and sustainability."

The SMITA Program is committed towards nurturing an ecosystem of ‘Green Ambassadors’ through its interactive learning program on Environment and Energy conservation. This program is tailored to inform and educate students to make judicious and eco-friendly choices in their daily lives.

The innovative SMITA program by SHIF is making a positive impact on government schools in 12 states like Uttarakhand, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, and Karnataka including some aspirational district blocks. The Foundation is dedicated to ensuring uninterrupted learning by making education available to students in regional languages.

About Spreading Happiness InDiya Foundation (SHIF)

Spreading Happiness InDiya Foundation (SHIF) is a collaboration between Mr. Sachin Tendulkar (https://sachintendulkar.com/), through Sachin Tendulkar Foundation,(STF) and Schneider Electric India (https://www.se.com/in/en/), the leader in the digital transformation of energy management and automation. Sachin Tendulkar Foundation is the Tendulkar family’s philanthropic platform, aimed towards creating a better world for children, through interventions in health, education and sports.  These institutions have come together to provide Energy Autonomy to rural India through Renewable Energy. With a vision to “Spread Happiness” and build a sustainable tomorrow, SHIF is presently involved in providing access to energy, solar-powered “Digital” classrooms, and creating awareness about the judicious use of resources in rural communities of India.

About Schneider Electric

Schneider’s purpose is to create Impact by empowering all to make the most of our energy and resources, bridging progress and sustainability for all. At Schneider, we call this Life Is On.

Our mission is to be the trusted partner in Sustainability and Efficiency.

We are a global industrial technology leader bringing world-leading expertise in electrification, automation and digitization to smart industries, resilient infrastructure, future-proof data centers, intelligent buildings, and intuitive homes. Anchored by our deep domain expertise, we provide integrated end-to-end lifecycle AI enabled Industrial IoT solutions with connected products, automation, software and services, delivering digital twins to enable profitable growth for our customers.

We are a people company with an ecosystem of 150,000 colleagues and more than a million partners operating in over 100 countries to ensure proximity to our customers and stakeholders. We embrace diversity and inclusion in everything we do, guided by our meaningful purpose of a sustainable future for all.

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