Improving women's socio-economic well-being is our immediate priority: Rotary International president

He is the fourth Indian and the third Kolkatan to have risen to the coveted post of Rotary International president. Rotary, significantly, brings together a global network of volunteer leaders dedicated to tackling the world's most pressing humanitarian challenges, connecting 1.2 million members from more than 36,000 Rotary clubs in almost every country in the world. Their service improves lives both locally and internationally, from helping those in need in their own communities to working toward a polio-free world. Soon after assuming office, Sekhar Mehta, Founder, Chairman of Kolkata's leading Skyline Group and Rotary International's president, joined hands with India's oldest philanthropic organisation - Tata Trusts, that has played a pioneering role in bringing about an enduring difference in the lives of the communities it serves, catalysing development in the areas of health, nutrition, education, water, sanitation and hygiene, livelihood, digital transformation, migration and urban habitat, social justice and inclusion, environment and energy, skill development, sports, and arts and culture. Speaking to Bizz Buzz exclusively, Mehta outlines his plans and programmes and how he wants to take this global organisation to a more meaningful level, especially in the context of the challenging times

Rotary International and I as president will also have to oversee Rotary's top priority of ending polio worldwide. Alongside its partners in the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, Rotary has achieved a 99.9% reduction in polio cases since spearheading the initiative more than 30 years ago

Over the last 100 years, Rotary has grown from just one to 4000 clubs with 1.5 lakh Rotary members in India, and 36,000 clubs with 1.2 million members worldwide. Just in 2019-20, The Rotary Foundation in India supported global grant projects worth $28.4 million. Moving forward, Rotary will aim to actively support the central government in achieving the United Nation's Sustainable Development Goals across Rotary's areas of focus

You have just started your one-year term as the Rotary International's 115th president, leading 1.2 million Rotary members globally. So what will be your key focus areas?

My main focus will be on empowering girls globally by providing access to education and resources that offer them leadership opportunities in the future. Equality is a fundamental human right, and it's necessary for a peaceful, prosperous, and sustainable world. Ironically, however, girls and women worldwide still face inequities in areas including health and education and experience significant violence and disproportionate poverty. Rotary encourages clubs and districts to prioritize projects that improve the health, well-being, education, and economic security of girls in their communities and around the world.

As president, Rotary International, I will also have to oversee Rotary's top priority of ending polio worldwide. Alongside its partners in the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, Rotary has achieved a 99.9 per cent reduction in polio cases since spearheading the initiative more than 30 years ago. Since then, Rotary members have contributed $2.1 billion and countless volunteer hours to protect more than 3 billion children in 122 countries from this paralyzing disease. Today, just two countries continue to report cases of wild poliovirus, Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Rotary and Tata Trusts have recently announced a five-year collaboration to advance socio-economic indicators through multi-thematic interventions across India. The collaboration will scale efforts in multiple areas like Healthcare, Cancer Care, Covid Care, Nutrition, Rural Uplift, Livelihoods, Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene and Education, among others. Tell us about the project.

Yes, a Memorandum of Understanding to this effect was signed on June 17 by Mehrab Irani, Group CFO, Tata Trusts, and Ashok Mahajan, Chairman, Rotary India Humanity Foundation (RIHF), in my presence. N Srinath, CEO, Tata Trusts, was also present. See, solving real problems takes real commitment and vision. Each year, Rotary members invest hundreds of millions of dollars and countless volunteer hours to promote health, peace and prosperity in communities across the globe. We are proud and privileged to partner with an organization that shares similar values and ethos to serve the world. The partnership between Rotary and Tata Trusts will focus on quality interventions for significant development across water and sanitation, health, education, Covid-19 relief, economic empowerment, and education with an added focus on women and children across India. Rotary has successfully worked in these focus areas before and with this partnership with Tata Trusts, we are excited to scale our impact and reach to communities in most need.

Addressing all 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations, and in line with the Government of India's vision, Rotary and Tata Trusts' programmes are driven by their desire to create impact that is deep, wide and sustainable by strengthening communities through pointed interventions, supplemented by technology and data, relevant to their needs.

Any particular reason, why you joined hands with Tata Trust?

Tata Trust and Rotary share a common vision, value system, commitment to society and a common willingness to do better. Both the organisations are working in areas of national importance, particularly for citizens at the bottom of the pyramid. Since more than a century, Tata Trusts and Rotary have endeavoured to contribute to the larger goal of nation-building through multi-thematic programmes executed at scale in geographies that require immediate intervention. The interventions, designed with the communities, aim to enhance socio-economic welfare and aid the transition to more ecologically cohesive practices in a sustainable way.

Since last year, it has been a terrible time not only in India, but across the world, thanks to the break out of pandemic. What did you do during these challenging times?

In the last year, we have been actively involved in strengthening Rotary's response to Covid-19 in India. Rotary clubs across India have been working with local governments and authorities since then to boost the vaccination roll out and delivery along with providing infrastructural support to hospitals and Covid-19 care facilities. With help from partners like ShelterBox, ACT Grants, SWASTH, Sattva Consulting, United Way Bengaluru and Zomato Feeding India, Rotary has also been playing a critical role in mobilising relief work across communities most impacted by Covid-19 pandemic.

What are the other areas you have been working on over the years?

Previously, we spearheaded pan India initiatives to provide underserved communities with access to clean water and sanitation, healthcare and basic education. We also led efforts to support communities in disaster recovery in collaboration with the Government of India. Our 'Saving Little Hearts' initiative, has so far provided over 1,500 life-saving heart surgeries to children from disadvantaged families suffering from congenital heart defects across South Asia. We have also been actively supporting the TEACH program that aims at helping India attain 100 per cent literacy by 2025 and had earlier played a pivotal role in recovery efforts after the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami.

How has the Rotary or the Rotary movement grown over the years in India?

Over the last 100 years, Rotary has grown from just one to 4,000 clubs with 1.5 lakh Rotary members in India, and 36,000 clubs with 1.2 million members worldwide. Just in 2019-20, The Rotary Foundation in India supported global grant projects worth $28.4 million. Moving forward, Rotary will aim to actively support the central government in achieving the United Nation's Sustainable Development Goals across Rotary's areas of focus.