New Delhi, October 15, 2023: The second edition of the Vedanta Delhi Half Marathon drew over 35,000 participants running in support of the #RunForZeroHunger cause. The event featured five categories, including the ‘Half Marathon’, ‘Open 10K Run’, ‘Great Delhi Run, Senior Citizens’ Run’, and ‘Champions with Disability Run’. Vedanta pledged to provide one meal to children for every kilometer run, totalling 5 million meals, which will be distributed through the network of nearly 6,000 NandGhars, modernized Anganwadis, in the coming weeks.
Ms. Priya Agarwal Hebbar, Non-Executive Director, Vedanta and Chairperson, Hindustan Zinc Ltd., flagged off the races in the presence of dignitaries such as Mr. Anurag Singh Thakur, Honourable Union Minister for Youth Affairs & Sports and I&B, GoI, Mr. Vinai Kumar Saxena, Honourable Lieutenant Governor of NCT of Delhi, and Ms. Atishi, Minister of Education, Govt of NCT of Delhi.
Speaking on the occasion Ms. Hebbar said, “What we witnessed today was the immense power of participative sport to mobilise people from all walks of life and come together for fun, fitness and, most importantly, a cause. It is the dream of our Chairman, Shri Anil Agarwal, that every child in India sleeps with a stomach full of nutritious food. We want to make #RunForZeroHunger a mass movement involving every Indian, just like we want every Anganwadi in this country to become a modern NandGhar.”
Vedanta's Anil Agarwal Foundation recently introduced a millet-based nutri-bar for supplementary nutrition in Anganwadis, including NandGhars and participants at VDHM 2023 received these multi-millet bars.The event garnered support from various celebrities, including Actors Bhumi Pednekar, Ashish Vidyarthi, and Fitness Coach Yasmin Karachiwala, to name a few. Ashton Eaton, two-time Olympic medalist and World Champion athlete, acted as the brand Ambassador for VDHM 2023, alongside Indian women's national cricket team captain Harmanpreet Kaur and Actor and Sports Enthusiast Gul Panag, who motivated the runners.
Additionally, nearly 30,000 employees of Vedanta actively participated in the event, some running in Delhi and others virtually through mini-marathons in their business locations and the StepSetGo app. The runners were awarded finisher's medals made from the purest and highest-grade zinc, produced by Hindustan Zinc Limited, a Vedanta Group subsidiary.
