MUMBAI, November 1: Reliance Foundation plans to build a 100-acre township near Mumbai that will provide lifelong care and housing for 5,000 orphaned children, senior citizens and persons with developmental disabilities.
Nita Mukesh Ambani Anant Ashray will come up at Karjat and be developed in phases, subject to necessary approvals. Reliance Foundation chairperson Nita M. Ambani performed the groundbreaking ceremony on Sunday. The wider community, including caregivers, medical professionals, support staff and their families, is expected to number about 15,000.
The proposed not-for-profit township is designed as a community where residents live in family-style homes rather than institutional wards. Plans include eight residential villages, a hospital, rehabilitation facilities, gardens, farms, playgrounds, workshops and a temple.
Each resident will have an individual care and development plan covering health, education, skills, employment and well-being. Plans will be coordinated by a dedicated key worker and reviewed at least every six months.
Facilities are expected to include developmental medicine, epilepsy care, special-needs dentistry, palliative care, physiotherapy, occupational and speech therapy, hydrotherapy, inclusive sports and vocational training. The project will also include family respite homes, mobile medical clinics and a national training academy for disability-care workers.
The township is expected to offer therapy, education and employment opportunities to about 1,000 people from neighbouring villages, while outreach and community healthcare services will extend to a wider population.
Ambani said the initiative was intended to give children who need a home, people with disabilities and older adults a place to live with dignity, care and a sense of family. She said it would also offer reassurance to parents concerned about who would care for their children after they were gone.
