24 September, 2015

Tata Trusts supports microcredit initiative to fight poverty

Access to low-cost credit needs of India’s under-served population

Bangalore: Tata Trusts has extended its support for a period of four years to India's pioneering Internet-driven peer-to-peer micro-lending platform, Rang De. This initiative aims to offer affordable micro-credit solutions to nearly a quarter of a million families, over the next five years. They will be given access to improved livelihoods, education, health and sanitation facilities. During the first year, Rang De will scale up the team and increase their crowd-funding network with an additional 12,000 social investors. Tata Trusts has been involved in multiple sectors related to socio-economic development in the country.

Mr. Ganesh Neelam, Development Manager, Tata Trusts, said, "The concept of leveraging technology to deliver low cost, community based solutions is a path-breaking concept. Tata Trusts is working towards bringing this idea to life through the microcredit initiative. Since our partnership fuels entrepreneurship at the very grass-root level in the country, we are confident that this will make a difference to the social sector. It will help improve livelihoods, education, health and sanitation facilities, through affordable solutions."

Ramakrishna NK, Co-founder and CEO, Rang De said, "We are very excited and grateful to have Tata Trusts guidance and support in our mission to fight poverty in India. We plan to do this by bringing over 100 corporates and 1.5 lakh new socially conscious Indians to play the role of social investors over the next five years. We are expanding our team and inviting stellar professionals across technology, marketing and communications to power our growth."

About Rang De
RangDe.org is India's first internet-based peer-to-peer micro-lending website, empowering individuals to lend to a rural entrepreneur across the country. Designed as a non-profit social business, Rang De has raised over 38,000 loans totalling over INR 40 crores, funded by over 8000 individual "social investors" and 25+ corporate partners.

For more information please visit https://www.rangde.org/

About Tata Trusts
Tata Trusts are amongst India's oldest, non-sectarian philanthropic organisations that work in several areas of community development. Tata Trusts seek to be catalysts in development through giving grants to institutions in the areas of Natural Resources Management, Rural Livelihoods, Urban Livelihoods & Poverty, Education, Enhancing Civil Society and Governance, Health and Media Arts, Crafts and Culture.

For more information please visit https://tatatrusts.org/

For Further details, please contact:
Shilpi Ghosh

Email: sighosh@tatatrusts.org
Mobile: 0989251338
Tata Trusts, Mumbai

Pritha Chatterjee
Email: pritha.chatterjee@edelman.com
Mobile: 07506354505
Rediffusion/Edelman