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Sadbhavna Vruddhashram, the Rajkot-based institution known as the world's largest free old-age home, announced two large-scale initiatives during a Mumbai press interaction earlier this week. The organisation revealed plans to plant 151 crore trees across India and to construct a new seven-tower, 11-storey elderly care complex costing INR 400 crore at Rampar on the Rajkot-Jamnagar Road. Donors, including the London-based Nagrecha-Radia family, contributed INR 108 crore towards the project. Alongside these developments, Pujya Morari Bapu's Ramkatha is currently under way in Ghatkopar to support the charitable mission.
In a press interaction held in Mumbai earlier this week, members of Sadbhavna Vruddhashram, including Shri Vijay Dobariya and Shri Mital Khetani, joined key donors Shri Hasubhai Nagrecha and Smt Umiben Radia to unveil two major nationwide initiatives focused on elderly welfare and environmental conservation. The donors, part of the London-based Nagrecha-Radia family, contributed INR 108 crore to support the organisation's expansion plans. Advertisement
Sadbhavna Vruddhashram, recognised as the world's largest free old-age home for poor, sick and abandoned elderly individuals, announced its mission to plant 151 crore trees across India, with the intention of contributing to a greener nation. As part of the first phase, the organisation intends to plant three crore trees in Maharashtra. The institution has been known for environmental work over the past decade, during which it planted and nurtured 1.10 crore trees, including 40 lakh protected trees and 70 lakh trees grown through the Miyawaki forest technique.
Alongside the environmental initiative, the organisation also announced the development of what it stated would become the world's largest free-care elderly facility. The expansion project involves constructing seven 11-storey towers on its campus at Rampar, located on the Rajkot-Jamnagar Road, at an estimated cost of INR 400 crore. Spread across 15 acres, the new complex will include a temple, an Annapurna dining hall, a library, exercise and yoga spaces, a medical centre, landscaped gardens and a community hall. Sadbhavna Vruddhashram emphasised that all facilities will remain free of charge for elderly individuals who are childless, disabled, bedridden, financially weak or otherwise without support.
The existing old-age home already offers one of the most expansive eldercare infrastructures in the country, with 1,400 rooms and the capacity to accommodate over 5,000 individuals requiring long-term care, food, accommodation and medical assistance. The new expansion will make the service accessible to more needy elderly persons from Maharashtra and across India.
To support these charitable endeavours, Pujya Sant Morari Bapu's 'Manas Vande Mataram' Ramkatha is currently under way at Acharya Atre Maidan in Ghatkopar, drawing devotees from across the region. The event commenced earlier this week, with daily sessions taking place from the morning onwards. The Manorathi, or principal hosts, of the event are MLA Shri Paragbhai Kishorbhai Shah and his family.
During the announcement, Shri Vijay Dobariya, widely referred to as 'The Green Man' or 'Van Pandit', said the organisation intended to scale its environmental drive significantly by creating 150 forests across Gujarat with support from the government, donors, volunteers and institutional partners. He stated that the organisation's priority remained not only planting but also nurturing trees and ensuring their long-term survival through active maintenance.
Shri Mital Khetani added that while planting trees was straightforward, the organisation's focus was on sustained care, especially for trees planted in public spaces. He emphasised that the expanded elderly care facility would offer a dignified and fully supported living environment for elderly individuals who are abandoned, bedridden or without family support.
Source - PTI
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