A Friend To Shah Rukh Khan & Even The Poor: Meet Astromancer-Businessman Bharat Mehra – News18

Last Updated:December 10, 2024, 12:53 IST

Bharat Mehra’s trusts in Maharashtra focus on four key areas — hunger eradication, healthcare, education, and women’s empowerment

(Clockwise from left) Bharat Mehra with Anant Ambani, Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan and CM Devendra Fadnavis. (Instagram)

Bharat Mehra wears many hats from opposite worlds, and that too with equal ease and great panache. The astromancer-entrepreneur, who is comfortable in high society, socialising with the Ambanis or actors such as Shah Rukh Khan, is working to uplift the tribal and marginalised communities of Maharashtra for 25 years.

As the chairman of the Radha Meera Charitable Trust and the Krishnakali Navgrah Mandir Trust, Mehra provides free services to the underprivileged, and uses his spiritual practices to promote their mental and physical well-being.

Mehra envisions transforming India’s underserved communities into self-reliant and sustainable populations, focusing on four key areas — hunger eradication, healthcare, education, and women’s empowerment. His mission is to ensure that every individual has access to necessities, including nutritious food, potable water, quality healthcare, and education, thereby enabling them to lead dignified lives.

Mehra’s philanthropic vision echoes the developmental priorities of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. His focus on creating self-sustaining communities aligns with the government’s emphasis on grassroots development, skill enhancement, and social inclusivity.

KEY PROJECTS BY RADHA MEERA CHARITABLE TRUST

Mehra has brought about profound transformation to the disadvantaged communities, uplifting more than 18-20 villages/hamlets. The four major verticals are:

1. ZERO HUNGER

Recognizing hunger as a root cause of poverty and reduced productivity, Mehra has launched a community food service – Prasadalaya. This initiative provides free, wholesome meals to 2,000 villagers daily, particularly benefiting children, senior citizens, and individuals with disabilities. The vision – ‘Nowhere at no time should anyone remain hungry’ – ensures food security for underprivileged families, enabling them to allocate their resources to other priorities.

Their key initiatives include:

• Mobile vans distributing nutritious meals.
• Yearly distribution of 36,000 food packets containing essential commodities such as grains, cooking oil, and groceries.
• Provision of 50,000 seasonal essentials, including raincoats and umbrellas.

2. HEALTHCARE AND SANITATION

To address the lack of access to affordable medical services, Mehra has established the SWASTH Healthcare Initiatives. They provide comprehensive healthcare support, including:

• A fully equipped pathology centre staffed by qualified doctors and technicians.
• A 24×7 pharmacy offering free medicines.
• Two ambulances facilitating critical care transportation and emergency response.
• Regular medical camps, including hygiene awareness drives, blood donation, and eye check-ups.
• Financial aid for critical surgeries.

Clean Drinking Water: To combat water scarcity, the trust delivers 90,000 litres of potable water to more than 20 villages and has installed water pumps in arid regions. They improve health outcomes and reduce the burden on women tasked with fetching water, enabling them to engage in productive activities.

3. EDUCATION AND WOMEN EMPOWERMENT

Mehra’s focus on education and skill-building aims to empower individuals and communities. The trust’s efforts include:

• Distribution of educational supplies to over 1,500 students annually.
• Scholarships for hundreds of children to pursue higher education.
• Tutoring programmes to encourage school dropouts to re-enroll.

Nari Shakti: The trust provides vocational training in tailoring, basket weaving, and beautician skills. Financial support is also offered to help women establish their own businesses, fostering economic independence and self-reliance.

4. SELF-SUSTAINING COMMUNITIES

To build economically liberated communities, Mehra has initiated a dairy production and has a Gowshala project (in the pipeline). The dairy project’s infrastructure, designed with state-of-the-art hygiene standards, ensures both economic and nutritional benefits for the community.

This project is expected to:

• Provide employment to 800 villagers in milk procurement, processing, and distribution.
• Address malnutrition through the distribution of milk and other dairy products to children and villagers.

OTHER ACTIVITIES

The trust also engages in other impactful initiatives, including:

• COVID-19 Relief: Distribution of thousands of food packets, protection kits, and awareness campaigns during the pandemic.
• Community Hall: Establishment of a free community hall for social gatherings, festivals, and community weddings, reducing financial burdens on families.
• Natural Disaster Relief: Support for typhoon-affected families in the Philippines, providing utility kits to over 1,000 households.
• Religious and Spiritual Support: Use of the Krishnakali Mandir Trust premises for spiritual and community gatherings, promoting mental well-being.

AWARDS AND RECOGNITION

Mehra has been honoured with several prestigious awards for his humanitarian efforts, including:

• Times Business Award 2024 for Exceptional Social Entrepreneurship
• Rotary Humanitarian Award (2022–23)
• Mahatma Gandhi Samman Award (2022)
• CSR Times Award (2022)
• Indian Achievers Award (2022)
• MAN OF EXCELLENCE (2021)
• Bharat Nirman Puraskar (2018)

THE IMPACT

Over the past five years, Mehra’s philanthropic efforts have positively impacted over 75,000 households and 250,000 individuals. The trust has ensured food security with daily meals for 2,000 villagers and annual distribution of essential commodities. Under the healthcare access, pathology services have benefited 3,500 patients till now and free medicines have been provided to over 45,000 individuals. Ambulance services have aided 700 critical patients.

In terms of education, the trust has ensured re-enrolment of 500 students in schools, providing educational supplies to 1,500 students. The scholarships have enabled hundreds of students to pursue higher studies.

Mehra’s trusts have provided vocational training to 1,000 women. Moreover, the dairy project is projected to increase household incomes by Rs 30,000 annually and address malnutrition in rural communities.

With plans to expand his philanthropic projects to other states, Mehra envisions creating old-age homes, enhancing healthcare access, and establishing educational facilities for economically disadvantaged communities.