Amla Ruia is a well-known Indian social activist working in the field of water harvesting. She was called “Jal Maata” in recognition of her contribution to society. She is the President of “Akar Charitable Trust”.
Wiki/Biography
She was born in Uttar Pradesh in 1946 (age 73 in 2019).
family, caste and husband
She was born into a Hindu family. She is a descendant of the wealthy Dalmiyas who built Dalmia Nagar in Bihar. She was married to wealthy businessman “Ashok Ruia” who passed away in January 2019. They have three children: a son and two daughters. Her son Atul Ruia is the general manager of Phoenix and Palladium Malls. Her daughters Sharmila Dalmia and Kavita Khaitan are married.
Amra Rua’s husband
Amla Ruia’s son and daughter-in-law
Occupation/water collection work
When she saw images of a drought in Rajasthan (in the late 1990s) on television, she was deeply moved and decided to help the suffering people there. In order to solve the problem of water shortage, she established the “Aka Charitable Trust”. They built the first barrage in the village of Mandawar in Rajasthan, which was also her husband’s hometown.
One of Amla Ruia’s water conservation projects
They built nearly 200 drinking water reservoirs between 2000 and 2005. By the end of 2017, nearly 200 check dams had been constructed in more than 115 villages in Rajasthan. The trust provides 60-70% of the resources and 30-40% of the contributions are made by the villagers. They have also extended support to other states, some of which include Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha and Dantewada in Chhattisgarh. She joined the NGO ‘Grammangal’ to support educational facilities in rural areas. Their main goal is to promote girls’ education.
Amla Rumia at her project site
Awards and Honors
- IIM Lucknow National Leadership Award (2011): Community Service and Social Upliftment.
- Eye of India International Human Rights Observer Achievement Award (2018)
Amra Rua’s awards
Amla Ruia wins award
favorite thing
- Poet: Maithili Sharan Gupte
fact
- She enjoys reading and writing poetry.
- She was born into a spiritually inclined family.
- When she was asked in an interview about her greatest achievement, she replied:
Some people in the area where we built the dam have never even seen how wheat is grown, but they are now starting to grow wheat. The economic status of these villagers has changed dramatically, which makes them very satisfied. “
- In 2019, she appeared in the “Karmaveer” episode (September 27, 2019) of Kaun Banega Crorepati 11 (2019) along with actor Randeep Hooda.
#KBCKaramveer
Meet Karamveer Amla Ruia and learn more about her conservation work in Amitabh Bachchan’s #KBCKaramveer special this Friday at 9pm
Sony Entertainment Television February 23, 2019
Categories: Biography
Source: HIS Education